Tornados and Claudia Roden

We've been told to expect severe weather today (and severe in this part of the world means flooding, golfball-sized hail and tornadoes), so we're stuck inside with the lights on at 1.30pm trying to decide whether to submit to the temptation to write the day off and turn the telly on.

So far we've resisted and I've been entertaining myself looking at the very exciting new cook book I bought this week (in continuation of our attempt to cut down on the amount of red meat we eat for both health and sustainability points of view)...Claudia Roden's gorgeous-looking Arabesque - featuring recipes from Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon.

I absolutely love all this kind of food anyway, so this is a total treat, and the photography and writing are just beautiful. I think that this evening's dinner will be something utilising lentils, caramelised onions and pine nuts...hmm feeling hungry.