Rice is one food that I do buy in bulk. I love that discount shopping clubs like Costco and Sam's Club sometimes offer basmati and jasmine rice in amounts to feed the masses. There is just so many ways you can make rice. It has to be the most versatile side dish.

Growing up, we had rice a lot. My favorite part was the burnt rice at the bottom. The sticky, chewy, burnt flavor was what I really looked forward to and I had to beat my siblings to it. I even have a memory of fighting my brother over it! Little did I know then that the crusted rice at the bottom is an actual dish called tah-dig in Persian cooking!

This recipe for tah-dig is so easy, but may take a few times to get the rice the way you like it. Some people like it more or less crusted. Every stove is different too, so you may have to take it up or down on the heat. But, all in all, it's a fool-proof recipe that even a beginner could make.

This famous Turkish proverb proves how important coffee is in Middle Eastern culture. Turkish coffee is famed for how it is prepared... not with an automatic coffeemaker in which we are familiar. Instead, coffee is still made as it was over five hundred years ago. Learn how to make Turkish coffee for friends and family.

_{Photo by Nick Willsher}

I have to be honest: I have not made hummus without a food processor in years. So, when I received an email from a college student who is living in a dorm who wanted to know how he could make hummus without a food processor, I had to give it a little thought. It took some experimentation in the kitchen, but it can be done! Learn how to make hummus without a food processor

Speaking of kitchen gadgets, my favorite this holiday season has got to be my stand mixer. It has saved me so much time and produced great results, especially with kneading bread. What has been your favorite kitchen gadget this year?