The Ephesus Museum Is FINALLY Open for Business.

After three years in Turkey and seven trips to Ephesus I was thrilled when last month I saw that the Ephesus Museum was finally open!

My little brother visited me in October and one of our trips out of Istanbul was of course to Ephesus. This was my seventh, SEVENTH, trip (I am the queen of the one day Ephesus/Sirince tour). In the very nearly three years that I've been living in Turkey and coming to Ephesus, the museum, which houses most of the original statues in Ephesus-the ones there are reproductions, has been closed. With no word about when it would be open. However on this trip while taking a short cut from the "Temple" (single remaining, sad, crooked column) of Artemis and the Basilica of Saint John we passed the museum and there were people going in!! Whether he wanted to or not my brother was going to go to the museum with me.

We went to the Basilica first where we discovered that you can buy a combined ticket for things. Since we'd already gone to Ephesus we didn't need that but for 15TL instead of 20 (10 at each place) my brother could buy a combined ticket for the Basilica and museum. Muze Kart holders like myself have free entry to both places.

Almost all my pictures are black and white which I could pretend was on purpose for artistic, aesthetic something something but that would be a bald faced lie. Frankly I was too tired to drag out my big camera so I just used my little point and click on which I have no control over things such as white balance, f-stops, shutter speed, other fancy camera words. It's a miracle I ever manage to take a decent picture really. One of the many reasons I love hanging out with my brother; free camera lessons. He told me something earlier during his visit about shooting in low light and it was like a revelation. My life is never going to be the same.

Zeus. Of course.

A satyr. Dude's creepy, no?

Battle scene made out of mother of pearl

The museum even includes a statue of the god Priapus. A headless statue but I don't think his head is what people recognize when they look at/think about Priapus.

Hello Big Boy...

Priapus, son of Aphrodite and Dionysus, is a minor god in the Greek pantheon who, as a fertility god was the protector of farm animals and male genitalia. Apparently there's a pretty well intact fresco in Pompeii which I'm going to look for when I'm there later this month. Apparently, despite the giant and perpetual erection he was impotent and blamed donkeys for the loss of his honor. Although it seems that he hates donkeys because one thwarted his attempt to rape the goddess Hestia so...I think he didn't have much honor to begin with. You can read Priapus' full details here.

It's really a gorgeous museum. The set up and flow through the rooms is really nice and there's a semi-sheltered outdoor area to the museum as well. Naturally I played with the cat while my brother wandered around. I always joke that no trip is complete unless I have fallen down; well I didn't exactly fall but I'm counting it. As I was crouching down to pet the cat my backpack, laden with camera, extra lens, water bottle, etc., etc. pulled me over backwards. Luckily the result was simply me sitting down super clumsily instead of falling on my back to crush any of the equipment.

Worth a three year wait? Eh, maybe not. Worth taking an hour or so to visit while you're in Selcuk? Definitely. The statues they have in there are stunning and as I said the museum itself is rather lovely.

Turkish Wine of the Week - Suvla 2012 Kirte

Every time I visit the Suvla shop in Cihangir I inquire as to whether or not something new has come out. Last time I hit a jackpot. Suvla has a new Kirte. I've previously blogged about the 2011 Kirte and the 2010 so it's time to see what's going on with the 2012!

Suvla's Kirtes are the same blend of wines as their Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc blend which remains one of my absolute favorite Suvla wines. However, unlike the (unnamed) blend, the Kirtes are oaked. The extra attention also reflects in the price. Whereas the blend hovers around 28TL/bottle, the Kirtes are in the 40TL range.

The 2012 Kirte has a dark and spicy nose with undertones of forest fruits; all of which come through on a palate rich with red and forest fruits, spice, and maybe some cassis. Finished off with medium tannins, a well-rounded amount of acid, and a long finish, the 2012 Kirte is a great wine to pair with steak and other grilled red meats. For my taste, it was a little hot and syrupy so it's not something I would drink on its own.

A nice wine for sure, but for me I'll stick with the blend.

I recently came back from the States with a gift that is my favorite new accessory to my kitchen. It's hard to see in this picture but on the upper right is a wooden sign that says: "ALCOHOL Because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad." I love that my friends know me so well!

Toddler on Assignment: Dark Chocolate Cake

Our family had a birthday celebration yesterday, and I enlisted #MimiAkidi's help with cake preparations. She spent the day terribly excited not just about making a cake, but especially about eating it. 

I started the cake in the morning, by pouring the boiling water over the cocoa powder to let it bloom and let Mimi help me to whisk it and bring it together. In the interest of my own sanity, I did the rest of the cake while she was napping, as baking is a bit of restorative mental therapy for me as much as it is fun for her. But, I prefer to bake alone. 

The recipe I used is a pretty well-known one from Williams Sonoma. The best chocolate cake I've ever had was a W-S box mix I made for a friend about 8 years ago. I decided to make this one from scratch for my husband, and it doesn't disappoint!

First, pour boilin water over the cocoa, and let it cool. It's almost like pudding, but don't do what I did and taste it, because...just don't. Trust me on that one!

Then, cream the butter and sugar, pour in the cooled cocoa mixture, and add eggs and vanilla. 

Alternate additions of flour and buttermilk, until you have a light and creamy batter. 

Pour into a well-greased by ft pan (or two 8" rounds) and bake for 55 minutes at 325 (if using rounds, 45 minutes at 350). 

Invert onto a plate, and cool completely. 

Then, as your toddler would wake up smelling the baking cake, enlist her help in decorating. I chose the most toddler friendly way, and opted to just do powdered sugar. 

Mimi takes her baking very seriously. 

Add candles, and your finished cake is ready to eat!!!

Happy Returns!

So after Andrea's visit to the US, we decided that I should make my return to the Blog after a two year hiatus. Since my last posts, many things have changed for me: I returned to the US from Iraq/Egypt/England, married, started my family (not all in that order!) and settled into a much less exciting life, though still full of food, and adventures of a different sort. 

Going forward, my posts will probably be brief, likely written during the course of nap time, when I have peace and quiet to gather my thoughts (and cook!). However, expect to read about yummy food discoveries, restaurants, and family adventures with a toddler in tow. You can find regular updates on Instagram with the hashtag #MimiAkidi 

So now, shall we get to it then, eh?

Yesterday was Hallowe'en, and we were invited to a party with some neighbor-friends who have a son the same age as our Mimi. As any good party-goer, I came with food in tow, and prepared my go-to Asian-style slaw with Ginger peanut dressing. I use a few cheats, but this one is mostly adapted from Serious Eats. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/asian-slaw-ginger-peanut-dressing-recipe.html

My shortcuts typically include pre-minced ginger and garlic, and pre-chopped cabbage from the grocery store. It'll save you at least 10 minutes!!! This time, I used ginger and garlic from our local farmers market, and pre chopped cabbage, and one extra pepper. The rest of the ingredients, I already had on hand. 

Here's the dressing ready to be whisked together. 

This is how I put the salad together. I think it makes a beautifully colorful presentation. I keep the salad and the dressing separated until it's ready to serve, and then pour over the top and let the flavors come together while at the party. 

This one is a winner, and I think you'll enjoy it too. What are your favorite party recipes?

Turkish Wine of the Week - Yanık Ülke 2013 Strabon

During my buying spree at Sensus they gifted me with a half bottle of Yanık Ülke 2013 Strabon which is a Boğazkere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot blend. It's like a personal bottle of wine! Well, who am I trying to kid? All bottles of wine, regardless of size, are personal sized for me!

The dark, dark, dense red color matched the hot, spicy, smokey nose to perfection. And wow it's got some legs.

What are "legs" anyway? When I first started drinking wine I always looked for them during the swirl stage thinking, erroneously, that they were an indication of quality. Legs are actually an indication of the amount of alcohol in a wine (lots and lots of legs) or with sweeter wines legs that flow more slowly and stickily down the inside of the glass. Considering the hotness in the nose it wasn't really a surprise that this wine had so many legs it could likely run faster than I can.

Although to be fair, just about anytime can run fast than I can.

On the palate the Strabon has some nice tannins, less acid than I expected given the hotness, and lingers well. Flavors of clove and tobacco possibly with some red fruits, however the fruit flavors didn't come through a whole lot for me so I'm not too confident on that note.

Since this was a gift on my way out of the shop I did not get a look at the price, but I'd probably drink it again. I can't say it was fantastic or outstanding but neither did I want to spit it out. 2.8 stars.