Cooking in the Sham Region

Many of the recipes I will be posting have their origins in the Sham region of the Middle East.  To Westerners, the Sham region in variously known as the Near East and the Levant.  Shami cooking is comprised of the dishes traditionally made in Syrian, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Lebanese homes and restaurants.

Shami cooking can be intricate and time consuming, but it can also be simple and quick.  There is a great emphasis on the importance of nutrition in the culture and children are still fed a hot meal upon arriving home from school.  "Citified" versions of dishes, like those made in Beirut and Damascus, are more delicate and refined.  A Palestinian version is often hearty and rustic--designed to fill the bellies of the farmers arriving home after a day working their famous farmlands in one of the most fertile areas of the Middle East.   Like Boston's famous baked beans or Maryland's crab cakes there are some specialties belong to a more specific area in this region, but even those have now been adopted by neighbors.

The cooking of this region is typified by a few ingredients that are considered exotic to the average Westerner.  Other ingredients, such as yogurt, are ubiquitous in the West but used in different ways.

I will keep an ongoing glossary page where I describe or define ingredients and non-English terms.

If you are truly interested in learning to make Shami foods, I suggest you find a good Middle Eastern or Greek market where you can find fresh spices and other ingredients.

For my Middle Eastern and especially my Shami readers, bear with me--I think you may be pleasantly surprised.  As I am neither Shami nor Arab, I have been freed from many of the constraints you are bound by.   I can take tips from my closest Syrian friends, temper with American ingenuity, and apply them to the Palestinian dish that is the staple at my mother in law's house.  Sometimes this results in disaster, but on other occasions I have produced a meal that is guaranteed to knock your socks off!

Many hearts. Much love--My resume.

I thought about just plunging into the tips and tricks of the trade, but then I thought I'd better give you my qualifications first...

I am a stay at home mother of six amazing boys, masha allah. I pray that the Lord will shower them with blessings every moment of their lives.

My first son, Prince, is 8 years old.
My second son, Energizer, is 7 years old.
My third son, Earnest, is 5 years old.
My fourth son, Patience, is 3 years old.
My fifth son, Little Man, is 2 years old.
My sixth son, Sunshine, is 6 months old.

I had my first son while my husband and I were still living in my hometown. Shortly after he was born, we moved to a small town where we lived while he attended school and worked full time to support us. I had my next four children in that town. My last son was born in my husband's hometown in the Middle East, where we have been living since he graduated.

I have had long hours alone with my children while my husband spent a day at the University coming home just to eat and head off to a full work shift. I have had even longer weeks alone with my children when my husband returned to the States to further his education.

I have learned to plan without loosing spontaneity. I have learned to be prepared without hoarding. I have learned to be strong without sacrificing flexibility. I have learned how much hurt my childish words and actions caused my own mother. I have learned how to cook and clean and laugh at the biggest messes I have ever seen in my life. I have learned to give of myself without giving up myself. And most of all, I have learned to never stop learning.

Many hearts. Much love.

I've been asked a few times recently about tips for young wives or moms who want to have a big family but aren't sure if they can handle it. I've decided to do a series of short posts on being the old lady who lives in a shoe. Except I don't live in a shoe. And I'm not old. And sometimes I actually do know what to do.

So lets start with the whys.

Why do have and enjoy having a big family (this, of course, is by God's will alone)? Here are a few reasons:

1. I will always, Allah willing, have one of my best friends around.
2. So will my kids.
3. My children will be able to share the responsibility of taking care of me when I need it.
4. I think that the socialization aspect is unbeatable.
5. It can be very, very fun.
6. Many hands make light work
7. I really enjoy people. And from before they were born, my children were and are people.
8. Having little siblings is great for teaching older siblings responsibility.
9. Having big siblings is a great way to teach little children respect for accountability.
10. It feels really great to be part of a team.