When I went to Sicily in 1993, it was the first time I really ever experienced fruit as the main ingredient- and sometimes the only ingredient- in a dessert. At first I was waiting around for the real dessert to please show up and perhaps this was just one of many courses at the end of the … Read more
I’m working with IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) on their upcoming Halal and Healthy workshops around the Chicagoland area where I’ll be conducting food demos on four different recipes, all super simple and all using halal-certified products. These uber delicious Medjool dates stuffed with almonds and topped with melted chocolate and pistachios … Read more
These limited edition chocolate pumpkins are handcrafted with premium ingredients and available in either rich, dark chocolate or luxurious milk chocolate. They are filled with pearls of biscuit cereals rolled in milk chocolate and popcorn drizzled with sweet, black salt caramel. Set it up on your dessert table for any Autumn occasion or split it … Read more
This scrumptuous, quick and so easy to make dessert comes from my good friend and someone I look up to in so many ways, Susan Labadi. She’s an educator by profession and also has a great big voice in the halal industry as an active promotor of halal products and services. She is often called … Read more
I have loved dates for a very long time. I do think they’re one of the world’s best food, and completely more versatile than they’re often understood to be. They’re not just for desserts, as in the recipe I’m about to show you, but they’re wonderful in salads, great to cook with when dried (I love … Read more
We’ve been talking about pumpkin a lot lately, way before Thanksgiving, just about as soon as the leaves started to change colors. It’s when many of use get excited about cooking and baking with these garden gems. Since pumpkins and other gourds last so long and can so well, they can be used way into … Read more
A while ago I posted images of this recipe for Lemon Tiramisu, a twist on my Classic Tiramisu recipe, over on my Instagram account when I was preparing it for my monthly cooking classes at the UMMA Center. I don’t have step by step process photos of this one, but if you follow those for … Read more
It seems to me that everyone I know is looking more and more towards comfort food , whether in the form of soups, casseroles, pot pies and even desserts. Maybe it’s because of the uncertainty we all live through in today’s world. So many of us live further and further away from family and friends … Read more
Tiramisu, the quintessential Sicilian dessert, and the ultimate party food. Although I’m (half) Sicilian, I didn’t grow up with this dessert at family dinner tables. I’m not exactly sure why no one ever made it, but it took for me to travel to Italy and taste the real deal for the first time to be … Read more
Sweets are the biggest hit during any Eid celebration. It is not ‘Eid until you have sweets and desserts on the table. In fact, every house we visit during Eid, will have delectable sweets/desserts served to their guests. It is definitely a day to celebrate the long days of fasting in Ramadan and indulge that … Read more
