This za’atar manakeesh is almost not even a recipe – it’s so easy and only needs three ingredients. I always have the first two in my pantry and the third ingredient in my overpacked freezer. I sometimes make this as a quick snack when guests come over or have it for breakfast with a fried egg on […]
Saudi Arabia
Cactus-Themed Items for Your Home
From what we’ve seen on instagram and pinterest, cactus- and unicorn-themed things are all the rage these days. I haven’t been into unicorns since I was about 8 years old, but cacti are a whole different thing. Tomiko and I first saw cacti when we visited Arizona around 1993, and we were awed by the […]
Za’atar Manakeesh
Za’atar manakeesh is Arabic za’atar pizza. Our mom used to buy it fresh from Tamimi Markets in Saudi Arabia, and now we make it at home. If you can’t find the za’atar spice mix, you can make it yourself from a blend of thyme, sesame seeds, and sumac. The za’atar mixture is mixed with a […]
Saudi Fruit Juice
Our family ordered this Saudi fruit juice whenever we went out for shawarmas – the classic fast food we ate in Saudi Arabia. Now shawarmas are commonplace in Canada, but when we moved to Riyadh in 1996, they were brand new to us. The shawarmas were only SR 5 (less than $2.00) each, and are a […]
Happy Hour: Saudi Champagne
Saudi champagne was served as a special beverage at restaurants or home parties where we grew up. Saudi Arabia is a country where alcohol is haram, or forbidden. As kids, of course, we didn’t care about the lack of alcohol; we just thought Saudi champagne was a great treat at ma’asalama (goodbye) parties or when we occasionally […]