Tag: 55+ COMMUNITY

Posted on in Daily Life, Uncategorized

Istanbul, Saffron and Lori!

WAY BACK in October 2023, we went on a cruise to the Mediterranean; we flew to Athens, spent a couple days there and then got on the cruise ship and went to Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, Florence, Rome, Caan, and Barcelona. It was a wonderful trip, highly recommended! As I write my blogs, I will probably be referencing our travels and experiences as they are a part of my life. Which is kind of the entire point of the blog right? And I can already see that food is going to be a big part of the blog as well, not because of my cooking (God Forbid!) but the lovely people I meet along this journey!

This trip was planned well in advance and then the Isreal / Hammas war started October 7, 2023; we were due to leave a couple weeks later. Do we stay or do we go? Cruise line, airline, governments etc didn’t cancel so we didn’t either. We probably had a heightened awareness of our surroundings but otherwise everything was fine.

Until Istanbul. in order to KNOW ME, I have a really vivid imagination, and it doesn’t take much to get my brain going. The cruise ship gives an informational talk on each port the day before, so we all know what to expect and one of the things they said was ” if you see a big crowd developing, go AWAY from it” so of course that got me started. Big chicken, foreign country… cluck cluck cluck!

We did not have a tour scheduled as we initially docked at 4pm and would be there a 2nd day so we had decided we could be on our own and go to the world market. That would be plenty for day one. They assured us we could take public transportation with no problem. However, because of the war, the cruise ships going to Israel were diverted to Turkey; and instead of getting 3 ships, 5 arrived. An additional 10,000+ people all in port at the same time. Add to that, locals said it was the first beautiful clear day Istanbul had been given in a week. There were people EVERYWHERE in a city of 15 MILLION PLUS people. Avoid crowds, impossible! Our phones didn’t work, public transportation was very kind to take our credit card money and not share a ticket back, tick tick tick goes my mind! We decided to walk, because we were told it wasn’t that far; so “in for a penny, in for a pound” we will die here anyway! There were 6 of us walking and walking and no market in sight. And the more we walked; I relaxed a bit. There were people everywhere, but the city was interesting. It was also intimidating. None of us knew where we were going, except THAT WAY. Not much further… I think we walked 200 miles (LOL not really about 5!) and finally found a very nice man who spoke English and could actually help us. We were not going to make it to the market before it closed so we decided to go back to the port. In hindsight we should have found a place to eat and then gone back to the port but that did not seem to be an option at the time. This kind man helped us get 2 taxi’s and back to the port we went.

I must observe, after the fact, that us American’s are so stupid and trusting. We go to a foreign country, where we don’t speak the language, know little to nothing about the cultures and trust that these total strangers are actually going to help us. And you know what, they do! It’s just amazing. (By the way, maybe that is just ME that is so stupid and trusting! Other people might actually research places before they go).

Back to the story, day 2 we have a tour guide! YAY and we see this wonderful city of Istanbul and the Mosques and find out this is where “Cherry Races” were held. (It was Chariot Races, but I am a bit hearing impaired and I don’t necessarily hear things right. When things don’t make sense and I ask, I gain an entirely new understanding!)

The first picture is the bridge we went over, the 2nd I think is Hagai Sophia but I could be wrong and the third is the Blue Mosque. Do not ever allow me to be your official travel guide. I never know where I am going or where I have been!

On to the MARKET we go.

It was fascinating and CROWDED and overwhelming. This was, by the way, the SPICE MARKET. I believe the smaller market. We passed through the big one and that was HUGE and packed!

Saffron is where my story continues. Most people know Saffron is the most expensive spice and it is “reasonable” here in Turkey. So, I bought a lot. My brother loves to cook so I got a jar for him and a jar for me. I bought nuts and candy and other spices so I could not begin to tell you how much it all cost. It is like play money to me. And to tell you the truth, I have no idea why I bought it. I do not cook. But it was there and I had to have it.

Bye bye Istanbul, it was fascinating and scary and a nice adventure. and no, I didn’t die there!

Fast forward to 2025! I still have the unopened jar of Saffron, and it is obvious that I am never going to use it. I don’t know how long it lasts but I certainly do not want it to go to waste, I want someone to have it that appreciates what it is and will actually use it and enjoy it.

My friend Lori is known to be a wonderful cook. I see Facebook posts of people who join her for dinner and rave about her cooking and dinner parties. She is a super friendly person with many talents, and we all know Facebook doesn’t lie right! I talk with Lori and ask if she cooks with Saffron and she assures me she does, so I decide to give her my beloved saffron from ISTANBUL. My only request is that she make a dish using it and share it with John and I so that I can at least learn what it tastes like. (I didn’t want a dinner party, just bring me leftovers, I’m good with that!) Lori agrees. She is a very busy lady and I knew she would keep her word and did she ever! She called to see our likes and dislikes and made arrangements to cook our dinner for Wednesday.

I have to tell you I was so excited, not only that I didn’t have to do dinner, but that Lori was! I anticipate things and blow them way up, so it is not easy to meet my expectations. All day I dreamed and savored what might be coming. I knew it was a chicken dish, otherwise, saffron.

One other side note, when we were in Barcelona, I ordered paella, which has saffron. Only it has octopus too. Euuuu. I took a big bite of what I thought was chicken, and it was octopus, which grossed me out and I spit it back in the plate (literally, I did that) and the meal was over for me. I could only tell you saffron tasted like octopus!

And now the big finish!

Here comes Lori with her beautiful casserole of chicken and yellow rice that she prepared, and I am so happy and excited. It smelled so good and looked amazing.

Lori is so gracious and kind, and I think genuinely excited to share her cooking skills. She featured the saffron in the rice so we could really get the flavor out of it. As soon as I tasted it, I recognized the flavor, but not as pronounced as this, in a good way. More than likely, restaurants don’t use much because of the expense of the spice. This was wonderful, and I am unable to compare it to anything I had ever had before. (And it didn’t taste like octopus! LOL) The chicken has green and red pepper, tomatoes I think, and beautiful tender chicken thighs. Red pepper flakes gave it a nice kick but not too much. It was perfect. I do not know what Lori did to prepare the rice, but it was so tender and delicate and YUMMY! I am not a culinary person, so Identifying flavors is not really something I do, but I tried really hard to focus, and Lori told me what was in it. LOL.

John, my hubby, is not as picky as I am but close, and he loved it too.

and YES! Lori was so very kind to write down her recipe for us so any of you who want to enjoy this treat can make it yourself!

In order to make new friends or build on the friendships you have, sometimes you have to take risks. It helps to be kind and unselfish as well. I was never going to use that Saffron so why not share it with someone who would truly enjoy it? And why not ask for a sample of her cooking expertise? The worst Lori could say was no and the best she could say was yes! Which she did. The kindness I knew of her rang through in her smile and her cooking. And I think I increased a friendship that I might not have ever had. I am so grateful that Lori allowed me to share her talents in my blog. If she ever invites you to a meal say YES!!! You won’t be disappointed!

Posted on in Daily Life, Uncategorized

DILL PICKLE SOUP DAY

Today is the day that I make Polish Dill Pickle Soup.  I have seen the recipe on Facebook for a while now and since I am of Polish Heritage, I like to occasionally try some of the foods that are of that tradition.  I am not a cook really, but I do like making soups, so this seemed right up my alley!  And of course, looking for the right recipe is always a challenge.

God always seems to answer my call, and He sent me my friend Bobbie.  I never knew it, but Bobbie and her husband Roy owned a Polish restaurant and deli up north and Dill Pickle Soup was one of their daily featured items and she said they sold out every day!  What better recipe could I ask for?!!  She was gracious enough to share the recipe with me so that I could give it a try.

I am always intimidated by cooking and recipes.  I don’t usually understand, or I make it more complicated than it needs to be.  Like when the recipe says to use a heavy pot, do I weigh my pots and use the heaviest one?  Cut into small pieces, small to who (or whom), how big is small?  Bite sized, who’s bite?? I’m not quite that bad but I am literal, and these things confuse me. 

Alexa and I have become great friends as well.  I have Alexa in the kitchen with a monitor so I can ask what to do and it shows me a video.  I do this MANY times as I am making stuff so that I remember or clarify.  (no, I don’t worry about the government listing to my conversations, my friends don’t want to hear what I have to say so I doubt the government would be interested either!) 

I have spent the last few days reading and re-reading the recipe, googling stuff I didn’t understand, asking Bobbie questions.  More than anything, I want Bobbie to be happy with the results AND I also want her to be honest with me if I don’t get it right.  I already know I won’t on the first try, BUT if I come close and it brings a smile to her face I am beyond happy.

Next order of business is grocery shopping.  I don’t store much in my kitchen since I don’t cook much, and you can bet I don’t have the proper ingredients.  Recipe calls for course ground black pepper, I don’t have course, is that a problem?  One small onion, how small is small? Red skin potatoes, yes, I know what those are! YAY me!  One quart of pickle juice! OhOh, do they actually sell pickle juice?  Alexa!!!!!  Yes, they do, but not all grocery stores do. Publix does, Winn Dixie, nope. 

My shopping list is made and off to the store I go.  This went very well actually, so I am very proud of myself.  I didn’t have to ask any unsuspecting person who LOOKS like they know how to cook any questions at all. I did have to buy garlic dill pickles, says I needed 3, I wasn’t sure if that was spears or entire pickles so I bought a big jar and will figure that part out later. Now that I am home that was enough thinking for one day.  I’m exhausted by it all.  This cooking stuff is a LOT.

So today is the day!  I got up ready to tackle the soup and I got this!  I can do it.  I have a chopper that cuts the vegetables very easy, and I do know they are supposed to be uniform n size so they cook evenly.  I do watch Food Network! 

This gizmo is quick and easy to use and preserves my fingers and fingernails, (side note, as it turns out, the pieces were too big, which didn’t affect the flavor, just bite and appearance.  I will have to hand chop next time.) Following the instructions, it all goes into the pot and the simmering begins.

AND OH MY GOODNESS, my kitchen smells amazing.  The garlic and the dill and vinegar, onions, wow.  Since I don’t cook much, this is exciting.  Don’t you just love the way your kitchen smells when it is not burning? 

Now comes the tricky part, a roux.  I have unsuccessfully made roux and this time I am determined!  So Alexa is my very best friend.  I am using videos to make sure I don’t mess up and burn it as I usually do.  You stir constantly and stir some more!  But Look!

I have a roux!  It still has to darken a bit but it thickened up like I have never had happen before!  I’m so proud! LOL! Roux is done and added to the pot and stir, stir, and stir.

The soup is finished. 

I have to call Bobbie to have her look and taste, I want to make sure it is right before I share this with others and misrepresent an entire country!  So this is where I find out the vegetables are cut too large and there is too much pickle juice. Sigh.  But she says it is good and, for me, it is a successful first attempt.  I go home and add some chicken broth to tone down the pickle flavor, which should be a tiny hint, not a blast.  And then I put the soup in my food processor and slightly pulse to make it less chunky and that changed everything.  It is delicious.  The pickle flavor doesn’t assault you, it’s a small “afterburn” in your throat, not offensive or hot, just there. 

When I do projects like this, the biggest part of my joy is sharing with others.  I’m sure some of my friends cry when they see me coming with a container!  But I do think they understand I like to experiment, and I don’t necessarily go traditional.  I mean, anyone can make Oatmeal cookies.  There is no challenge in that.  My friends know I want honesty, if it sucks it won’t hurt my feelings to say so.  I already know it won’t be everyone’s favorite!  But it is the experience, not necessarily the outcome.   I mean, how many people can say they ate Dill Pickle Soup?  (Another side note, I am about the pickiest eater there is and I probably wouldn’t have tried it either.  I mean, we were in Ireland, and I did not, would not, eat Haggis.  And I will not TOUCH a mushroom).

After Bobbie’s critique and my adjustments, my first taste tester was Cathy, she is a fantastic cook, a fair reviewer and a good friend.  She had a taste before the food processor and after and liked the after better, although not a real fan.  Her question, which was great, was “would I make it again?”.  The answer is no and yes.  Would I make it for dinner or company, a meal, probably not.  BUT would I make it for a Potluck where these types of dishes are encouraged, absolutely!  I’m thinking it would be a big hit at a Super Bowl Party!

My next tasters were Jon and Brenda; they are great at tasting my experiments and giving critiques.  Neither of them loved it but both agreed it was interesting.  They both also agreed that the afterburn was unexpected!  I always tell them to be honest, and they both are the best at being kind and honest at the same time.  I will have to make Jon some oatmeal cookies to make up for this experiment! 

I did share samples with a few others and have not heard back so I am thinking when you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all!  Haha.

I consider my Dill Pickle Soup Day a huge success.  I made something eatable and different.  I shared with others, and I had fun.

That is a Great Day!

MY LIFE IN A 55 PLUS