tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30247047731951915492012-02-16T07:31:56.329-05:00Food, wine, books, travels and moreBetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-60477044443716707182008-02-05T13:56:00.001-05:002008-02-05T15:23:16.932-05:00

In other parts of the world, people are celebrating Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Day) instead of Mardi Gras. If you’re like me, you celebrate both. So this morning I prepared pancakes. Shrove Tuesday’s Pancakes and baked apples:1 egg100 g milk50 g ricotta25 g honey100 g flour6 g baking powderButter for cookingPrepare the pancake batter: in a large bowl mix together milk, ricotta, honey, flour and

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-79961860956342333182008-02-05T09:41:00.000-05:002008-02-05T12:18:28.836-05:00

Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival. It’s a day for feast, for dressing up and masquerading. I especially this time of the year. I love to see children getting all dressed up. Carnival is also a time for eating sweets. There are numerous traditions here and everywhere you go you’ll find several different sweet treats, especially fried ones.Every year I use this time as an excuse to try new

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-19146238620961320352008-01-21T11:53:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:27:23.879-05:00

Muhallabiah is a milk pudding that you can find all around the Middle East. It is thickened with either cornstarch or rice flour and flavored with orange blossom water or rose water. It is normally served in a cup or a glass accompanied by a fruit gelée or simply with pistachios or walnuts. It’s quite delicate and not too sweet. I normally serve it in martini glasses, but since this month’s theme

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-76096421967116103262008-01-14T16:32:00.000-05:002008-01-14T17:11:16.326-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I’m finally back on line. Unfortunately my computer broke down early in December. I had to buy a brand new one and reinstall all of my stuff, especially the work-related kind and that left no time for blogging and reply to new comments. Sorry for that. I hope you all had a great time during the holidays. Yesterday, it was my birthday! To celebrate I went on a trip with

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-82333763119910877252007-11-28T16:47:00.000-05:002007-12-08T10:45:08.734-05:00

Fast and easy, again. This time it’s swordfish carpaccio with oranges and pistachio nuts. It really takes no time at all and it can be served either as an entrée or as a main course, just adjusting the serving sizes. It’s one of those save-the-day dishes that I often prepare.Having fresh swordfish from the market is always best, however I sometimes buy the pre-sliced, vacuum-packed stuff they

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-10938559445525651092007-11-27T13:45:00.000-05:002007-12-08T10:50:03.522-05:00

I love spending time with my friends and I love having them over for dinner, even if it’s unexpected. I’m not a big fan of ordering out, so when friends show up, I have to think of something to prepare with whatever is left in my fridge and that’s also fast. In these cases, pasta is always a winner. When it comes to dessert, however, things can be a little more challenging. This is what I came up

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-72165537505856466522007-11-25T11:08:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:27:50.978-05:00

Waiter, there’s something in my… is another food blogging event that I really like. The theme for this month is… topless tarts. I thought I’d give it a try both because I really like tarts and because it gives me a perfect excuse to try out a recipe I’ve had for a while.The recipe is called Tarte au vin – Wine tart. It’s quite simple, but the wine gives it an uncommon twist.For the crust I used a

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-49422278645159750942007-11-20T14:22:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:25:30.735-05:00

Ever since I started blogging, I realized that there are about a million blog events going on each day. I think that’s just great, I love the idea of people from different places in the world to virtually get together, so I thought I’d give it a try, too.The one event I’m going to try first is Grow Your Own, a monthly event hosted by Andrea at andreasrecipes.com that celebrates the foods that we

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-47586120922086442522007-11-17T15:36:00.000-05:002007-11-17T15:39:16.941-05:00

When I have friends over for dinner and one of them is allergic to some particular food, I always feel uncomfortable. I guess I’m just scared that something I prepare might make them sick. So, anyway, a couple of days ago I had to cook dinner without dairy products as a friend of mine is allergic. It is normally no problem, there are plenty of things that do not require milk or other dairy

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-89261588676373362972007-11-14T15:14:00.000-05:002007-11-14T16:07:43.596-05:00

Hand made pasta, again. Since pumpkin is in season, I thought I’d prepare Tortelli di zucca – Pumpkin filled tortelli, a typical dish from Northern Italy and definitely one of my favorites.Tortelli di zuccaFor the pasta dough:300 g all purpose flour3 medium eggsFor the filling:500 g baked pumpkin80 g finely ground amaretto cookies100 g grated Parmigiano Reggianonutmeg, salt and pepper to

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-17117532858010931542007-11-11T16:12:00.000-05:002007-11-11T16:28:50.095-05:00

I am lucky enough to still have my grandmother alive, I’m just sorry I don’t get to see her as often as I would like. Even though she’s almost 90, she’s still full of life and always ready to experience new things. When it comes to food, however, she’s not the most modern of people, so every time she’s over for lunch, I have to prepare something a little more on the traditional side. This is what

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-65905742305860455012007-11-10T16:15:00.000-05:002007-11-10T16:40:18.896-05:00

Yesterday I learnt a good lesson. Never leave you pantry empty, you never know when you might need to prepare something. It so happened that a couple of friends of mine showed up last night and were in the mood for dessert. I took a good look at my empty pantry and this is the only quick thing I could come up with using whatever was left.Chocolate cupcakes with banana mousse and rum-sautéed

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-72926883826391400052007-11-08T11:59:00.000-05:002008-02-05T15:24:58.000-05:00

One of the things I was mostly glad about when I was in Mongolia was having a great driver. Driving around in Mongolia can be quite challenging, most – if not all – roads are not paved and there are virtually no road signs. It is not uncommon to feel like you’re in the middle of nowhereAnother thing I came to appreciate was our van. At first I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t have a more

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-79658616305257553542007-11-05T17:38:00.000-05:002007-11-05T18:11:41.649-05:00

Halloween was lots of fun this year. I went to dinner with some friends in a castle not too far from where I live now – sorry, only one pic, I was too busy laughing and being scared at the same time…We had lovely food, however I ate more than I should have. I must say that I’m eating way too much lately and holiday season is coming up, so I desperately need to cleanse and detoxify my body

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-56425916435191289042007-11-02T10:30:00.000-04:002007-11-11T16:19:35.253-05:00

This recipe brings back fine memories. There's something about making pasta by hand that gives me a sense of serenity and tranquillity.The first time I prepared this recipe, it was out of respect and trust for the chef that taught it to me, but I didn't expect anything from it - just read the ingredients for the filling and you'll see what I mean. Unexpectedly, however, these "mezzelune" - a nice

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-79912615268773698272007-11-01T14:29:00.001-04:002008-02-05T15:24:42.968-05:00

Not much can be told about Mongolian architecture, since most sites have been destroyed. Only a few temples remain.This one is near Kharkhorin, the old capital. It's called Erdene Zuu and it was the first Buddhist monastry ever to be built in Mongolia:.Two of four turtle statues remain outside the walls. Turtles are thought to be bearers of good luck.This one is in Tsetserleg in the Arkhangai

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-38042170906988014082007-10-31T14:15:00.001-04:002008-02-05T15:24:28.735-05:00

Nearly half of the Mongolian population lead a nomadic lifestyle and live in gers - felt covered tents - that can be easily moved from one place to another. We too slept in gers. This one is by the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake: Typically, the door of the ger faces south: You can also find a "ger motel" like this one in the Gobi desert:Mongolian people are quite friendly and very, very hospitable: just

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024704773195191549.post-85787894694794264772007-10-29T20:05:00.001-04:002008-02-05T15:24:07.678-05:00

Mongolia is a wonderful land I had the pleasure of visiting last August.I just can't think of a better topic for my first post. Actually, this post is dedicated to all the people I met there. I hope you guys enjoy it.For those who don't know, Mongolia is located between Siberia (yeah, Siberia - why do people make funny faces when I say that?) and China. It is a vast country, apparently the 19th

BetsyDrakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10552235754033349471noreply@blogger.com0