Hey Everyone, Welcome to my Blog
I am Heidi, a wife, mum to two handsome boys and a Fur mama. I’m also the author, recipe developer, photographer, content creator, and editor behind “The Mediterranean Chick”.
I am just a Mediterranean girl born in Egypt with Turkish roots. Now I am living with my family in Savannah, Georgia a beautiful southern historical city on the Atlantic Ocean.
My passion is food and I am always on the hunt for the best Mediterranean Recipes.
I believe that food is a very powerful way of expressing love and creating a connection with others.
If you have a soft spot for Mediterranean recipes, you’ve come to the right place!
Here, you will find very Easy tried and True recipes. Don't worry, I will walk you every step of the way
Together we will make meals full of amazing Mediterranean flavors! Presented in creative and new ways. They will surely impress your family and friends!
About my Childhood ...
I have been traveling a lot with my family from a young age which had a lot of benefits. One of them is being exposed to different cultures which meant different cuisines too 😋
Likewise, my dad used to move a lot during his childhood with his family due to my Grandpa’s work in Aviation. One of my Grandpa’s hobbies was cooking and sharing his culture through the food. He was a social butterfly and super funny, everyone loved him.
For instance, whenever he was living in a different city, he would gather his international friends twice a month at his house. They would do a potluck where everyone would bring a homemade dish.
Everybody enjoyed these gatherings, it brought people together in a nice way where they would discuss the different flavors used in each dish and other social talks.
As a result, a lot of “family recipes” were exchanged during these gatherings and passed down through my family.
My sweet Mum taught me the importance of food presentation, she always told me that “We Eat First with our Eyes” and that presentation is an art.
Moving to the US
I fell in love, got married at a young age, had a baby, and moved to a new country all in one year. I was kind of overwhelmed, but I knew I had to get adjusted to my new life quickly. Once you find your soulmate you do whatever it takes to be together 😍
Whenever I felt homesick I would just cook a "Family Recipe" and I would feel so much better after.
It seems that certain dishes triggered good memories and I loved sharing these memories with my family.
Me and my husband share the passion of traveling and exploring different cities, cultures, and of course food.
Although, we are still not halfway through our “bucket list cities to visit” but we are working on it.
We make sure we go back to “Egypt” to spend the entire summer with the family and for the boys to know more about their culture and experience the amazing effect of the “Mediterranean Sea” on their soul, body, and serenity.
I moved to the United States right after getting married and finishing my bachelor degrees in “Integrated Marketing Communication”, later I decided to continue graduate studies in “Adult Education” and finished the master’s program from Georgia Southern University in 2018.
The same year we were blessed with the arrival of our second son and I decided to take some time off and concentrate on my family.
Believe it or not, My son is the one who inspired me to start a blog
It all started 5 years ago when my son was into challenges and decided to challenge me “To make the exact dish we ate at a Turkish restaurant in Orlando.”.
It took me 2 trials and some adjustments and VOILA, I got the recipe pretty close and it even got better every time. I always loved sharing my small victories with friends and family.
It started to be a family ritual, just like a game/challenge, every month my family would choose a dish from a restaurant we dined-in.
Within 2 weeks, I have to make the exact dish home. Then my oldest son rates it from (1 to 10).
It was so exciting for the entire family and actually, I loved being challenged by that little dude. (of course, I wouldn’t pass it without challenging him back in different areas like: school and sports 🙈)
A year ago, my son came to me and asked why don’t I start a “Blog” or a “YouTube Chanel”, I was kind of surprised! And asked him why?
He told me “Mum, most of your phone calls are about you sharing your successful recipes with friends. Plus, following up with them to make sure they got the recipe right. Wouldn't it be easier to put all your recipes in one place and everyone can get access to it".
So, here I am now following the advice of my sweet 10-year-old son.
Why I chose the Mediterranean cuisine:
The reason is that it’s the closest to my heart since I was born and raised in this region.
Mediterranean Cuisine includes all the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. Which includes Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, Spain, France, and Italy.
You will find that “Mediterranean countries” share a lot of similar dishes. Sometimes the only difference can be the combination of different spices or herbs.
Kabobs can be a really good example, some Mediterranean countries add “yogurt” to the marinade some don’t. As for the spices, some add “Oregano” others add “Sumac” or other spices mixtures.
The bottom line it’s always the delicious Meat on the skewer right! But every time, the taste and the infusion of different marinade together gives you a different and special taste.
Believe it or not, we still argue about the origin of many Mediterranean dishes till now!
Finally,
I would like to add that I believe that food brings people together, helps us connect and learn more about different cultures and backgrounds.
People getting together and sharing a meal is the most communal and binding thing everywhere around the world.
Ever since I moved to Savannah, I have been lucky to have made friends from around the world. Our gatherings are always full of stories shared experience, laughter, and of course yummy food.
I believe that food is a very powerful way of expressing love and creating a connection with others.
After years, I found myself with a bunch of delicious tried and true recipes from my family that were passed down. So, I decided that I want to share them with everyone.
Here, you will find Very easy tried and true recipes full of amazing Mediterranean flavors, presented in creative and new ways. They will surely impress your family and friends!
You don’t need to be highly skilled to cook them, I’ll walk you every step of the way!
I Can’t wait to hear what you end up cooking!
I would love to hear from you so tag me and use #themediterraneanchick or #theMediterraneanchick
Follow my journey and my food quest into finding the best Mediterranean recipes!
Make sure to follow me & connect on social media🤩