A Middle-Eastern Mouthful

Last weekend we attended the Middle-eastern dinner party at our friends' (Rachel & Ben) house. My camera came along as I had every intention of capturing the gorgeousness of all the dishes I'm sure Rachel had been sweating over the better part of the day. Not until midnight did I remember that the camera never came out of my bag and desperately tried to capture any remnants of this fabulous dinner. Well, for whatever reason, the settings of my camera shifted while in the garbage pit I call my purse and I got the WORST pictures. Yes, it's all my bag's fault.

So, to remain true to the beauty and tastiness of this Arabic meal cooked with love, I have to rely on the pics that some kind soul posted on the internet. Thank you, whoever you are, for being a gifted photographer.



Oh my word, the falafel was to die for. I revisited these balls of yum a couple of times.



Fish tahini. The trout was flaky, moist, and seasoned to perfection.



Rice with lentils. Perfect accompaniment to the fish. As I chewed the delicate grains of rice and the heartiness of the lentils, Britney's "Gimme More" was blaring in my head.



Tabouleh salad. Beautiful color and clean flavors.



Homemade pita bread. Brian, one of the attendees at the party, made these from scratch. I hate Brian just a wee bit because he has mad artisan bread baking skills. Please teach me!

So there you go. Nothing better than a night with friends who know how to cook, eat, and laugh. And I promise with a capital "P" that I will never cheat and post other folk's photos again. It's just really hard to be Ansel Adams when you are holding a glass of wine in one hand and digging in a bottomless pit for your camera with the other......and it's midnight......and you're not exactly sure if it's you or your camera that is not focusing correctly.