This week I am in another country, sharing a table with new friends, asking to see strangers' kitchens, and cooking with tools I can’t buy in the States over fire using woods I have to look up in my nature book. 

If you let it, this kind of travel will strip you down to your most innocent, vulnerable and open self. You’ll struggle to say hello and thank you even though you feel it more deeply than when you are at home, you will eat things you are not sure the names of, and you will fumble with customs that are foreign. You will grow. 

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Last month I traveled to Lebanon and took a whirlwind food tour around the country, tasting a huge variety of Lebanese food and drinks, enjoying the warm hospitality of the people, and taking part in one-of-a-kind experiences, like the za'atar farm tour I shared a couple weeks ago. It was one of those trips that makes you wish you had a camera crew following along to capture every moment. Lucky for me, there was — and the short video they put together truly captures the beauty and vitality of eating in Lebanon. Ready to come along?

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At the end of a bumpy, red dirt driveway in a small town in southern Lebanon, you'll find the home of farmer Abu Kassem and his family. For about 13 years, they have been growing za'atar, the once-wild herb that plays a starring role in the increasingly popular spice blend of the same name. The path from field to flatbread is simple on this organic farm, but one fueled by dedication and hard work. Take a peek at how they do it — and you may never look at that bottle of supermarket za'atar in the same way again.

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I just returned from my first trip to Lebanon, where I spent a week eating and drinking all over the country. Whether in a restaurant or someone's home, no matter where I stopped for a drink, I was always offered a bowl or two of mixed nuts. This, I learned, was no coincidence.

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If you've been in a cocktail rut, we're about to bust you out of it. In what just happened to be perfectly timed with The Kitchn's Cocktail Week, yesterday New York Magazine unveiled 50 cocktail recipes, one from every state (plus D.C) — all recipes gathered from a country in the throes of a cocktail renaissance They're calling this a "cocktail terroir," or as close as one can get to such a thing: original, innovative recipes often made with local spirits and homemade infusions, syrups, and ingredients. If you get tired of one drink, there are 49 others to try. 

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Take a look at this cup of coffee. It looks like a good little cup of espresso, doesn't it? Looks are deceiving in this case; there isn't a bit of coffee in this photo. Want to know what it is? 

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One of my most memorable experiences last summer in Israel was a Friday night dinner at the home of a few local Tel Avivians. I've thought about that evening a great deal since, mostly because it was such a lesson in hospitality. There we were, a traveling group of food writers, invited to eat a homemade dinner prepared especially for us. We were strangers to our hosts, and yet the evening turned out to be an intimate, welcoming affair — all due, I think, to three things, which are also great entertaining ideas for anyone:

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My children have plenty of things. When I travel without the boys, instead of bringing back t-shirts (they have hundreds) or snow globes (one is more than enough), I like to share the experience with them, often by cooking something new I enjoyed away from home. When we vacation as a family, we often return with new favorites to add to our regular menu. Here's how that plays out in our home:

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We've talked about the folks over at Perennial Plate here before but it's been a while since we've stopped by to see what Daniel and Mira are up to. Although Perennial Plate started three years ago as a very local project featuring the foodshed of northern Minnesota, they've gone global this year with visits to Japan, China and India. The stories about the people and the food they grow, cook, and eat are absolutely not to be missed. More