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When in my City, Make Sure to Go to Sitti

Being a parent has caused something to happen that I thought would never happen, not in a million years. Yet we let it happen.  What did we let happen? As a person who likes to talk about travel, I’m almost to embarrassed to tell you.  But we have no secrets here. 

Get ready to gasp. 

We let our passports expire.  Yes, it’s true.  No flying off to another country on a whim for us.  Not any time soon, anyway.  The demands of parenthood caused our passports’ expiration dates to go unnoticed in our top bedroom drawer.

Just as well. My husband isn’t too fond of traveling with small kids anyway.  As soon as we got one child big enough to be easier on trips, we had another one.  And I’m an unemployed stay-at-home mom who no longer contributes to our travel fund. No matter what, the results are still the same. We have expired passports, and instead of globetrotting, we spend more time enjoying beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina.

We have a really good time in our own city, and, honestly, I sometimes approach life as if I’m on vacation. I love nights when I schedule a sitter and we transport ourselves to another part of the world by eating a certain cuisine.  It’s like being on vacation without the hassle of actually getting there.
Image from Sitti Restaurant

Lately, I’ve become quite fond of Lebanese food or, more importantly, downtown Raleigh’s Sitti Restaurant, located on Wilmington Street.

I love the fact that it is in an old Raleigh furniture store.  I love its vibe, and it has caused me to fall in love with Mediterranean cuisine.

We recently went to Sitti with longtime friends.  We go way back with this couple.  He grew up with my husband, and we introduced my best friend to him.  They are now my daughter’s godparents.   

We don’t see them as often as we would like.  You know, life gets in the way, but when we’re together it’s like old times.

This was their first trip to Sitti, and I’m not sure who raved about our meal more, them or me.  My husband loved it, too, but he’s the quiet one of the bunch.


I told Sylvia that no matter what she did, she had to order a salad. I feel that Sitti salads totally tantalize the taste buds with freshness.  I tried the Village salad this time, with diced feta, cucumber, tomato, Kalmata olives, red onion, and green peppers in sumac vinaigrette.  It was a cool burst of flavor in every bite.

The Goat Cheese and Orange Salad wowed her.  My husband doesn’t like change as much.  He fell in love with the Tomato Mozzarella Salad on our last visit, so he wanted it again. 




The chef wanted us to try the Sitti tasting, which was a wide assortment of Mediterranean specialties.  It was great because when you go to a restaurant like this, there are so many items on the menu.  If you aren’t used to eating Lebanese cuisine, then it may be difficult to know what you like in the beginning.  I was a little overwhelmed on my first visit.  The winner on this plate, for me, was the cheese sticks.  I’m going to rename them “heaven in a pancake.”  The cheese rolls are a mix of Grueyre, feta, mint, and spices, rolled into paper-thin pancakes then deep-friend.  Take my word for it.  Don’t worry about the calories.  Just eat them! And eat lots.  They are that good. The entire plate is spectacular, and it’s a good assortment of some of Sitti’s most popular dishes.


My husband and I also shared delicious goat cheese stuffed peppers.  


Are you keeping track of my calorie intake?  I certainly wasn’t that evening. I was on an ethnic-food vacation where my passport was not needed, yet I felt that I had been transported out of Raleigh.  In an hour’s time, I tasted the most finely ground hummus, homemade pita bread, the Sitti tasting, a salad, the goat-cheese stuffed peppers, all before my entrée arrived.  I thought I was going to pop before even setting my eyes on my gorgeous Filet Kabob.

It’s funny because you knew who was married to whom just by looking at the orders.  We ordered Filet Kabobs, and our friends both wanted to try the Seabass, which was pan-seared with shitake mushrooms, tomato broth, garlic confit and white truffle polenta.  They loved it and ate every bite.

One thing you need to do at Sitti is leave room for dessert.  We didn’t do a very good job of that, as you can tell, but our waiter told us that the dessert, Ashta, which is a mixture of layers of phyllo dough, milk pudding, bananas, honey, and pistachio would be the lightest choice. 



Four forks and one dessert later, our dining trip to Lebanon was complete.  I can’t wait to travel there again.  The best part of all is that it takes me less than 15 minutes to get there.

Want to Go: Sitti is located at 137 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, N.C.  It’s open seven days a week.

Disclosure: We went to this restaurant unsolicited.  We paid for our own meals, however, we did receive some dishes complimentary..  As always, my opinions are my own, and are not influenced by the company or brand. 

Sitti on Urbanspoon
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A Funny Thing Happened in Durham

If you are friends with me on Facebook, then you have partially heard this story.  It’s kind of comical, really.   Actually, some would call it, disappointing.  You tell me what you think.   In June, I won tickets to see an outdoor, family concert, featuring the Boston Pops, and Kenny Loggins.  The theme was “Hollywood Hits.”   The tickets arrived.  I marked the date on my calendar, and we stuck them in a drawer.  We didn’t think about them again until the date neared.


On Tuesday, we got a sitter for Baby Diva, and took about a 35-minute ride to the American Tobacco Historic area in Durham for our concert.  


We thought it was odd that we pulled right into the parking deck, and no one was collecting fees.  But, we said to ourselves, “It’s still early.” We wanted to beat the concert crowds, and get a table at Mellow Mushroom, which is adjacent to the Durham Bulls Stadium.



We had a great time with our son at dinner.  We rarely get this family time with him without his sister in tow.  He’s at a fun age, too.  We could chat with him, relax, and enjoy our pizza.  It was kind of like, old times.  You know, the time before another child was thrown into the mix.  We love Baby Diva, too, but she’s a lot more work to take to a restaurant these days, and truthfully, was not missed for this dining experience.

Mellow Mushroom still wasn’t as crowded as one would expect on a night of a concert.  At 7 p.m, my friend, and son’s godfather, came from his office, and met us at our table, so we could hand him his ticket.   He, too, came from Raleigh, and commented on how easy it was to park.


We were ready to hear some Hollywood Hits. 

We got hit all right, with a big whammy.  So did about 25 to 30 other people who we saw standing at the box-office. The stadium was locked up, and everyone looked a little clueless.  A disappointed woman turned to us, and said, “we think it is canceled.”  By the looks of things, I think that was a safe guess. No one there knew it ahead of time.  We asked, “Did you notice a refund on your credit card?”  They had not. 


The small, disappointed crowd finally wandered off.  We stayed outside the gate to chat with our friend. We had a sitter.  We had time on our hands to enjoy life.  It was a beautiful, North Carolina evening, and it would have been perfect for an outdoor concert.  Shortly, two stadium officials came out, and started chatting with us.  It turns out that the Boston Pops canceled the entire tour due to low-ticket sales about two months ago.

We joked that they canceled the tour just as soon as they mailed us our free tickets.  I think the Durham Bulls officials felt sorry for us, who were once winners of concert tickets, and were now losers, left empty-handed.  They made my son a winner again with an exchange of a phone number.  The Bulls only have nine home games left this baseball season, and he will be going to one of them.  He’s wanted to do that all summer, so his night turned out just fine.  It was a home run for him, without the “Hollywood Hits.”


As for us, we enjoyed some special one-on-one time with our son.  So what that we drove to Durham to eat at a Mellow Mushroom when there is one 15 minutes from us in downtown Raleigh.  Our time together was priceless.


When we left the parking deck, and rode by the stadium, we couldn’t help, but glance at another group of clueless people who were there to see the Boston Pops.  Apparently, they didn’t see the refund on their credit card statement either. 



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As we end this week, I also wanted to say that I have noticed that I have new followers in Google Friends, Facebook, and Twitter.   Thank you for taking the time to follow my blog, and I look forward to talking with you,  if you decide to comment.  Thank you! I know time is precious, and with our busy lives, we don't get a lot of time to read blogs.  I thank you for the time you give me. 
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What Did You Say?

It’s a moment, as a parent, that we wait for with breathless anticipation for many, many months.  Then, it finally comes!  Here’s the downer. Instead of being magical, it does nothing but cause developmental milestone panic.

Here is what I hear when I ask my 21-month-old daughter a question. Her voice is so low and quiet that it would be a nice perk to have closed captioning for interpretation over her head like in a little cartoon bubble.  But I’m afraid it would read like mumbo jumbo.



“Ah (inaudible, inaudible, inaudible) dis shews.”  I think the last two words are “this shoes.”  My only clue is that she is pointing to her shoes.  Never mind about the grammar.  The important question is, “What did you say?”  Many times, I just look at her bewildered when she speaks.

She talks, but it comes out as mumbo jumbo.  I have to admit though that each day is getting better.  She repeats words.  Some words are clear.  Many are not.  “Da Da” is the clearest and loudest word in her vocabulary.  Imagine that.  She gleefully announces his name as soon as the “rock star” comes home daily.  I only get “Mama” when she is mad, and with that girly, dramatic flair, she slams her hands down on the table when she utters the word.  She comes by her nickname, “Baby Diva,” naturally.

I have three long months to go until my daughter’s two-year checkup to make sure her language skills are normal for her age.  I don’t know if it is just me, but I think the six months between the 18-month appointment and two-year checkup is the longest time EVER.  I’m okay for about four months, but then I start to have these development milestone palpitations. 


I call my friends.  “I think she may need speech language therapy.”  They try to assure me that she is fine and ask me to remember that with our first children, the doctor told us that we would see a big difference in verbal skills at the age of 2.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I had a boy the first time, so I wasn’t as alarmed as I am now.  Boys, as we women know, will be men, and men don’t really know how to communicate, do they now?  It doesn’t help my palpitations that I have read that girls have stronger verbal skills at an earlier age.  My niece was talking in complete sentences at 18 months. Baby Diva sounds like she is a cave woman in comparison.  Her conversation skills would be great if we all conversed in animal noises.  She speaks the farm animal’s language with expertise.  “Baaah.”  “Oink.”  “Neigh.” 

Or maybe she will excel in a career as a TV weather person.  The only thing I do understand that she’s been saying a lot is, “It’s hot!”  She’s been right about that, lately. We have had some of the hottest weeks on record here in North Carolina.  When she starts preschool next month, at least, I know her teachers will understand her for the morning weather activity, if for nothing else.  She needs to work on saying “cold,” though. 


Maybe she’ll add “cold,” “windy,” "rainy,"” and “sunny," to her vocabulary before her two -year-old checkup to complete the entire weather forecast.  She did say "rain" last night.   Oh my, I’ll have a whole year between well-visits after she turns two.  You can bet I’ll probably develop some new developmental milestone palpitations within those long 365 days.  I wouldn’t be the worried mom that I am, if I didn’t.

Update:
This post was originally written for my column on Triangle Mom2Mom with the Raleigh News and Observer.  As soon as I uploaded this blog for Wednesday's feature, my daughter must have known I was talking about her language skills, and decided to show me a thing or two.  That evening, she took her favorite book about colors, opened it, and read every page.  We understood every color, and she was 100 percent correct.  I slept well that night. 



***
Reminder, I have two giveaways underway right now.
On Monday, I revealed that I was part of a blogging team here in Raleigh.  We created several, mouth-watering, original recipes using Lawry's Marinades and Seasonings.  I want you to be able to create our culinary delights in your kitchen so I'm giving away a Lawry's Gift Pack with the same spices and marinades we used for the recipes.  Deadline to enter is August 24. 

Of course, I also want you to look stylish in the kitchen when you cook nightly.  I team up with Tricia Edmundson with 31 Gifts to giveaway a great, personalized hostess apron.  The deadline to enter is August 22. 

I'm also joining a link-up today for a blog that I have recently discovered, and enjoy reading.  Stop by Filling our Bucket's "Whatever Wednesday!" I love it because you can just write "whatever".  As writers, we sometimes like to write whatever our moods or creative juices decide at the time.  We're impulsive!  We like "whatever." 
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Six Bloggers, Three Lawry's Ingredients, and One Outstanding Menu (Giveaway)

A Cooking with Lawry's Story! 


It was a hot, humid August night.  The South was experiencing record-breaking temperatures.  I was sweating in my own car as I drove through rush-hour traffic to get to the quaint Five Points neighborhood, in Raleigh, North Carolina.


As I walked up to the charming bungalow, hostess Ilina and other members of Team Raleigh greeted me. 

Each of us, with our own unique talents, were ready to cook up some Southern goodness on the grill.  Did I say grill in 100-degree heat?  You betcha.

Our culinary assignment was to create and prepare a gastronomic grilling menu worthy of special occasions and summer holidays.  The catch was that we were to create these new recipes using two new Lawry's marinades and the classic Lawry's Seasoned Salt, as part of a contest by TheMotherhood and Lawry's. 



We are one of ten teams across America cooking with Lawry's in the kitchen. Our challenge was not an easy one.  We were to craft our own original recipes using the Lawry's products we were assigned.   It was not an option just to open the top on the marinade and pour it over the meat, like I’ve been known to do at home.  Lawry's already knows their marinades and seasonings taste great alone.  

Our menu items, not only needed to complement each other, but they were required to make up an entire meal.  I’m going to go ahead and put the rumors to rest, and say that even though my father owned restaurants all through my childhood, I’ve never created my own recipe in my life.  My husband jokes that if it is not in a cookbook, then I can’t cook it.  Thank goodness I was on a team with individuals who are not only great bloggers, but they also know their way around a kitchen.

The Team

Ilina, our team leader and gourmet foodie, did a lot of prep during the day.  She’s an awesome chef, cooks with whole natural ingredients, rarely uses a recipe, and, like many moms, any foods with high-fructose corn syrup are banned from her kitchen.  Fadra was Ilina’s well-appointed sous-chef and did what she was told.  Fadra’s hobby is reading recipes, so she can really speak the language of the kitchen.  She's also a great food photographer.

Molly, our videographer and social media coordinator, kept us on task, and made sure the kitchen was spotless.  My job, as a former reporter, was to take notes so that we could share our creations with you.  It kept me away from the food prep since I’ve been known to mix up my measurements when I get distracted.  Lisa and LZ couldn’t make it to our dinner in person, but they were just one tweet away from the kitchen.   Lisa tackled a dessert in her home kitchen. Here's a peek on what went on inside the kitchen with our own Molly Gold. 



The Lawry's Ingredients

Lawry's Balsamic Herb Marinade
Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt with Sweet and Savory Spices
Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Our Menu Goal
It’s fun to host a dinner party, but it’s not fun for the hostess if she spends all her time in the kitchen, and out of the conversations.  As bloggers, we are never really at a loss for words, so we wanted to plan a menu that would not only wow our guests with taste, but also allow a hostess to spend time with her guests while entertaining.  We felt that was a huge factor in creating our recipes for Lawry's.  Holidays and special occasions need to be celebrated with a spectacular meal, with a lot less time in the kitchen.

We also wanted to showcase great, local North Carolina ingredients that are at their peak during the summer months.  It was the basis for our menu.



A Grilling Menu for Summer Holidays and Special Occasions, Created by Team Raleigh
Carolina Corn Salad (Salad Option)
Five Points Flank Steak (Main Entrée)
Five Points Portobello Mushrooms can be substituted as a vegetarian option for main entrée
Grilled Fennel, Radicchio, and Vidalia Onion, the Raleigh Way (Side Option)
Capital City Herb Butter with Whole Wheat Flat Bread (Second Side Option)

A la Carte Menu Items

Look for these recipes on the Hines-Sight Blog's Facebook page later this week.
Lawry's Summer Fruit Salad (Lisa whipped this up in her kitchen this week.)

If you want to have a Signature Cocktail/Virgin Cocktail for your event, we recommend
Bloody Marytini (Ilina developed this fiery drink to add some sizzle to your outdoor entertaining.)

The Recipes

Carolina Corn Salad, Salad Option

4 to 5 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 roma tomatoes, diced
¼ cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Lawry's Balsamic Herb Marinade
juice of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon of Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1 serrano pepper, seeded and dice (optional)
2 ounces crumbled queso fresco (optional)
Cut raw corn off the cob into bowl.  Add diced tomatoes and cilantro and gently mix. In a glass measuring cup, combine ¼ tsp of Lawry's Seasoned Salt, 2 TBS of Lawry's Balsamic Herb Marinade, ¼ cup of olive oil, and juice of one lime. Pour over corn salad and toss well.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Optional, add serrano pepper and/orcrumbled queso fresco cheese to mixture.


Five Points Flank Steak (Main Entree) 

1 cup Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt Marinade
½ fresh pineapple, cut into chucks
2 chipolte peppers in adobe sauce
½ cup ginger beer
¼ cup of olive oil
2 cloves garlic
flank steak (about 2 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
Add first six ingredients to food processor (We used the Ninja Kitchen.).  Pour liquid into a large glass casserole dish, and add meat whole.  Turn to coat the flank steak.  Marinate at least three hours (turning occasionally) or overnight.  Grill about three to four minutes each side, let rest for about five minutes, and slice against the grain to serve.
Garnish:  Cut up remaining pineapple into slices, marinate with flank steak, grill, and use as an edible garnish.  
Vegetarian Option: Marinate portobello mushrooms instead of flank steak using the same recipe above, and grill each side until done, about two minutes per side.


Grilled Fennel, Radicchio, and Vidalia Onion, the Raleigh Way (Side Option)

1 whole head of radicchio, quartered
2 bulbs of fennel, thickly sliced
1 large vidalia onion, thickly sliced
½ cup of Lawry's Balsamic Herb Marinade
1 TBS brown sugar
cracked black pepper, to taste
Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste
Combine radicchio, fennel, and vidalia Onion in large bowl. Pour ½ cup of Lawry's Balsamic Herb Marinade over vegetables. Add brown sugar and freshly cracked black pepper, (approximately five good twists of the pepper mill) and sprinkle mixture with Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Toss vegetables well.  Arrange seasoned vegetables on grill pan or foil, grill for approximately 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Brush with marinade during grilling  to keep vegetables from drying out. Toss gently on a platter and serve warm or at room temperature.


Capital City Herb Butter with Whole Wheat Flat Bread (Another side option)

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp of Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Clove of fresh garlic, crushed
fresh thyme, ¼ quarter cup
whole wheat flat bread
Combine butter, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, garlic, and thyme. Mix well.  Spread herb butter mixture onto flatbread.  Stack bread on top of each other, wrap it in foil, and heat on grill. Cut into quarters to serve.

Follow Team Raleigh on Twitter
@MyGOMOM, @IlinaP , @allthingsfadra, @hinessightblog,  @Daily_Pinch and @mymessyparadise

I’ll be the first to tell you that I thought the meal was delicious.  I’m so proud of our team, and it’s an easy meal that you can create easily at home.  I’ve already remade the Carolina Corn Salad.  My husband loved the Five Points Flank Steak.  Lawry's marinades are perfect just like they are for busy weeknights, but our Lawry's Summer Grill menu is great for special occasions and holidays when you have a little more time on your hands.

If you want to recreate our menu, Lawry's is offering one of my lucky readers the marinades and seasonings to help get you started. 

TO ENTER
 Leave a comment below, and tell me what recipe you are most eager to try in your kitchen.  Deadline to enter is Wednesday, August 24.  Winners will be selected in a random draw.   Please include your e-mail in your contest entry.
Extra Entry
Tweet the following (1 entry) 

Want to cook #TeamRaleigh's great #Lawrys Dinner. Enter giveaway to spice
up your own grill party. http://t.co/13A3MpZ
via @hinessightblog

Disclosure: I was compensated by The Motherhood and Lawry's to participate in this Team Raleigh event.  I also  received the marinades and seasoning used in our recipes for me to use in my own kitchen.  As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Make a Peanut Butter Pie, Share it with the People You Love

I don't know Jennie, but I bet there is a good chance that I've made one of her recipes through the years.  You probably have, too.  Her scrumptious creations are constantly featured in national magazines.  Too many to name here.

Even though I don't personally know food writer, Jennifer Perillo, her story has touched me.  I feel compelled to share it with you.  This talented, creative mother, of two young girls, lost the love of her life this week, when her husband suffered a massive heart attack.  As Ilina Ewen, a Raleigh colleague of mine, and also a good friend of Jennifer,  wrote in a fabulous post today, " this family's life has been forever changed, in an instant."

I shed a tear over her husband's last dance with his daughter on Jennie's blog.  Unfortunately, Jennie's story sounds just like another tragedy, a good friend told me about three months ago. The story is almost identical. A wife loses her soul mate.  Three children, under the age of 5, lose their daddy.  These stories shake me to the core because as a wife, and mother, I can relate to their heartache, and pain.  I know these tragedies occur every day, and that is what makes me sad.  You never know what tomorrow may bring.

Luckily for us, Jennie is a gifted writer with wisdom to share even when her heart is breaking.  She eloquently reminds us to take some time, and spend those precious moments with those we love.

"Mikey loved peanut butter cream pie. I haven't made it in a while, and I've had it on my to-do list for a while now.

I kept telling myself I would make it for him tomorrow. Time has suddenly stood still, though, and I'm waiting to wake up and learn to live a new kind of normal. For those asking what they can do to help my healing process, make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because -today is the only guarantee we can count on."

---Jennifer Perillo, author of In Jennie's Kitchen


 I hugged my husband a little longer this morning. I've savored some moments with my children. I've thought about the time I've lost with my loved ones because I chose to do something else.  I do have some writing deadlines this weekend, but I've already booked a sitter, and am having a date night with the love of my life.   My family will also be making some pie.

Photo Courtesy of  The Pioneer Woman

For Jennie's version of her husband's favorite Creamy Peanut Butter Pie recipe, you can download it here. 




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