Author: Amanda

Spiced Persimmon Bread

- Amanda

Have you ever eaten or made something with persimmons?

Growing up this fruit was pretty foreign to me.  I remember my first experience with one.  It was sometime during my college years and they were all over the markets in New York City.  The beautiful autumn-esque hue of orange was stunning and I couldn’t resist buying a few.  I picked some I thought were ripe and without much bruising.  Excited to try it when I arrived home, I cut right into it and ate a slice.  It. Was. Awful.  Not only was it pretty bitter.  It left this really unpleasant chalky sensation on my tongue that took what seemed like forever to go away.  Read more

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Lentil Curry

- Amanda 2 Comments

November is upon us and that means Thanksgiving is just under three weeks away and the holiday season has unofficially started.  I love thinking about the food, traditions and decorations to come in the weeks ahead.  This year will be quite different indeed, and soon I’ll start testing some recipes to see what will work for our first Thanksgiving abroad.  First though, I want to share this Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Lentil Curry.  It’s delicious and the whole family loves it.  It’s warm, lightly spiced with curry, cumin, turmeric, and ginger and chock-full of really satisfying ingredients.  Not to mention it’s vegetarian/ vegan friendly…It’s exactly what should accompany a cozy, November night spent at home. Read more

Shortbread Ghosts with Sea Salt Nutella Ganache

- Amanda

Happy almost Halloween everyone.  I can’t believe we’re already at the end of October.  I love this holiday and everything that comes with it.  And though it is not really celebrated by most here in Istanbul, we’re not letting that stop us from having lots of ghoulish treats and all sorts of spooky fun in our home.  In fact, you may have noticed, there’s currently a spider and rat infestation in this Istanbul apartment.  Thanks to the fun decorations I brought from LA and the costume additions my mother-in-law found for us, we’re excited and ready for next Wednesday.

Somehow though, as I was gearing up to make some festive cookies, I realized I didn’t bring ANY of my Halloween cookie cutters.  I managed to remember the gingerbread dude, in multiple sizes, snowman, and other Christmas cutters, and even some Valentine’s Day and Easter shapes.  But not one pumpkin, ghost, or measly bat. BOO! Read more

Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi)

- Amanda

Today I’m sharing with you one of my favorite go-to recipes.  I make this Turkish Red Lentil Soup when I need a quick and easy dinner, when anyone in the family is a little under the weather, or when I’m just craving a warm bowl of comfort.    Earlier this week, all three boxes were checked.  I had a sore throat,  and thus really didn’t want to spend too much time working in the kitchen, and the cold and gloomy weather outside just begged for something warm and comforting.

My love for this soup started back in New York.  There was this little Turkish kebab place, Bereket, on the Lower East Side.  After a late night out on the town when my husband and I were dating, we’d stop there with friends for some lentil soup and pita and sometimes a kebab.  It was delicious and so satisfying and sort of became a ritual we looked forward to.  The fact they were open all night long certainly worked to our advantage.  It’s the city that never sleeps after all. Read more