Hi, my name is Carly! In 2021 I moved to my husband Berke’s hometown in Turkey and dove headfirst into the “Mediterranean diet”. The flavors felt familiar — I grew eating lamb, grape leaves, and baklava — and Turkish food is amazing, especially the comforting home-style dishes made by moms and grandmas.
Not long after moving, I had a bit of a meltdown because I suddenly craved Dunkin’s chocolate munchkins. As much as I love them, I realized I only wanted them because I couldn’t buy them here. Berke searched online for a recipe, rushed to the store to buy all the chocolate and sugar he could find and we got to work (messy, but worth it).
The lack of food diversity in our town was harder for me than anything else about moving to a new country. I quickly missed my favorite Thai restaurant in Washington, D.C., the best pizza in the world from back home in Connecticut, the bowl of ramen I think about more often than I’d like to admit from Durham, N.C., and the “Taco Tuesdays” we’d make at home in the summer to go with a crisp margarita.
It’s a good thing I love to cook- I started collecting recipes to recreate takeout favorites, family classics, and new dishes I discovered along the way. Sometimes, recipes are easy: chicken parmesan is chicken, tomato sauce, and cheese, regardless of where you are in the world. Other times, recipes call for ingredients I can’t find no matter how hard we try (ancho chiles- or lack thereof- will be the death of me). That’s when the real fun begins!
This blog is where I share my love for food, cooking feats and fails, and new recipes (for me) inspired by my life in Turkey. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I do!