Tag: buttermilk
Cabbage and Pear Slaw
This is a yummy slaw that complemented the chicken tacos really well. The pears are delicious with the cabbage…If you can’t find pears any more, pineapple will be a delicious addition…
- ½ cup plain kefir or buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ small cabbage, shredded
- 1 pear, julienned
Mix the kefir, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, cilantro and salt in a small bowl. Transfer the shredded cabbage and pear in a serving bowl. Add the kefir mixture and mix well. Check for seasonings and let it sit for half an hour before serving.
Istanbul Day 3- A Palace, Crispy Potato And Grilled Lamb
Day three started with some wind, rain and a delicious Turkish breakfast. We bundled up and headed to the Topkapi Palace, which was walking distance to our hotel. We spent a few hours viewing the Blue Mosque and the Palace. Somehow walking around in museums, etc makes me hungry. We came out and immediately started looking for somewhere to warm and eat. On the way, we found a vendor selling crispy potatoes. He had a machine to cut the potato open onto a stick. He then fried the whole thing and sprinkled it with spices and salt- it was delicious! We stood there for several minutes devouring many sticks of potatoes. 
We also had some of the Turkish pretzel again- this one was not as crispy and fresh as the other one. We finally found a restaurant/cafe and ate some kebabs and lavash and drank some buttermilk.
We then headed to do some shopping. They have beautiful ceramics, rugs and stoles all over Istanbul. The trick is to bring the prices way down by haggling with the vendors- which is a skill I don’t possess but I think I held my own as I shopped.
After a few hours of rest, lots of research, we headed to a restaurant near our hotel called Tria. As we were 9 of us, we decided to order family style and instead of an entree each, we ordered lots of appetizers. They started us off with baskets of lavash, black olives and olive tapenade- delicious!
Olive Tapenade
Meze Platter
We ordered their house red wine which was also delicious. The wine I have had so far has been quite yummy- the problem is that alcohol is not served in the very down to earth eating joints- which is where I like to eat when we travel.
The appetizers kept coming- a plate of meze, which is like eating Turkish tapas. It consisted of lots of interesting things like grated eggplant in a white sauce, lentil kebab, tomato sauce with a kick, a fresh cheese spread, some kind of grilled fish, etc. The grilled squid was yummy as well! We were quite full and satisfied when the grilled lamb over mashed eggplant arrived. I was a bit skeptical about the mashed eggplant- but it was by far the most delicious thing on the table. It was soft, velvety and delicious! Believe it or not we were too full for dessert!
Grilled Lamb
We decided to walk some family members to the tram station which was near our favorite dessert place.. somehow the walk made the idea of dessert more palatable… so we strolled over and sat down for a few sweet things..
Tomorrow, we are off to Cappadocia!!
Pink Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream
Try these for Valentines Day! I made them for my daughter’s 7th birthday and now she is 9! How time flies!!
I love these cupcakes. They are so pretty to look at. I never thought I would be saying that about pink cupcakes but raising a girl for the last seven years has made me very girly.
I remember swearing to my husband I will never dress my daughter in pink clothes. Once she was about three years old, all of that talk went down the drain. There was pink everywhere. We brought her home to a red nursery and now her room is pepto bismal pink- no joke!
Sia turned seven last week and I made these cupcakes for her birthday party. I was going to buy them and give business to a local store but then I thought why should I buy when I can bake them myself. I have never made cupcakes before so I started researching them. I tweaked a recipe I found on honey and jam.
I had to make my own frosting since I can’t stand all the sugary ones out there. I like icing or frosting made out of whipped cream. For the cupcakes I whipped up cream with confectioner’s sugar, food coloring and melted strawberry jam. It was delicious!
My daughter thought the cup cakes were very yummy. She suggested we make them again for Valentines Day- what an excellent idea!
Make these for V Day for your kids and honey .
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