Over the past few months, I’ve been quietly building something that’s very close to my heart - my jewelry brand, Aylun 🩵

I thought it would be fun to use this space differently.

Here, I want to share everything that happens behind the scenes: the ideas that become collections, the mistakes, the wins, the inspiration, the business side of building a brand from scratch, and all the things that don’t usually make it to Instagram..

I’m starting with the story behind the name Aylun and I hope you’ll enjoy following along.

Welcome to the journey✨

If you’d like to follow along in real time, you can also find Aylun on Instagram and TikTok: @theaylun

Broth

• 3 bone-in beef short ribs

• Water (enough to fully cover the meat)

• 1 large white onion, halved

• ½ bunch celery, roughly chopped

• 1 large carrot, cut into large pieces

• 3–4 garlic cloves

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

• Salt, to taste

Soup

• Meat from the cooked short ribs

• 1–2 yellow potatoes, diced

• A small wedge of cabbage, thinly sliced

• 1 handful celery, thinly sliced

• 1 bell pepper, diced

• 1 carrot, thinly sliced

• 1 small bowl red lentils, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes

• Salt, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

To Finish

• Green onions, thinly sliced

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Instructions

1. Sear the Short Ribs

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Mongolian Beef

• 1 lb flat iron steak, cut into thin bite-sized pieces

Marinade

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

For Cooking

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Lamb Filling

• 2 lb ground lamb (900 g)

• Olive oil

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

• 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, finely chopped

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Hot Dogs

• 4 beef sausages

• 4 hot dog buns

• Olive oil

• Salt, to taste

Roasted Corn

• 3 ears of corn

• Olive oil

• Salt, to taste

Cheesy Corn

• 2 roasted corn

• A handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sauce

• 2 pickles, finely diced

• ½ jalapeño, finely diced

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

• 1 tsp mustard

• 1 tbsp ketchup

• Salt, to taste

To Finish

• Fresh chives, finely chopped

• 1 egg yolk per hot dog

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Instructions

1. Prepare the Corn

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Ingredients

Steak

• 1 New York strip steak

• Salt, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

Heart-Shaped Potatoes

• 2 large yellow potatoes

• Olive oil

• Salt, to taste

• 5–7 garlic cloves

• A few fresh thyme sprigs

• ½ stick butter

Pink Garlic Butter

• ½ stick butter, softened

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced

• A pinch of salt

• Less than ½ tsp beet powder (for color)

To Finish

• Microgreens

Instructions

1. Prepare the Heart Potatoes

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Ingredients

Chicken Patties

• 1 pack ground chicken

• ½ white onion, finely chopped

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp paprika

Butternut Squash Purée

• 1-2 medium butternut squash

• 1–2 tbsp olive oil

• Salt, to taste

• 2 tbsp heavy cream

• 1 tbsp honey

Cucumber & Corn Salad

• 2 whole corn cobs

• 4–5 Persian cucumbers, sliced

• 3–4 tbsp Greek yogurt

• Salt, to taste

To Finish

• Green onions (scallions), sliced

Instructions

1. Prepare the Chicken Patties

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, finely chopped white onion, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Mix well until fully combined. Shape into patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until fully cooked through.

2. Roast the Butternut Squash

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 400°F for 30–40 minutes, until very tender and lightly caramelized on the edges.

3. Make the Purée

Scoop the roasted squash flesh into a blender. Add heavy cream and honey. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Adjust salt if needed.

4. Bake the Corn

Wrap the corn cobs in foil and bake at 400°F for about 30–35 minutes, until tender. Once cooked, carefully slice the corn off the cob (or cut into corn ribs, if desired).

5. Make the Cucumber & Corn Salad

In a bowl, combine the sliced Persian cucumbers and baked corn. Add Greek yogurt and salt. Mix well until evenly coated.

6. Assemble

Spread a generous layer of butternut squash purée on a plate. Place the chicken patties on top. Spoon the cucumber and corn salad over everything and finish with freshly sliced green onions.

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If you have any questions, thoughts, or want to share a photo, come say hi in the chat — I’d love to hear from you.

With love,

Zarina

I grew up in Kazakhstan, and some of my favorite food memories are tied to a simple thing: döner. After classes, my friends and I would almost always end up grabbing one wrapped in bread, loaded with juicy meat, fries, sauces… it always hit so gooood.

I haven’t had döner in years, but the craving comes back every now and then. Döner and shawarma are very similar. Both are built around spiced meat, cooked until juicy, wrapped in bread with sauces and toppings. They come from different regions and traditions, but the idea is almost the same, just with slightly different spices, sauces, and names depending on where you are.

Recently, I found myself really craving something crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, wrapped in warm bread so I decided to make my own version at home. This chicken shawarma wrap turned out even better than I expected: flavorful, satisfying, high in protein, and delicious.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 800 g chicken thighs and tenders

• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt

• Juice of ½ lemon

Shawarma Spice Mix

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

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Some mornings I want a bagel, but I don’t feel like assembling anything 🥴

This started as a lazy breakfast experiment. I put the bagel straight into the pan, poured the eggs around it, covered it, flipped it once and somehow everything ended up exactly where it should be, inside the bagel.

No extra steps, no stacking, no mess. Just a warm, filling breakfast that comes together in one pan.

If you’re short on time but still want something good, this is an easy one to keep in your rotation! Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 bagel, sliced in half

• 3 eggs

• Salt

• Scallions, finely chopped

• Cheese (any meltable cheese you like)

• Turkey slices

• Tomato slices

• Sauce of choice (I used sweet & spicy sauce from Momofuku)

Instructions

1. Place the bagel halves cut-side down in a pan over low heat.

2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs well with a pinch of salt.

3. Pour the eggs into the pan, letting them flow around and between the bagel halves.

4. Sprinkle chopped scallions evenly over the eggs.

5. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the omelet is fully set and no longer runny.

6. Carefully flip everything over in one piece. Gently fold the edges of the omelet inward around the bagel.

7. Add cheese on both sides of the bagel and let it melt.

8. Add turkey slices on top, followed by tomato slices and sauce.

9. Close the bagel, remove from heat, and serve.

If you have any questions, thoughts, or want to share a photo, come say hi in the chat below — I’d love to hear from you.

Join the chat

With love,

Zarina

One night, my husband and I were craving exactly that, so I made chicken schnitzel. Simple, crispy, and always a win. Since my toddler is a big fan of rice, I served it with plain white rice on the side.

I also wanted something fresh and crunchy to balance out the fried chicken, so I made a simple cabbage salad. It ended up being the perfect contrast — crisp, light, and refreshing next to the hot schnitzel.

The chicken came out exactly how I love it: juicy on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside. With a squeeze of lemon on top, it was honestly so good.

If you’re craving something comforting, crunchy, and easy to make, you have to try this one.

Ingredients

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When I was a kid, I lived close to a mall, and almost every weekend I would go there for one very specific reason: “Kumpir”.

If you’ve never had it, kumpir is a giant baked potato that’s split open while it’s still steaming hot. The magic starts right in front of you. First, a big piece of butter goes in. It melts instantly. Then comes shredded cheese, which melts too, and everything gets mixed together until the inside of the potato turns gooey and delicious.

Only after that do you choose the toppings.

I don’t even remember all the options anymore but I do remember corn. There was always corn. Butter, cheese, corn. Simple, perfect, comforting. I loved potatoes back then, and honestly… I still do hehe

I haven’t eaten kumpir in years, but with the Super Bowl coming up, I suddenly thought about that potato again. And it clicked, this is exactly the kind of food that belongs on game day. Warm, filling, customizable, and fun to eat.

So this is my take on that childhood favorite, with a little street-corn energy added in. If you’ve never tried something like this before, I really encourage you to give it a shot.

Ingredients

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