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From San Diego with Love

No recipe this time, friends. I’ll be honest - I’ve given myself a short break from cooking up a storm on a daily basis. That break is much needed these days. But it is temporary and food will come back to this blog.

This time I want to take you on a trip to one of California’s most beautiful cities, San Diego, bordering Mexico. It is about 2 hours of driving from Long Beach.  We drove there a couple of weeks ago on a nice sunny day. The plan was to meet up with friends and take the kids to the famous San Diego Zoo. We met with friends, but plans changed - we went sightseeing in the city instead of going to the zoo.

First on our agenda was San Diego Seaport Village - a fabulous waterfront shopping, dining and recreation complex. Then we drove to the Historic Old Town San Diego -  little Mexico, an amazing place filled with history everywhere you turn. There is something for everybody to enjoy there - museums, authentic Mexican restaurants, mariachis, galleries, shops that sell everything from San Diego souvenirs to Mexican sombreros. If you plan to go to San Diego - this is the place to see first and foremost. There are many other places to see in San Diego as well but we didn’t have a chance to see them all - they are on our next trip’s agenda though:)

You can find a lot written about San Diego and its places of interest on the internet. I do not want to dwell on much details - rather, I want you to enjoy the pictures I took during our brief stay in the city. Have fun looking!

Let’s begin. I snapped that very first photo from the car as we we drove on a San Diego highway to the Old City. On the go photography worked pretty well, don’t you think?

Marina in San Diego’s Seaport Village.

Ocean souvenirs for sale in Seaport Village.

I just had to take their picture. Everybody stopped to watch these colorful pals fight then make up.

Amazing colors!

San Diego as seen from our hotel room.

While strolling on a coastal paradise.

San Diego downtown as seen from the car.

Soft sand and breathtaking vistas along the coast.

A very creative store name:)

Continue Reading… From San Diego with Love

Cinnamon-Walnut Apple Roll-Ups (Elmali Kurabiye)

Hello 2012! Hello AZ Cookbook readers! I hope you had a great time during the holidays and ready for another hopefully wonderful for everyone year ahead. I can’t wait to share new recipes with you. I will begin this year’s blogging on a sweet note - with these melt-in-yout-mouth tender roll-ups stuffed with apples. Delicioso! I baked them for the New Year’s eve and everybody loved them. They are so good you just have to make them. And share them with your loved ones. They will love them and love you more and will ask you for the recipe. Enjoy!

Cinnamon-Walnut Apple Roll-Ups (Elmali Kurabiye)

Adapted from “Bereketli Olsun” by Gonul Candas

Note: These little roll-ups are rather popular in Turkey and there are numerous recipes out there to make them. This recipe works for me. I have adapted the original slightly and added detailed directions for your convenience.

For the Filling:
3 apples (I use Granny Smith)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A handful (about 3/4 cup) of finely chopped walnuts (leave them somewhat crunchy, do not chop too finely)

For the Dough:
2+3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
8.8 oz (250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (soft)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fine lemon zest

For the Top:
Powdered sugar

Directions:

Prepare the filling: Peel the apples and grate on a coarse side of a box grater. Place in a frying pan or a wide saucepan. Add sugar and stir to mix. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the released juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the filling cool to room temperature then add walnuts and cinnamon and stir to mix. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar and baking powder. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix and knead until the dough comes together. It will be soft to touch and not tight.

Have 2 ungreased baking sheets ready.

Preheat the oven to 380F (190C).

Divide the dough into 4 parts and shape each into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 9-inch (22 cm) circle. Using a shap knife, cut each circle into 8 wedges. Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling on a wide side of each wedge and roll the wedge up.

Continue Reading… Cinnamon-Walnut Apple Roll-Ups (Elmali Kurabiye)