Wednesday, December 27, 2017

A few good things I cooked and ate in 2017

January: I tried a recipe for chicken with preserved lemons and green olives,
based on a Moroccan recipe by Paula Wolfert. Featured in the photo:
my birdie tablecloth and potholders, a fun item. Throughout the year,
I've been experimenting with Moroccan spices, especially on chicken.
February: on our fascinating riverboat trip in the Upper Amazon in
Peru, we had beautifully plated and imaginative dinners and lunches,
all quite delicious. The wildlife and scenery were of course spectacular,
and we were delighted to learn about Peruvian gourmet cuisine.
March: at a Moroccan restaurant in Ypsilanti, I tried Bistilla, which
was quite delicious. I've been meaning to go back there. During the year,
I visited several of Ann Arbor/Ypsi's most famous dining places such as
Zingerman's, Angelo's Diner, and the newest, Miss Kim.
Our area indeed has quite a lot of very good and interesting food.
April: I baked chocolate chip cookies... one of the most perfect foods, no?
June: On our birdwatching tour in Arizona, we had dinner at the
Cameron Trading Post. Loved the Navajo Taco on fry bread.
We had just seen a California Condor: a very rare bird!
All year in Ann Arbor: Slurping Turtle's steamed buns are delicious! Sometimes I order three of them for my dinner.
This photo is from August, but I enjoyed them there several times in 2017.
September: on one of our visits to Fairfax, VA, we tried Korean Barbecue with Miriam and Alice.
October: At Garibaldi Glacier, in the far south of Patagonia, staff from the National Geographic Explorer waited for the
Zodiac cruises with hot chocolate. Being served a snack in front of a glacier was definitely one of our most exotic food experiences of the year. The entire trip was fabulous, and I had trouble selecting just one image.
Thanksgiving once again was in Pittsburgh. Here's Delia, about to serve herself.
It's been a good year, with a few fabulous trips and lots of good cooking and eating. Finding a way to sum it up is very hard -- so many of our great experiences weren't about eating, but I've limited my selection here to food and only food. To all of you: best of dining in 2018 and great success at whatever else you do!

And may you enjoy whatever holiday treats you still have
in your homes. I am still very rationing out my
chocolate-covered peppermint Joe-Joe's. They're one of
Trader Joe's very best treats.

9 comments:

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Mae,
What an interesting year you have had in 2017- we too visited Patagonia in 2017 and had hot chocolate in the Falkland Island Penguin colony way out of the city.
Bistilla is one of my favorite Moroccan foods! Nothing beats it.
Thanks for sharing your travels and food memories from this past year. Happy New Year

Tina said...

Adopt me! You go on some of the most interesting vacations, that National Geographic tour was amazing.
Ypsilanti! You may be the only blogger I have ever read who mentioned that town. When I lived in Owosso with my sister we went through there, sometimes shopping, and I thought it was an interesting spelling.

Deb in Hawaii said...

It looks like quite a great year in food and travel for you. Hope 2018 is just as delicious! ;-)

Molly said...

I love this year in review - both the fabulous food and exotic travels.

Wishing you an amazing 2018!

Carole said...

that's quite a year. Happy New Year!

Beth F said...

Good food, good travel! Next time you're in AZ go to Tuba City -- they have the world's best Navajo tacos.

Mae Travels said...

@Beth F -- the Cameron Trading Post is only around 20 miles from Tuba City AZ -- so I guess I was close to the world's best.

Jeanie said...

I'm not very familiar with Moroccan food so maybe on the next road trip meet up, we should try some of that! No matter what we have or where, I'll look forward to it!

Johanna GGG said...

Happy new year Mae - your year seems full of great food and fascinating travel - that patagonia pic is so impressive - all the best for 2018.