Hello there. How was your weekend?

Any tennis fans out there watch the epic Australian Open Men’s Final this morning? I watched part of it while ellipticalling/leg-lifting/biking at the gym. It kept me entertained.

These two battled it out for 5 hours and 53 minutes. Can you even imagine?! Whew.

source

Right after blabbing about my lack of food photos lately, I come back with a boatload of food photos. Of course. All thanks to today’s early bird/senior citizen 4:45 PM dinner time. My stomach makes the rules around here. I don’t ask questions.

This has been my go-to quick fix meal lately.

Pan-roasted Brussels sprouts and homemade hummus.

About this hummus…I took the lazy route this time and used garlic powder instead of real garlic. It worked out quite well. Chopping garlic=smelly fingers for days upon days no matter how many times I scrub my hands.

Bread w/ a layer of hummus and an [super runny] over easy egg.

Wolfed down in record time! I think I spent more time photographing this than actually eating it.

Last night was sushi night. I went to Hooked, a restaurant I’ve been longing to try. I’ve driven by it at least 200 times within the last few months (not an exaggeration).

The sushi there was almost too beautiful to consume!

See the real deal in there?

I like super seasoned sushi rice and this was pretty plain jane. Other than that, it was delicious. Fresh and buttery.

I’m about to wrap up my weekend with some baking. Hopefully some of it will last ’til morning, so I can take some photographs of the finished product. No guarantees though! My stomach makes the rules, remember?

A warm + windy run to ring in the New Year (just like last year!).

Time: 1:04

Distance: 7.0 miles

Avg Pace: 9:13 min/mi

How’s that for starting 2012 on the right FEET?

I definitely had a soy sauce hangover from my New Year’s Eve sushi dinner. I woke up parched and puffy-eyed. I couldn’t wait to get the sodium out of my system…and get it out I did! I swear I could smell soy sauce exuding from my body the whole time. Yum.

I ran one speed interval. Yeah, just one. I want to start incorporating some speed work into my runs instead of just going out for whatever distance I feel like (my current running non-plan).

So I ran for 60 seconds at 7:45 min/mile and…then…yeah. That was not to be repeated. Next time maybe I’ll run 2. Hey, I’m easing into it . Got any speed work tips/tricks/plans/advice to share?

***

My parents hosted a New Year’s Eve party and I missed out on some seriously good food. Luckily, there were lotsa leftovers for me.

I had seconds thirds fourths of Peter’s lamb curry! My gosh, this is good. Perhaps my favorite thing out of Peter’s Kitchen in 2011 (or ever!).

Peter was worried there wouldn’t’ be enough shrimp to go around, so he prepared A LOT. Too much (okay, there’s no such thing). So we’ve got enough shrimp in our fridge to feed an army. Or just one hungry Allie for a week .

Can we talk about my new obsession that is stuffed grape leaves?

I got these from Trader Joe’s the other day and they are all gone incredible! Just like the ones I had in Turkey.

I need to consult my Mediterranean cookbook and figure out how to make these myself.

And some leftover smoked salmon, sushi and bacon wrapped shrimp. I’m going to be eating well this week!

Starting 2012 off on the right foot requires plenty of coffee, almonds and chocolate. Apparently I was seeing double at the grocery store last week.

• The TJ’s Pound Plus chocolate bars are the best value in all of the land–$4.99. I was skeptical about the taste (there IS such thing as bad chocolate), but these are amazing. AH-MAZE-ING! So rich and creamy.
• Wegman’s is having a major sale on Cocoa Roast almonds until Feb. 4th and their holiday coffees are on sale, too. Stock up!
• I ate a can of generic pumpkin and it was terrible compared to Libby’s. I seriously couldn’t believe my tastebuds. Libby’s is definitely worth the extra 40 cents.

2 things before I go…

1. Yesterday’s high—59* F. Tomorrow’s high—29* F. Really?!

2.The Bachelor season premiere is tonight (Ben F!!!). I haven’t been watching ANY TV lately, but I think that’s about to change. Darn you, ABC!

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…

Happy New Year!

Camille and I talked about going to NYC this year to see the ball drop (one of my life bucket list items), but things got a bit hectic and we didn’t have enough time to plan everything out. There will be many more opportunities in the future, I’m sure.

Instead, we decided to go out for sushi and watch Ryan Seacrest ‘n’ friends from the couch. Wild!

That makes it 2 years in a row I’ve gone out for sushi on NYE. I could live with this tradition.

We went to Sushi Yoshi in Vienna, which was packed.

I gotta spend as much time as I can with this girl before she returns to France in a couple months! Sad face.

I got 3 half rolls on brown rice: salmon + avocado, tuna + avocado and eel + avocado. Oh yes, I love avocado.

I was happy to see the restaurant had the option of half rolls and brown rice. I love the nuttiness/chewiness of brown rice and I’m always disappointed when a restaurant doesn’t offer it.

I ate a huge meal a couple hours before going, so this was just the right amount of food.

Until I’m loaded like Oprah, this is my strategy before going to sushi restaurants. Unless of course, it’s a sushi buffet in which case I go in starving. Speaking of which, I must take Camille there before she leaves!

Actually, I ate a huge meal because I worked out in the afternoon and was hangry!

Camille got the tuna, cucumber and yellowtail + green onion rolls.

How pretty!

One of my goals for 2012 is to kidnap/befriend/marry a sushi chef. Good plan.

After plenty of wasabi-induced tears, we hightailed it back to the couch to enjoy some frozen raspberries, dark chocolate and champagne ginger tea.

With a side of Ryan Seacrest (the love of my life)…

AND Little Beibs + Santana!

AND Nicki Minaj! The girl who single handedly gets me through my runs.

Snuggled on the couch and happy I wasn’t being squashed and trampled on in Times Square.

Happy New Year, friends! Let’s make 2012 the most fabulous year yet. Ya hear me?

Tell me: What are you looking forward to doing/seeing/accomplishing in 2012?

You know you’re old when you truly start to believe that it’s better to give than to receive.

As a kid, I looked forward to Christmas for the presents. Now I look forward to Christmas for the food and the time I get to spend with my friends and family. I also look forward to giving presents. Giving/making something for someone I know they’ll love gives me such a rush!

Christmas Eve this year was nothing short of delicious and relaxing. We had an incredible spread of appetizers that made saving room for dinner nearly impossible. Nearly.

Appetizers

• Bacon wrapped shrimp
• Lamb meatballs <–SO good! I ate 3 and wanted ~20 more.
• Smoked salmon + olives
• Cheese + water crackers

Though I was borderline stuffed, I didn’t let it stop me from fully enjoying dinner.

Christmas Eve Dinner

• Shrimp + spinach
• Peter’s amazing lamb curry <–I took photos of the process this time for a future recipe post
• Sea bass w/ green peppers and onions
• Romaine salad w/ peppers, carrots and tomatoes

Chocolate, cookies, and banana bread w/ cookie butter for dessert!

At 12 midnight, we gathered around the tree and opened presents, as per our tradition.

One more twinkle Christmas tree photo!

I gave…

To Mama: A one month unlimited yoga pass to a local studio. She’s been doing yoga at work the last few months, but she says the classes aren’t challenging enough for her. I might get a pass for myself and join her. It’s been awhile since I’ve practiced yoga. I also got her some clothes.

To Peter: A massage! He’s someone who needs one, but would never treat himself to one. He got some brewskis from the bro, too. With Peter, you can never go wrong with alcohol.

To Lo the Bro: A 16GB iPod Nano. Boy, did I want this gadget for myself! It is SO cool. I’m so jealous. He needed something small to use at the gym and on his long metro commute to work.

To Matt (and the ‘rents, too): I’ll show you later this week (!!).

I got some running apparel, a sweater, and a beautiful handmade dish from Tunisia.

All done!

Christmas Day at the movies

We woke up the next day and headed to the movie theater to watch Mission Impossible 4 (courtesy of a Travelzoo deal!). Unfortunately, the showtime we bought tickets for was cancelled…? Instead of waiting an hour for the next showing, some of us watched Twilight Breaking Dawn Part II and the others watched War Horse.

Twilight for me, Lo and Momma!

Back at the ranch, we feasted on leftovers, hung out and said our goodbyes.

‘Twas a lovely Christmas spent with the people I love most. I can’t believe it’s over and we’re nearing 2012! Time is flying.

Tell me: How was your Christmas/weekend? What was the best thing you ate? Best thing you received? Do tell!

Flashback: Christmas Day 2010

Hello! How was your weekend? I dropped off the face of the internet this weekend to spend some quality time with Kat Lobes and start my Christmas shopping. Yes, you read that right…start. Ack!

Usually I’m pretty good at Christmas shopping, if I do say so myself. I think of useful/thoughtful gifts, I find amazing deals online or in stores, and I purchase everything with plenty of time to spare.

This year? Uhh not so much.

Trying to think of gifts has been keeping me up at night! Fortunately, I was able to do some quality brainstorming during my 8 mile run on Saturday.

It was quite possibly the coldest run of my life. It actually snowed a few hours later (!!). Okay, flurried. Same thing.

See all them layers?

I rocked my burglar mask. It kept me warm and scared off predators.

The mask worked SO well. I really only needed it for the beginning of my run, but boy did I need it! Without it, my face surely would’ve split open. 25 min. into my run, my whole head/face/neck was sweating and I ripped the mask right off.

I felt like the guy on the last season of The Bachelorette (um, remember him?!).

***

Afterwards, KAT LOBES came over!!! She survived her 1st semester of law school. We went to the outlets to do some Christmas shopping…and I found zero presents. #fail

See the snow coming down? And my sparkly knees…?

Afterwards, we went out to dinner at Not Your Average Joe’s. I can’t even remember the last time we went out to eat together. Boo law school.

Bread + parmesan/olive oil dip to start.

I ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad and Katherine got the Cubano Sandwich.

Ahi tuna is my dish. I pretty much get it whenever I can. The soy honey mustard sauce served with the tuna was spectacular.

Sunday was filled with even more shopping. This time I was armed and ready with a list. I hit up Marshalls, Target and the outlets again…and then I dropped.

I was SO glad I went back to the outlets because LOOK WHAT I FOUND at the Nike Factory Store…

Nike Tempo shorts on clearance for $6!!! And a running skirt for $7. ARE YOU FUH-REAKING KIDDING ME!?

Nike Tempo shorts are the best. I got 4 pairs of tempo shorts a couple years ago on major clearance (which is why I never buy them at regular price. Never.) and I wear them for practically every single workout.

I’m not in love with the checkered pattern because I feel like a picnic blanket, but beggars clearance shoppers can’t be choosers!

I also got a few things on clearance from J. Crew (SO unbelievably cheap!) and Under Armour compression running tights at 25% off! Finally, I have something to wear on my runs.

The tights are SO tight. It felt like I got a butt lift when I put them on (I’ve got one of those Kardashian bubble butts!). They make my legs feel super light and bouncy, too. I love them.

I can’t wait to run in them with my Zensah Compression Sleeves.

I got presents for friends and family (finally!), but I gotta keep them under wraps because they’re probably all reading this post as we speak.

I’m so proud of myself for getting most of my Christmas shopping done. This week is going to be BUSY with the kids and Santa is coming to town soon! Eeps.

Alrighty, I gotta go! I’m running late because I gashed my hand on the lid of the pumpkin can (it won’t stop bleeding!!)…right after my oatmeal exploded in the microwave. Hello, Monday morning.

Tell me: Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Or better yet, have you started?!

***

The winner of the Chobani giveaway is…

Congrats! Shoot me an email with your address, please!

Where do I even begin?

Well, for starters, let’s just say Thanksgiving 2011 may have been the best ever. Wait, let me rephrase that. It was hands down, most definitely, without a doubt the best Thanksgiving I can remember.

Fabulous company, delicious food, and beautiful weather. What more could you possibly ask for? Ironically, our feast was planned at the very last minute this year.

We took our sweet time grazing on a spread of appetizers and finger food while sipping wine and soaking in the warm sun…outside!

We have truly been blessed with beautiful weather this weekend. Thank you, weather gods!

Appetizers + finger food included Turkish nuts in our Turkish bowls. My goodness gracious those hazelnuts are incredible!

Olives, pickles, and pickled herring. It was my first time ever trying (or even seeing) pickled herring and it was love at first taste.

Lo the Bro takes Thanksgiving very seriously. Like brother, like sister. He spent all day Wednesday cooking and baking in preparation for the feast.

He baked a loaf of Cranberry Orange Nut Bread (the same as last year), which I’ve made twice myself.

Clearly, we are big fans.

Chicken liver pate with crackers (another repeat from 2010).

Our guests, Steph and Matt

With Pops and Lo

Mama Mia!

Eventually we made our way inside to put the finishing touches on dinner and prepare to gobble!

As always, we made some traditional dishes and some nontraditional dishes. Though we didn’t end up making sweet potato casserole (my all time favorite Thanksgiving dish), I actually didn’t miss it one bit.

You’ll see why…

***

Thanksgiving Menu 2011

Appetizers

Assorted Nuts, Pickles, Olives

Pickled Herring

Chicken Liver Pate w/ Crackers

Cranberry Orange Nut Bread

Main Dishes

Roast Turkey

Lamb Curry

Tiger Shrimp w/ Snow Peas and Onions

Side Dishes

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Asparagus

Roasted Beets w/ Goat Cheese

Bread Stuffing

Sticky Rice Stuffing

Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce

Gravy

Dessert

Gingerbread Cheesecake

Black Walnut Ice Cream

***

We got an 11 lb. organic turkey this year. With everything else on the menu though, this bird was barely touched. Hello, leftovers!

Jumbo tiger shrimp with snow peas and onions

I declared this one the king of all shrimpies. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but he was shockingly monstrous. Like, the size of my hand!

HOMPH!

Asparagus

Lamb curry with potatoes and carrots. If I had to choose, I’d say this was my favorite dish of the night. Go Peter!

Roasted beets topped with chopped pecans, parsley and goat cheese

Sautéed brussels sprouts and homemade cranberry sauce

Two types of stuffing: bread stuffing w/ pecans and sticky rice stuffing

Mashed cauliflower with gruyere cheese and traditional mashed potatoes. Served with homemade gravy.

We didn’t have any milk in the fridge, so we mixed Greek yogurt along with butter into the mashed potatoes. Much to our delight, it tasted wonderful.

The feast!

Oh Thanksgiving, how I love thee!

Time to gobble…

For dessert we enjoyed some berries and…

Gingerbread cheesecake!! Served with black walnut ice cream. Once again, this beauty was baked by my dear brother.

Lo the Bro totally outdid himself. This was in-freaking-credible. The crust was made with gluten free ginger snaps, which I could not stop eating.

Oh what a night. The only sad part was when I realized the feast was over and I had to wait 355 more days until the next Thanksgiving.

But for now, let the holiday music and movies begin! Off to enjoy the sunshine.

Tell me: If you celebrate Thanksgiving, how was your feast? What was your favorite dish?

I completed a Turkey Trot last night. No, not a race on Thanksgiving day, but rather a 10k run on the streets of Turkey! Ha.

When we got to the hotel it was still bright outside, relatively warm and not windy at all. We had some free time before dinner, so I literally dropped everything and went out for a run.

I didn’t know what to expect because we were in a rural area. There were mountains all around us and just some hotels here and there. Before taking off, I asked a young man working at the hotel which way to run–left or right?

Turkish man: What do you want to do?

Me: Nothing, just run!

Turkish man: Like, SPORT?! [moves his arms in a running motion as a confused look appears on his face]

Me: Yeah.

I ran on some deserted dirt roads until I stumbled upon the center of a tiny nearby town. I ran back and forth along a string of eateries, shops, and fruit stands. At first, people looked at me like I had lost my marbles, but after I passed them a few more times, they started waving, smiling, saying hi, and cheering me on.

I covered 6.2 miles (or 10 km as they would calculate here). It was one of the best runs I’ve had in a long time. The miles flew by because there was so much to see!

It was exactly what I needed after a tough (and discouraging!) 3 mile treadmill run the day before.

I don’t know what it is about the cats here, but I’ve fallen in love with them. Cats usually give me the heebie jeebies, but these cats make me go awwww.

My mom told me to look more natural for this photo, so I imagined the cat attacking me (like I usually do). This is as natural as it gets when it comes to me and cats .

It was a good time to go running because shortly thereafter, we enjoyed a delicious dinner buffet. While buffets aren’t where the locals dine, they’re safe and a great opportunity to try a variety of dishes. Our guide warned us that the food at small restaurants can be unsafe to eat because they wash their raw vegetables with tap water. Also, the meat is sometimes not the actual animal they advertise. Mmm yeeeah.

We are eating at local places when we can, but a lot of our meals are included in the trip. I personally like buffets because I can figure out what the dishes are and whether or not I like them.

Highlights from the buffet starting from 1 o’clock and moving clockwise…

• Freshly made tortillas stuffed with green onions and cheese
• A wedge of cheese (I believe most of the cheese I’ve been eating is sheep’s milk cheese/feta. So good!!)
• A tomato/onion/pepper dip that I’ve seen at every single restaurant and finally got to try.
• Thick yogurt dip (Greek-style with dill), beans and lamb
• Whiting fish on top

The highlight of this meal was definitely the lamb. I’m not a huge meat person, but I wanted to try it for the experience. This was some of the best lamb I’ve ever had, especially paired with the thick yogurt and tomato dip.

I have a feeling I’m going to go home and start eating Greek yogurt with all my meals now.

The tortilla wraps were freshly made right in front of us. My mom loved them. I thought they needed more cheese!

The grapes here taste like candy. The pomegranates, however, are SOUR! Like Airheads. Remember that candy from way back when? I’m not sure why they’re so sour considering the arils are dark red.

Breakfast buffets are great too because I can drink unlimited [teeny tiny] cups of coffee. Like 4-5 every morning. Not half caf .

I honestly go to bed every night giddy knowing coffee is just a few hours away.

The hotel in Kusadasi had a pretty stellar breakfast buffet. My mom and I were excited to see oatmeal and omelets!

I still can’t get over how delicious their tomatoes and cucumbers are!

There’s a traffic jam of words and photos right now in my head. Blogging on a trip is difficult, especially when you’re camera crazy and can’t stop snapping photos. I’ve taken almost 2,000 photos in just 5 days (I need help!). It’s hard when the food is so delicious/interesting AND the sights are so impressive.

Here are just 5 of 2,000. More to come!

Yes, seriously.

To be honest, the food pales in comparison to the places we’ve been visiting. That’s quite a statement coming from me! Each day we see and experience the most incredible sights. I am constantly in awe of my surroundings.

I need to get on those photos!

See ya later, alligator.

We stayed two nights in Kusadasi, the beautiful beach/resort town I told you about in my last post. This made me happy for 3 reasons:

1) It meant we got a break from riding the bus (we’re doing a lot of driving on this trip in order to see everything!)

2) I loved being by the ocean Aegean Sea. Even if it was too cold to swim, it was still so relaxing.

3) We got a day to explore the town on our own.

Are you getting sick of seeing this jacket yet? Well, I’m sick of wearing it! Though I packed a million sweaters, I brought just one jacket with me. Luckily it’s been warm enough during the day, so I’ve been able to take it off for some photos.

The majority of my record 600 photo binge took place at Ephesus (the ruins), The House of Virgin Mary and The Basilica of St. John. I’ll have to show you those later though. Today, I’m going to show you everything else we did in this beautiful town.

Before the day started, I squeezed in a workout at the gym—my first real workout of the trip. I desperately wanted to run outside (to town and back), but it was way too cold and windy.

The view from the treadmill was beautiful though. I ran a tough 3 miles and then did upper and lower body weights for 30 minutes. After several days off from working out and 2 full days of sitting on the bus, I had so much juice in my muscles!

The gym was nice! It felt so good to sweat. I was a completely different person afterwards.

In town, we stumbled across another Grand Bazaar, where we wandered for a couple hours. We didn’t buy much though since we still had a few cities to go.

At this point, we had a good feel for the average prices of souvenirs. Let me tell you, nobody can trick the two of us into buying anything. We are the savviest shoppers.

My mom is truly the queen of bargaining. She has mad skills.

We bought some pashmina scarves.

Olive oil soap

…and NUTS!! Hazelnuts and pistachios, to be exact.

This shop had freshly roasted nuts for us to try!

I love hazelnuts and they are everywhere here. We also got some red pistachios. Sadly, I am allergic to pistachios, but my mom said they’re delicious and melt in your mouth.

Oh and check out these [Costco-sized bags of] dried figs!

We’re still searching for the perfect bowl to get. We’re going to wait until the last day, so we don’t have to lug it around with us everywhere.

I loved this green one. I hope we find something similar later.

Genuine fake watches . Right. There are a ton of fake watches, clothes, purses, etc. sold in these bazaars.

Also, hand-woven rugs. This lady is weaving a rug. It’s going to take her an entire year (6 hours/day, 6 days/week) to weave a rug 3×5 feet (!!!!!). Needless to say we did not purchase any rug$.

For dinner, we went to Ali Baba. I swear the name had nothing to do with our decision to eat there .

We shared an Efes, a Turkish beer. It was surprisingly light.

To start, we shared a salad soaked in olive oil. Delicious olive oil.

I got the Grilled Calamari.

My mom ordered the Grilled Chicken, which I ended up eating a good chunk of as well.

Afterwards, we walked along the water back to our hotel.

We’ve got a long bus ride tomorrow, so I’ll have plenty of time to edit photos.

Until next time…

It is so unbelievably gorgeous here. I can’t stop taking photographs!

Like really, I can’t. I took over 600 photos today in less than 12 hours. Umm yeah, I’m not exaggerating. Though I sorta wish I was. I took the photos in RAW, which means I have to edit them ALL! I mean, I don’t have to, but you know I will. Even if it takes me months, I’m determined to edit them all…one by one.

Before coming here, I kept hearing how beautiful Turkey was. I must say I didn’t see it the first couple of days. It was gloomy, dreary, rainy and cold. But then the SUN came out and I saw the beauty.

After visiting Troy, we headed to Kasadasi, a beach/resort town by the Aegean Sea where my breath was taken away…a hundred and one times.

The above photo is the view from the hotel pool! Yes, really. This pool right here…

The hotel was located ~1.5 miles from the center of town, which made for great photo ops and a good way to get in a long walk at night after dinner.

There was just one problem. It was hard for me to breathe while walking because the view was so darn pretty! It took my breath away. I sound like a cheesy love song right now, I know.

We arrived at the hotel in time for dinner and the buffet was outstanding. Hands down, the best meal we’ve had so far. The food here is getting better and better.

The salad bar of my dreams…

Dessert!

I just cannot get enough of the fruit here. It is so sweet.

I loaded up my plate as per usual.

Shrimp and mussels! I used to strongly dislike mussels, but wiithin the last couple of months, I have fallen deeply in love with them.

I tried some of the hot food too. Veal kebaps with carrots and potatoes.

Roasted eggplant and red peppers with yogurt sauce.

Earlier that day, I mentioned to my mom that I hadn’t seen any turkey in Turkey. And then it appeared at the buffet. I had a bite just to say I ate turkey in Turkey .

For dessert, I had some outrageously sweet grapes and a few desserts. I must say, I’m not in love with Turkish desserts. They’re way too sweet for me (and I have a huge sweet tooth!).

Kasadasi at night.

There’s more. There’s so SO much more! Ahh I can’t blog fast enough.

Tell me…the most beautiful city/country/place you’ve visited.

While I’ve been learning a lot about the Turkish language, culture and [ancient] history (a refresh of everything I forgot from high school world history) from our tour guide, it’s when he starts talking about Turkish cuisine when I’m suddenly alert and give him my undivided attention.

Metin gladly posed for this photo…

From what I’ve learned and observed myself, Turkish cuisine is very meat heavy. You can find a great deal of vegetables, beans, yogurt, olives and fruit, but they’re mostly supplemental to meat-based entrees. According to our guide, up until about 10 years ago, vegetarian dishes were very difficult to come by in Turkey.

Ironically, the veggies here are insanely delicious—so sweet and flavorful. The tomatoes and cucumbers especially.

Turkish people love to eat. There’s no such thing as being “fat.” Men are proud of their big bellies and refer to them as “Turkish muscles” .

They love yogurt (for savory dishes, not so much for dessert), cheese, and of course, olives. Olives are everywhere. We’ve driven past thousands and thousands of olive trees already.

We change hotels every 1-2 nights because we are hopping from city to city. Thus, every day has been a little bit different food wise (and getting progressively better!).

This was the buffet at our hotel in Istanbul.

Breakfasts have been fairly consistent across all hotels. I’ve been eating salads for breakfast (weird, I know) with hard boiled eggs. I also have yogurt and fruit (plums, grapefruit, grapes and clementines).

The buffets usually have various rolls, bread and stuffed puff pastries. Overall, the bread is just alright. Nothing to write home blog about.

Eggs, hot dogs, soup and french fries. Every hotel has served french fries for breakfast!

Oh and the coffee is unbelievably good here. That is, when it’s not instant.

Up until last night, I must say I wasn’t too impressed with the Turkish food I had tried. It was alright, but nothing really made me go Mmmm.

A lot of the dishes are served cold or lukewarm, even cooked food. Cooked vegetables are cooked until soft/soggy. It certainly doesn’t help that I’m allergic to random nuts and nothing is ever labeled.

But it all changed when we ate at the hotel dinner buffet in Canakkale.

As you can easily see, the salad bar was out of control!

I loaded up!

Can we take a second to talk about this eggplant? It was life changing!

This eggplant was hands down the most amazing eggplant I have ever tasted in my life. Seeing as how eggplant is my absolute favorite vegetable, this is huge.

I mean, HUGE.

If I had to guess, I would say the eggplant was soaked in olive oil and then pan fried until juuuuust barely crispy. Not crispy enough to notice a crisp, but enough to give it some texture. Does that make sense?

I also filled up my plate with a bean dip, yogurt (to go with the eggplant), salmon, mushrooms and dried apricots.

Creamy tomato soup on the side.

I thought I wasn’t hungry and then I cleaned my plate.

I ate some mediocre pudding and honey dew for dessert. I desperately wanted to try the baklava, but unfortunately, I’m allergic. The one and only time I ate baklava, it came right back up. I learned my lesson.

We ate another great meal for lunch today. I’ll have to tell you about it later though, because it’s time for dinner!

Tell me…your favorite cuisine!