On Arabic Sweets and the Middle East: Kunafa – NICHOLAS ANDRIANI

All of these things are true… I had been in Jordan for several weeks and my love affair with Arabian sweets had reached a lofty peak. In fact, I would begin and end each day with a platter of pastries, smothered in honeys and syrups that would flood through heaps of pistachios on my plate. Then it happened… I…

10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home (guest post)

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” —Dale Carnegie The idea of living a simplified, uncluttered life with less stuffsounds attractive to many. They have considered the benefits of owning fewer possessions: less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and energy for their greatest passions. They are ready

Kansas City Travel Guide: The Locals Take on Restaurants, Bars, Shops, and More

No longer the Midwest’s flyover town, KC is striding forward with newfound vigor and a burgeoning sense of self which has the world watching — as if to say, ooh, what’s all this? When juice bars replace steakhouses and the maker movement is now commonplace, you know something interesting is brewing.

Seasons Greetings: or,| Bookstagram | Vinyl | Coffee | Arabic, Bedouin Coffee | Alt J | Star Wars

These are a few of my favorite things. Wishing everyone wellness and peace through the holidays! What are you up to this week? New Years? My material obsessions right now? •Alt J • Poetry by @r.h.sin • Antique Bedouin Coffee Pots • Coffee via Portland • @originalfunko Luke Skywalker.

In My Heart of Hearts, I Will Always Love You. | An Open Love Letter, Deep in Memoir: The Boy Meets World, the Conflicted Future Self.

“My sudden love of these two women came into existance upon two separate planes of thought
Like a split in the multiverse that is the self.
Shay. Shay is stability. Comfort. Success.
Whereas Ingrid. Ingrid claims the part of me which belongs to the world. A manifestation of my desire to roam freely and simply be.

But, I know in my heart of hearts these two worlds can not coexist. 

For they, separately, are everything. Yet together, in the folds of life, they cancel each other out.”

–In Another Country

A Recipe for the Sun: My Affair with Spanish Wine & Salmon / Featuring wines from Ribera y Rueda

Spanish wine and a sun drenched recipe? Yes, please.
My highlight from my affair with the wines of @RiberaRuedaWine

#recipes #foodblog #foodwriter #wine #wino #ribera #rueda #spain #satchat #grill

NaNoWriMo : Into the Wild

Earlier this year, I set a goal to finish a solid draft of my memoir and to achieve this mission i’m going into the wild, er, offline… A MONTHLONG period away from social media, the internet, ethernet and all those nets, in an archaic approach to finish this labor of love that i’m damn excited

Rally For A Two-State Solution

Last weekend I took part in a polarizing protest. And, I want you to know, dear reader, before proceeding, that I hold no anti-muslim nor anti-semitic sentiments. My opinion is neither religious (for some they sure have made it out to be) nor ethnic (for some they sure have made it out to be). I’ll let my

Islamic Art: An Exhibit

It’s safe to say that the visual arts have always been an extremely inspirational medium to me. This is especially true when it comes to Islamic Art. The heavy use of geometrical forms and the rhythm of mingling patterns that move in harmony with passages from the Quran. Traditionally, many schools of Islamic thought have

The Essence of Mexico in Kansas City.

After several months of eyeballing the various billboards and signage around KC, Jaclyn and I paid a visit to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. On display are some of the richest and most iconic portraits, still life and mixed media pieces to come out of Mexico since it’s founding. Amassed by Natasha & Jacques Gelman (expats