Home from Vacation

At a Coffee Bean Plantation somewhere in the Andes, Peru.

Sitting on the Equator in Ecuador

Cooking with Candi at the outdoor market in Peru.

guinea pig right there in the middle . With local chicken and potatoes and salads.

Spinach Soup

Organic Garden at the Hacienda Zuleta, Ecuador. Quinoa which was discovered in Peru or Ecuador depending on who you ask.

Radishes being cleaned off at Hacienda Zuleta, Ecuador

One of our friends we met in the Galapagos just strolling along.

Zuleta Hike with a furry friend. Gorgeous.

Organic Garden at the Hacienda Zuleta.

Trek Day in the Andes on the way to Macchu Picchu

Just got home from the most amazing vacation to Peru and The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. We trekked in Peru, saw Macchu Picchu,  stayed at amazing places and ate amazing Peruvian and Ecuadorian Food. Some days during our trek we ate lunch in tents set up for dining and food cooked by local cooks, everything brought up there by mules! It was just delicious. There are some pictures of me at a farmers market in Peru before we started our trek and some amazing pictures of some wonderful dishes we ate in a most beautiful Hacienda that we stayed in outside of Quito, Ecuador after our trek to Macchu Picchu.  It was located in a town called Zuleta and named the Hacienda Zuleta. It was a piece of heaven on earth. The most amazing thing about the food served in the Hacienda was that they had their own organic garden on their property and all vegetables, quinoa and fruits were from there. They have 4,000 varieties of potatoes! and the most delicious tree tomatoes which grow on a tree and are much more like a fruit than a regular tomato which grows in the ground. Plus there was delicious locally caught trout and local shrimp. The food was “home cooked” which meant that there was no chef just men and women from the local area who cook for the Hacienda and apply their knowledge of local cuisine and locally grown and raised food.

I am obviously in love with ceviche and after Thanksgiving will try to re-create a little of that magic in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy this little taste of our trip and I am gearing up to share my  November recipes for Thanksgiving and the Fall Season. Enjoy and let’s get cooking.