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Five Dinners That Improve With Time

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:30:12 -0700

In theory, we can all sing the virtues of leftovers: By eating them, you're not only saving money, but also time, energy, resources, and possibly calories. But in reality, some of you just can't stomach the idea of eating yesterday's food. The solution? Take it from SavvySugar: Prepare foods that taste better the next day. For those of you who need a little convincing, here are five dishes that really do taste better the next day.

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Exotic Side: Tabbouleh

partysugar — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 04:46:36 -0800

Lately I have been posting common side recipes that can be paired with roast dishes and hearty meats. Today I decided it's time we spice things up a bit (we are after-all in the middle of January) and instead of making a normal, classic side I suggest we make an exotic, fresh tabbouleh. Tabbouleh (pronounced tub-boo-lei) is an Arab salad made of cracked wheat combined with finely chopped vegetables such as tomatoes, parsley, or onion. Neither rice nor pasta, tabbouleh, with its tiny grains, is an excellent make ahead side that only betters the longer the flavors meld. It's incredibly simple to make and is best described as being a close cousin to couscous. To take a stab at making tabbouleh, read more

Tabbouleh
From Food Network

1 cup bulghur wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well.
Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate.
The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

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Latest War in the Middle East Over Hummus

partysugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:45:18 -0700

A group of Lebanese businessmen have accused Israel of stealing their traditional dish, hummus. Although the exact origins of the creamy garbanzo bean spread are unknown, the Lebanese Industrialists Association, lead by Fadi Abboud, plan to sue Israel for ownership. Abboud hopes to make hummus a dish with protected geographical status.

Similar to how feta cheese must be made with Greek sheep and goat's milk or how champagne must be made with grapes native to the Champagne region of France, Abboud believes hummus and other local delicacies (baba ghannouj, tabbouleh) deserve geographical protection. His case may be futile, though; the Protected Geographical Status Law applies only to countries in the European Union. There is no such law in Lebanon and Israel.

I think the whole thing is a bit comical: who has time to fight over the ownership of hummus? Still, I'm curious to see if hummus is declared a product specific to Lebanon. What do you think about the claim?

Secret Ingredient: Oranges

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 08:01:22 -0800

Last week I challenged you guys to come up with great recipe ideas featuring peppermint. This week it was definitely a tough decision, there were a bunch of fantastic entries, such as Molten Chocolate Cakes with Mint Fudge Sauce, Peppermint Oreo Balls and super Cute Peppermint Pigs. However, since I sort of overdosed on sweets this past week, I've decided that the winner of this week's challenge is 3Sweeties with her entry of Chicken with Tabbouleh. It's a light summer inspired main dish that will be a nice change from all the hearty meals during the winter. Congrats 3Sweeties and great job everyone, keep the recipes coming!

The next secret ingredient is oranges. Any kind of oranges, orange juice, orange peel, orange soda, whatever strikes your fancy, go crazy and submit your best recipe to the Secret Ingredient Group. You have until next week. Good luck and good eats!