I come from an Egyptian family who LOVES food. Both my parents are extremely talented in the kitchen and rarely go out to eat. Their love for food and cooking has definitely gotten passed on to me. Since the age of 13, I’ve been my mom and dad’s sous chef, mincing onions, slicing vegetables and washing the dishes. They always put me to work and I am so thankful for that because I have learned so much from them. I began cooking even more at the age of 15 when my parents were both working full time and I was taking care of my brother, who is 11 years younger than me.
My mom cooks the best Middle Eastern food I have ever tasted. My dad is more of a cook everything type of guy. He has always been my role model and what I aspire to be in the kitchen. I have always been in awe of how he can take four completely different leftovers and create a completely new and magnificent dish.
From the age of 15 until now, my cooking and baking has improved every day. It especially improved when I got married and my husband and I moved to Brasilia, Brazil. We didn’t love the food scene there, so I found myself cooking more and more every day. I realized by the end of that tour that I was my father’s daughter and that I was almost at his level. I stopped searching for recipes, started to create dishes with whatever I had on hand, not worried that they would taste bad, and always confident that if I messed something up, I could fix it.
My husband is a US diplomat and we are currently living in Dublin, Ireland with our 3- and 1-year old boys. Traveling around the world has definitely contributed to my curiosity of mixing together different ingredients, even though it might not work out. It amazes me how different parts of the world use the same type of ingredients but for different types of dishes.
My husband aka my biggest supporter and number one fan convinced me to start food blogging so that I can share my love of food and cooking with the world. Just as my parents shared their love of food and cooking with me, I hope to share it with you. And just as my dad taught me to have the courage to try different things, I hope to pass some of that courage on to you.