Search Results for: My Travels

Chúc mừng năm mới from Hanoi!

Posted on Feb 14, 2018 by Peggy

Happy Lunar New Year! This marks Richard’s and my fourth week of traveling through SE Asia and every 12 hours of experience is the equivalent of 12 months of my North American day-to day. Which works up quite an appetite. Motto for this adventure: “One should go into the unknown on an empty stomach.” (Abraham Garcia) … Full recipe post »

Home Away in Barbados: Marlin Steaks Bajan-Styled

Posted on Feb 22, 2017 by Peggy

Traveling pleasures, for me, include exploring food markets and trying my hand at local cuisines. We’ve just returned from Barbados, the most easterly island in the West Indies; a 3 1/2 hour flight south from Miami, and then another hour flight south to Venezuela. When traveling, Richard and I often rent a VRBO, a subsidiary of Home Away,  Flip Key (owned by Trip Advisor) … Full recipe post »

Key West Shrimp Chili Rellanos

Posted on Feb 29, 2016 by Peggy

Key West has two of the things I love most in life: eccentric characters and shellfish. We’ve been holed up for a few weeks at a VRBO (an excellent find, a rare tranquil spot close to Duvall) as I brainstorm characters and plot for The Maiden Tower, a novel set in Key West, and proofread my finished manuscript for … Full recipe post »

Peru: A Tapestry of Restaurant, Street and Market Food (plus a recipe for Quinoa Soup)

Posted on Nov 7, 2015 by Peggy

There’s a difference between vacationing and traveling. Traveling removes me from my comfort zone; vacationing amplifies my comfort. The past couple of weeks spent in this marvelous tapestry of a landscape called Peru would definitely qualify as Traveling. Full recipe post »

Dinner Party to Welcome Spring

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Peggy
Spring Green Risotto

On Sunday’s journey back from Utah (an impromptu trip utilizing a free AMEX companion plane ticket), while poring over photographs taken hiking Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, I lamented that I forget to take my wide-angle lens. Still. I could never capture Ansel Adam‘s American West no matter how many strings of cameras I roped around … Full recipe post »

New Orleans: Hey Y’all, it’s Carnival–Laissez Le Bons Temps Roulé!

Posted on Feb 8, 2015 by Peggy

Whether you’re buried in 10 feet of snow, or basking in more winter favorable climes, February is a great time to inject a bit of heat–New Orleans style– into your kitchen. Here for my niece’s wedding, we’re  spending a week in the Garden District, VRBOing a home built in the 1850’s with a front porch … Full recipe post »

Manhattan: Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Manchego, Marcona Almonds and Fried Shallots works double-time as a salad or appetizer

Posted on Nov 8, 2014 by Peggy

(Note the gold holiday ball in the right hand column of this blog. Perhaps some of my past holiday recipe blogs can be of assistance to your meal planning in the next couple of months.) Last week was spent with three lady friends in Manhattan soaking in (breathless) as many museums, plays, Halloween revelry, and….of course—food!—as we could inhale … Full recipe post »

Tropical Queensland Fruit Salad (that can be adapted to any fruit available to you)

Posted on Mar 27, 2014 by Peggy

On our flight from Christchurch to  Queensland, Australia, the passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 weighed heavy on our minds, particularly when traversing such a large expanse of sea. Skimming above the Great Barrier Reef making our decent into Cairns (the gateway to reef exploration) –   a collective sigh was audible.  Awe, certainly, of … Full recipe post »

New Zealand Lamb Chops with Eggplant and Couscous (Eating, drinking and hiking around the South Island)

Posted on Mar 12, 2014 by Peggy

( Travels in the South Island of New Zealand, continued; see previous  Mussel post, if interested, for a more information about our itinerary.) Skirting the coast in our Toyota Corolla, we note Farm to Table is not marketing hoop-la, but in your face reality around every bend in the road. Plucked from the ocean seafoods, meats … Full recipe post »

New Zealand Muscles (and Mussels)

Posted on Feb 22, 2014 by Peggy

Planet Earth flexes her biceps in New Zealand’s South Island – oh those salaciously shifting teutonic plates! The above photo is one of a trillion I’ve been taking on our Oceania voyage, the trip I’ve always dreamed of taking; the landscape more salubrious than the Green Lip Mussels I purchased in a Kiwi run-of-the mill … Full recipe post »

Off-Season Solo in the Redneck Riviera

Posted on Nov 12, 2013 by Peggy

Hallelujah, praise Jesus! Gospel music and Radio Selma preaching entertained as I descended that Mountain of Configuration towards the Gulf of Mexico, fabled panhandle beaches of Alabama and Florida (a.k.a. The Redneck Riviera). Quoting the guru, Dr. Beach, this sand savant referred to my destination as: “…the greatest strand of white sand on earth.” I was … Full recipe post »

Garfagnana,Tuscany: Farro Soup

Posted on Nov 26, 2012 by Peggy

A couple of weeks ago I described (in a tiny chestnut shell), my recent trip to visit a friend in Lucca, Italy. I spoke of our hike north of Lucca in the Garfagnana, where the landscape was dotted with chestnut hunters, and made a pasta dish using Michigan chestnuts when I arrived home.  While at … Full recipe post »

Lucca, Italy: Pasta with Roasted Chestnuts, Bacon & Fried Sage Leaves

Posted on Nov 9, 2012 by Peggy
Pasta with Roasted Chestnuts, Bacon and Sage

Several months ago my long-time pal, Mara, told me she was leasing out her home in the fall, and simultaneously renting an apartment for herself and 13-year old twin daughters in Lucca, Italy. As long as she’s access to WIFI, she can conduct her business anywhere, so why not take advantage of our flattened world. … Full recipe post »

Ireland: A Culinary Paradise

Posted on Aug 1, 2012 by Peggy
Ireland: A Culinary Landscape

Two months later, and I’m at long last organizing notes from Richard’s and my 18-day journey through Ireland in April and May. When friends ask about the trip, I show pictures of the pastoral landscape. They smile and nod yes, of course, appreciating the expected beauty. I describe the warmth, hospitality and wit of the … Full recipe post »

Charlevoix: Bacon-Jam Burger Knock-Off

Posted on Jun 13, 2012 by Peggy
Bacon-Jam Burger Knock-Off

What inspires many of us of down-state Michiganders to pack our backs and head north each summer? The scratch of sand through toes as we traverse dunes and traipse along water’s edge…endless days evaporating into a purple-pink patina, as the sun sinks into the lake. Yes—certainly—but a few weeks back, Richard and I packed our … Full recipe post »