Global Table Adventure | Potluck Friendly

Recipe: Cassava Pudding

February 28, 2013 By Sasha Martin 8 Comments

I secretly love it when a word like "pudding" takes on a whole new meaning than "the sweet chocolate goop found in the refrigerator cases of American supermarkets" (although I do enjoy that sort of pudding as much as the next sugar crazed mom). I love surprises like this because they teach me not to take so much for granted. They remind me that there are people all over this beautiful world who have different ways of doing things. And, in case you didn't get the memo, different is a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Finger Food, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Oceania, Potatoes, Potluck Friendly, Random Carbs & Grains, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Solomon Islands, Technique Thursday, Vegan, Vegetarian

Recipe: Bean n’ Barley Soup | Ričet

February 22, 2013 By Sasha Martin 8 Comments

Slovenia is known for her soups - each bite captures the taste of the earth and sky, rolling hills and grand mountains. They are the answer to frosted windows, the worst sort of bone-chill, and that scratchy feeling in the back of the throat. Slovenian soup is the sunshine to your snowy day. Today, in particular, we explore Ričet, one of the more beloved soups found throughout Slovenia. She's made with barley, a soft, earthy grain that reminds me faintly of pasta, but chewier … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fun Friday, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Slovenia, Soups, Vegetables/Pulses

Recipe: Braided Heart Bread | Pleteno Srce

February 21, 2013 By Sasha Martin 19 Comments

We are closing in on spring ... that special time of year, when weddings and baby showers sprinkle our calendars, and everything is awash in the promise of new love. In Slovenia, such times are marked with Pleteno Scre - an ornamental, braided, tender loaf of bread, shaped into a heart. Pleteno Scre is an honored gift. The slightly sweet loaves are painstakingly decorated with edible tokens, like wedding rings and flowers (as I have done), or even astonishingly detailed birds, or paper thin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breads, Europe, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Slovenia, Technique Thursday, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian

Recipe: Slovak Sour Bean Soup

February 17, 2013 By Sasha Martin 6 Comments

When winter raindrops slide down the glass... when the droplets are so close to ice that they sting on my wind-chapped face... there's nothing better than a piping hot bowl of soup. Thankfully for me, Slovakia knows what's what in this department. The fine people of Slovakia could probably make this staple soup with their eyes shut, and - for the first part, at least - that's exactly what they do. While the house slumbers under the bright moon, a quiet bowl of bean sits in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Potatoes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Slovakia, Soups

Recipe: Blueberry Bublanina | Bubbly Cake

February 14, 2013 By Sasha Martin 11 Comments

From early springtime all the way into the deep heart of fall, Slovakia's mountains and hills burst with nature's bounty. For those who search, a perpetual harvest reveals herself. Here, trees swoon with the weight of delightfully sour cherries, juicy, grapes, apricots, and apples. There, bushes bloom with blueberries, woodsy and sweet. This land, surely, is magic. When there is more fruit than can be gathered in an apron, Slovakia makes Bublanina, a.k.a. Bubbly Cake. Just one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fruit, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Slovakia, Technique Thursday, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian

Recipe: West African Peanut Bites | Kanya

February 3, 2013 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

If there's one thing I've learned from this Adventure, it's that my family's unfaltering love of peanuts inexorably links us to the fine people of West Africa, where this little legume is enjoyed in both savory and sweet concoctions. Peanut soups and cookies are both fair game, but today we explore Kanya, an altogether new delight. Kanya are naturally gluten free and beyond simple, made with just three ingredients: peanuts, sugar, and toasted rice flour. That's it! Kanya remind me of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, International Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sierra Leone, Sweets, Valentine's Day, Vegan

Recipe: Okra Stew with Beef & Eggplant

January 31, 2013 By Sasha Martin 3 Comments

"WE YU YεRI PIKIN SE "MAMA DE KUK כKRכ", PAPA BIN DכN TכK AM. If you hear a child say "Mama is cooking okra," it's because Papa said it."* When I read this old proverb from Sierra Leone, I get goosebumps. The truth is, children pick up everything from their parents, from what's for dinner to more serious considerations, like world views, either loaded with prejudice or full of grace. While sipping soup or nibbling rolls, they overhear snippets of conversation; verbal jabs … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, International Recipes, Meat, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Sierra Leone, Technique Thursday, Vegetables/Pulses

Recipe: Creamy Coconut & Banana Tart

January 25, 2013 By Sasha Martin 8 Comments

Imagine sitting by the sea one lazy afternoon, focused on the tattered nets of nearby fishing boats, when something big and hard bumps against your foot. When you look down, you see a giant, two lobed coconut has washed up, onto the sand. From end to end, this coconut is as long as your forearm, with tufts of hair poking out between the brown, oblong lobes. She would have traveled hundreds (thousands!) of miles to reach you, all the way from the Seychelles. And you'd know she came from … [Read more...]