Afternoon delight

Why is WordPress so against embedding media into posts? I gave up on putting in my actual video, but I wanted to share it with y’all via link. Just to make your mouth water.

You’re welcome!

(P.S. Vine is awesome. Coffee is better!)

A waffle ain’t no wafel without stroop

The perfect way to start your day

Two finals down. Three more to go within 72 hours. So obviously I spent my morning on the porch, enjoying the breezy 75 degree weather and definitely not studying.

For a mid-finals treat, I covered my cup of coffee* with a stroopwafel.

A stroopwafel is an ingenious treat straight from the Netherlands. It’s a cookie/waffle crossover filled with caramel that slowly melts into goo from the steam of your coffee.

In a word: exquisite.

I ate my first stroopwafel in Hungary, where my Finnish friend ridiculed me for never having heard of one. I wasn’t annoyed at her, because, hello….she both told me about them and gave me one!

Since my first eating, I am always on the lookout for these heavenly circles. Some I’ve found in out-of-the-way cafes in Nashville. Others came via package from a wonderful aunt. This wafel came straight from Amsterdam, where my dad had a layover recently. Fresh is best, but you can’t really go wrong with melty caramel cookies.

Disclaimer: You cannot drink your coffee with a stroopwafel like an American. As in, grab it and go and suck it down before your 9 a.m. meeting. The wafel is European and you have to drink it like a European. Pour your coffee, fix it how you like it, and spend at least half an hour nursing it and chatting with your friends. Trust me. It tastes better that way.

On its way to disappearing!

*my favorite recently has been Starbucks’ Fair Trade Certified Italian roast in whole bean. Mmmm.

The Bisons (a no food post)

Hi, I’m Carly.

You probably know a bit about me if you’re a follower, but if not, you already know I like traveling and tastes, right? What you might not know is that, along with my insatiable appetite for food and adventure, I have an insatiable curiosity.

When I have a question, it must be answered. I don’t care how long it takes.

So this is why no matter how comfortable I am, no matter what delightful goodness I’m intaking, no matter how much fun I’m having…there’s been a niggling sensation underneath that says: YOU ARE UNFULFILLED.

It all started when I pitched a story to my journalism teacher on the origins of our school mascot (the ungrammatically correct “Bisons”). He loved the story idea, and I set out to get some facts and interviews.

Except, there were none. Facts, that is. I got a couple interviews with people who had no idea why we are called the Bisons and referred me to other people who were also clueless.

I looked in old Lipscomb backlogs. I read books on the history of the school. I searched the web. I called the sports center management. I even asked the president!

No dice.

I did find this Most Popular Boy of 1963. Ooh la la!

I haven’t given up – I still have two more years of school left; I’ll finish that story yet! But it sure is bothersome right now. Do unanswered questions bother you?

Me + the banana’s gangster cousin

So, I really like mashing food. I mean, I’ve mashed potatoes before, but that’s more time-consuming than entertaining. I’ve also mashed a blueberry or two, but that was on accident. The second time, at least!

But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s start at the beginning. In class, my Spanish teacher was waxing poetic on the joys of eating fried plantains (or in Spanish, tostones) in his native country of Cuba. I was skeptical, having eaten uncooked plantain in Haiti, which is tasteless and lacking of any good qualities whatsoever. But my Spanish teacher is very persuasive, and he sealed my fate by saying, “Plantains are getting more popular around here. You can find them in Kroger, even!”

I did find them at Kroger. There were about 10 of them beside the stand of a thousand bananas. Having done my tostones research, I picked the two greenest ones and set off.

To make fried plantains, you peel the plantains (which requires a knife – they’re like a banana’s super tough cousin from prison). Then you cut them in 1-inch slices and fry them until golden. After that, you SMASH THEM! I used a can of tomato soup for the smashing, but there are actual plantain smashers you can buy if you prefer. So basically you take a slice, and squish it with the can. Then when your friend asks what you did all day, you can reply, “I smashed stuff.” No need to go to prison; you’re already super tough!

Steps 1-4 (the pics are from my iPhone because I had to hurry to get to a concert                            after dinner – shout out to Walk Off The Earth…y’all are amazing!)

After you smash them all, you refry them until light brown and crispy. Luego, you can pretty much do whatever you want – sprinkle salt and pepper on them, top with onions and peppers, eat ‘em plain…I made a garlic lime dipping sauce I found online, and it was pretty good. If there was nothing to dip them in, though, they would’ve been pretty boring.

Now, if you’re American, I can’t encourage you to travel to Cuba for touristic purposes. The embargo on Cuba has been around for 53 years, and lately some are wondering why it’s still around. But if you’re a journalist or a humanitarian worker or a study-abroad student, go right ahead!

If you ever do find yourself there – welcome to the Caribbean, luv! Take a look at these pictures…all I want to do in Cuba is walk around and then swim around and then lay around. And somewhere in between those things, I could smash more plantains.

What do you think about the island or food of Cuba? Do you wish you could visit it easily and legally?

 

Rainbows, babushkas and too much honey

Once again, it’s snowing, and dreams of steaming liquid kept interrupting my homework. Cocoa is too rich, tea gets boring after awhile and contrary to popular belief, I try to limit my coffee intake somewhat. So an internet search revealed a few interesting international brews (one of which being Tibetan butter tea, which I’ll, um, save for another time…). I sifted through and landed on Russian sbiten, mostly because that whole meteor/asteroid thing last week was SO. COOL.

I’m kind of embarrassed by how little I know about Russia, considering that it’s the largest country in the whole world. Mostly my mind goes to what I’ve learned from America media, which is obviously never wrong: Vodka. Snow. Movie villains. Gulag. Stalin. KGB. All that good stuff.

I say, any culture with rainbow churches is awesome! (photo cred: Obscurus Nox)

I really don’t know where I would begin if I was planning a visit to Russia. I’m a city girl, so for vacation, I would probably head to Moscow or St. Petersburg. I also love mountains, though, and the Ural range has everything a nature-lover could want!  Skiing, caving, hiking, ice fishing, rafting and even dog sledding! Seems legit.

After a long day of hiking in high elevations, I can imagine wanting some sbiten. Ah, heat you can drink! I was immediately attracted to this drink above the others because 1) it’s sweet and 2) it has jam and 3) I had all the ingredients on hand (it’s icy outside, y’all!).

Sbiten has been around for seven centuries and comes from the word sbit – to beat or pound – because Russians in the 14th century had to make their own spices with a mortar instead of buying the fancy “pre-ground” stuff from Kroger (thanks for reminding me how soft and spoiled I am, 14th-century Russians!).

The drink was pretty good. Very close to hot mulled cider, although my honey hand was a little heavy and thus, the sbiten was too sweet. Maybe I’ll try it again sometime; it’s simple to make (boil water, or if you’d like, red wine. Add spices, honey and jam. Let simmer awhile. Done!).

This dubious, yet glamorous, babushka said she’s had worse sbiten before, so…success!

If you’re in an adventurous mood and have ten minutes to make sbiten, go for it! And while you’re at it, you can read this lovely quote from Lonely Planet that will have your heart yearning for a plane ticket to Asia:

“For centuries the world has wondered what to believe about Russia. The country has been reported variously as a land of unbelievable riches and indescribable poverty, cruel tyrants and great minds, generous hospitality and meddlesome bureaucracy, beautiful ballets and industrial monstrosities, pious faith and unbridled hedonism. These eternal Russian truths coexist in equally diverse landscapes of icy tundra and sun-kissed beaches, dense silver birch and fir forests and deep and mysterious lakes, snow-capped mountains and swaying grasslands. Factor in ancient fortresses, luxurious palaces, swirly spired churches and lost-in-time wooden villages and you’ll begin to see why Russia is simply amazing.”

A celebration of creamy chocolate

Happy World Nutella Day! A day, according to NutellaDay.com, to “celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.”

I loooooooove Nutella. I slather it on my toast. I eat it plain. I swirl it in with my banana “ice cream” (seriously, check that link out – it’s amazing). I make it the main ingredient in my cheesecake. I put it on waffles and strawberries and pretzels and crepes.

Unfortunately I didn’t find out that it was Nutella Day until this morning. And by then, I’d already made a cherry pie (the only time a cherry pie has been unfortunate). So I celebrated Nutella in my heart and ate a little bit on a spoon, but I didn’t exactly get creative with it…yet!

Soon I would like to try Nutella granola, an idea I got from one of the countless recipes on the World Nutella Day website. There’s also Nutella gelato that’s calling my name. Methinks the future shines bright with Nutella opportunity!

So until then, I will happily eat my pie (and maybe even try a bit with Nutella with it). Go be creative, y’all! And tell me about your favorite Nutella delicacies, of course!

PB, Nutella & marshmallow cream on bread. I tried this once and almost died.

Laffy Taffys, world climates and natural disasters

Clouds are one of my favorite aspects of “weather.” (sunset in Serbia)

This week in Nashville there was a beautiful 70 degree day, a crazy storm that produced 8 tornadoes, a sudden drop to 20 °F and substantial snow. Like, “you could see it on the ground” substantial.

Welcome to Tennessee! Where no one worries about global warming because, well, it’s always been like this.

Some of my fondest memories growing up include spending spring afternoons in our basement, the tornado siren blaring outside. Occasionally we sat under a mattress. We would listen to radio dramas and eat Laffy Taffys (or, if the power was out, ice cream!). Tornado warnings seemed to come twice a week.

One December, we had enough snow to build a small igloo, and then a few days later, we wore shorts to hike on Christmas Eve.

The crazy weather made me contemplate climates in other parts of the world, so I give you…Carly’s World Weather Lists!

Best overall climate:

Faulconbridge, Australia is rumored to be rated “the most equitable climate” by the World Meteorological Organization. It sits 1, 463 feet above sea level, has evenly distributed rainfall and year-round mild temperatures. If you’re not careful, you might forget there’s such a thing as seasons.

Most alien-like:

Dotted with volcanoes and never free of hazardous gases, Danakil Desert in Ethiopia supposedly has the oddest sights, smells, landscape and temperatures in one location.  Its nickname is “Hell on Earth.” Since there is lava just waiting to bubble over the surface of the ground, temperatures can reach up to 115 degrees regularly! There are salt flats, mineral springs, sulfur pits, lava lakes and acid ponds. It has the only below-sea-level volcano. Although not ideal for a relaxing vacation, Danakil is a hit tourism spot for thrill-seekers. I like thrills, but…I…don’t know…

Biggest temperature range:

Verkhoyansk, a town in Siberia, Russia, has a record high of 99.14 °F. Although that doesn’t sound high, let’s remember that it’s in Siberia. Also, their record low is -93.6 °F, giving the two extremes a difference of almost 200 degrees! And I thought Nashville weather was bipolar.

Most dangerous places to live:

Oklahoma City, OK. has been hit by more tornados than anywhere in the world.

The Phillipines cash in with the most hurricanes – they have up to 20 per year!

Japan and Indonesia are the earthquake capitals of the world. Indonesia has more earthquakes total, but Japan has more earthquakes per square kilometer.

Latacunga, Ecuador has been destroyed by the Cotopaxi Volcano four times in the past 300 years. And yet they keep rebuilding…

Well, the world has some pretty crazy places. I hope you, reading this, stay safe from disasters and have fun in your home’s climate! I still have a few months before tornado season starts, so maybe you’ll get a few more blog posts before my laptop is sucked into a swirling vortex of wind. There’s no place like home!