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Live Like You're Traveling

Ideas to Turn your Everyday into An Exotic Adventure

November 21, 2013

IDEA132: Go on a Culinary Adventure to Savannah with a 15 Min. Crab Chowder

by Alla Feldman


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"It's a Snap" has been inspired by the obsession of instagramming one's meals (Guilty!). These come straight out of my Instagram feed @alla_otspblog, and they're actual meals that I cook daily for my family. Disclaimer: I'm no chef, I just love home cooking. All meals you'll see here take no longer then 30 minutes to prepare, and I make these on regular weeknights. If a recipe is based on another I will link the original for you!  

Lazy Girl's Crab Chowder Recipe (15 Minute Crab Chowder)

My mom in law was due to come over for dinner and usually I like to make a bit of a bigger deal for her, but I sort of... forgot (well now that I have 2 kids I can always blame it on them for not getting something done on time). Anyway, I still wanted to wow her just a little bit by making something "different" that we don't eat everyday. Crab Chowder popped into my mind! Don't ask me how or why, the mysteries of the inner workings of my mind shall remain undisclosed. The recipe however is below.

15 Minute Crab Chowder (serves 4 with leftovers)
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 2 potatoes peeled and chopped into small cubes
• 1 medium onion
• (Optional) half of a zucchini chopped into small cubes (I had this laying around the fridge and wanted to use it up so in it went!) 
• 1 red bell pepper chopped really small (great for a pop of color)
• Chicken stock (about 6 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups of frozen corn
• 2 cans of crab meat
• 1 tsp of Chinese fish or oyster sauce (if you'd like to make it just a tad more fishy)
• 1 tsp of berbere (I put this in everything pretty much!) or cajun seasoning
• a bunch of fresh parsley chopped-up
• pinch of chili pepper
• ½ cup of milk

Prep: 
Heat up the butter in a pot or Dutch Oven. Throw in the onion, potatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper and the parsley. Stir it over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add berbere or cajun seasoning and give it another stir. Pour in the chicken stock and throw in the bay leaf. Add the corn and cook for about 10 minutes (peppers and potatoes should get soft). Add the crab meat and let it warm up for another 2 minutes. Add the fish/oyster sauce and that pinch of chili pepper. As the last step, turn of the heat, add the milk, stir and serve! Perhaps with a warmed up baguette smothered with garlic butter! 

• • •

If you'd like to do this the longer way, and have 2-3 hours, check out this lovely recipe. 

And even longer... why not fly on down to Savannah, Georgia and head over to River Street to eat this southern specialty overlooking the harbor? We hear also that within 30 minutes drive from downtown, A-J's Dockhouse on Tybee Island, is THE place to be for crab soup... 

• • •
River Street, Savannah
{ Via TripAdvisor }

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• • •
AJ's Dockside Restaurant
{ Via Trip Advisor } 

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Hope you'll enjoy this quick recipe or the longer trip down to Savannah, Georgia. Let me know which Instagram meal you'd like a recipe for next! 
 

• • •     LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

"Armchair travel" can also be
done from the kitchen counter!

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin on Pinterest! ~ For More ways to Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 


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June 6, 2013

IDEA110: Enjoy a 15 Min. Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese on a Weeknight

by Alla Feldman in SAVOR


First bite of homemade bolognese!

First bite of homemade bolognese!

First bite of homemade bolognese!

First bite of homemade bolognese!

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Some recipes just seem to inspire this inexplicable fear in our hearts. You know what I'm talking about, those recipes that we think will take hours to make, or might require fancy kitchen equipment or exotic never before seen ingredients. Spaghetti Bolognese used to be that kind of recipe for me. Obviously to make it one needed to spend the entire day in front of a large spattering pot of sauce, being sure to stir it regularly at strategically spaced intervals... Oh and you absolutely had be an older Italian matriarch with expansive bosoms who could make little children wet themselves just from one disapproving look you would give them.  

This fantasy I constructed around the Bolognese sauce was shattered during the time I spent in Florence.  (I studied abroad there, long, long ago.)  It was one of those carefree Saturdays spent frolicking on the beach near Sienna.  By the time a group of us finally got back to Florence and piled into Peppe's small apartment, everyone was ready for a big filling meal and pronto! Well imagine my surprise when Peppe suggested we make Spaghetti Bolognese and a quick inspection of his kitchen confirmed the lack of a big bubbling pot on the stove being supervised by an intimidating Italian matron.  Trust me, said Peppe seeing my surprise, it wouldn't take longer then 15 minutes!   

And sure enough someone ran downstairs to the shop for the ingredients while we tooled around opening bottles of wine and setting up the dinner table.  In what seemed like minutes we were all contentedly devouring our Spaghetti Bolognese accompanied by red wine, laughter and evening sun shine streaming through open veranda doors.   

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Spaghetti Bolognese

Simplified Bolognese Sauce (serves 4)

• 5 medium tomatoes (I like to use roma tomatoes)
• 500g or 1 lb of ground beef 
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ glass of red wine (don't drink it all yourself!)
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• 1 teaspoon of sugar 
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of black and chili peppers
• pinch of dried oregano and basil
• spaghetti or fresh pasta (using fresh pasta will save you even more time, since it cooks in 3-4 minutes.) 

Garnish
• Fresh basil leaves
• Pecorino Romano cheese  

Prep/cook – Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese
Boil a large pot of water then add the tomatoes and boil for about 3 minutes.  We're not trying to cook them, but simply shock them in heat so the skin loosens up and cracks.  Take the tomatoes out of the water (save that water for boiling spaghetti in) and run them under cold water.  This is so that they cool off enough for you not to burn your fingers when peeling the skins off.  At this point it should be easy to simply peel the skins with your fingers.  Remove the hard cores of the tomatoes and chop them up a bit. Set aside.

Chop up the onion and saute’ it in 1 tsp of butter until translucent.  Add ground beef and cook until it's not pink anymore.  Add the chopped tomatoes, the garlic, the wine and the rest of the spices.  Lower the heat and stir periodically.

Turn the fire back on under the pot with saved tomato water, add the spaghetti and a generous twist of salt.  Cook about 8 minutes as per instructions.  Don't forget the sauce!  Stir it periodically imagining yourself as an Italian mamma.

You won't even get a chance to finish that glass of wine when it's all ready!  

Serve
Pile the delicious al dente spaghetti onto plates and top them off generously with your homemade sauce.  Garnish with shavings of pecorino romano cheese and fresh basil leaves. Pour everyone a large glass of red wine.  Why not make it a Chianti? And as the Italians say, you got yourself a meal that's al bacio*!...*perfect like a kiss

--> Follow us on Pinterest, where you'll find more great ideas on our board:  Pasta! 

• • •    LESSONS LEARNED   • • •

There's more than one way to bolognese.

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is by posting a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For More ways Live Like You're Traveling follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 


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May 30, 2013

IDEA108: Refresh Your Drink Selection with a Homemade Cranberry Drink

by Alla Feldman in SAVOR


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I have a bit of a confession to make. I’m kind of a control freak. 
What? It’s not cute? You’re right actually, it’s not cute at all, but at the same time wanting to have control is a pretty common affliction. The key is to not go morphing into a monster trying to control things that are outside of our sphere of influence. (I’m bad at that, that’s why I don’t allow myself to watch the news.) Anyway, today we’d like to share with you a way to establish total control in at least in one area of our lives! Sugar. No, I’m not calling you sugar, I’m suggesting to take control of your sugar intake!

One huge way to cut out unnecessary sugar is to stop drinking all kinds of sugary drinks which is exactly what we find on the shelves and in the fridge sections of our stores.  Sugar seems to be the second ingredient, after water, in most drinks. What I used to do is  simply water down all juices and drinks I bought, but that sneaky little move would also water down the taste…Well, you know the good ol’ saying “If you want something done right, do it yourself” and that’s exactly what we have for you! A super easy cranberry drink recipe. (I’m not even sure it’s legal to call it a recipe since it’s so easy).

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Homemade Cranberry Drink

Ingredients
• 250 g (about half a pound) or cranberries. I used frozen this time, but fresh is best.
• 1 liter (or 1 quart) of boiled water
• Sugar or honey to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon

Prep/Cook
Boil the water and add the cranberries. Let if continue to cook over medium flame for just 3-5 minutes, long enough to hear the wonderful crackling sound of popping cranberries. Turn of the heat and put all the berries into a sieve then squeeze the berry pulp out with a table spoon through the sieve. Then add a bit of sugar or honey. I personally like a tarter taste so I only add 3 table spoons of sugar to this entire recipe.  Squeeze out a lemon for that extra kick and you’re done! After it cools, store it in the fridge.

3 Ways to Serve
Now here is the fun part, you can drink this hot like herbal tea. Or cold with a few ice cubes. You can even add it to a cocktail! We hope you will enjoy experimenting with your homemade cranberry drink!

*Follow us on Pinterest and find more great ideas on our board: First Sip!
 

• • •   LESSONS LEARNED    • • •

Some like it tart!

Love it? Share it! - We are dedicated to sharing stories that spark ideas and are meaningful to you. The best way to let us know is to post a comment, like below or pin it on Pinterest! ~ For more ways Live Like You're Traveling, follow us on Feedly, Bloglovin, Pinterest, or Facebook. 


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May 27, 2013

IDEA104: Origami the Prettiest Soap Gift

by Alla Feldman in FLOW


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I’m a long time admirer of Fresh. It is an inspirational success story of two entrepreneurs finally finding their niche and their true passion. Fresh soaps are not only natural, but the packaging itself is a work of art. How gorgeous would these soaps be on top of a towel in the guest room to surprise your overnight guests? However Fresh’s price tag of $12 per 5 oz soap, at least for me, makes this soap more of an object to drool over than for utility.

• • •

Of course drooling for too long is not very attractive so we’re going to take immediate action! Inspired by Fresh’s soaps I pulled together two materials that helped achieve a wow factor soap look.

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The Prettiest Soap Gift
 

Materials
• Oatmeal Lavender organic bar soap from Vermont Soap. I buy a case of 12 at a time.
• Japanese Origami paper for wrapping. (Similar.)
• Grosgrain ribbon, 1/4’’ single stitched, in turquoise and white from my favorite trim store M&J Trimming. (My favorite because, when I worked in Manhattan I once walked in there just because it looked pretty and was inadvertently introduced to a whole new world. It’s where I learned words like grosgrain, jacquard and rococo.)

Directions
1 – Wrap your naked bar of soap in a square of kitchen plastic wrap, this step will insure that the oils from the soap won’t stain your origami paper.
2 – Follow with the origami paper. Use a bit of scotch tape to fix the ends in place.
3 – Tie a pretty bow with the grosgrain ribbon.

***Bonus (Cost of Fresh Soap: $12 each. Our inspired soap: $4 each.)

These pretty soaps make great gifts for any occasion, a nice detail to make your guests feel like they’re staying at Hotel Costes, or to simply stash a few around your bathroom as eye candy. We hope you liked this little project! Make it, come back and report what you’ll use these for!  
 

• • •   LESSONS LEARNED   • • •

When in doubt, put a bow on it!

Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling


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