• The best afternoon tea in Bahrain

    Ritz Bahrain afternoon tea

    When I first moved to Bahrain, I was surprised to discover how many restaurants served afternoon tea. But after further reflection, it makes sense: Besides the fact that Bahrain has tons of restaurants and nice hotels in general, it also has a significant population of British expats, and a long history of British influence. Because […]

  • 5 easy baking recipes for novice bakers

    easy banana coconut muffin recipe

    As you may have noticed from social media, everyone is baking more these days. But if you don’t have a lot of experience baking, or if you are working with a super complicated recipe, things can get overwhelming quick. That’s where I come in! I put together several easy baking recipes that you can totally […]

  • Beet hummus

    beet hummus recipe

    I’m going to be honest with you: I hate beets. I really WANT to like them. Not only are they incredibly good for you, they’re also a gorgeous color. But every time I eat them, they just taste like dirt. So why am I sharing this beet hummus recipe with you? Because it’s delicious—whether you […]

  • Chicken breast sheesh tawook

    chicken breast sheesh tawook

    Getting sick of the same old chicken breast recipes? Don’t worry. This chicken breast sheesh tawook is just what you’re looking for. It’s easy, super flavorful, and only has one or two ingredients (probably) that you don’t already have in your house. If you’re wondering what the heck chicken breast sheesh tawook is, and how/why […]

  • Easy and fast recipes for people who don’t cook

    macaroni and cheese

    As I read about restaurants in the United States and elsewhere closing their doors to help stop the spread of coronavirus, I started thinking about people (like some members of my family) who eat out for every meal and for whom using the toaster or pushing buttons on the microwave is the extent of their […]

  • Arabella’s baptism

    Arabella's baptism

    We had decided early on that we wanted to have Arabella baptized at Toby’s church in Kentucky, so when we decided we were going to go to Kentucky for Thanksgiving, it seemed like the perfect time. My family was able to come, too, which was awesome because we were all together for the ceremony. Arabella […]

  • Baby Yoda cookies

    Baby Yoda cookies

    Do y’all watch the Mandalorian? If you do, you know that Baby Yoda (who is actually not Yoda and is known as “The Child”) is absolutely adorable. So when Toby sent me a meme thing he saw on Facebook about a way to make Baby Yoda cookies, I knew I had to get on that, […]

  • Okinawan sweet potato pie

    Okinawan sweet potato pie

    One of the things I was most excited about when we found out we were moving to Okinawa was the purple sweet potatoes, or beni imo. Then, mainly because I am foolish and was only shopping at the commissary and the local grocery store closest to our house, instead of going to farmer’s markets, I […]

  • Chocolate raspberry rose cupcakes

    chocolate raspberry rose cupcakes

    I wanted to do something extra special for Valentine’s Day this year, and since I have become pretty enamored with rose water, I thought chocolate cupcakes with pink raspberry frosting that look, smell, and even taste a bit like roses would be perfect! Can you think of a better Valentine’s gift than a dozen homemade chocolate […]

  • What to make for Friendsgiving brunch

    hosting Friendsgiving brunch

    Celebrating holidays far from family is never easy, but it can be particularly challenging when you’re living overseas and trying to celebrate a distinctly American holiday. Most military service members get holidays off (if they’re not deployed), but actually flying home to the U.S. for every holiday is unrealistic and expensive. So, that means friends […]