Bita is the founder of the recipe website Oven Hug and co-host/co-producer of the Modern Persian Food podcast with Bita and Beata. She has over 20 years of experience inspiring others through teaching, coaching (as a family nutritionist), mentoring, and creating food-related content. Bita grew up in a Persian-American family in the Midwest and enjoys combining art and science (mom was an artist, and dad was a surgeon) to reinvent recipes in a simpler, healthier, and aesthetically pleasing way. Bita spreads her time between two residences: Menlo Park/the SF Bay Area and Southern California/south Orange County.
Halloween Week Greetings, Coffee Date, and Share!
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Hi Reader, It's Bita! How are you? Wow, it's been almost a year. I've missed you! Here's a quick share of my current perspective. Familia In September our family gathered to celebrate our Maman Joon's 85th birthday! We are so grateful to have our Maman in our lives and are spending as much time with her as we can. These days together are precious. Bob and I are still managing to scuttle down to southern California for that sweet sunshine and cool ocean breeze. The fall weather down here is unmatched. We know we are blessed and will keep this trend going because it fills our cup. Now let's get down to creative food. Halloween Food Inspo I went through my photo archives looking for inspiration for the season. We're hoping to join a pre-trick-or-treating community block party on Halloween night. Here are a few gems: Aunt Stacy made this hummus back when our girls and their cousins were younger and our families lived closer to each other. Those were good times. This skull hummus must have been for Day of the Dead which falls a few days after Halloween but works for either occasion! I had tried replicating the skull hummus although my version looks more like a colorful lion. Last year I made these super cute and trending mummy dogs. They were a huge hit at the party across the street. This year I've signed up to bring something spooky and savory. I'm playing with an idea to make homemade pizza rolls and somehow make them look spooky. I LOVED Totino's pizza rolls as a kid! For my Halloween pizza rolls, I'll most likely keep it easy with pre-made biscuits or crescent rolls for the shell. I'll fill up the pastry pockets with cheese, maybe some turkey sausage bits, and some sweet & tangy pizza sauce, mmm, that should be good. Let me know if you have any new ideas for fun Halloween-themed party foods for me? Podcast news The Modern Persian Food podcast with Bita (that's me!) and Beata (my co-host) is still going strong. We adjusted our format to allow ourselves more time for our families and other commitments by slowing down to a monthly broadcasting schedule. I've particularly been enjoying taking the time to savor our cultural spotlight episodes, like our current deep dive into the traditions of: The Persian Festival of Autumn Mehregan Exciting News I have some exciting news I'll be sharing in the next few days. I'm delving deep into something I've always been passionate about. I'll tell you more about it soon. In the meantime, the time is now for YOU to start getting creative and visualizing your dream lifestyle. We're going to sketch it out together. Until next time, Bita |
Bita Arabian
Bita is the founder of the recipe website Oven Hug and co-host/co-producer of the Modern Persian Food podcast with Bita and Beata. She has over 20 years of experience inspiring others through teaching, coaching (as a family nutritionist), mentoring, and creating food-related content. Bita grew up in a Persian-American family in the Midwest and enjoys combining art and science (mom was an artist, and dad was a surgeon) to reinvent recipes in a simpler, healthier, and aesthetically pleasing way. Bita spreads her time between two residences: Menlo Park/the SF Bay Area and Southern California/south Orange County.
Good morning Reader, Happy New Year! I'm sure your inbox is overflowing with New Year's offers, gym specials, and "reboot" programs. It can feel overwhelming. I've been writing this newsletter for over a decade and I've been on the receiving end of those same emails myself. Through my own journey and coaching others, I've found that setting big, lofty goals can feel daunting and later hard to sustain. Let's appreciate where we are right now, work with what we have and the people in our lives....
Hi friend, Have you been inspired by a recipe, an idea, or a cultural story shared through Oven Hug or the podcast, Modern Persian Food? Would you like to continue to learn about Persian culture and cuisine through a positive frame? How you can help: Please take a moment to support the work behind bringing fresh content by participating in a simple vote. VOTE HERE The Taste Awards are an annual LA award show celebrating achievements in Food and Lifestyle Media. You may remember us talking...
Hi friend, Are you feeling the back-to-school energy? Whether you have kids or not, chances are you've been a kid and probably remember the nervous energy around getting school supplies, cramming in last days of summer fun, only to hunker down into some form of a routine and a schedule. On the upcoming Modern Persian Food podcast roster we will be doing a Back to School/ Back to Basics series breaking down a Persian meal that we are hoping will be easy to add to weekly meal plans. Stay tuned...