Selcuk, Turkey

We had a grand entrance into Turkey.  Brady had been complaining about his stomach hurting, but he had not eaten much, so I thought lack of food was the problem.  He ate a small amount of a chicken sandwich on the plane, but continued to complain.  We made it on the airport bus transporting us to the terminal when Brady spewed everywhere.  At the last minute we realized another bus was coming, so we jumped off giving Brady some time to get it out of his system.  You may say it was rude of us to leave our mess, but I did lay some wipes over the mess.  Wasn’t that nice? 

Finally landing from our second flight of the day, Brady was in bad shape.  He was pale and weak and proceeded to get sick again.  We received most of our luggage, but were missing Brady’s booster seat.  After waiting 2 hours for it to arrive we decided to leave without it.  Luckily, during that time Brady was able to take a nap and seemed to be doing a little better.  We spent the rest of our afternoon and evening resting and strolling the streets of Selcuk, Turkey. 

Selcuk was charming and our hotel had a beautiful panoramic view from the terrace.  What seemed like mostly tourists roamed the streets with store and restaurant owners doing their best to woo you into their shops.  Ruins dotted the landscape leaving the imagination to soar with thoughts of what kind of life took place here in years past. 

Bucharest, Romania

Our final destination in Romania was Bucharest. 

Our lodging was a two bedroom apartment on the 10^th floor of a building in the center of town, with playgrounds on either side of our building.  I’m telling you, my travel agent does it right! 

We packed up the kids and headed out for dinner. 

On a Random Note: Juliette has a strange attachment to my hair.  She even falls asleep while she's holding a strand of my hair. 

After a walk resulting in only 1 time out (yes, Brady got a 4 minute time out in the middle of Bucharest.  We aren’t above sitting our kid down on the side of the sidewalk) we found a place to eat.  Unable to read the menu and a waiter who wasn’t quite as helpful as the last time we encountered this issue, I ordered something I knew was going to have chicken in it and it came with some kind of salad.  Greg ordered something that was going to have sausages and some kind of meatball.  My plate came and I had ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a tomato/cucumber salad.  I always knew my Southern roots would never fail me!

During dinner I told Greg I hoped our walk home wouldn’t seem too long.  We begin to walk back to the apartment, only to realize after walking quite some distance, we had no idea where we were.  This tradition of getting lost started about 7 years ago when Greg and I wandered the streets of Ireland on our honeymoon.  Exhausted, we collapse in our apartment and never again will I talk about wanting a short walk home.

Our second day in Bucharest was easy to figure out what to do.  Practically everything was closed and the only “child-friendly” museum open was The Village Museum.  This was an outdoor museum that was home to churches, homes, windmills, presses and other structures throughout time in Romania.  It was perfect because the kids could run around and we could read the signs in front of the houses (generally unheard of!).

Brady found a blue house that he said Smurfs live in- even taking a peek in the window to see if they were home.

After spending the afternoon napping and playing, we were refreshed and ready to board our plane bound for Turkey!

Snagov, Romania

Waking up on Mother’s Day in the mountains of Romania is a dream!  After taking in all the beauty we begin our new adventure for the day.  The destination is Snagov, Romania.  Specifically in Snagov was the Complex Astoria.  This complex is a leisure park and is said to be a favorite weekend destination.  We arrive in Snagov and find no indication there is such a thing as Complex Astoria.  After driving through random neighborhoods, back roads, and passing a mailbox with a US flag and a sign for the U.S. Air Force (I tried to get Greg to stop and ask for directions here), we finally stop at a convenience store for directions.  Turns out this place does exist and not only that, it was home to a very popular bike race that had just finished when we got there.  How all the people knew how to get to the park, I have no idea.  The main purpose of the park for us was to let the kids play and take a boat ride to the Monastery where Vlad Tepes/ Vlad the Impaler/ Dracula was buried.

The large overpriced park boat was no longer taking trips to the Monastery by the time we arrived.  Lucky for us, we were able to pay a guy with a john boat to give us a ride over. 

He told us he would come back to get us and we prayed he was telling the truth!  We roamed the grounds of the Monastery and stood at a cement box in the ground of the church where they told us Vlad/ Dracula was buried. 

Thankfully our captain came back and we were able to get the kids on the lead and tetanus infested playground. 

Waiting for the boat

Notice half the seat is missing from the swing

We made it back to the car in one piece and nobody ate the paint, I’ll call that a success!

Romania!

Our usual travel style is running madly through the airport, dragging our children behind us.  However, the beginning of our vacation to Romania and Turkey was a pleasure!  We made it to the airport (even did a park and ride) in plenty of time, ate lunch, and even had time for a bathroom break… unheard of!  I knew our first main stop was going to be Transylvania.  Prepared to go eat breakfast and head out for a day of travel, I was informed by my trusty travel agent that we were packing up, leaving for another hotel.  Ok, in full disclosure, I generally have no idea what is going to happen on a trip.  I know the main destination, pack a suitcase for Juliette and myself, and am prepared to leave for the airport.  I am very spoiled because Greg takes care of all the details.  He does a fantastic job and why fix what’s not broken, right?! 

What we saw of Romania was beautiful and a cultural treat.  Men guiding horse and carts full of wooden beams or other items to complete their days work, roadside stands full of fresh strawberries, old women sitting on the side of the road selling baskets of fresh eggs, and carts selling what we thought were bread and honey.  Of course we had to stop for some bread and honey! 

The thing about travel for us, is it’s all about having as authentic of an experience as possible.  Turns out, we got the honey part right (and it was delicious!), but what we thought was bread was actually smoked cheese.  They had cheese from the cow, sheep, and bison.  We landed on the bison cheese, well, because we had never had it and it’s about the experience.  I’m happy to say, the bison cheese was also delicious!

So on we go to Transylvania to visit what is known as “Dracula’s Castle.”

Dracula (his real name was Vlad Tepes- his father was Vlad Dracul, thus Dracula) did not live there, and only likely laid siege to it in 1460, but apparently this castle is much more interesting than Dracula’s real home.  Vlad has a rather interesting story including being given as a hostage by his father to gain favor with the Turkish Sultan, rising to power, impaling people- yes this includes stakes and rectums, a death by being beheaded, and a buriel in a Monastery located in Snagov, Romania. 

Brady and I took a secret staircase while in the castle- because it’s all about keeping up the excitement for a 4 year old when you’re making him roam around a castle.  We got separated from the group because Greg, who was wearing Juliette on his back, was too tall to fit through.  Brady and I proceed to practically run through the rest of the castle stopping only for a moment at a bear skin rug, the king’s crown, and a suit of armor.  Brady pretended to shoot a small cannon gun located in a window, I’m pretty sure we got yelled at for that, and then he enjoyed a pretzel snack while we waited for Greg and Juliette to show up.  I’ll call that a success!

After a brief stroll through the market and an ice cream cone, we head on to Sinaia, Romania. Once there we took a cable car ride up a mountain, ate at a little restaurant where we took the advice of the waitress and had no idea what we ordered (this was also delicious!), then settled in for the night at a charming Inn where we had breathtaking views.

Missing you!

Things just haven't been the same around here.  Greg has been gone a week and we now have 6 more days to go!  I was going to write something cheesy about missing the beat to our song, but 2 weeks is nothing compared to what we have been through in the past.  The bottom line is we miss this guy...

The guy who is greeted at the door with a daughter who squeals "daaadddy!" a son who can't wait to be thrown in the air and involve him in whatever he's playing with, and a wife who loves him more than he will ever know!

Facing the Impossible

They said it couldn't be done, so I had to try.  What is this impossible feat?  Making Ricotta!  Is it an authentic Italian recipe using traditional ingredients and techniques?  No.  Is it delicious and easy?  Yes!  I was watching our day delayed t.v. shows, when lo and behold I see Anne Burrell making a batch talking about how easy it was to make the cheese.  Her recipe can be found here. 

Ok, so first is the cream...



Then add the milk...

Finally the vinegar and salt





Let all of this cook for a couple of minutes and you will see the curds at the top of the pan.  Pour into several layers of cheesecloth (I didn't have cheesecloth, so just used a clean towel.  Next time I'll use the cheesecloth) and let it drain.

Of course, there are many different ways to use ricotta, but for this day, I sliced some bread

Toasted it under the broiler, rubbed a bit of garlic on top, and placed a dollop of the fresh cheese.  Oh boy!  It was SO good!

The next day, I added a bit of orange zest to a small portion of the cheese, and added some Wheaties and banana for breakfast.  Delightful! 

Next week is the official Ricotta Festival here and I have plans to attend.  Perhaps I'll get a glimpse of the traditional way to make the impossible!





I am better than the gnocchi!

Gnocchi is not going to win.  I am better than the gnocchi.  A couple of friends came over to make gnocchi and we threw in Mamma Maria's Ragu sauce to keep it interesting!

Let's get started!

We peeled, diced, and boiled potatoes

then mashed and mashed and mashed

We added the egg and salt, then dumped in flour little bits at a time, occasionally checking with Mamma Maria until she said the dough looked right.

Rolled the dough "like this"

Cut and rolled off the end of a fork so it looks "like this"

Finally, boiled until they float.  Yes!  Success!

For the Ragu...

Saute veggies and ground beef until browned

Pour in a little wine (or whisky), tomato sauce, and...

Olive oil, of course!

Cook for a looooong time

Ta-Da!  Deliciousness!

We had official taste testing by Mamma Maria who gave a high five for the Ragu and a "MMMM, Bravo!" for the dish as a whole.  Rosario and his dad also tasted the final dish and both said it was great!  Rosario's dad asked if I added oil to the gnocchi and immediately I looked at Rosario.  He rolled his eyes and said "For him, oil.  For me, no."  How many ways are there to make gnocchi?!  I'm very proud that we made a true Italian dish!  What shall we tackle next?

*Special thanks to Rebecca for the pictures!