Welcome to the first "My Eyes, Your Face" blog post series which aims to give a behind-the-scenes look into my life via some of my personal photography projects.

In February I traveled to Morocco with my husband and a couple friends to visit our dear friend Bethany who was spending a year teaching art at a school in Casablanca. Inspired by our trip and my recent discovery of Kinfolk Magazine and their community gatherings, I came up with the idea to host a Moroccan style picnic in our Lancaster City backyard. 

This small city that I now call home is quickly becoming known as the "Amish San Francisco" and "the Austin of the East". With its booming arts community and restaurant scene along with its rich agricultural heritage, Lancaster, PA is becoming a real foodie and hip(ster) destination. If you want to get an idea of what's happening here in the city, you can check out this 4 minute video by aideM Media Solutions.

I hope that these images will give a taste of what our little community of friends is like, and will perhaps inspire others to find creative ways to share a meal together in their own city backyard.

Our Moroccan picnic potluck gave me an excuse to bring out all of our pillows, poufs and papasan chair, along with our prized Moroccan berber rug. Friends contributed by bringing their tasty foods, Moroccan teapots, trays and Egyptian hookah pipes. We painted henna, the children danced with their jingly scarves and we swung in the hammock. It was pure delight to photograph and experience the exquisite tastes, bold colors, textures and patterns of the beautiful country of Morocco right in our very own backyard. I included a few recipes below for you to enjoy and you can find them online at these links: Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew and Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken Tagine.

The dish pictured above, at right, is a Moroccan Chickpea & Vegetable Stew. It can be served over couscous or rice. It is a simple recipe that can be made on the stove or in a crockpot. Here is an easy-print version if you'd like to download it.

Ingredients:

1 TB vegetable oil

2 c. cubed zucchinni

1 c. chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot (or match stick carrots)

1 T. minced garlic

Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add veggies and saute 5 minutes. Next stir in the ingredients below and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes or until tender. If using a crockpot, at this step I just add everything in the crockpot and cook on low 5 hours.

1 c. chicken broth

2 TB raisins

1 1/4 tsp. ginger

1 1/4 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 cans (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained or fava beans, etc.

1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes and juices

Jason spent a few years living in Egypt and brought this hookah pipe back with him. If you'd like to try hookah right here in Lancaster there are two locations you can check out, Arabian Night Hookah Lounge and The Pillar Lounge. I've only been to Arabian Night, which feels very authentic with its colorful carpeted decor, pillows and Middle Eastern art and Arabic music. The owner is from Iraq and he is very nice and has an endless variety of hookah flavors.

Another easy and delicious crockpot recipe for you to try that is pictured in the bowl above: Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken, Chickpea and Apricot Tagine (see link to print recipe). Janae made this recipe for our potluck and shared it with me. When I made it I didn't have the dried apricots so I used golden raisins instead and it was delicious!

Lots going on in this photo! Can you find the mermaid? I am so proud of our newly installed rain barrel :)

Photo credit for the image of me at right wearing my colorful headscarf and blue Moroccan moo moo goes to my husband.

Another delicious Middle Eastern salad that has becoming one of my favorites passed on to me by my dear friend Drea is what I have come to call "Eggplant Bubble". It is pictured in the red bowl above. It's super easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants (3/4 lb each), unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (8-9 cups total)

5 TB olive oil, divided

1 cup Israeli couscous (these are the "bubbles")

1 tsp. cumin seeds (or ground cumin if you don't have seeds)

2 TB white balsamic vinegar (I have also substituted white wine vinegar) 

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. finely chopped red onion

1/3 c. golden raisins

1/3 c. coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place eggplant cubes on sheet and drizzle with 3 TB oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, roast until tender, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes.

2. Cook couscous in boiling water with salt until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool and drain again. Place in large bowl.

3. Toast cumin seeds in small skillet over med-hi heat until slightly darkened, about 4 minutes. Grind seeds in spice mill and place in small bowl. Add vinegar, cinnamon and 2 TB oil. Whisk to blend, season with salt and pepper, mix in onion.

4. Add raisins, cilantro, eggplant cubes and dressing to couscous. Toss to coat. Best if sits at least 1-2 hours before serving.