Posts | Global Table Adventure

12 Romantic Recipes from Around the World, Just in time for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and there’s no better way to show love than to bump hips in the kitchen, or, at the very least, to deliver an edible prize to the champion who stole your heart. While you’re at it, why not take your love on a mini vacation, via stovetop travel? Without leaving your own global table, they can experience Egypt, Belgium, Morocco, Malawi, and beyond. And you can go with them, in the most sensual way possible: with your taste buds. It’s all here, for the ravishing, so go on, eat your way around the world. PART ONE: 5 Unique Ways to Give Your Sweetheart Flowers 1. Egyptian White “Coffee” Mix hot water with rose water, made from thousands (millions!) of rose petals and a little sugar, and you’ll have a caffeine-free way to warm up next to your sweetheart. A great drink for late night cuddling, since it won’t keep you up past your bedtime. Unless you want to stay up past you bedtime. 2. Moroccan Honey Buttered Semolina …

Menu: Sierra Leone (& Giveaway)

Next time you see someone doing or experiencing something especially grand (or perhaps even showing off a bit), say with wide eyes: “The salt has climbed the hill.” It’s the way people in Sierra Leone express amazement over something they weren’t quite expecting. Like how we had two days in the 70’s in January. Totally unexpected. Or when I found out I’d secured a book deal with National Geographic. The salt and the pepper both climbed the hill on that one. As for this menu? She’s plain and simple, but full of rich, comforting flavors, perfect for hot or cold weather, so no need to watch the radar. The recipes and meal review will be posted throughout the week. Beef, Okra & Eggplant Stew [Recipe] Bits of unctious beef in a thick, veggie-loaded sauce, bragging an entire eggplant, okra, tomatoes, and onion. Perfect ladled over a bowl of rice. West African Peanut Bites | Kanya [Recipe] Just three ingredients make up these peanut bites: peanuts, sugar, and rice flour. The perfect Valentine’s Gift for the vegan, gluten-free …

About the food of Sierra Leone

I recently watched a video from the BBC about Sierra Leone in preparation for today, which asks the question “Is the Global Media too negative about Africa“? Great question. I have my answer, and if you’ve been around this blog for more than five minutes, you can probably guess what it is. My mission is to build up the positive stories, for every country, no matter what. Please note, you should not ignore the negative. We need to be aware. To do our part. This is vital. But you’ll just have to seek out those stories somewhere else. Hopefully, one day, balance will be restored so that all people can be seen with the dignity they deserve. That’s called love. And, with that, let’s begin. On the curve of West Africa lives Sierra Leone, a country whose capital, Freetown, clamors right up to the water’s edge. Freetown is a symbol of hope, a place whose population is made up of both African tribes and freed slaves (called Creoles). As you wander the crowded streets, you’ll …

Monday Meal Review: Seychelles

I was an hour into researching the food of Seychelles when it hit me – hadn’t there been someone in my writer’s group who went to these amazing islands a year or so back? Images of suggestive two-lobed coconuts and pirate stories popped into my brain. Yep. That’s right. Barry had been there. Barry who lives the life of a wandering bachelor, who jets off at the drop of a hat to see this place or that, and who loves to tell the tales almost as much as going. Barry who might be in the Pacific islands next week, but isn’t quite sure if he feels like going yet. Barry, Barry, Barry. One email later, and our dinner date was confirmed; he’d be happy to join the family for a bite of the Seychelles. A little stovetop travel to bring his tastebuds back to that beautiful place. When he walked in he sported a thick, white beard and, thanks to the twinkle in his eye and the gifts he bore, it felt a lot more like …

Menu: Seychelles (& giveaway)

Mr Picky flew to Washington D.C. for work, so Ava and I are spending this week “mother-daughter” style. We’ve already made banana muffins, hot cocoa (Guatemalan-style), and stuffed artichokes (my mother’s recipe from Italy). And there’s the coconuts. Coconut milk. Shredded coconut. Toasted coconut. We’re surrounded, thanks to our stovetop travels to the Seychelles. While we ate this particular menu before Keith left, I’m considering recreating it one more time since I still have plenty of Massalé left over, and Ava’s on a real kick with fish. At the very least, I’m going to add the spice mix to some lentils. You’ll love the fish for an impressive, but super quick weeknight dinner (just whip up the spice blend ahead of time), and the tart is a real crowd pleaser, especially when served with a traditional cup of lemongrasss tea. So join us, we’re having a spiced, whipped, and banana topped kind of week. All recipes and meal review will be posted throughout the week. Coconut Fish Curry | Cari de Poisson [Recipe] The catch of the day gently simmered in …

About the food of the Seychelles

“Water, water, every where. But not a drop to drink.” This week we’re stovetop traveling through the lush, greenery of 115 African islands, whose soft sands and coral beds peep out between the waves of the Indian Ocean. This is the Seychelles. In this tree carpeted and sand brushed landscape, fresh water is so scarce, it’s presence is officially designated as “negligible.” Looking outward towards the turquoise ocean, there’s a sense of calm. Looking inwards towards the granite outcrops, which jut like obelisks among palm trees, there’s a sense of wonder… as though our very spirits have moved into an ancient world of secrets. Yes, these islands more than make up for the lack of water. Bottom line? Her inhabitants know their corner of the earth is special. Many of the islands remain pristine – completely uninhabited – with 50% of all land designated as national parks. This is unprecedented. And wonderful. I should warn you. While saying “Seychelles” feels like a sing-song, lullaby, this was once the land of pirates passing by, legends and lore. Dinner …

Monday Meal Review: Serbia

Oh, goodness. Where to start? As you may already know, tremendous, life-changing things are in the works with National Geographic. I don’t have all the details yet, but what I do know I shared our Facebook page, so go take a peek. Friends, this is pure insanity. All I can say, is that it’s amazing where a little imagination – a little stovetop travel – can take us. Rest assured, when I know more, I’ll be writing it up here on the blog. Until then, we’ll have to settle ourselves with the requisite happy dance and a healthy dose of humble gratitude. What else can we do when National Geographic is on the line? Ironically, everything else this week was pure chaos. All three of us were ill (in day-long, misery-laden shifts, I might add), my cooking was in shambles – I had to remake the musaka twice (the first time Ava gobbled it up eagerly, the second time was post illness and, well, the results are in the video), worse yet, I made the cake three times and at no …

Menu: Serbia

This week I’m on the hunt to create a little balance in this, our freshly pressed New Year. I found exactly what I was looking for in Serbia. Our menu is equal parts comfort and nutrition, capped off with a ridiculously indulgent dessert. (Do I need to defend that choice?) In other news, I have huge, exciting, mega things going on that will affect our family (and potentially yours). I leaked a bit about it on our Facebook Page. More details as they come. For now, thank you for believing in this Adventure. From the bottom of my heart. All recipes and meal review will be posted throughout the week. Serbian-style Potato Musaka [Recipe] Home-style goodness: potatoes layered with ground pork and a creamy yogurt and egg mixture. If it were up to my husband, this would be his entire dinner. Every night. Serbian Salad [Recipe] This cucumber, tomato, pepper, and onion salad is as simple as it is refreshing. The key is to top off your veggie mountain with a snowfall of cheese, preferably feta. …

About the Food of Serbia

In the Balkan nation of Serbia you’ll find sleeping giants. They lounge under thick forested coverings, along murmuring streams and shimmering lakes, with nothing but winding roads and wildflowers upon them. In flatter areas, carefully stacked stone walls, forgotten castles, and sagging huts live happily shackled to sunflower fields and lush grasses. Places like this will find a permanent home in your dreams… In this cool, sometimes foggy land – this is where you’ll find hearty country food. Food that fuels. Prebranac, for example – baked beans with paprika and sometimes sausage (something we’ve already enjoyed once on this Adventure), keeps traditional hearths warm. Soft, polenta-like corn bread sops up the juices, perhaps of stuffed peppers or even roasts. Goodness, how her cities clamor up the hillsides. In many ways, I have a sense of deja vu this week, as though I’ve tasted Serbia before. As you can see by all the links, many of her favorite spreads we’ve made before (although, certainly, Serbia has her own variations on these regional favorites). You can add stuffed …

Monday Meal Review: Senegal

“Little by little one catches the monkey in the jungle.” – Senegalese Proverb* A reader recently asked me what my New Year’s Resolutions were. I’m almost loathe to admit that I spent New Year’s Eve fast asleep, head pressed firmly into my dreams, but the reality of the matter is that the only place I wanted to be at midnight was fast asleep in my cozy nest of blankets. Our bedroom holds steady at 64 degrees, guaranteeing that the tip of my nose stays cold all through the night, which makes snuggling all the better. Brrr. To answer the question, though, I’ll say that, while I’ve given up resolutions in the traditional sense, I’ve taken on year-long challenges instead. It sounds the same, but it’s not. These aren’t broad, sweeping resolutions like “lose weight” or “have more fun.” These are small, measurable, and manageable challenges. Little by little, they add up. Plus we start them around Thanksgiving which, I suppose, makes them Gratitude Goals, not New Year’s Resolutions. Last year, for example, we vowed to only …

Menu: Senegal (& Giveaway)

Those of you who have read this blog before know my refrain “We create peace when we learn about each other, when we understand one another.” To be clear, learning is not the same as understanding, but to understand we must learn. And we can do this through food. And so here we are. Well, today I found a very similar saying from Senegal: “In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we are taught.” The beauty of these words is in their simplicity. To conserve is to protect. Yes, our environment. But also each other. We must find our way to love through learning, friends. This week, by learning about Senegal, we’re coming closer to love. To peace. To conserving each other and our beautiful cultures. Let’s do it. All recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week. Senegalese Salad [Recipe] It’s not too late to bring in the New Year right. Try this lime squeezed black-eyed peas salad tossed with …

About the food of Senegal

Today’s daydream takes us to Senegal… a land of alluring contrast. One, long finger of Senegal fades into the Atlantic ocean, the westernmost point of Africa. As you wander inland, past the subtropical streets paved with the catch of the day, still fresh from the ocean, you will see as many collard shirts and slacks as you do bright tunics and robes. Three quarters of the population lives in cities on the coast. Once past the bustle (where buses noisily bump past rickety carts), the roads slowly turn to dust and the Savannah takes over. Here, the people’s bright clothing stands out against the golden grasses, thatched roofs, and earthen walls. The flicker of fires in outdoor kitchens makes for a spark of natural color. This former French colony still has traces of French culture in the food. Baguettes can be found under arm, but more popular than that is rice and millet. Rice is increasingly popular thanks to the ease of preparation although there’s old love for couscous made from millet. With lakes …