A Lovely Neighborhood Dinner

Just a short note after a lovely day wandering through my neighborhood. It was sunny and warm and a perfect day to explore. I'll be writing an article for foodtv's blog this week and the focus is on shopping. Well, what are you snickering about...someone has to do it, so it might as well be me.

I decided on a visit to the Mid East Food Centre with all kinds of goodies from the Mediterranean....Lebanese and Turkish sweets and desserts (I have to go back for the latest shipment tomorrow), Greek olives, cheeses (feta and haloumi are my favorite) and grape leaves, and bulk spices of every persuasion...like...

...sumac. It's the secret ingredient to my Fatoush so I'm glad I can find it any time I want just a short walk from my home.

And tonight's dinner...burgers made from sweet fennel & basil Italian sausages found at the Italian Gourmet Market one of my most frequent haunts.

Actually, the sausages were really supposed to be part of a pasta dinner...my thinking was to be early for Presto Pasta Night this week. Who was I kidding!!! The Griddler, sitting on my counter and the sunny day (not to mention my Honey) called for grilled burgers. They tasted great, by the way with tabouli from the corner convenience store Toulaney's Lunch box, which is not like any other...homemade Middle Eastern delicacies rub shoulders with the usual chips, drinks and cookies.

So my plan for the evening...flip through some of my new cookbooks and find tomorrow's pasta dinner...no matter how much the Griddler whines.