Category Archives: Phase 3

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”

Comparison of La Sagrada Familia (the Gaudi church) and Casa Batllò (the house Gaudi designed)

La Sagrada Familia Huge single room interior/common space for anyone who wantsreligiousWeird blocky statuesPublicHuge on both the outside and inside.Not finished yet – 145 years and still goingBuilt from scratch Casa BatllòMultiple roomsResidentialMulti-floored PrivateCompleted by Gaudi in his lifetimeBig in on the outside, Smallish rooms on the inside, but lots of them. Similarities Weird colors/patternsTallContinue reading “Comparison of La Sagrada Familia (the Gaudi church) and Casa Batllò (the house Gaudi designed)”

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”

From the Hammock of James – Most Surprising Country – Lebanon

While we were in Egypt we spent 3 days on a Nile cruise.  Our tour group included a lovely Brazilian couple who got engaged right after our cruise, an American travel-blogger from Atlanta, a French couple, and 3 young men (late 20’s) from Lebanon.  The three young men: Ali, Zaki, and Hassan invited us toContinue reading “From the Hammock of James – Most Surprising Country – Lebanon”

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”