Drea’s Food Adventures

For those of you who don’t know, Coralie and I met during a master’s program filled with very adventurous people. We started this whole blog because we were continents apart and missed each other — and we love to share our travel food adventures here with you: Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and more!

That’s why we’re excited to introduce you to a new food blog, from one of our friends from our grad school days: Drea’s Food Aventures. Drea and her fiance Eliot made plans, saved their money, and quit their jobs in order to travel for seven months. Their itinerary focuses on four countries (Nepal, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia), which allows them to really soak in a culture and live like a local (that is, very cheaply). In addition to a great narrative about the food they’re eating, Drea and Eliot also discuss the logistics behind their grand trek in posts like this one about money. Enjoy!

Drea’s Food Aventures

Pantry Chicken Pot Pie and the Midwestern casserole

There’s a time every fall where I get nostalgic for the Midwest and the church casseroles of my youth. When I was first learning to cook I was amazed at how easy these casseroles were, less about skill and more about assembly, helped primarily through the heavy usage of canned cream of mushroom soup. Tuna noodle, green bean, tater tot — there was a short window of time in college where I churned out these heavy baked dishes like there was no tomorrow.

What can I say — my baby ain’t pretty, but she’s got a great personality.

Will draw for food – Hurricane Sandy benefit

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let y’all food-interested people know about a neat fundraiser going on tomorrow.

It’s called Will Draw For Food and works like this:

1. Donate $20 or more, tell them your favorite food
2. On Friday an artist will draw your food, interpreting it as they will
3. The donation goes towards the NYC Food Bank

They’ve got a variety of different donation levels (want a food poem?), and although you do give up pretty much all artistic control, regardless you know the money’s going somewhere good.

I will be sure to share my illustration when it arrives! I also happened to be the 100th donor, so supposedly there will be some sort of surprise bonus added in… 🙂

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup and my Sandy story

I will admit — living several hours inland in North Carolina, in the mental bubble that is graduate school, I didn’t pay attention to the Hurricane Sandy warnings. In fact, it was just a few days before it hit that the severity of the issue even registered to me, when I was talking with a neighbor who recommended I finish my yard work before “the rains get real bad.” Wait, what?!

Pear-Raspberry Tart and a goodbye to Everyday Food

This fall, I have been happily cooking through my latest copy of Everyday Food magazine — the latest, this delicious pear-raspberry tart.

Sweet Potato Chipotle Hash

My mom has always maintained that she’s not a great homemaker, she’s just a lazy one. So she’s perfected her own blend of simple, tasty, and efficient meals, as well as little tricks she consistently does around the home to reduce her housework load. My mom always “tut-tuts” at me and my inefficient messes, but some of her desire for simplicity has definitely rubbed off on me — sometimes I think this blog should be renamed “easy things Lin dreams up because she’s a lazy/tired/busy/poor grad student.” And fortunately for us, laziness does not mean un-deliciousness! (Let the internets learn that I’m definitely not an English grad student…)

End-of-Summer Vegetable Rice Casserole

Last week I was invited to dinner at a girlfriend’s home in Durham. She served a variation on this casserole with a nice green salad and I thought to myself, “How lovely and American!” primarily given that my Chinese sensibilities would never mix rice and cheese … which, in retrospect, was not quite the right thing to think given that my friend is actually Canadian 🙂

Triangle Restaurant Week: ONE Restaurant in Chapel Hill

I normally don’t write posts immediately after enjoying a meal (which results in a lot of lost blogging opportunities, whoops), but due to the time-sensitive nature of this one I figured I’d pop it up. It’s currently Triangle Restaurant Week here in North Carolina, and I had a great experience last night at ONE Restaurant in Chapel Hill that I wanted to share with y’all. Enjoy this special before TRW ends (June 5-10).

Mira’s Ukranian Potato Salad

A recipe given to me by one of our dear friends — Mira’s Ukranian-style potato salad is always a hit at summer picnics and a great way to welcome in the warmer weather!

Carmelized Shallot and Sundried Tomato Macaroni and Cheese

Bits and pieces of this recipe popped up in my head this week and just wouldn’t let go ’till I made it. 🙂 It’s a creamy, decadent take on the American comfort food classic, full of flavor, and made start-to-finish on the stovetop.