Especially for Grandma and Sandy! All photos un-AI-doctored, unlike the holiday card. Foster puppies! (all named “Chica”) Cute animal mooncakes An Eagle & an Eagle Scout Tossing pizza in Carson City Mushroom hunting Fire-eating at the Crucible Cheering on the Oakland Roots Eclipse in Austin Decision trip Mother’s Day Bay to Breakers Fun SF dayContinue reading “2024 Holiday Card Bonus Content”
Author Archives: Gloria Lee
The Holiday card 2023 supplement
To the 3 people who have arrived here (hi Grandma!) looking for more on our Wordle words: SOLAR: The path of totality for the annular (aka “Ring of Fire”) solar eclipse in Fall 2023 passed through northern Nevada, so we made the drive, parked near a group of friendly fellow nerds on a hill, andContinue reading “The Holiday card 2023 supplement”
Games we played
I have to admit: our family was not always the most pleasant tour group, especially if we were visiting a fort, palace, cathedral, mosque or ancient ruin after having recently seen another fort, palace, cathedral, mosque or ancient ruin. I feel bad about it – all our tour guides were so nice, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.Continue reading “Games we played”
Portokalopita by The Greek Kitchen, Athens, Greece
Corbin and I learned to make this amazing cake in a cooking class in Athens. When the instructor brought out the phyllo dough, I assumed we would be making baklava. But, then she told us to shred it into little bits. I’m thinking this would be a good dessert to make when I need toContinue reading “Portokalopita by The Greek Kitchen, Athens, Greece”
Haydari (Turkish yogurt dip), by Emine at Çançan Cafe and Restaurant, Göreme, Türkiye
We had variations of this yogurt dip in Lebanon and Egypt, and in Türkiye, we started ordering it at every meal. It’s great as a dip for bread, meat, and veggies (raw or grilled). This simple recipe is based on one that Emine, the mom/cook at our favorite restaurant in Cappadocia, generously shared with us.Continue reading “Haydari (Turkish yogurt dip), by Emine at Çançan Cafe and Restaurant, Göreme, Türkiye”
An Ode to Potable Tap Water
Most of our travels were in countries where tap water is considered unsuitable for sensitive American digestive tracts, so it took more effort to stay hydrated. We used our Sawyer water filter a lot (see my earlier MVP post). Many hotels and Airbnbs have electric kettles, so we also often boiled water to refill ourContinue reading “An Ode to Potable Tap Water”
Toum (Lebanese Garlic Dip) by Georgie and Carolina, Zahle, Bekka Valley, Lebanon
Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce and it’s one of our favorites. It’s garlicky with a lovely and surprisingly light texture, and goes great with everything. Several weeks before we left California, a young woman selling toum based on her family recipe showed up at our local farmers market. I’d never even heard of thisContinue reading “Toum (Lebanese Garlic Dip) by Georgie and Carolina, Zahle, Bekka Valley, Lebanon”
Palak paneer, by Rajni, Noble Indian Cooking, Updaipur, Rajasthan, India
This spinach-cheese dish has always been one of my favorites in the pantheon of North Indian cuisine, and although I’ve tried to make it at home from various recipes found online from my favorite sources, it never looked or tasted quite right. Rajni, my Indian auntie / Indian cooking god mother, said that it’s becauseContinue reading “Palak paneer, by Rajni, Noble Indian Cooking, Updaipur, Rajasthan, India”
Kerala Paratha, by Rajni, Noble Cooking Class, Updaipur, Rajasthan, India
Indian cuisine has so many different types of bread! During our 3 weeks in India, Asher (our family carbotarian) was thrilled to try every variety, but his all-time favorite was the Kerala Paratha that we had in the southern part of India. In fact, our entire family agreed it was the best. It is anContinue reading “Kerala Paratha, by Rajni, Noble Cooking Class, Updaipur, Rajasthan, India”
Saffron Lassi (Indian yogurt drink) by Rajni, Noble Indian Cooking, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Corbin and I took a cooking class in the beautiful city of Udaipur. It was really more of an inspiring cooking show, as Rajni, a self-taught home cook, produced delicious masterpieces one after the other in her very compact home kitchen, with minimal assistance from either of us! I especially loved the little tips andContinue reading “Saffron Lassi (Indian yogurt drink) by Rajni, Noble Indian Cooking, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India”
Chasing Chicharrones 