Limes...

There are mysteries that will never be solved and questions that will never be answered.  One such question is why aren't limes available in Marrakech?  The land is flush with lemon trees, meyer lemon trees, bitter oranges, naval oranges, juicy juice oranges for that perfect glass of orange juice and even clementines.  So why oh why no limes?

Thankfully for us lime lovers, for two short months you can get imported limes.  They are expensive, come in small batches and can be found at just one store (luckily for me, said store is right next to the boys school).  Such a treat when they are here that calls and text messages are sent out to notify friends of their availability.

Today as I saw my stockpile of limes gleaming next to the last of this seasons strawberries it seemed the perfect time to make Basil Infused Strawberry Limeade.

The perfect accompanying tablecloth, no?

It is the ideal summer quencher for a family cocktail hour.  The children and non-drinkers can drink it straight up and if an adult is so inclined, they can spike it with vodka, gin or tequila.

BASIL INFUSED STRAWBERRY LIMEADE
Juice of 6-8 Persian Limes
3 Cups of Water (still or sparkling depending on your preference)
6-8 Strawberries
Basil Simple Syrup (see below recipe)

Combine the lime juice and water in a pitcher. Slowly add the basil simple syrup while tasting until you find your desired balance of sweet/sour.  Hull and slice the strawberries.  Add Strawberries to pitcher and stir.  The limeade will soon turn to a pretty shade of pink.  You may either chill in the refrigerator or add ice and serve.

Basil Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Handful of Basil Leaves
Boil the sugar and water until clear, turn the heat off and add the basil leaves.  Allow the basil to steep in simple syrup for 15 minutes. Remove the basil and cool syrup.

A birthday wish...

Many wishes I have made in 38 years...

Wishes for my prince charming while blowing dandelion weeds.

Wishes for travel to far away lands on shooting stars.

Wishes for healthy children while tossing pennies into fountains.

Last weekend I was surrounded by my loving husband, my sweet boys and the friends, boys and dogs that took a weekend and traveled to the coast of Morocco to celebrate. We laughed, gorged on lobster, crab and fish, played in the sand, toasted with champagne, watched a kite soar in the sky, admired the magnificent gardens of the hotel and even saw wild flamingos. When the time came for me to blow out the candles, I knew there was only one wish left to make...

More days just like these.

A beautiful weekend with beautiful friends!

Crab, crab and crab!

Lobster grilled on a rock

The boys playing in the sand

Milan...

Holger called me up one day this past fall and asked, "What are we doing the weekend of the 14th?" We had no plans, but he had a surprise for me. "Want to go to Milan?  By yourself..."

Two weeks later I was on a plane to Milan for 3 nights and 4 days of...

A room all to myself, to sleep as long as I wish...

Four Seasons Milan

Delicious food and wine...

Squash Blossoms with Ricotta and Olive Dust,  Four Seasons Milan

Spectacular sights...

Duomo di Milano

                                                                                             

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci

                                                                

A performance at Teatro alla Scala...                                                  

Teatro alla Scala

                                                             
Leisurely walks...

Via Della Spiga

Beautiful clothes, bags and shoes...

Prada Flagship Store at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

  

Four glorious days all to myself in a beautiful city.

Hope you can take 15 minutes, an hour or a weekend to do as you wish...

Pancakes for dinner...

When I was a little girl, every so often my mom would serve us breakfast for dinner.  Sometimes it was eggs, grits and bacon.  Sometimes it was blintzes with ricotta cheese and blueberries.  What was on the menu didn't matter as much as the idea.  It was fun and a change from the normal routine. So tonight, when Max asked for Pancakes I was happy to oblige...

I made the pancake mix.  Pulled out the ridiculously expensive, but mediocre maple syrup I bought in Paris (maple syrup is not available in Marrakech).  Heated up the pan and started cooking the pancakes.  After just two pancakes were finished, I heard the sound.  That little hiss signifying that the gas is going out. Oh no, please not now.  Then poof! The flame was gone...

Gas stoves work a bit different here then they do in most places.  Here, portable gas tanks are hooked up to our stoves, so when the tank is empty, it must be replaced.  Replacing the tank is no quick exercise. The whole process normally takes an hour or two. First, the assistance of a guardian is enlisted. The guardian will then come to the kitchen to unhook the tank, carry it outside to his motorbike where he balances it on the top of his handlebars and goes zooming off in search of a replacement.  The hanout across the street seems to carry them, but based on the hour or so the guardian is normally gone, he must not be purchasing locally.  A knock at the door signifies the return of a full tank.  The guardian will hook it up, I pay him 40 dirhams (about 4 euros) and we are good to go for another 2 or 3 months.

The empty tank under our stove

It was already 7:00PM.  A new tank to finish the pancakes was not going to arrive until well after the boys should be in bed asleep.  Going next door to finish the pancakes didn't seem reasonable.  Dreading the disappointment, I did the best I could.  I took out two plates, put one pancake on each, sliced some nectarines, opened yogurts, poured milk, removed the cap off the maple syrup, set the table and hoped for the best as I called the boys to dinner. 

The boys cheered in joy when they saw the table and sat down.  Maple syrup was enthusiastically poured and pancakes devoured.  Now the moment I feared... they asked for more.  I explained the situation, offered seconds of nectarines and held my breath.  To my great surprise, there was no melt down, no fit, just a thank you when the second helpings came to the table.
 
Tonight the boys reminded me... sometimes, just a little bit is all you need. 

Where is Alex?

Hmmm... it seems quiet.  Where is Alex?

Moved the kitchen chair over, crawled up on the

counter and helped himself to the box of Jeff de Bruges Chocolates

I received as a hostess gift the night prior. 

Oops! Busted...

.

Thank goodness he didn't find where the Easter Bunny was hiding the bunnies and eggs!

 

Lunch at the beach...

At first glance there are no signs that a meal at one of Oualida's finest restaurants awaits you.

 

Instead of valet,  boats are parked haphazardly around the beach.  The very boats that have been working all morning to catch the days specials.

Instead of professionally placed decor and piped in Muzak, the view is the vast Atlantic and the background music is waves crashing onto the beach.

Bright plastic tapis in place of starched white linen.

That's right, no printed menus with listed prices here... instead you are welcomed to check the nets yourself and negotiate a fair price.

On the beach of Oualidia, the fishermen eagerly await to show you the days catches, bargain a price with you, grill and serve you with a smile.

We couldn't pass a chance to have a lunch on the beach al a marocaine. Crabs, langostine and sole were washed, grilled and served with nothing more than lemons. Wine and Beer not included in the meal, but available to purchase around the corner or BYOB.  If listed on Tripadvisor we would give them 5 stars.  

Many thanks to Tanja, Eben, Barnaby and Inigo for showing us a wonderful time in Oualidia.  Looking forward to many more trips back! 

The yogurt aisle...

Morocco has the largest yogurt aisles I have ever seen.  Here, in my regular grocery store, there must be close to 100 different varieties of yogurt products and flavors.

At first glance it looks like a pretty comprehensive collection of yogurt products. There is pomegranate raibi, yogurts mixed with cereal, wonderful flavors such as fig or pistachio and standards such as strawberry and vanilla. There is however, in my humble opinion, one very important item missing... Greek Yogurt.

When we first arrived, time was spent searching this aisle very closely thinking I might be missing it and then wondering why it wasn't available.  Oh how I missed it, the rich and silky texture, the copious amounts of protein... What to do? Well, make it myself of course!

Since moving to Marrakech, I have spent quite a bit of time figuring out how to adapt recipes and create items that we like and want, but that are not readily available. For example, I now make my own sriracha, vanilla extract, candied ginger and even foam dish washing liquid.

For each project, the process is the same. Internet searches provide a plethora of recipes that I read, compare and combine.  I then gather ingredients and materials and start experimenting. Sometimes it goes horribly wrong and sometimes it is amazing. Whatever the turnout, I always have fun and am left with a feeling of accomplishment when the desired product is achieved.

To make Greek Yogurt, the following process has worked well for me. Perhaps you would like to try as well?

1 Liter of milk
2 Tablespoons of prepared yogurt containing live active bacteria
Candy Thermometer
Double Boiler
Cheesecloth
Strainer
Pour milk (reserve 2 tablespoons and set aside) into double boiler and heat to 180 degrees. 

While milk is heating, mix the reserved milk with 2 tablespoons of prepared yogurt in a separate bowl.  Once milk reaches 180 degrees, remove from heat and cool to 105 degrees. While milk is cooling turn oven on to warm and turn oven light on.  When milk reaches 105 mix in reserved milk and yogurt mixture and transfer to ceramic or glass bowl.  Cover bowl with kitchen towel.  Turn oven off, but keep oven light on.  Place covered bowl in oven and keep it there for about 8 hours or overnight.

Yogurt should be pretty set. You might have a greenish liquid sitting on top. This is whey and perfectly fine.  Just drain it off.

Place yogurt in refrigerator for about 3 hours to thicken. 

Line strainer with 4 pieces of cheesecloth and place on top of a bowl.  Put yogurt into cheesecloth lined strainer and place back in refrigerator to further drain and thicken, an hour or so should do it. Voila! You have made Greek yogurt.

For an extra treat, I like to top mine with honey. The above honey is Xunaan Cab, Miel de abeja Melipona.  It was a gift from my friend Eben and is really something special. It comes from a small batch producer in Merida, Mexico. Next time you are over, ask for a taste, I might let you try it.

We met in Houston... together we played tennis, learned to salsa and oh yeah, worked. They left for Paris and three years later we left for Marrakech. Since then, the guys have had dinner in Moscow, lunch in Paris and a meeting in Lisbon. We girls met for dinner one night in Paris.  Last night, all four together, we had drinks at our home in Marrakech and dinner in the Medina.

Maria and Francisco requested adventure for the night so we decided on dinner in the Medina.  A cab took us from our home to the Medina.  A man with a lantern met us at the cab and escorted us through a winding brick street.  We passed by a man sewing leather to make sandals and bags, another man hand painting delicate floral designs on a large door, smoky grills topped with meat and children playing soccer.  When we arrived to a large lit wood plank door we were welcomed in...

We sat beneath the open roof amid candle light. Dinner was a selection of Moroccan salads (lentils, spiced pureed carrots, cauliflower with cumin, eggplant caviar, broiled green peppers with tomatoes), briouates filled kefta and goat cheese, tasty tajines (mine was lamb and quince, yum!), red wine and how else would we finish a Moroccan meal? Mint tea of course!

At midnight we toasted Happy Birthday to Maria and to their 12th Wedding Anniversary.  How wonderful to be able to celebrate with them both here in Marrakech!

When and where will we will see you next?  Hope it is somewhere fabulous soon! xx