Noonie's | Chicken Fried Steak

Uhm, yes please. Love me some Chicken Fried Steak! All smothered in gravy goodness, ooohhh wwweeee! lol. (I mean CFS is a Southern food so I'm just tryin' to get into it lol) Although I've obviously eaten CFS plenty of times over the years I've only ever actually eaten while dining out at a restaurant. Never had I ever (ha) had the pleasure of eating homemade CFS, that is up until recently. When I went looking for an exact recipe to use I found a couple of variations of pretty much the same basic recipe. + so I decided to combine a couple of recipes that I found + made my own by adding/subtracting a couple of ingredients that I thought the recipe could use. This dish turned out to be everything I wanted it to be + more, which is a rarity in life, so needless to say I was a pretty damn happy lady after sitting down + enjoying it. I know you're goin' love it too. 

Grab your ingredients + let's get a cookin'! :)

Arab Meal 101: Manaeesh | Za'atar + Olive Oil 'Pies'

I've been wanting to share this next recipe with ya for a while now for a couple of reasons: 1) it's one of my favorite Arabic snacks/breakfast item + I like to share recipes from my culture! + 2) it literally takes 10 minutes to make including prep + bake time! I'm talking about a little something we Arabs call Manaeesh aka Za'atar pies aka flaky savory goodness! I've talked about Za'atar in the past here on BSOM but for those of you who missed it let me catch ya up on exactly what it is...! 

Za'atar is an Arabic spice that one could describe as kind of a tangy + savory. It typically consists of Roasted Sesame Seeds, Sumac, Thyme, Oregano + Salt, although there are a few variations here + there on the mix. I usually get my Za'atar fix from my local Mediterranean store, but I'm sure an international grocery store will probably have it as it's a popular spice in the Arab world. If you don't feel like buying it just to try it you can always make your own at home, although I haven't personally tried making my own I found this recipe online. Seems pretty legit. Anyways you're goin need some Za'atar for the recipe I'm about to share!

Grapes + Pancakes

Today I woke up craving pancakes.

As you all know, I recently moved to San Francisco, + so far it has been a whirlwind running around to see apartments, looking for jobs, trying to make friends, experiencing new restaurants, and the like. About a week ago I finally got an apartment (in what is now the most difficult place in the country to find one)!!!! That means I can finally get back into my cooking habits, relax a little but, and best of all decorate! Throughout this process I've been eating a bunch of junk food, easy to access, and already made so I (more than anyone) is excited to get back into cooking!