Looking for an easy-peasy way to set the mood for your 4th of July holiday? Why not start your day with a healthy parfait filled your favorite seasonal berries – red, white and blue, of course. This hardly needs a recipe, but if you insist . . . Happy 4th of July Parfait Alternate layers […]
Food & Dining
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
One of the great delights of my week at Mountain Trek’s Health and Fitness Retreat was the focus on nutrition and wellness, resulting in a variety of delicious spa cuisine meals. In addition to learning 10 principles for increasing vitality through better eating habits, I came away with several recipes to try out at home […]
Shave Ice: A Hawaiian Treat
I used to love having a snow cone on a hot summer day when I was a kid. Served in a cone-shaped paper cup, this crunchy ice treat was topped with basic flavored syrups like cherry, blueberry, lemon-lime, orange and grape. Once you made your way through the snow cone itself, there was the promise […]
Armenian Vegetable Casserole
In honor and celebration of fellow Wanderblogger, Beth (Pampers and Pakhlava), and her family’s over-the-moon adoption journey to bring home their Armenian-born daughter, I decided to make a favorite family recipe for dinner last night. The recipe was passed on to me more than 25 years ago. While I’m unsure of its origins, I do […]
Tea for Two at Seattle’s Queen Mary
Thanks to Starbucks, Seattle’s fame as the “Coffee Capital of the USA” remains secure. But in keeping with the spirit of the PBS Masterpiece Theater hit series Downton Abbey and the London Summer Olympics, this travel gal has another Emerald City destination in mind: the Queen Mary Tea Room. For the last several years, celebrating the […]
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
My mother received her love of All Things Irish from my great-grandmother who had emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland before settling in Upstate New York. With Mom in charge of family holidays, we started celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as soon as February rolled into March which culminated in a traditional Irish-American meal on the […]
The Art of Wagashi
Here at WanderFood Wednesday, we’re exploring the most unusual foods you’ve come across at home or in your travels. Fortunately for me, I’ve discovered two Seattle neighborhood locations that suit my need for that quintessential “something different” – at least for those unfamiliar with traditional Japanese sweets known as wagashi. Of course, one person’s “sweet” […]
Let It Snow, Seattle!
When you think of Seattle, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The Space Needle? Sure. Mt. Rainier? Maybe. Rain? Definitely! But when Seattle gets a dusting of snow instead of a dousing of rain, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the wonder. Where better to take a stroll on a cold winter’s […]
2011: Most Memorable Meal
Think back to the special meals you’ve had in your travels. What made the meals so memorable? Was it simply the quality of the food cooked to perfection? The unexpected delight of tasting new flavors? Or perhaps it was the company who shared your table and the conversation that flowed between you. Though I had […]
The Best of 2011: Hotels & Haciendas
Here are my top hotel choices from my travels in 2011 . . . Drumroll, please! 1) Hacienda Cusin – If you’ve been following my blog, then you already know much I loved staying at this luxurious Ecuadorian resort last summer. My only regret is that my visit was so short, only for a night. […]