Knock, Knock

Knock, knock...









is there anyone still there?



I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't many of you dear readers left, seeing as how abandoning a blog for over four months is poor form. Very poor indeed. I will not bore you with excuses, about months of traveling and poor internet connections and the like; I will only say thank to those who sent me kind messages asking where I had disappeared to, wondering if I was ever coming back.

And to the three readers I have left (hi Kathy!), hello. How are you? It's good to be back.



We did indeed do a lot of traveling, eating tiny chicken dumplings stuffed with pistachios and chicken jus, cream-filled baklava at Ramadan, and enough felafel, schwarma, and hummus to feed an army. The highlight culinarily was Istanbul, the marvelous walkable city, which we visited at the height of hamsi season, hamsi being the gorgeous fresh anchovies from the Black Sea. We had lightly fried hamsi and hamsi pilaf and hamsi stew. We had fantastic caramelized quinces and delicious Turkish wine and the best roast chicken I've ever had (roasted in a salt crust and set aflame at the table). We have two recommendations for the next time you're in Istanbul: buy the Istanbul Eats book or app and make all your eating decisions based on it, and be sure to stay in Beyoglu.



I gave a lot of thought as to whether I wanted to continue this blog after such a long absence. Perhaps, I thought, I had moved into a new phase, lost momentum, I thought that all the reasons I started this blog for were no longer resonant with me. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this blog has always been just for me. A place to record things that I enjoy eating, it's as simple as that.



It should be clear to any reader that I don't write this blog for fame or fortune, I don't post often enough and I don't take advertising or sponsors. So this space is really just a space for me, a space for recipes and reflections and thoughts, and anyone who wants to come along for the ride is welcome.

We are moving abroad in the spring and so I hope to keep posting, chronicling the recipes we like , the new foods we try, and our adventures in the kitchen and out. Maybe you'd like to come along.