Turkish Delights at the Four Seasons Kebab House
(Published on Baristanet Dec. 20, 2010)
If there’s one thing Valley Road had lacked, it was a family restaurant serving wholesome, ethnic food, with lashings of warmth and hospitality.
Enter Four Seasons, the Kebab House, on Valley Road in Montclair, NJ.
Owner Ozturk Eren, 44, is very particular. From the way he is adamant Turkish tea should be drunk – straight up without milk or sugar, to his insistence, for consistency’s sake, on personally preparing all the safely guarded family recipe-based sauces served at Four Seasons, he knows exactly what he wants.
Easy as Pie (Some Make it Look That Way)
This post is dedicated to all mums and dads who juggle careers and classes and unpaid work and family life, often with difficulty, but always with passion.
Two years ago, we uprooted our kids from their home/school/neighborhood/country as they knew it at the time and, with just days before the start of a new school year, landed in New Jersey, completely friendless and brand new.
On our first morning at the bus stop, I spied a friendly lady with her kids, who dashed over the street with a big grin and asked, “Are you a bus stop mom?” It so happened I was. We were immediately invited to her ‘bus stop party’ that Friday and, just like that, the kids and I had friends and were no longer new. (more…)
A Meal in a Ball, with Peanut Butter
Our friends Deb and David are a step (and a male kid) ahead of us, having three beautiful, lively boys to be outnumbered by contend with and being familiar with the eating idiosyncracies of all of them. I was talking to them recently about how my second son, who isn’t the universal eater like my oldest but still eats mostly everything at home, hardly touches any sandwiches I’ve packed for him for school this year. (more…)
Cool Range Find a Home
Long Branch beach had put me in the mood for a little an extended break and I returned to find myself smack in the middle of a house move and a kitchen makeover, plus two kids I can no longer afford to have away at summer camp!
It’s been fun picking out bits and pieces for my (hopefully) exciting new kitchen. One of the toughest decisions, though, was deciding on a free-standing range or stove.
I needed something practical, easy to clean, with a great oven and both a low-heat simmer burner (so I no longer have to use a bain-marie, or double boiler, for melting chocolate) as well as fast-boil super-BTU’d burner (so I don’t have to twiddle thumbs for too long for my umpteenth cup of tea). Did I mention the range also had to be good looking? (more…)
Do Girls Make Passes at Boys with Glasses?
(Published on Barista Kids on May 19th)
My older son came home from school a few weeks ago and said he had passed an eye test, given by the school nurse, with flying colors. So it naturally came as a shock to us, and him, to be told by his doctor at a regular medical checkup shortly afterwards, that he might be myopic.
Mywhat?!
My firstborn, just 10, has lost his perfect vision! Was my immediate reaction. But then I considered how common it is for people to wear glasses, the mind-boggling array of screens, books (avid readers may be more susceptible to near-sightedness), and books on screens, and the fact that my husband and I both had to wear specs as teenagers.
Well, the poor kid didn’t stand a chance. (more…)
Of Kids, Mystery Ailments and Jam Jars
You may have noticed I’ve stopped making excuses for long silences. Something will, and must, fall between the cracks when one juggles home, work and blogging. But I’m sorry to have kept the three of you hanging all these weeks 
On Monday, my younger boy woke up in tears because he couldn’t walk. Bewildered, I urged him to stay in bed while I got my older son ready and out the door to catch his school bus. Eventually, he got out of bed, and, I gave him an umbrella to use as a walking stick while I set up an appointment with his doctor. He couldn’t climb stairs, he could barely hoist himself onto a chair, and I later had to lift him into the car. In between banging out seven stories, I took him to four different medical establishments – his pediatrician, a lab for bloodwork, radiology, and finally, a pediatric orthopedist (or is it orthopedic pediatrician?) way out in Cedar Knolls, Morris County.
Let me tell you about that journey. (more…)
Non-Stick Pans Linked to Thyroid Disease: Whom Can I Sue and Will the Charges Stick?
The last of my formerly complete set of Circulon pans, a wedding present 11 years ago, was solemnly sent off to the Cooking Pan Graveyard recently. As I researched the best replacement for the much-used, much loved matrimonial gift, I found that Amazon offered a fabulous deal on a new range of Circulon pans, which came with a free casserole dish worth $100. It would have been foolish to have let it slip. The purchase took place without a hitch – shopping online, time and money saved, prompt doorstep delivery, feet and nails intact.
The new pans, heatable to 400F (as high as I generally need the oven to go), are practically self-clean. Before I’ve picked up the sponge and doused it with washing-up liquid, the caked-up food has fallen off and the pan is, well, like new again. I hypnotically go through the motions still, of washing, as a matter of habit, as the pans themselves are bright and brimming with confidence.
So, I should be really, really happy.
But no, a dark cloud, reeking of burnt plastic, looms on the horizon. (more…)
Best Thing … Since Bread was Last Sliced
Are you (like me) a klutz? Have you been avoiding sharpening your knives for fear of adding unwitting bits of meat to that chopped salad? Are you fed up of slicing stubborn heads of cabbage with spoons in knives’ clothing?
In the old days (2008 to be precise) in Canada, despite a fear of sharp objects, I would happily wait for the eerie music of our neighborhood Knife Sharpening Guy, whose tunes were only a touch less sinister than those of the Ice Cream Man and of Psycho’s shower scene (coincidence that a sharp shiny object is involved in the latter??) Thereupon I would grab my 20 once-super-sharp German kitchen knives and a stash of spare Ikea knives - NOT by the blade end – and rush down the two flights of steep stairs to the street, across it and up to KSG’s van, sighing with relief that I had made it without tripping and falling upon all 30 knives, (more…)
DivaIndoors Starts Project Holiday Feasts
I am setting forth on my cookin’ and bloggin’ endeavours this year with a purpose that’s singular (great for those with ADD needing a focal point), yet rich with diversity and flavors to keep things interesting (also great for ADDers). It’s early January and change is always possible. Yes, this means forget those early salads. What was I thinking?
Instead, I am embarking on a Holiday Feasts project, which will unite all the things I love. Food (of course), people (of course), new food-styling, photography and video opportunities, different cultures, histories, practices and food traditions, all centered around time-honored (some newer than others) festivities.
Call me an Ambassador of Food. And allow me to bring people together through their adoration of the yummy, edible stuff, and curiosity (it is hoped) about the yummy, edible traditions of others.
This doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily give up old favorites regular like the baked goodies and cupcakes and kids’ recipes. Somehow, I think there will be room for everything, in keeping with this theme of embracing the melting pot world we live in. If you prefer to be an ingredient out in the cold by yourself, you’re welcome to it. But I’ve gotta warn you, there are going to be some very exciting events and food projects on the DivaIndoors calendar this year.
First, a poll. What do you think I should name this project? Holiday Feasts? Melting Pot? Please suggest something too, in comments.
