I'm just finishing up my book and looking forward to a week or two of summer before having to check back into regular life and — boom — I check the editorial calendar and it's "Back to School (and Work) Week"? Bummer.

So I flat-out refuse. After a month of ridiculous heat waves and then a bunch of chilly rainy days, I'm still summer's biggest fan. So I'm sitting squarely on my summer tuffet, choosing not to jump on the bandwagon of folks (folks like the talented writers of The Kitchn) who are planning ahead. More

My brother and his wife served for the Peace Corps in the northwest African nation of Mauritania. There, they learned of the local foods and ways of serving them and they've shared much of it with those of us back home. The thing that is almost always certain is that the meal is served from a communal dish: More

This time of year, we could make a meal every night out of little bites of this and that. Any of these salads, dips, or spreads would be welcome on our table. The middle east does it right. By the way, if you want an exhaustive list of meze from different countries, go read this. And don't worry, we're gonna give you hummus, too. More

Have you ever heard of this spice? We saw it at Penzeys and were so intrigued! Mahlab is the seed of a particular sour cherry tree native to Iran and the ground spice is used widely in Middle Eastern baking. Apparently, the flavor it adds is reminiscent of both sour cherries and bitter almonds. Sounds good to us! More

Earlier today, we showed you our popcorn interpretation of the LOST smoke monster. It makes use of several dark-colored spices, including one that was new to us: loomi, sometimes called black lemon or black lime. It's indeed made from limes and it packs quite a sour punch. More

We get a lot of recipe inspiration from restaurant dishes. One recent meal inspired not only a recipe, but a serving idea, as well. We tried a trio of dips at Chickpea, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Chicago, and the one that really got our attention was a zucchini, mint and yogurt spread called Koosa ma Laban. But we were also quite taken with all the wonderful colors in the restaurant's decor and serving plates. More

Here's a quick and easy side dish that goes with many things. Sour cherries are found at Middle Eastern groceries and have a wonderfully tart and sweet flavor to them, and the pine nuts add texture along with an interesting flavor. More

This is another recipe I adapted from a Moroccan tagine recipe since I don't have a tagine. It's a wonderful stewed chicken dish that's very good served over couscous or rice. More

After I made a batch of preserved lemons, I started looking for things to do with them. I came across a tagine recipe, but since I don't have a tagine, I decided to modify the recipe by using most of the same ingredients, but making it a baked dish rather than a tagine. More

You know that strange - and mouthwatering - maple syrup aroma that wafts through Manhattan every so often? That's fenugreek being processed at a food-manufacturing plant in New Jersey! If you're not familiar with this spice, it's well worth your effort to seek some out and give it a try. Do you cook with fenugreek? More