Explore

Culture, food, travel, and unexpected things.

 
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Santiago Cake (Tarta de Santiago): An heirloom recipe
Santiago Cake (Tarta de Santiago): An heirloom recipe
Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies
Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies

Food

We all have to eat, so why not do it beautifully?

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Featured
Santiago Cake (Tarta de Santiago): An heirloom recipe
Santiago Cake (Tarta de Santiago): An heirloom recipe

The Santiago Cake is an easy to make almond cake, naturally gluten/dairy free, with delicious flavor and texture. It is light, with bright notes from orange zest, and is an excellent alone or paired with morning coffee, afternoon tea, or as an after dinner dessert served w/ ice cream or fruit.

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Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies
Ricciarelli: Chewy Italian Almond Cookies

Ricciarelli are dense, chewy Italian almond cookies originating in Siena. They are a distant, and much less fussy, Italian cousin to the French macaron — dairy-free and gluten-free, they are also so very perfect with tea or coffee!

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Vicenzina’s Biscotti
Vicenzina’s Biscotti

My ex-husband’s mother, Vincenzina (Vini, as she liked to be called), passed away last April. She wasn’t perfect. Old-school Italian from Verbicaro, a small town in Cosenza, she was stubborn, lied with enviable polish, and was a talented cook.

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Devil’s Food Cupcakes
Devil’s Food Cupcakes

My son in law has a severe dairy allergy. He’s a really nice young man, a musician, that we’ve known since he and my daughter were 16! I love to cook with butter, and have always been a little squirmy about using food substitutes because, in my mind, there is nothing like the real thing. But I love this young man and wanted to make him a chocolate cupcake that was yummy! I think this is it. Do try it and let me know your thoughts in the comment section. XOXO, M

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Blueberry Muffins for Connie
Blueberry Muffins for Connie

My friend Connie is generous, kind, and loyal. We have been friends since our daughters were babies. Now they’re 37. And it’s her birthday today. Because of COVID19, we can’t celebrate like we used to, and I know she loves blueberry muffins, so I made these for her.

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Ginger Cookie by Liz
Ginger Cookie by Liz

My friend, Liz, and I, love ginger cookies. This recipe was handed down to her by her mother.

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Travel

Nothing refreshes the mind, body and soul like travel.

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Featured
Travel Essentials (or, How We Roll…)
Travel Essentials (or, How We Roll…)

I’ve been a traveler since age 3. It was a long goodbye to California then bright wide eyes in Paris. My parents worked for the government and we were a young family, so we traveled. That first voyage was one of many trips that would leave an indelible mark on how to go places.

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The most amazing fair in the world is the Feria de Sevilla (Seville's April Fair)
The most amazing fair in the world is the Feria de Sevilla (Seville's April Fair)

The Feria de Sevilla is a once-a-year event that puts all other parties to shame. The whole city turns out to celebrate life with traditional flamenco dresses and shows of dance and horsemanship. Parties last from dusk to dawn for the week of the feria.

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Explore: Lisbon
Explore: Lisbon

Lisbon is the stunning capital city of Portugal. It is one of the most charismatic and vibrant cities in Europe, effortlessly blending culture and traditional heritage, with striking modernism and progressive thinking.

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Explore: Istanbul
Explore: Istanbul

Istanbul (historically known as Constantinople and Byzantium) was once the capital of both the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

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Follow the journey.

 
Lucky snap of San Francisco’s Bay Bridges, Treasure Island, San Francisco Bay, and most of the city on our return flight from Istanbul in January. I truly look forward to traveling like that again! . . . #Lucky #travelphotography #SanFrancisco
Keeping social distance during the sunset on the Golden Gate Bridge on Memorial Day 2020. With no travel available we are grateful for the beauty of our hometown, and we thank our men and women in the military, our heroes, for their sacrifices. They
Back in California. #homesweethome
The incredible interior of Burj Al Arab, which was thankfully still open on our last day in #Dubai
We did it again , and brought an edible souvenir to remember this exotic and beautiful visit! This time, from the Old Market in Dubai, which was irresistible. Every imaginable spice can be found here, from dried fruit and nuts to rare incense. From l
Architecture in the Muslim world incorporates a lot of water features because water was a luxury in the desert, and it became a status symbol among wealthy Arabs. What do you think about the power of a status symbol? Swipe left to see more status sym
Postcard inflight. Almost empty flight home from #Dubai yesterday on @emirates. . . . #coronavirustimes #dxbtosfo #travelphotography #photooftheday #airlinetravel #tisaytravels #interior #businessclass #lifestyle #travel #emirates #instagreat #touris
I am freakish about fitness while traveling, and although most hotels have fine gyms (and my yoga mat is always with me), swimming is the best cure for the stress and fatigue of jet lag and luggage! Again, at yet another Park Hyatt hotel, I feel luck
The Qasr Al Sarab is a remote and exclusive resort in the middle of the Empty Quarter, a desert with the world’s largest sand mass that touches the borders of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen. The architecture for the res
We did kinda run away from the world to come to this desert. It’s the Empty Quarter, the largest single sand mass in the world. Sunrise this morning in the desert, 20 kilometers from the border with Saudi Arabia. . . . . #justanothersunrise #su
Postcard from Budapest: It’s all about the insanely beautiful (and historic) mineral public bath of Budapest! We walked to the Gellért Baths, likely the prettiest public bath in the world, to swim and soak in the geothermal waters. You
Because who can forget the breathtaking climb up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!? Just the memory has me gasping for air! 📷@frankyfromthebay . . . . #paris #arcoftriumph #arcdetriomphe #windingstaircase ##portugal #justanothersunset #fra
LIS 🛫🛬BUD Goodbye Lisbon, see you again soon. Ferry ride from Setubal to Troia. . . . #nofilter #lisbon #goodbye #setubal #ferryride #troia #portugal #justanothersunset #sunset #bay #pink #tisay #sunsetsofinstagram #luckysnap #holidaytravel #winter
Swimming becomes a meditative practice when I travel. Each stroke, breath, and lap leaves the stress of travel behind and calms my oh so anxious mind. And takes care of a few calories too! What’s your self care regimen when you’re on the