Tag: culture

Pass the Tea Please

52 Comments

Tonight we wrap up our Armenian adventure with an interesting little dessert. I don’t think we’ve ever done a cookie on one of our international and stateside adventures. In fact, I think the only cookies that we have showcased on the blog are my mom’s from the holidays and Miss A’s birthday cookie request.

So when we came across the recipe for Armenian Cookies, we knew we had to give them a shot. Plus they gave me a chance to use my stand mixer and I like excuses to use my stand mixer. We started by creaming the butter and sugar.  Continue reading →

Flowing with the Currant

54 Comments

We’re back to our Armenian adventures and cooking up one of our favorite foods. Mussels!! Now many of you may remember that back in the summer, on our epic road trip to Maine, we harvested and cooked mussels right from our own backyard. 

It remains one of our favorite memories from that vacation. Not to mention one of our favorite recipes. 

From the time Mr. N was 3, and Miss A was 3 as well, both of the kids have loved mussels. As a parent I always found this a little odd. I mean mussels aren’t exactly the prettiest of foods and not something you find most kids willing to try. Our little guys though – can’t get enough. So when we found the recipe for midia dolma, or stuffed mussels, we knew this was one we had to try. So we picked up some fresh mussels from the Italian grocer.  Continue reading →

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

62 Comments

First and foremost I want to offer a brief, but sincerely heartfelt, thank you for everyone that left comments or sent me messages this past week. It’s been a difficult time, but the warm words and support were truly helpful. Thank you.

As I mentioned in our last post, Grandpa would not have wanted us to mourn for long. So it’s time to get back in the kitchen, and I know he would have enjoyed this next stateside series…It’s time for our recipes from Hawaii to begin!

Over the next few weeks we’re going to try to replicate some of our island favorites. This particular recipe was hands-down the one I looked forward to recreating the most. The first time I came across this dish was at the Kalaheo Cafe & Coffee Company. I wanted something fresh and light to contrast the heavy resort and restaurant food we had been enjoying, and the Anahola Granola looked perfect.  Continue reading →

Hold the Cheese Please

42 Comments

On Sunday afternoon last week, Mike and Miss A went on a little father-daughter excursion. Miss A wore her favorite “fancy” dress and Mike put on a button down shirt, and the two headed out to see a dance recital version of the Wizard of Oz. Miss A was absolutely in her glory. (I think Mike was too. 😉 )

So while Mike and Miss A were off for an afternoon on the town, Mr. N and I took on our next Armenian recipe, an Armenian Lahmajoun. The lahmajoun is similar to a pizza, but without the cheese. We started the recipe with an onion, butter and garlic. Continue reading →

Back to Business

52 Comments

The business of food of course! Now that we’ve settled back into our daily routines and rolled through the mountains of laundry (Well, it’s almost all folded anyway!),  we’re back in the kitchen working our way around the world. For the next few weeks we’ll be sampling various recipes from the country of Armenia.

A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is a mountainous country and lies in both Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The cuisine in Armenia is really rather varied, but almost always includes an extensive amount of fresh ingredients. For our first recipe we went with an Armenian side dish that we thought had a chance of winning over Mr. N and Miss A, an Armenian Chickpea Salad. Continue reading →

Mahalo…A Hui Hou

49 Comments

We returned from Kauai on Sunday evening well-rested, sun-kissed and happy. It was a much-needed, relaxing, utterly beautiful and fabulous vacation. We’ve been fortunate enough to have taken many vacations over the course of our marriage, and even quite a few since the kids have been born, but I honestly don’t remember another time I came home this peaceful and relaxed. I didn’t even have my post-vacation “it’s over” sadness, just utter contentment. I suppose someplace as beautiful and magical as Kauai can do that to you.

Dawn of a new day.

Mr. N and Miss A even fully immersed themselves in the relaxation of this trip. With the exception of a few minor meltdowns from Miss A (which frankly were nothing in the grand-scheme of things – pretty remarkable for a three-year old) and a few initial protests about an activity from Mr. N, both of the kids were absolutely in-tune with each other, us and the vacation.  Continue reading →