Have you heard of umami? Umami is a word that recently made its way into the worldwide culinary vernacular. Its origin is Japan and the definition loosely implies ‘good taste’ or ‘deliciousness’. There are all kinds of chemical reasons that trigger this sensation. They involve words I don’t understand like glutamate, ribonucleotides, inosinate and guanylate.
Suffice it to say, if I ever use it…I mean it in the gastronomical sense and as it has conventionally become known: “the fifth taste” to its counterparts sweet, sour, salt + bitter. Beef and sweet potatoes are considered umami-rich foods.
I loved this dinner for its combination of sweet, savory and salt…which definitely speaks umami to me! Continue Reading
Looks like Turkey moved up the proverbial travel wishlist for a lot people during this stop on our Culinary Tour. I encourage you to click on this link — you’ll see 25 compelling photos that will have you re-thinking your next vacation destination.
And if you need further inspiration, there’s the food. From soup to desserts, we got some wonderful-looking dishes from bloggers around the globe. I know I will be making a few of them in my kitchen.
I’ve been to Turkey twice. It was both a taste and a tease — times 2!
Food was not an important factor during those brief visits so my personal knowledge of Turkish food comes from restaurants in New York and it’s similarity to Mid-Eastern countries, like Lebanon and Syria.
For this stop on our Culinary Tour, I’m sharing a few of my travel photos and a delicious vegetarian dish called Imam Bayildi.
My new photo blog, quietly featured in my sidebar since January 1, now has a ‘subscribe by e-mail’ feature for those of you who are interested in following me on my journey as I take a photo-a-day for 365 days. Some weeks may be themes, like this week, where all photos are macro; other days/weeks random. I’ve also joined shutterboo‘s weekly thematic challenge on flickr and am posting those photos here as well. So there you have it (if you want it)…8 photos a week.
I don’t profess to be a photographer, just an enthusiast who loves photo challenges. They stretch my mind and open my eyes. Every.single.day.
To subscribe, visit blog, click on lower right link under “pages”. Important: You will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription. It is important to do this or your subscription will not activate.
With no other inspiration to start this post, I give you the lyrics of Alaska’s song by Marie Drake…and, of course, the delicious dishes presented by bloggers all over the globe.
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue
Alaska’s flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes and the flow’rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough’s dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The “Bear”—the “Dipper”—and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
Over land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska’s Flag—to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier. Continue Reading
Welcome to Alyeska…”the great land”…”the last frontier”…the 49th state.
Alaska is the home of six distinct groups of American Indians/Alaskan natives; European settlers; families of gold-miners, lumberjacks, oilmen, fishermen, and…you betcha, Sarah Palin. Continue Reading
In the 2+ years I’ve been blogging, I’ve been aware of an event called Weekend Herb Blogging. I’ve admired the posts I’ve seen because, by edict, they include any herb, fruit, plant, flower, or vegetable. “I can do that”, I often thought. And then the moment passed.
This week, the WHB host is Cinzia of Cindystar who is also one of my constant companions on our Culinary Tour Around the World. How could I not support her? Plus I made a delicious lunch for myself this week that fit the criteria perfectly. Continue Reading
As the de facto tour planner and group leader, I’m very pleased with my group who gathered to visit Panama. Bloggers arrived from New York, Toronto, Vancouver, The Netherlands, Texas, Italy, Germany, Dubai and me from Fla-la-la. 
They brought some luscious dishes. But they didn’t stop there. I encourage you to click through to the individual blogs…you’ll find interesting dialogue, personal remembrances, historic information, original poetry, fashion and a lively musical video that will make you want to shake your booty.
Mamma mia…fried leeks con la pasta é molto bene. Who knew?
I thought I’d cooked pasta with every vegetable grown on the planet, but I must admit to having never cooked pasta with leeks; in fact, I don’t use leeks all that much. But the stars were aligned. I bought a bunch of leek for another recipe, I had a zucchini in the vegetable drawer and a brand new pasta from Italy that I was anxious to try. Not to mention, an always present yen for a pasta dinner. Continue Reading
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