Turkey and Greece 2012 - Part 1

This is the first of a five part post, y'all! And I'll end the five parts with a giveaway! Directions for the giveaway will be on the final post and I have to get 20 or more new followers (your picture in the box) in order for the giveaway to follow through...so tell your friends!

I have been to Turkey twice before since I met my husband. Before I met my husband, Turkey is what I ate at Thanksgiving. It sounds silly I know but I just never really thought about the land region that is so rich in amazing history and a bridge from Europe to the Middle East. Now, I think about all the richness and wonder why I never knew about the wealth of this nation before.

Everyone wants to go to Spain, France or Italy. I am guilty of the same having moved to Italy in my youth and staying as an expat for a while! I wish I had known about Turkey.

The language is rooted in Balkan/Eastern Europe and Arabic with a touch of Latin thrown in, making it tricky to pick up but very cool.

Turkish customs are amazing and the cuisine sensational. As I go on I'll expand on these things.

This trip was EPIC!

When you see this view - Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque - you know you've arrived!

We started in Istanbul. My sister in law lives in a gated community on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. Her view from her terrace is amazing and gives a great view of the water way. At dinner on our first night we saw a huge freighter passing through and a fireworks show!

Don't let "gated community" stray you. A gated community in Turkey is a community in which there are stacked apartment buildings with tiny balconies and terraces not tract homes with gardens and lawns.

After our initial day in Istanbul we had one day to piddle around the city. I requested Istinye Park...I'm American what can I say, I love a mall. But let me tell you, Turks love their malls too! And this shopping mecca is nothing to scoff at! At the mall I was thinking and thinking of a store I loved when I first came to Istanbul. I kept calling it Mada Style. It was actually Mudo Collection and after half a days searching my niece figured it out. When our time at the mall was done, we got in a taxi to venture home. I always thought that Italian cab drivers were the dcariest and most dangerous. I was wrong. We got in a cab with a very polite, young driver who sped around nearly killing us several times. So the verdict: Turkish drivers are WAY more sketchy than Italian drivers.

We went back to the house and sat down to a sensational supper of Patlican Yemegi (the husband loves this and I finally learned to make it thanks to Berrin, my sister in law) and other meze. By the way, the recipe I have here is not our family recipe. I will add a proper recipe at a later time. This is just for your reference. It includes nutritional content as well; I love that...nevertheless...a traditional recipe is going to follow!

After dinner, we prepared for the the long trip ahead of us the following day. On the map above, you can see Istanbul. If you look South and East you can see near Ankara, a town called Afyon.

Afyon was, perhaps, my favorite part of our trip. It was my first experience with a Turkish bath which was amazing. Actually, there is no word with enough emphasis to say exactly how it was. In Afyon, I experieced true unfettered Turkish culture (men sitting around while the ladies ran around setting the table and cooking) and in Afyon, we were invited to a circumcision/after party. I am quite sure not many other Western ladies get to say that!

 More from Afyon:

Afyon is famous for their Sucuk.

Dried peppers and eggplant and spice. 

Dried Okra

Tulumba Cheese

Sausage casings

There is a castle up there!

The view from Teyze's terrace.

After touring Afyon and having a delicious sweet treat and speaking in sign language wishing to the heavens that I could speak Turkish, we headed back to Tayze's house where she had prepared a sumptuous meal. Thus ended our trip to Afyon. There aren't any real words to explain the feeling of the place; of the people. It is somewhere that Westerners infrequently visit but a town of great history and charm. Turkish independence was won here. The international delight of Soucuk was invented here and perhaps the most notable of all, my husbands mother was born and raised here. And thank goodness. My husband is extremely special...no bias here, though.

Photo 1 (upper left): Pideli Kebap. Photo 2 (upper right): The ladies prepare for dinner. Photo 3 (lower left): Berrin {my sister in law} Tayze {my husband's aunt} and Bulo {my husband}. Photo 4: The grapes in this picture are not extraordinary but the apricots, my word, they are like sugar in your mouth.  These apricots are why "Turkish Apricots"  are so famous - the delectable Sekker Pare.

We spent the night. Tayze gave up her bed for us. Imagine my alarm and guilt when I woke up to seeing Tayze on the sofa still in her little dress. After a very early breakfast, we got on the road again and headed to Pamukkale. 

BBQ Turkey Sliders

My bridesmaids including my sister are still my closest friends. And there is one thing they all have in common...food. I created this recipe for my oldest, dearest. She lives far away in Colorado and wanted something, quick, easy and of course, tasty. Now, all the girls except my sister have tried this out. It's a hit. So I'm documenting here for easy access for the girls and all my readers!

This recipe is closely related to the Lemon Mint Chicken Sliders with Cumin Aioli but more back yard barbeque with cut offs and beer than evening get together with summer sparkling and sun dress.

Enjoy!

Barbeque Turkey Sliders

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional*)
• 2 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbs bbq sauce
• slider buns

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Form into small patties.
3. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
4. Serve on slider buns with your usual burger things (onions, ketchup, mayo, tomatoes, bbq sauce etc.)

Notes

8 Servings (2 - 2oz. patties per person)

Nutritional content includes the buns and bread crumbs: Calories 261, Fat 10.2 g, Carbs 22g, Protein 20.7 g

*Nutritional content without bread crumbs or slider buns (for all you low carbers) : Calories 148, Fat 8 g, Carbs 1.6 g, Protein 16.2 g 

Turkey and a Giveaway

Our trip to Turkey (and Greece) was amazing. An absolutely unforgettable journey with the love of close family and the joy of great sites...and, oh, did I mention the cuisine?

I'll be doing a four part post about our trip. If you are on your way there, the little tips and suggestions may prove useful. Or perhaps, I can pique your interest enough to launch you into embarking on a trip of your own to Turkey?

Also, in the next couple weeks, I'll be doing my first giveaway. So stay tuned.

Today I leave you with an enchanting tourism video...

I Don't Know What to Say

I really don't and anyone that knows me, knows that that rarely happens. My dad's speech at our wedding began with, "We all called her Chatty Cathy!"

By this time Turkey has enraptured me. So I'll leave you with some pretty pictures (you know how I love the pretty) and a little film.

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Exotic Ahi Tuna with Mango

I love sushi. But it's pretty pricey to be going out and eating it with any frequency. So, sometimes I buy a sushi grade Ahi steak at Costco and play around with ingredients. It's cheaper than going out and it's always a charm when I get a high five from the husband for something delicious. I only wish I could think of a better name for this one!

This would be a super treat to serve at your next gathering!

Exotic Ahi Tuna with Mango

Ingredients

• 12 Oz. Ahi Tuna steak
• 1/2 ripe mango
• 3 Scallions (green onions), cut into slivers
• 1/2 English cucumber, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 4 Tbs sesame oil
• 4 Tbs Soy sauce
• 2 Tbs Chili sauce
• 2 Tbs roasted sesame seeds
• 1 Tbs black sesame seeds (not to be confused with Nigella seeds most often found in Moroccan cuisine)
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds or toasted mac nuts
• White pepper and Himalayan pink salt to taste
• 1 Package Wasabi Rice Crackers

Instructions

1. Chop (small) tuna, cucumber, 1/2 mango and green onions.
2. After chopping place all in a bowl and refrigerate.
3. In a food processor, combine Chili sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce and bunch cilantro.
4. Pulse until you have a sauce.
5. Remove bowl of mixed ingredients from fridge and add sauce.
6. Mix to coat.
7. Add sesame seeds, almonds (or mac nuts) and salt and pepper.
8. Plate, garnish with radish sprouts and add crackers.
9. Enjoy!

Notes

4 Servings

Nutritional content includes the crackers: Calories 434, Fat 22 g, Carbs 34 g, Protein 25 g

Nutritional content without crackers: Calories 333, Fat 20 g, Carbs 14 g, Protein 24 g 

Glass Tile Adornments

I love to go to my husbands tile showroom! I am always inspired by the stuff he has there. He and his partner do quite a bit of work in natural stone but his partner deals more frequently in pool tiles. I found some scraps last time I went and I put my crafting skills to work.

This morning I was motivated to make these little bracelets so I can give them as simple, inexpensive, chic gifts to ladies I care about.

Materials: Pinking shears, felt, glass, ceramic or shell tiles, a glue gun, some needle point thread, needle point or tapestry needles, sewing needles and thread and some hemp twine or fancy skinny ribbon and buttons.

With the pinking shears cut a straight line at the edge of a felt piece. Glue each glass tile to the felt with the glue gun. Cut off the strip of glued tiles on the other side using the pinking shears again.

Next, sew on the button. Be sure to measure your wrist. Sew the button on with a needle and thread as you would with a shirt button. Next cut a button hole on the other side. (Felt has poor integrity becasue it is not woven) You need to reinforce the button hole otherwise you'll lose the bracelet. Use the embroidery thread and blanket stitch around the small slit twice. After you tie it off glue a tiny piece of felt above and below the button hole after your reinforcement. You've just completed the bracelet and it's ready to wear. 

An alternate way to create a closure for your bracelet is by looping fancy string (as pictured) through a button with button holes big enough to accommodate the string. Then glue the string to the felt on the underside of the bracelet. Secure with a piece of felt that you glue on. On the other side of the bracelet you'll need a loop with which to fasten the bracelet to your wrist. Make a loop with the fancy string and glue it the same way you did on the button side. Again secure with glued felt. Before you do this step, measure your wrist so that you have a bracelet that fits comfortably. 

The finished product is pretty, unique and handmade.

Poppy Pods

At the bottom of Poppies and Paperbacks, there is sometimes an advertisement to buy poppy pods. In my naive curiosity, I researched why anyone would want to buy a poppy pod. They're pretty when in a vase and fresh next to blooming Icelandics...but besides prettiness, why all the fuss?

I found all kinds of things. Professed cures for cancer, bed time tea, DIY projects and crafting uses and then I came upon this...

"I woke up avalanched under a junkyard of pain, my body a trap of torn nerves and trashed organs. An oily rash of sweat had soaked through my pillow and into the mattress. I was coughing, confused and crazy with anger. A throbbing, deep-pink chemical sunburn covered my face; my bowels were spitting hot mercury. I slid out of bed and dropped to the floor, the weight of a snarling mountain gorilla bearing down on me. I saw myself in the mirror as I fell. I looked puffy."

I suggest reading the entire article because, mostly, it's written so well. But also because it's a very unusual story. Just click on any word in the above excerpt.

Source for this and the following...