travel Archives - Page 2 of 2

Published January 8, 2016

Eating Our Way Through Apalach…

apalach-myvegtable — The “Venezellos”: a landlocked fishing boat washed up a block from the Apalachicola river.

On any road trip there are two options: the direct route and the scenic one. Traveling with a seven year-old typically would necessitate the need for the former. Over the summer, while driving home from Pensacola, we opted for the latter. If you’ve ever driven through the panhandle via I-10, then you know that it is, by far, the most mind-numbing drive, ever. This flat, scenic-less route leaves you practically comatose after an 8-hour stint from central Florida. So, despite adding on a two-hour detour, it was refreshing to actually have something to see once we hit the Gulf Coast. After making our way through Seaside, Port Saint Joe and all points in between, we arrived at our destination: Apalachicola.

Travel

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Published January 4, 2016

The Best of 2015…

cupcake-bday-myvegtable — Celebrating one year of blogging! Happy Bday My Veg Table!

Well, friends, here we are again; I am two days away from taking down my Christmas decorations: that officially marks the end of yet another year. While 2015 had its challenges, it was also full of some pretty great stuff.

One of the most exciting things this year got lost in the chaos of the holiday season; my blog celebrated its one year anniversary on November 18th! Happy Birthday MVT! Putting myself out there and creating this blog was such a personal leap for me. I knew I wanted to start something where I could chit-chat about food, but then I got stuck. It took over a year of brainstorming ideas and then finally working up enough courage to begin a blog; it’s hard to believe that now another year has passed since I hit “publish” on my very first post! I hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have loved writing it!

Inspiration

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Published August 5, 2015

A Bit of Caprese…

caprese-sandwich-myvegtable — Simplicity at its best…

As promised in my You Say Tomato post, a word–or several hundred–on Caprese sandwiches.

My first Caprese sandwich did not come easily. Our first two hours in Rome consisted of the following: getting our backpack stuck in the overly crowded subway doors; arriving too early to check-in to our hotel; Ed being bitten by a horse; and receiving a scolding from an Italian policeman–not the best way to start out a ten-day stay of my first trip abroad. Once we found out our hotel room wasn’t ready, we dragged our luggage to the first cafe we could find and grabbed a “Caprese” sandwich to-go. I wasn’t exactly sure what was on that sandwich; after the long flight and crazy subway ride from the airport, all we wanted to do was sit down and eat it. Apparently the horse we walked by thought Ed was offering it up and decided to go for a bite…he took a bite of Ed’s arm instead. Yep, that actually happened–fortunately, it did not break the skin, just bruised him pretty badly. After that we headed to the Spanish Steps, sat down and happily began to unwrap our sandwich–and then a policeman began yelling at us. Apparently, you are not allowed to eat on the Spanish Steps. O-kay… Starving, grumpy and a little disenchanted, we found a spot to sit and–legally-eat our food. We opened our sandwich to see what was inside. The sandwich was simple with only a few ingredients: mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato, and fresh basil on crusty bread. Finally getting to taste that sandwich negated all of the crazy things that had happened in the two hours prior. I thought that if the rest of the food on this trip was this good, our visit was going to be unforgettable–and it was.

Tidbits Travel

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Published April 8, 2015

Eating Our Way Through D.C….

Jefferson-at-night — The Jefferson Memorial at night. This was my first time seeing TJ; I just love this picture!

We spent our Spring Break in Washington DC. We arrived at the tail-end of winter with 40-degree highs and in the course of six days we watched the spring usher itself in with blooming daffodils and 70-degree days. Those six full days were spent touring, hoping to see some cherry blossoms bloom, and eating–boy, did we eat! Nowadays, the way we eat when we travel has changed a bit. We aren’t always seeking out the most famous restaurants with the most famous chefs as much; now it is more about finding good, simple food that the locals love. When we travel, we have a rule: no chains–or rather, no chains that we have at home. This rule is not a problem in DC; every corner has something new and exciting.

Travel

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Published March 26, 2015

Making it Count: Pizza

Tuttorosso-margherita-pizza — Tuttorosso’s Margherita pizza.

Simple. Fresh. Honest. Humble. These four words summarize the food that my husband, Ed, and I ate on every leg of our journey through Italy 14 years ago. We hit seven cities in ten days. Our tour gave us so many culinary firsts and “bests”: from the potato focaccia in Cinque Terre; to a foot-long calzone in Rome; to my first aglio y olio pasta in Sorrento; to our grilled, fresh mozzarella in Capri; to the crunchy, cheesy, sweet sfogliatella in Naples; to our daily breakfast of little toasts with jam alongside the best coffee on the planet; and finally, to our multi-daily trips for gelato. These food memories are still fresh on my palate and despite the years that have passed, I can recall all of them vividly. Ed and I are always on a quest to find these items again stateside, just to see if anyone can match what we found in Italy so long ago.

There is one additional item that has had the most lasting impression on the two of us: the pizza we had in Naples. Our first bite of Margherita pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele was like no other I had had before. The crust was so thin and crisp; one person could easily eat an entire twelve-inch pizza. A scant amount of fresh tomato sauce was spread so thinly that you could still see the crust underneath. Fresh mozzarella cheese was sparsely placed and used as a topping as opposed to a covering—the other version offered had no cheese at all and was topped with a few strategically-placed basil leaves. After many years, many mediocre renditions, and a few winners along the way, we finally found a place in our own backyard that is a close second to our Neapolitan favorite; the restaurant is Tuttorosso Pizzeria Napoletana. How have we not found this place sooner?

Making it count Travel

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Published March 17, 2015

A Bit of Sauerkraut…

No judgment, please…I just ate an entire bowl of sauerkraut. Just sauerkraut. In a bowl. With a little salt. What can I say, I’m German and Polish; I grew up eating this stuff with everything from pork to pierogies–but never in a bowl, by itself. I think I may have a problem…

A friend of ours recently started making his own sauerkraut. He has generously shared with us and now we are on our second jar. I can only imagine his kitchen counters lined with pickle jars full of this magenta-colored, crunchy, vinegary cabbage; just awaiting the fermentation to be complete enough to call it sauerkraut.

When I brought home my first jar from him, the question swirled around in my mind: “What should I do with it?” At the time, eating it all by itself did not register–I don’t think that thought registers with many. But, typically, sauerkraut is paired with meat. What to do?

Tidbits Travel

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Published January 30, 2015

A Bit of Drinking Chocolate…

Now that the weather here in Florida is finally getting colder, it makes me want to go to my kitchen, grab a mug, and brew myself up something piping hot. My first choice is always tea–my tea selection rivals that of Teavana–coffee falls in as number two, and a close third is hot chocolate. I just love a steamy cup of hot chocolate with mounds of whipped cream or a dollop of marshmallow fluff floating on top. I grew up adding Ovaltine to my milk–to this day, it is still a staple in my pantry. When I want something extra special, I make myself a cup of drinking chocolate.

Tidbits Travel

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Published January 18, 2015

Thank You, Andrew McCarthy

Let me just start out by saying that I don’t like banana things; by things, I mean “things” made from bananas. I like bananas straight from the peel or in smoothies, but that’s about it. When I eat banana things, there is almost always an artificial banana-y quality about it that my palate immediately rejects. My husband, Ed, doesn’t understand it. In addition to eating a banana every day–yes, EVERY DAY–he loves all things banana. This brings me to my story of the infamous banana bread and the recipe that made me a convert.

Inspiration Travel

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Published December 31, 2014

Traveling Around Saint Augustine…

The Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine–construction was completed in 1695!

Traveling is my second favorite thing to do–eating is my first. My husband, son and I travel quite a bit and one of our favorite places to visit is Saint Augustine, Florida. Saint Augustine is one of those cities that not only is rich in American and European history, but also full of history for my husband and I as a couple. It was one of our first trips together when we were dating, it was the place that he proposed, it was the city where we spent our first anniversary, and now it is one of my son’s favorite places to visit. As you walk down the streets of this “ancient” town–ancient by American standards–you can palpate the history. Despite the seemingly endless list of things to see, we have found ourselves on multiple visits without agenda and meandering through the brick streets while taking it all in. Even if you had an agenda, it’s hard to do it all: the Castillo de San Marcos Fort, the art museums, the history museums, the lighthouse and beach, the shops, and wait…did I mention the food?

Travel

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