Christmas Eve in Walla Walla

Brook, Ethan and Kate

Parker House Rolls Production

This year was a double turkey Christmas Eve dinner

Ethan loves the Christmas tree

Joanne with her great grandson, Ethan

Brooke warming by the fire

Christmas Eve dinner

Dinner on Christmas Eve

Joanne's Parker House Rolls

I tried my very first Parker House roll in Walla Walla while spending my first Christmas with Nick’s family. The rolls Nick’s grandmother, Joanne, made were simply delicious. Legend has it when Nick was eleven, he ate as many as 14 in one sitting, accompanied by a complete Christmas Eve dinner—you know, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, Christmas Jello... So of course I asked Joanne for the recipe, and she kindly wrote it out on a card for me.

After making several rather tasteless batches of rolls, I asked Nick’s Aunt Lisa, well known for her humor and excellent cooking, for help.

If one can laugh loudly in an email, Lisa certainly did. The subject line of the first email back to me read: “TEASPOON????”  She suggested that I attempt the recipe using 1/4 cup instead of 1 teaspoon of sugar. I followed Lisa’s advice, and for the first time ever my rolls had a taste and were actually pleasant to eat.

Unbeknownst to me, the sugar measurement saga continued—Lisa and Joanne were vigorously exchanging emails on the subject:

Joanne:  I've never in my life put 1/4 cup of sugar in Parker House rolls! I put in 1 heaping T and that's it.

Lisa:  The recipe that I am using is the one you pointed out in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook [which calls for 1/4 cup of sugar]. … Your T tells me that you use a tablespoon, heaping, correct? Is that a measuring tablespoon or a serving spoon from your silverware? Either a heaping measuring tablespoon or a heaping "tablespoon" from my silverware is about 1/8 cup, so it isn't really that far off.

Joanne:  All this funny stuff about the sugar in the rolls. Actually in both rolls and spaghetti sauce I use one of my big cooking spoons that hang above stove and put in a heaping one of those for the sugar!

Sometime later someone in the family measured the volume of one of those “big cooking spoons that hang above the stove” heaping with sugar, and it came out to be almost exactly 1/4 cup.

A few years have gone by since then, and I have gotten better at making rolls. Besides changing the sugar amount, I made two other minor adjustments to Joanne’s original recipe:

• I use butter instead of Crisco.
• I make the dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge. Putting the dough into the cold might sound like blasphemy to Joanne, but a slow rise gives bread more flavor. Plus, doing so allows me to do half the work the night before.

Joanne no longer cooks, and other people in the family take on the responsibility of preparing the Christmas Eve dinner. Everyone tries to help, and I have been making a triple batch of Parker House rolls for the last two years. Hopefully the family will not bar me from doing so again, now that I am publicly revealing my changes to Joanne’s original recipe.

Joanne’s Parker House Rolls as written on my card

• In a large bowl:
• 1 Tbsp suga
• 1 tsp salt
• In a small pan:
• scald 1 cup milk with 2 or 3 Tbsp of Crisco
• Stir, don’t let boil
• Pour over sugar/salt in a bowl, stir to dissolve
• Let cool to just warm
• Add 1 beaten egg
• Add 2 ¼ tsp dry yeast dissolved in very warm water (not too hot)
• Stir in 1 cup of flour (will be lumpy)
• Stir in 1 more cup flour, beating well and scraping off sides of bowl
• Measure 1 more cup flour, add about ¾ cup. If dough is still sticky add rest of flour. If dough is stiff, don’t add flour.
• Beat dough vigorously with large spoon, scrape sides and bottom of bowl beating air into the dough
• Cover with dish cloth. Set in a warm spot. Let rise 2 hours.
• Roll out (to about 1/2”) on floured pastry cloth, rolling pin has cloth cover as well.
• Use 2 ½” cookie cutter, dab melted butter on each. Stretch circle, fold over and press top edge down on greased sheet. (Will keep rolls from popping open.)
• Bake @ 400F. Check at 8 min – 10 min max. Will be lightly brown.

Joanne’s Parker House Rolls with a few adjustments

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of milk
• 3 Tbsp of butter + more butter melted to brush the rolls
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 3 cups of flour (more for rolling out the dough)

1. Combine sugar, salt, milk and butter in a small pot, scold, but don’t let boil. (If it boils, it is ok). When the butter, sugar and salt dissolve, take off the heat and let cool. 
2. In a cup, dissolve yeast in warm water, and let it stand for 5-10 minutes. 
3. When the milk/butter mixture cools (I sometimes use ice baths to speed up the process), stir in the beaten egg, and the yeast/water mixture. (The milk/butter mixture should not feel hot—you don’t want to cook the egg or kill the yeast).
4. Stir in 2 cups of flour one at a time, beating well with a large spoon and scraping off the sides.
5. Measure 1 more cup of flour, but only add about 3/4 of the cup. Only add more flour if the dough still feels sticky. The dough should remain a little sticky. (Note: When doubling or tripling the recipe, sometimes more flour is needed.)
6. Beat dough vigorously with a large spoon (or knead with your hands) beating air into the dough.
1. To make a day ahead: cover the bowl tightly and place in the refrigerator. The next day, bring to room temperature before rolling the dough out.
2. To make the day of: cover with a dish cloth, set in a warm spot, and let rise for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
8. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness on floured surface. (I do not use a pastry cloth or a cloth cover for the rolling pin.)
9. Use 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles in the dough.
10. Dab or brush melted butter on each circle.
11. Stretch each circle, fold it over (in half) and press the top edge down.
12. Cover with a dish cloth, set in a warm spot, and let rise for about an hour.
13. Bake in 400F oven for 8-10 minutes. The rolls should be just lightly brown.

New Greeting Cards

Click on the image to read more...

Our Last Day in Istanbul

Sadly, today was our last full day in Istanbul.  So we tried to plan in careful to make sure we did not miss anything important.

View from the roof terrace of our hotel

We finally visited the Little Hagia Sophia--a small mosque, that was a Byzantine church, the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, completed shortly before Hagia Sophia was built.  Some theories exist that this building influenced the design of Hagia Sophia.

The Apse of the Little Hagia Sophia

The Little Hagia Sophia is very close to the water--the Sea of Marmara.  So to reach our next destination, Valens Aquaduct, we had to scamper up a steep hill.  Curiously, the neighborhood we walked through was full of shops supplying fabric and accesories for making shoes and bags.  We also got to walk through an area teeming with students of Istanbul University--an interesting crowd.  The Valens Aquaduct, impressively large with cars running under it, was built by the Romans in the late 4th century. 

Valens Aquaduct

Next, our attempt to visit the Suleyman Mosque was not particularly successful.  Even though the mosque was supposed to reopen in August, it is still closed for restoration.  Moreover, the tombs of Suleyman and his wife, Roxelana, were also closed. 

Slightly disappointed we headed back to the Galata Bridge, where we enjoyed watching the ships and crowds go by while eating some "balik ekmek", fish sandwichs, for lunch.

Eminonu, area near the Galata Bridge

Preparing balik ekmek

Our next adventure was to cruise the Bosphorus.  The boat we went on sailed under the Bosphorus Bridge and up to the second bridge along the straight.  Along the way we saw many enormous cargo ships heading towards the Black Sea.  With Turkish techno music blasting through the speakers, we sailed by Rumeli Fortress, used by the Ottomans to control Bosphorus. 

Cruising under the Bosphorus Bridge

After the cruise we did a bit more shopping at the Grand Bazaar and enjoyed our last cups of chai and apple tea.  In the end, we never did set foot in Asia, unless being on a boat that is docked in Asia counts. 

Nick next to a singular column in the Underground Cistern

We were on our way to dinner when we realized that the Underground Cistern was still open--so we decided to go in again, and the second visit was well worth it.  We had the place pretty much to ourselves--a lovely end our adventures.

We will have to return to Istanbul, at least for the following reasons:

• To eat more fish sandwichs, kofti and fried anchovies
• To go inside Suleyman Mosque when it reopens after restoration
• To visit Hagia Sophia again (which unfortunately was closed today)
• Just because Istanbul is a beatiful city... The list can go on and on.

Istanbul: Exploring the New District

Before crossing the Golden Horn to the New District, Nick and I visited the Rüstem Paşa mosque.  It is a small mosque not far from the Spice Market, whose exterior and interior are richly decovered with 16th century Iznik tiles. 

Nick under the portico covering the courtyard of the Rüstem Paşa mosque

Having spent a considerable amount of time obsorbing the tiles' floral patterns, we crossed the Galata Bridge and visited the well hidden (down a tiny alley) and rather empty Museum of Turkish Jews.  For example, I did not know that in the 1930s the Turkish government invited many German and Austrian Jewish scietists and professors to relocate and continue their work in Turkey in order to escape the Nazi regime. 

Our next adventure was the Galata Tower.  There was quite a crowd on the viewing platform, but the views were well worth the pushing and shoving.

View of the Bosphorus Straight and Bosphorus Bridge from Galata Tower

After the tower we continued walking up the hill and soon reached Istiklal Street--the main pedestrian "drag" of the New District.  This street was very busy as promised by our guide book, but pleasantly there were as many (if not more) locals as tourists strolling by.  We followed Istiklal Caddesi all the way up to Taksim Square.  On the way we counted at least 3 Burger King joints, several Starbucks cafes, and a few clothing stores whose names we actually recognized, among many other fancy stores, cafes and restaurants full of locals. 

Looking down Istiklal Caddesi

Taksim Square was partially closed off to pedestrians, and it was only after we got back to our hotel that we realized that there was a suicide bombing there in the morning. 

Republic Monument in Taksim Square

From Taksim Square we walked down to the water on the Bosphorus Straight and enjoyed the sunset.

Bosphorus Bridge



With Bosphorus Bridge behind me

Nick with Hagia Sophia in the background



The Istanbul Walkathon

We started our day rather tamely--at the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, where the carpets and tiles were beautiful, and at least half of the exposition was closed for restoration. 

Only an hour later we took a taxi to the Chora Church to view its amazing mosaics.  I mention the taxi mainly to underline the fact that the Chora Church is about 4 miles away from the Sultanahmet district of the Old Town. 

The mosaic pieces used for the jars are actually pieces of terra-cotta

After looking at the mosaics in the Chora Church, we sort of, kind of messed up, and did not eat lunch before continuing on our journey.  We climbed the walls of the city (Constantinople had multiple walls, and these were the Walls of Theodosius, built in the 4th century) for some some amazing views.

Afterwards, we marched through several neighborhoods, thankfully yet untouched by hords of tourists.  The lack of tourist industry can be a blessing and a curse, in particularly the latter if you really need to eat. 

Tekfur Palace--the world's only surviving Byzantine palace

About two hours after leaving the church and losing all hope of finding real food (little corner shops selling potato chips do not count), we came upon a little restaurant and decided to go in.  We were clearly the only non-locals, but the waiter was extremely nice, and the food was very good.  I guess we just got really lucky. 

After lunch, we strolled along the Golden Horn for about two more miles until we reached the Galata Bridge.  The pedestrian and automobile traffic was horrandous, but nevertheless we made it to the Spice Market about an hour before it closed.

The Spice Market was very crowded, and merchants lost no time trying to get us to buy something from them.  I actually found it harder to shop here than at the Grand Bazaar.  We quickly learned that prices visible outside the shop are not necessarily honored in the shop.  Finally all "spiced" out we walked out and turned onto a street busy with shops selling similar items, but to locals.  Prices here turned out to be lower, and the merchandise also included things like a dozen varieties of olives, feta cheese, and fish.

We rewarded ourselves for all the miles walked by eating dinner at the Adonin restaurant.  The food was good, but for a noticably higher price we got significantly worse service here than in Pasazade, where we ate yesterday.

Istanbul in the Rain ...and Wind

Honestly, we did not explore Istanbul in the rain.  Having learned our lesson in Prague last summer (e.g. do not stand under a gargoyle spouting water...), we used two criteria for visiting a "sight": is what we want to see indoors, and how much walking would we have to do to get there.  And the Thursday finalists were Istanbul Archaelogical Museum and the Grand Bazaar.

Far from being an archaelogy buff, I still got excited about a few things in the Archaelogical Museum:

• Alexander Sarcophagus--The sarcophagus did have Alexander the Great portrayed on the sides, but it was carved for another king

  

  

  The Tetrarchs: the statues are now in Venice, but the heel is in Istanbul

  
• Tetrarchs' Heel--Remember those double porphyry statues of the Tetrarchs in the Piazza of San Marco in Venice.  We saw them last summer.  They were actually from Constantinople (as were the four hourses on top of the Saint Mark's Basilica), and one of them is missing a foot.  Now we saw the missing foot here in Istanbul.
• The Tiled Kiosk--a small 15th century building exhibiting cool tiles
• A piece of chain that was strung across from Constantinople to Galata Tower (from sometime before 10th century till at least the 15th century) to prevent unwanted ships from entering the Golden Horn

In the Grand Bazaar we were thankfully not harassed nearly as much as we expected.  The bazaar was very festive as it was the eve of the Turkey Republic Day. 

We went to sleep on Thursday to the sounds of the winds wailing.  The next morning--today--it was still really windy, but the rain subsided a little bit, so we decided to brave the weather and tour the Topkapi Palace. 

Apparently many many other people decided to tour the Topkapi Palace today as well. (Because today is a holiday in Turkey, both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market were closed, which probably did not help.)

Nick in front of some tiles in the Harem of Topkapi Palace

In short, the pros:

• the Harem was relatively uncrowded and full of tiles
• Helen is addicted to looking at tiles, and hence loved the Harem

and the cons:

• we froze to death while fighting the crowds
• the European porcelain exhibit was closed

Helen in front of tiles, of course, in the Harem of Topkapi Palace

After touring the palace, we headed towards the Galata Bridge.  And this is when finally the sun came out.

Fishermen on the Galata Bridge, with the view of Galata Tower in the background. 
And the sun is out!!!

We were going to tour the Spice Market, but this was when we found out that it was closed.  So we just wondered through the back streets. 

Local boys sliding down a street

We finished the evening with a nice dinner at Pasazade (where amazingly the prices were the same as at a place we had lunch yesterday, but service and food were several levels above that) and a nice stroll by Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia at night

Our First Full Day in Istanbul

We are staying in Sultanahmet district of the Old Town, which means that we are just a couple of short blocks away from many of the "must see" sights here in Istanbul.  Without doing much walking, we visited three of them today. 

Underground Cistern
Built in the 6th century by Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the Underground Cistern is an enormous underground chamber that can and used to store water.  It supplied water to the Great Palace of Constantinople and later to the Topkapi Palace. 

The cistern was restored in the 1980s and the walkways were added to allow public access.  Before the walkways, visistors had to rent boats and row around in the dark.  Rain water still accumulates in the cistern today due to cracks in the mortor, and shockingly the water is teeming with fish, some of it quite large, but the excess water is pumped out regularly.

In the Underground Cistern, by a one of the two Medusa heads "squeezed" in under a pillar

Hagia Sophia
We have been really looking forward to going inside Hagia Sophia--the Great Church of Constantinople (built in the 6th century), later converted into a mosque (15th century), and now a museum. 

In the process of restoration, there has been layers of mosaics uncovered under layers of plaster and paint.  The restoration continues, but you can see parts of these layers in different parts of this magnificent building. 

Nick admiring Viking graffiti (from the 9th century) in Hagia Sophia

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque
The mosque, built in early 17th century, is one of many churches and mosques whose architectural design uses many elements of Hagia Sophia.  It is popularly known as the Blue Mosque because the color dominates the wall designs and tiles decorating the mosque's interior.

Inside the inner courtyard of the Blue Mosque, ready to go inside

Unlike Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque is an active mosque, so all visitors are required to have their shoulders and knees covered.  Our faithful guide, Rick Steves, tells us that women should also cover their heads with a scarf.  While it is not required, it is appreciated as a sign of respect.  So we followed his suggestion.

When we left the Blue Mosque, we discovered that a nice gray turned into a rainy and windy one.  So we did not do much of anything else, except for eating an excellent meal at Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi (click on this link to see exactly the food we had).  This restaurant was not only recommended by the venerable Rick Steves, but also by our dear friend, American in London.

Istanbul: The First Glimpse

We could have easily fallen asleep as soon as we got to our hotel, but it was not even 5pm here yet.  So Nick and I ventured out for the first glimpse of the city and a bite to eat.  The real sightseeing will start tomorrow. 

Hagia Sophia, first completed in 537A.D., built in just 5 years

Blue Mosque, built in 7 years, completed in 1616

Leaf Peeping in the White Mountains

All these years we have been talking about going leaf peeping and we finally did it. In early October we drove up to New Hampshire looking for some colorful foliage.

Our ambitious plans involved hiking the entire 9 miles of the Franconia Ridge Loop, an extremely popular hike, hailed to be one of the best in New England.

Always reluctant to get up early, we had to improvise a spot in the trailhead parking. Despite the day being rather overcast, we were not alone, when we started hiking along the Old Bridle Path. As we gained elevation, the sun started peeking out from the clouds lighting up the golden valley below.


Views from the Old Bridle Path

As we surmounted the “three agonies” on our way to the Greenleaf Hut, we found ourselves and the path well hidden from view by a milky fog. We have reached the clouds.

The Greenleaf Hut was buzzing with hikers. Everything (everything! including garbage) has to be carried in and out of the hut along the same hiking trail we just climbed. Yet for just a couple bucks, the hut crew offered hikers freshly made cookies, and bread, and even hot potato soup, which Nick and I could not resist despite having packed enough food for twelve.

More Views from the Old Bridle Path

It was while sitting in the comfort of the hut and enjoying the steaming peppery potato soup that we decided to turn back. It was almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon and we have only covered about a third of the journey we originally planned. Hidden in the clouds, the ridge did not promise clear views of the landscape. The waters of Dry Brook were at least knee high. If we continued onto the loop, we would have to cross this brook several times, and the idea of wading through icy waters just did not sound as appealing as it usually does.

Dry Brook at the end of the Falling Waters Trail,
which we did not hike

Our descent along the Old Bridle Path was not necessarily made easier by gravity, as we clambered down large smooth rocks. Nevertheless we safely made it back as the sun started to set over the White Mountains. Despite the last minute route change, we deemed our hike a great success.