Monday, January 10, 2011

12,000 Miles Traveled...


12,000 miles later...I am back on US soil.  


This winter holiday, I flew from San Diego to Cleveland, OH; from Cleveland, OH to Oslo, Norway; and from Oslo, Norway back to America's Finest City. I relished the quality time with family, caught up with cherished friends, and spent bliss-filled days with my fantastic boyfriend.  I caught snowflakes on my tongue, froze my butt off in the ice and cold, and shed tears when my flight was cancelled (a second time!) due to winter weather.  I was lucky enough to eat fresh homemade bread almost everyday, to give hugs even more often, and to learn to make German Linzertorte from my grandma.  On multiple occasions, I ate till I thought I would burst, but I don't regret a single bite.   I came back a few pounds heavier, slightly exhausted, but throughly relaxed and very happy.




With Christmas, New Years, and my whole winter vacation over, the feeling of letdown is heavy in the air.  Yet, the haze is parted when I think of my passion for eating well and all the amazing food that I can't wait to share with you in 2011.  




In my last post (I had a giveaway, I haven't forgotten!), I asked what you might like to see here on The Cilantropist.  Overall, many expressed they felt the content was just the right variety of recipes between sweet and savory and they loved this place just the way it is.  Fantastic!  Hearing this thrilled me to pieces, but we all know nothing is perfect.  So here's what you thought: 




-With New Years resolutions in mind, many of you are on a health kick and want MORE VEGGIES!  I do too, so great minds think alike.  
-More main dishes especially those that can be made quickly after work, or taken to work for lunch would be appreciated.   
-Anything specifically designed to feed hungry spouses is a plus. Comfort food makes you happy.    
-Some of you seem to think I am an expert baker (I am flattered!) and want to see more cakes/cookies/breads.  I will undoubtedly not disappoint on this front.  
-And finally, I appear to be running a sober operation here since I have no cocktails.  I should change that. 


I will do my absolute best to address each of these requests, and I hope you will follow along!  In the meantime, I might suggest one dish that was a veeeery early post from my blog... Spiced Lemon Cilantro Chicken Soup.  It has veggies and is healthy.  It can be a quick weeknight dinner.  You could take leftovers for lunch.  It is not a cocktail, but it is still soul-warmingly delicious and very quick to make.  


And now I would very much like to succumb to jet-lagged induced sleep, but I want to tell you the winner of my giveaway...  


Congrats to Joy Strancar!!!  


She wins the cookbook of her choice!  Though Joy does not have a blog, she is one of my loyal readers and a talented cook; she will undoubtedly use her brand new cookbook to whip up some amazing dishes!  Many thanks to Joy and everyone else for faithfully following The Cilantropist, and for thoughtful feedback. 


And for those that are interested, I will have posts up soon with more pictures from my holiday and vacation, and of course new recipes... Stay tuned.  



33 comments:

  1. Wow, lucky you! I'd love to visit Scandinavia and in particular Norway. My dream destination. Gorgeous landscapes!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I hope to take a visit to Norway sometime while I'm here in Paris. Your pictures are really motivating me to make it happen!

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  3. Welcome home and happy new year! Looking forward to reading (even) more of your great stuff!

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  4. Norway!? Wow! I can't wait to hear about your trip.

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  5. Amanda- my winter holiday was similar to yours except on my way to visit family in Romania, I got stuck in London (4 inches of snow shut down Heathrow) for 7 days. That experience taught me to let go and enjoy the people I was with- my mom, my husband, and our daughter. We made it to Romania for Christmas and we could not have been happier! Happy new year to you and many happy travels!

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  6. Those are BEAUTIFUL photos! Simply stunning. Welcome home, sweets ;)

    Jax x

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  7. I've got massive trip envy right now. Actually, I already had serious trip envy, but it's been escalated to massive now that I've seen your photos... pure gorgeousness! Sigh. I've just moved Norway several slots higher on my list of Places I Absolutely Have To Visit One Day.
    Glad to hear you had a wonderful holiday, despite flight issues. Coming home is a bit of a letdown, I agree, but just think of all the wonderful places you'll go next! :)

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  8. Welcome back - Let's get together soon!

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  9. Hello ! wonderful pics and great resolutions for the new year; looking forward to read more!

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  10. Love the blog and can't wait to read and cook more with you!

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  11. hi Amanda
    Welcome back! I'm glad you had such wonderful trip, thank you so much for sharing those great images with us!
    cheers
    Dennis

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  12. Welcome back Amanda! I'm so looking forward to see more pics about Norway and more and more and more new recipes :)

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  13. Glad you're back. Can't wait to see the other pictures.

    So, sounds like you will be making more sweet, savoury, desserts, cocktails... everything basically! Looking forward to a good 2011. Fingers crossed.

    Cheers.

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  14. Looks so beautiful but brrrrrr... COLD. Thanks for sharing the photos.

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  15. Welcome back, Amanda! Glad you had such a lovely holiday! BTW, it's been so cold up here lately, I almost feel as though we're in Norway!

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  16. Sounds like a wonderful vacation, all except the flight cancellations :) MMM...fresh bread, I made some yesterday-first time and butter too :)

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  17. Welcome back. Look forward to your great posts in 2011!

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  18. These pictures are beautiful! Sounds like you had a great holiday!

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  19. Thank you for posting the pictures!! I have never been to Norway, and I so enjoyed seeing a glimpse of what you saw. Sounds like a wonderful holiday for you. I know I tend to get a case of the Post Vacation Blues after something so wonderful. Hang in there!
    Love your line up for the year. I will join you in the more veggies and main dishes. I find desserts easier to photo so I tend to post more of those,though we really do have a good dinner nearly ever day! I'm looking forward to what is on its way!

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  20. Gorgeous pictures. Sounds like a fantastic trip!! :)

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  21. Hello Amanda,
    thanks for sharing with us some photos of you vacation. They are perfect. Hope you'll share some more and make us day dream of Norway :)

    Looking forward to your 2011 recipes.

    Best wishes,

    Roxana

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  22. Sounds like you had a very eventful winter break. Your photos are breathtaking. I would love to visit Norway some day. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to your blog in 2011!

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  23. Welcome back! Can't wait to hear more about your trip to Norway, we might go there as well as to the other Scandinavian countries this summer!

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  24. Norway!! How fantastic! The pictures were stunning Amanda... Welcome Back!!

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  25. Wow! I am so jealous! So glad you're back safely!

    The photos are DARLING.

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  26. Welcome home!! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season - can't wait to see what you have in store for us in 2011. :o)

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  27. Sounds like an amazing vacation...and these photos are gorgeous! Cooking with your Grandmother must have been delightful :)
    Congratulations to the winner :)

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  28. oh my goodness....I DREAM of going to Norway!!

    SO happy you found my blog so I could find yours:)

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  29. افضل شركة نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
    النقل من منزل إلى منزل ، أصبحت شركتنا ، علامة مهمة في قطاع النقل مع التكنولوجيا المتطورة ، وتواصل شركتنا وجودها في القطاع كشركة نقل من منزل إلى منزل.
    حاولت شركات النقل تقليل الإصابات وكسر البضائع من خلال تدريب ذوي الخبرة في هذه المجالات. اليوم ، تم استخدام تقنية نقل المصعد ، مما يجعل هذه العمليات أكثر عملية وسهولة.
    شركة نقل اثاث بخميس مشيط
    هناك العديد من الشركات في قطاع النقل ، وعادة ما تسبب لك الخدمات التي تقدمها هذه الشركات ضررًا. بصفتنا شركة نقل المملكة ، ماذا نفعل لمنع تلف البضائع الخاصة بك أثناء مرحلة النقل؟
    بادئ ذي بدء ، ننظر إلى نوع المواد التي يجب استخدامها لممتلكاتك ، تستخدم شركتنا في الغالب نايلونًا متجدد الهواء ، وهذه النايلون جيدة التهوية مصنوعة من مادة متينة وقوية ، مع هذه المواد التي نستخدمها لمنع تلف أغراضك ، نجعل أغراضك أكثر قوة من خلال تطبيق فيلم مطاطي عليها وجعلها أكثر متانة عند نقلها. مع نظام النقل بالمصعد ، نضمن أن يتم نقل البضائع الخاصة بك دون دخول المبنى مطلقًا ، دون الاصطدام باليمين واليسار ، دون التسبب في أي ضرر داخل المبنى. لقد طورت شركتنا نفسها دائمًا في هذه المجالات ، لذلك أصبحت عملية نقل السلع المنزلية سهلة للغاية وبسيطة بالنسبة لنا.
    افضل شركة نقل عفش بجازان
    العوامل المؤثرة في خدمات النقل من المنزل إلى المنزل
    أدرجت شركتنا أدناه العوامل التي تؤثر أثناء تقديم الخدمات في قطاع النقل من المنزل إلى المنزل وبعض القضايا من أجل زيادة وعي عملائها أثناء النقل والنقل.

    خدمة النقل من المنزل إلى المنزل في المملكة
    أولا؛ عند اختيار من منزل إلى منزل تتحرك المملكة شركة، وسوف تتعلم كم سنة كانت الشركة قد تم يعملون في هذا المجال، والبحث كيف أن الشركات التي تم في هذا المجال لسنوات تعطي أهمية لرضا العملاء، وهي شركة جيدة تريد الفوز عملائها والشركة تخطط للفوز عملائها قبل الحصول على المال .
    شركة نقل عفش بحائل

    شركة نقل عفش بمحايل عسير

    شركة نقل عفش من ابها الى الرياض

    شركة نقل عفش من خميس مشيط الى الرياض

    شركة نقل عفش من جازان الى الرياض

    شركة نقل عفش بنجران

    سماء المملكة

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