A Lot to Be Thankful For

A whirlwind 3 weeks and answers to some commonly asked questions!

We did it!!! It’s hard to believe it’s only been 3 weeks since the book has come out! Over that time, I’ve travelled across 6 states and 9 cities, the book has hit #2 on the NYTimes Bestseller list, and I’ve met so many of you. It has been a delight and an experience I will never forget. Walking into a Barnes & Noble in Manhattan and seeing my book on shelves for the first time was surreal. After a lifetime of dreaming and years of hard work, it’s a reality! I will forever be grateful to you all for giving me the support and strength to make this possible. Here’s the link if you are looking for a copy!

---

I wanted to use this chance to answer some of your most commonly asked questions! I loved chatting with you about your favorites videos and recipes, and many of you had beautiful questions for me as well.

First off, if you couldn’t make it to the tour, yes we have signed copies available! We headed right back on the road to Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, NC to sign another several hundred copies for you. Click the link to place your order, international shipping is available!

One question that came up the most frequently was my recommendations for various food brands. So here are some of my favorites!

Flour: King Arthur Flour

I love their all-purpose, bread, and pizza flours and I love that they are widely available at most grocery stores!

Yeast: Red Star Platinum Yeast

I’ve tested quite a few yeasts over the years and this is the one I always have the most success with. I order it online.

Semolina Flour: Bob’s Red Mil

I’ve cooked with many beautiful Italian brands of semolina flour that make for amazing pastas! However, for every day use, Bob’s Red Mill is my standard from the grocery store and you’ll still have great results.

Butter: Land o’ Lakes or Kerrygold

I generally use Land o’ Lakes butter for my regular baking practices. I prefer the unsalted varieties as salt in butter can sometimes be used to cover the taste of an older product, as well as unsalted allows you to control the salt level in your recipes. I also Kerrygold quite a bit in my kitchen, especially for cooking.

European Butter: Danish Creamery European Style Butter

For croissants! The style of butter is ESSENTIAL for making flaky croissants that aren’t bready. It can be difficult to find this style of butter at regular grocery stores in the US, but this one works very well!

Eggs: Happy Egg Co.

I love these eggs. The shells are gorgeous and the yolks are vibrant and full of flavor, a sign of a great product and happy chickens.

Tahini: Lebanon Valley Tahini Sesame Paste

The consistency of tahini is super important for your recipes. For tahini, I’m looking for a very smooth, fairly liquidy texture similar to honey. This brand is just right and has lots of flavor while not being bitter.

Spices: McCormick Gourmet Organic or Burlap & Barrel

For everyday spices, organic McCormick is my go-to from the grocery store. For harder to find spices, such as some specific international flavors, I love Burlap & Barrel which you can find online.

Turkish Pistachios: Nuts US Turkish Antep Pistachios

Regular pistachios from US groceries just don’t cut it for me! Turkish pistachios are brighter in color and richer in flavor, you absolutely have to try them. Especially when making baklava or pistachio rolls from the cookbook, order these antep pistachios from Nuts US and then test the recipe. I think you’ll be amazed!

Olive Oil: Carapelli Organic EVOO or Kirkland Organic EVOO

High-quality olive oil will make a huge difference in the flavor of your cooking! When I can make it to Costco, I stock up on the giant bottles of Kirkland Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. One of my other favorites is Carapelli.

Vanilla: Rodelle Vanilla Paste

High quality vanilla makes a huge difference in the flavor of your bakes and creams. Whole vanilla bean pods can be prohibitively expensive, so this is my favorite option for that real vanilla bean taste without breaking the bank.

Extracts: Frontier Co-op Non-alcoholic Flavors

I often add a splash of extract to my desserts, such as macarons, to enhance the flavor. You have to have a careful hand to ensure the taste doesn’t lean into artificial, but this water-based extract brand does a great job of having delicious flavors without adding any fake taste into the mix.

Feta Cheese: Murray’s

This is my preferred feta cheese from the grocery store. I tend towards block feta as it is more versatile and more similar to what I used growing up in Türkiye.

---

In every city we traveled to, we knew there was so much more to see than we were able to in just a few short hours between flights and events. Still, we were able to have some meaningful food experiences between events! Flaky pastries, mouth-watering crudos, and a life-changing tres leches were just a few of the highlights. Here were some of my favorites:

Manhattan, NY - Librae Bakery

Manhattan, NY - Bad Roman

Chicago, IL - Mi Tocaya Antojeria

Los Angeles, CA - République Café Bakery

Venice Beach, CA - Gjelina

Washington, DC - Ellē

Asheville, NC - Chai Pani

Roanoke, VA - bloom

---

And of course, talking about this experience (and especially good food on this tour) wouldn’t be complete without mentioning bloom. Roanoke is the closest city to our cute town of Blacksburg and bloom quickly became my favorite restaurant when I discovered it a few months ago. To finish this tour in style by celebrating in their beautiful space was the perfect end to this journey. The team put together a delicious menu of items from the cookbook, some with their own special touch, and hosted an evening full of community and festivity. I am so grateful to them and for all the guests who came out to join in this moment.

We’ve made it home and had our first normal weekend in so long. It’s a remarkable thing to go out in the world and have such incredible experiences and then come home to a place that you love. I’m so grateful to be back with my son and husband, with our adorable cats, and in my kitchen where this cookbook process started. I hope you all get to have a restful week full of delicious food and people you love. Wishing you a warm and peaceful Thanksgiving!