A Little of Pasadena and Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is coming, I thought I would take an early break from Europe to give you some Thanksgiving recipes. Also, since this is a blog about travel and not cooking, let me introduce you to beautiful downtown Pasadena, California.

The city of Pasadena is one of those few places in the Los Angeles Area that stills holds a charm and a certain “Napa Valley/European” character.  Fashion stores, coffee shops, tea houses, restaurants from around the world, bakeries, bars, nightclubs, and many other miscellaneous shops pack the streets of this charming neighborhood.  Aside from these diversions, Pasadena is the perfect venue for live entertainment; every summer the Levitt Pavilion hosts a series of free concerts to the public. The city organizes as well many exhibitions throughout the year such as the Concorso Ferrari, Art Night, dance festivals, and more. And if you have not heard of Pasadena’s Rose Parade or the Rose Bowl, then take a look at the Rose Parade/Rose Bowl website where you can learn about this internationally acclaimed parade.

Have you ever tried Afghani, Tibetan, or Ukrainian food? If you haven’t but are curious to try out something new and exotic without spending the big bucks on airfare, then Pasadena is the place to go. Like I mentioned before, this neighborhood counts with a great variety of international restaurants; places like “Mi Piace” and “Café Bizou” offer award winning food at moderate prices. Restaurants such as the “Cheesecake Factory” and “Bucca di Beppo” provide a more “American-friendly” menu, while eateries like “Anzeen’s Afghani Restaurant,” 1819 Argentinean Restaurant,” “Bar Celona,” “Choza Mama Peruvian Cuisine,” “Roxolana,” and “Tibet Nepal House” offer exotic dining options.

If you feel the need for something sweet after dining, then try the famous “Violet’s Cakes” or “Dots Cupcakes” (both places specialize in cupcakes). If you need something healthier, try the very crowded “21 Choices” for a cup of frozen yogurt. And if you want something smaller but just as delicious try “Lette;” although this macaron specialized store is practically new, it has become a personal favorite of mine. The store’s interior design is beautiful and compliments to perfection the colorful macarons, which can be found in many different flavors. If you ever go to this store, try the pistachio, earl gray, and violet macarons, they are simply amazing.

Well, a promise is a promise so here goes one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, the Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake from the Gourmet.com website.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake (serves 12/14)

Cortesy of Gourmet.com

Ingredients for Crust:

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

½ cup pecans (1 ¾ oz.), finely chopped

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Ingredients for Filling:

1 ½ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin

3 large eggs

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tbs. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbs. bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tbs. cornstarch

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. salt

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature

Ingredients for Topping

2 cups sour cream (20 oz)

2 tbs. granulated sugar

1 tbs. bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)

Directions for Crust:

1. Butter a 9-inch spring-form pan.

2. Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and ½ inch up side of pan, then chill crust 1 hour.

Directions for Filling and Baking

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (180˚C).

2. Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl until combined.

3. Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. 4. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.

5. Put spring-form pan in a shallow baking pan (in case spring-form leaks), pour filling into crust, and smooth top.

6. Bake until center is just set (about 50 to 60 minutes). Take it out of the oven and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

Directions for Topping:

1. Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes.

2. Turn off the oven and let cheesecake cool completely, about 3 hours.

3. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.

If you want to try something easier and less time consuming then try the Traditional Pumpkin Pie:

Traditional Pumpkin Pie (serves 8)

Ingredients:

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz)

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1 can (14 oz) condensed milk

2 eggs

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (if you cannot find this spice the use: 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground ginger, ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, ½ tsp. salt)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425˚F (218˚C). With a mixer beat all wet ingredients plus the spice. Pour into crust.

2. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350˚F (175˚C) and bake for 35 to 40 more minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn off the oven and let pie cool completely before serving.

Although Thanksgiving is a traditional American Holiday, people from every culture living in the United States are more than happy to celebrate this holiday with their families. Turkey and pumpkin pie are the two dishes that characterize this celebration, but since my family and I, along with many other foreign families, are not used to Turkey, we substitute it for our own traditional holiday recipes, which in my case are Mexican holiday recipes like pozole or tamales.

If you want to learn more about this American Holiday take a look at this video in the history.com website. And if you are thinking of traveling to Los Angeles, then browse the Old Town Pasadena website where you can learn more about this town.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Two Mediterranean/Greek Recipes

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest in the world and one of its main components is none other than olive oil. According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), olive oil is an excellent fighter against cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, and high-blood pressure. Its properties also help the digestive and immune systems; olive oil also offers a protective effect against cancer, diabetes, and obesity, and its antioxidant properties are believed to fight against ageing related diseases.

Greece, along with Spain and Italy, is one of the main producers of olive oil in the world, and along with these and other Mediterranean countries, Greece is one of its main consumers. Today I will share with you two delicious recipes I tried while in Greece; the first one is a Mediterranean vegetable casserole, full of healthy ingredients and olive oil. The second will be the recipe for the famous baklava. Like I mentioned before, the Mediterranean countries share a similar diet, so you might have tried or seen similar dishes in, let’s say, Italy or Spain.  

Mediterranean Vegetable Casserole (Serves 5)

Ingredients:

1 lb. eggplants       

2 ¼ cups olive oil    

1 lb. potatoes          

1 lb. green bell peppers          

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped      

2 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Slice the eggplants in ½ inch circles and place in a strainer; sprinkle with salt and put aside for about 1 hour. After the time has passed, dry the water released by the eggplants.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over low heat, then add the potato slices (previously cut in circles). Once they are soft pull out and arrange them in the bottom of a  15” x 10” Pyrex.

3. Fry the eggplant in the same oil until soft, pull out and arrange on top of the potatoes. Fry the bell peppers (they can be cut in stripes or circles), let dry on top of an absorbent wipe, and arrange on top of the potatoes. Add salt.

4. Get rid of some of the oil left in the pan, but leave enough to cover the bottom (if the oil dried out then add some more). Fry the garlic and add the tomatoes. Cook for about 20 to 30 min. stirring frequently. When the oil comes to the top of the tomato sauce add salt. Cool down a bit and strain (optional).

5. Pour the tomato sauce on top of the vegetables and bake in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Serve hot or warm with feta cheese and bread.

Baklava (serves 18)

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package of phyllo dough      

1 lb. of chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, pistachio…)         

1 cup of butter (melted)             

1 tsp. ground cinnamon    

1 cup of water      

1 cup white sugar     

1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)    

½ cup of honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Butter bottom and sides of a 9” x 13” oven-safe pan.

2. Toss the chopped nuts with the cinnamon and set aside. Unroll dough and cut the whole stack in two to fit into pan. Place two sheets of dough into pan and brush surface with butter. Repeat this step until 10 sheets are layered.

3. Sprinkle ± 3 tbs. of nut mix on top, cover with 4 layers of phyllo dough (no buttering between sheets), brush the last sheet  with butter and sprinkle again with nuts. Repeat this step until you run out of nuts. The final layer should be of 8 sheets of phyllo dough (remember to butter every 2 sheets).

4. Using a very sharp knife cut 18 squares, rectangles, or diamonds into the dough all the way to the bottom of the pan (adjust the number of cut shapes if you want larger or smaller pieces). Bake for 50 minutes.

5. While the baklava bakes boil the sugar and water until combined. Add the vanilla and honey and simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour sauce over it. Let cool to room temperature uncovered.

Enjoy.

You will love these two recipes. The first is healthy and delicious while the second one is sweet and mouth-watering. If you want to learn more olive oil recipes visit the IOCC webpage and click the Olive World tab; remember as well to visit the Food from Around the World link on the “useful links” section to discover more delicious Mediterranean recipes.

Let's Change the Hyatt for...

When most of us think of traveling, we think about 5-star resorts or fancy cruise lines, and who am I kidding, staying at an expensive English castle or watching a Broadway play inside an enormous boat does indeed sound tempting. However, spending big bucks is not always equal to a great vacation which is why I would like to introduce you to another form of travel: studying abroad. The following is a description of an amazing day in my study abroad program.

At 6:00 AM I wake up to go running down a narrow path overlooking the ocean; I choose to wake up so early because one hour later, the heat is so extreme there is no way I would run even one mile. After a 45 minute jog, I come back to the main house to eat breakfast in a peaceful bliss; a cup of Greek yogurt with honey, a toast with orange jam and a cup of milk, one boiled egg, and little bit of peach juice on the side start my day. Finally, a giant peach closes my light and healthy breakfast.

It is around 7:15 now and although it is not recommended to swim in the ocean right after a meal, the idea is too appealing so I dip right in. Half an hour later I take a “cold” shower, and I say “cold” because, like I mentioned before, the weather is now so hot it is the heat, and not the heater, what warms up the water.

A little bit after 8:00 AM I hand-wash my laundry and leave it to sun-dry—it will be dry in less than an hour. I look at my watch and see it is almost time for my Greek Theater class so I start my two minute walk to the main building. Since it is 10 minutes before class starts, the breakfast room is chaotic around this time with the late risers; I converse a little, grab a bottle of water and one of the last peaches for a midday snack, and head to the classroom.

The classes are fun; mask-making, dancing, theater, role-playing, and debate, were some of the amazing classes offered by the Hydrama Theater and Dance Center. Of course a theater class would not be complete without a visit to one of the most ancients stages in the world, Epidaurus, and a fun course would not be the same without a one-day sail adventure. And no visit to Greece would be complete without a field-trip to the temple of Delphi and the Parthenon.

Classes start at 9:00 AM and continue until around 1:00 PM. At this time the 22 students get ready for a first-rate meal. Our meals are prepared by Marina, a Hydra native who gives our meals a made-at-home quality that only a mom can compare to. From the traditional stuffed grape-leaves and moussaka to less traditional dishes like pork chops, each of our meals is accompanied by Greek Salad, tzatziki, and many loafs of home-made bread. Our meal ends with a slice of watermelon and I must mention, for the duration of the program, not once did I dislike any of the dishes prepared by the gracious Marina.

It is 3:00 PM now, time for a three hour nap-time and what do you do at this time, well exactly that, take a three hour, well deserved nap to escape from the scorching heat. 6:00 PM is the time to restart classes, which go on until dusk. It is at this time when we grab our diaries to write about our day experiences and thoughts while listening to traditional Greek music in the background. Then we reunite again for dinner which goes from 9:00 to 10:00PM and after this comes Party-Time!

We walk to the main port at around 11:00 PM. After a 30 minute walk we arrive to a very crowded harbor where we separate into groups to look for the best possible spot and the most delicious desserts. We dance, meet some locals and many tourists, drink the traditional ouzo and at 1:30 AM I decide I’ve had a rewarding day so I retire for the day to wake up at 6:00 AM the next morning.

Yes, an awarded hotel is nice once in a while, but living abroad for a week or a month is an experience like no other. For less than $8,000.00 I had a month of amazing experiences and great memories that a $2,000.00 per night hotel (fun not included) can’t offer. Just remember to do some research about the program that fits you and your wallet best; in the Useful Links section, you can find some websites that specialize in different types of immersion programs. Theater, cooking, yoga, and photography are few of the many courses you can take abroad. And if this is not for you, then think about working, volunteering, being an intern or just exploring a foreign country. Whether you are a student or a retiree think about having some fun abroad—believe me, you will not regret it!

Welcome to Hydra

Let me introduce you to the beautiful Island of Hydra in Greece; unlike the ultra-famous Islands of Santorini and Mykonos, Hydra is a quiet Island with few tourists and full of charm. There are no cars in the island with the exception of two multi-task trucks. This lack of cars brings a welcome tranquility and the perfect atmosphere to relax from the stress of city-life.

To get to Hydra you can either take a 3 hour ferry ride from the port of Piraeus in Athens or take the much faster hydrafoil called “The Flying Dolphin.” I have seen many ports in my travels but none like the port of Hydra. Hydra Town takes your breath away; the waters are pristine despite the boat traffic, the town has a historic look to it, and the harbor is full of traditional coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, and the main form of transportation, donkeys!

Now, if you are expecting white sand beaches, then perhaps this is not the island for you; most of the beaches in the island of Hydra are rock beaches and the main town where the port is located actually lacks a beach.  However the surrounding villages such as Kamini and Vlychos do count with rock beaches; remember to take water shoes with you to avoid sharp rocks and sea urchins.

Hydra is full of nightlife; from bars to restaurants opened after 2 AM you will not find a shortage of fun at night. Eating nutella crepes at 1:00 AM was one of my favorite pastimes, and dancing after my sweet indulgence was a must to shed the pounds. Perhaps you will even see a couple of famous people relaxing around bars and restaurants since Hydra is known for hosting bohemian celebrities.

There are a couple of hotels in the Island of Hydra; since I stayed in private accommodations, I cannot recommend any hotels first-hand. However, while exploring the island I found Hydra Hotel and fell in love with its architecture, accommodations, and location; the staff was friendly enough to let me have a private tour of the beautiful hotel, and the reviews in the internet are great. Since the island is small make sure you have your reservations before you arrive in Hydra, especially if you go during the summer.

Hydra is not a cheap place, but it is definitely worth it; in my opinion Hydra is one of the most beautiful towns in the world. If you are planning to travel to Greece, make Hydra a must-stop in your journey.