Sophie À La Carte!

Hey friends, I've settled into my home for the next seven weeks, and have started cooking again. I made a pretty yummy soup for lunch today, and have had several requests for the recipe, so you'll find it below. I'll post a larger update about my new environment in the next few days or so. Pofta Buna ! Spicy Carrot White Bean Soup (serves 2 hungry people, includes leftovers for breakfast with an egg the next day) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 spicy chili pepper, minced, or a half tablespoon of chili flakes, or to your liking 1 red onion, minced 2 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise and chopped into thin (about 1/8 inch-ish) half moons 2 14oz cans white cannellini beans, or cooked ahead of time* ------------------------------------ 1. Add a little water or oil to a pot over medium heat 2. Add garlic and onion, saute for a few minutes, then add chili and carrots 3. Cover and cook until carrots are soft, about 5 minutes 4. Add beans in juice, more water

I’ve passed my six month mark of traveling, and I have to say I’ve become quite used to flitting from place to place. I spent another week in Turkey after “celebrating” the new year on the farm (aka going to bed at 11:30pm). I said goodbye to my new friends at the farm, with the possibility of seeing them again someday, and boarded a bus back to Istanbul. I couchsurfed one night with a guy named Yasin, who lived close to the airport. He was a great guy and we had fun talking about our travel adventures, but a real highlight was meeting his parents, who were in town to visit from a village near the Black Sea. Neither of them spoke English, but we tried to communicate with my limited Turkish, a lot of hand gestures, and last-resort Google Translating. Yasin’s mother made his favorite dish for dinner- dolma, grape leaves stuffed with rice. We also had tahana, a soup made from sun-dried tomato powder and wheat. It’s made during the summer months to be enjoyed during the winter, and it w