What is Beef Shawarma?

If you’ve never had beef shawarma, you’re in for a treat.! A famous Middle Eastern street food, shawarma is made with chicken or beef that is heavily marinated in oil, lemon juice, and warm spices. Then, it is placed on a vertical rotisserie or spit and slow-roasted for days until it is unbelievably tender. 

Most commonly, it is shaved off and served stuffed into bread with fresh toppings and a drizzle of tahini or tzatziki. However, you can also find it presented as part of a platter along with sides like tabbouleh and hummus. No matter how it’s plated, it’s always incredible and is guaranteed to leave you coming back for more. 

Don’t worry, though. You don’t need a fancy spit to make your own beef shawarma at home. I’ll show you how to create the same bold flavor and tender texture by searing on the stovetop instead! 

What does Golden Milk taste like?

Golden milk has a distinctive taste. It is warmly earthy, supremely spiced, slightly sweet, complexly flavorful, has a light bite to it, and with the addition of coconut oil or if using dairy milk it becomes a rich drink.

Some drinks with similar flavor include chai tea or spicy eggnog.

You have the option to sweeten it, then serve it warm and cozy or chilled and iced. I say this really just depends on the season. I think you'll love it warm during fall and winter months and chilled during spring and summer months.

It's touted to have lots of health benefits (see below) and some say it can even help improve sleep quality.

All the more reason to enjoy this delicious drink! It has tempting flavor and nutritious benefits.

Honey Baked Ham Recipe

A go-to method for spiral sliced ham. In the past I've hated how I'd always ended up with some dry slices, but not here.

I like Cook's Illustrated's method for spiral sliced ham so I used the same method here and just added different glaze rather than the orange maple one they used.

So many ham recipes (at the same weight) are cooked at 375 degrees for up to 3 hours but why? The ham is already fully cooked, it just needs to be warmed through for serving.

Here the ham is first brought up to room temperature in warm water so it heats more evenly in the oven. From there it's wrapped in an oven bag for faster cooking, and moister end result.

And then finally at the end it's unwrapped and coated with the glaze and heated at a higher temperature to help brown and caramelize it a bit.

It's the perfect protein for a holiday feast!

A New Favorite Fall Recipe

We all love the classic pumpkin chocolate chip cookies but sometimes it's nice to switch up tradition for something different but equally as delicious. These iced pumpkin cookies fill that space perfectly.

These are a very similar to those cakey pumpkin flavored cookies we are used to but dark chocolate chips are omitted and instead they're finish them with two types of icing and chopped nuts.

They may just take the winning lead for your favorite fall cookie!

They are fun to decorate two. One way I came up with is to use both types of icing and finish with a criss-cross pattern that becomes a pretty autumn plaid design. All you need is to small resealable bags or two piping bags to create it (and snip a small corner away with scissors to drizzle over).

Just plain on two per person because most likely everyone will want to try each type of icing. Let us know which you love the most!

Halloween Gingerbread Cookies

After just one bite I have the feeling these will become a new Halloween tradition for you. Not only are they such a cute Halloween cookie, but they are an intensely delicious treat too (every time I make them I think I eat half the batch myself!).

They have an abundance of warm ginger (which can be toned down for little kids and cut in half if preferred), and the deeply flavored, thick molasses keeps them soft for days. And that crisp bright icing is the perfect contrast and finish.

Forget trick-or-treat candy—this is the new highlight of the season. And if you do have kids at home let them help decorate they'll have a blast! Decorate skeleton gingerbread Halloween cookies as part of a Halloween class party activity, family Halloween party treat, or take them to a Halloween party to make a seriously spooky impression.

Special Equipment Needed for Halloween Gingerbread Men

You'll need the kitchen standards here such as an electric mixer, rolling pin, cookie sheets, parchment paper, a kitchen scale or measuring cups. Then also:

• Black edible food marker: I tested two different brands and preferred the Wilton edible markers.
• A piping bag for the icing.
• Small plain round tip such as #3 or #4 size.
• Gingerbread cookie cutter.

Perfect Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

We all love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but have you tried pumpkin whoopie pies yet?

They are very similar but rather than being dotted with dark chocolate chips two cookies are layered and meld together with a rich cream cheese frosting in the center. So it's like an irresistible cake but in single serve cookie form, and they're easier to make!

These soft and fluffy cookies are delicious rolled in chopped pecans or walnuts which also adds a light crunch. Or you could try adding some chocolate chips to the cookie dough for an extra decadence.

Try them at least once this fall, you won't regret it!

Coconut Lentil Curry

This meat-free lentil curry recipe is such a tasty main dish that pairs beautifully with white rice, cauliflower rice or naan.

It has a delicious complexity of flavor, the lentils make it a nutritious choice, and the coconut milk adds some body to make it more substantial.

It makes an excellent vegan dinner and any extra that's left is perfect for lunch the next day (you can even freeze it).

If you haven't yet had lentils this is a great place to start. With the rising prices of meat these days it's a great recipe to add into the dinner rotation since lentils are a much cheaper alternative to meat.

And by using a the homemade spice blend here (which is basically a curry spice blend) you can control the amount of heat that goes into the dish making it as mild or spicy as you prefer.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

A simple treat that makes enough for a small crowd or dessert you can enjoy throughout the busy week. These pumpkin bars are one of my favorite things to make this time of year!

They have the perfect medium density to them. I switched from oil to butter, and cut back on the leavening and the eggs from 4 to 2 (vs. the traditional recipe).

They have just the right level of sweetness. We use a combo of caramel-like brown sugar and granulated sugar. Then of course powdered sugar for the frosting. This is a dessert after all.

And you'll find they have plenty enough spice and pumpkin flavor. I'm not a fan of pumpkin recipes that try to use just a little pumpkin for a chewy texture or something. You might as well just make a spiced dessert and not even waste that can of pumpkin.

Then of course what would they be without that dreamy frosting? It's a decadent finishing touch that really leaves everyone craving more.

You'll love how easy these are to make, plus they freeze well too.

I think they ought to be the first thing on the fall to do list this year!

What is Garam Masala

Garam masala is an aromatic blend of ground spices used in Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, and Sri Lankan cuisines. The most common type originated from Northern India.

It is used to season and bring complex flavor to curries, meat and fish dishes, lentil and vegetarian dishes, soups and more.

While you can usually find garam masala in a pre-mixed spice blend by the other spices in the baking isle at your local grocery store I highly recommend making it yourself at home. Why? It has a lot more flavor, you can control the amount of each spice that goes into it (store-bought blends vary widely in spices used and amounts), and you can also control heat.

Some store-bought blends in my opinion have way too much of one spice and lack another. Some are so peppery they don't leave a whole lot of room to taste much else.

Homemade spice blends, such as this, may take a little bit of extra effort but I promise you they are worth it!

When you are short on time, or if you are having a hard time finding whole spices I've also included measurements for a fast and easy recipe using using pre-ground spices.

If possible though I highly recommend trying the whole and freshly ground, they create that practically irreplaceable flavor.

What does Garam Masala taste like?

Garam masala tastes warm and earthy, lightly sweet, peppery and somewhat spicy, with hints of floral notes.

The taste can vary from blend to blend depending on various spices and ratios of each added. For or instance, here I like to add fennel seeds which adds faint hints of black licorice and bay leaves that add an ever so light herbal taste. They aren't always typical but I like that extra something.

Recommended Spice Storage

• Garam masala should be stored in a well sealed airtight container, in a cool dry place away from sunlight.
• For optimal flavor it should be used within 6 months.
• You can up-cycle and use an old empty spice jars, or if you don't have any you can buy the same spice jar set I have HERE (as pictured above). It includes tons of pre-printed labels (and plenty of blank labels too).
• I recently organized my spice drawer and bought this expandable spice drawer rack too HERE, if you're interested (just be sure to measure to ensure it will fit). It's been a game changer in quickly finding the spices I need for cooking.

Chickpea Coconut Curry

This Chickpea curry is such a hearty and flavorful Indian dish that really packs in that crave-able flavor! It's made without any meat and you won't even miss it in the slightest!

The best part, in my opinion, really is the sauce with it's vibrant taste and perfect smoothness (no chunks thanks to a quick blend).

Though it may seem like an incredibly long list of ingredients here, don't be alarmed because the majority of it is spices you likely already have on hand (plus I've even included a few as optional).

Some of you may be thinking, but wait, there's no curry? Here we make our own curry spice blend which gives us far more overall control in flavor and heat level.

And this recipe uses plenty of them for an exciting, rich depth of well rounded flavor.

Serving suggestions are of course the classic basmati rice or cauliflower rice, but if you really want to go all out serve with warm buttery naan bread. Roasted vegetables are a great side to it as well just ditch the Italian seasoning and use spices like those here instead.