Our Babymoon, and a Taste of Türkiye
A coastal vacation, summer eats, and a popular dish with a Turkish twist.
June is here! I’m not a Summer weather person, but with Summer comes the opportunity to travel—though, this year, our plans looked a little different thanks to the new family member on the way! Normally our family spends some time in Türkiye over the summer, but my very pregnant self couldn’t travel that far out. Also, we actually were planning a pretty big Europe trip for this Summer before we found out about the baby. Then, we considered going up to Canada instead, but my doctor didn’t feel comfortable with me going only a month out from my due date.
Still, as you can see, we were able to get out of the house for a babymoon! We went to some of our favorite cities along the Southern Coast: Charleston, St. Simons Island, St. Augustine, and St. Petersburg. We spent plenty of time at the beach—my husband and son love the ocean—but this time, I couldn’t swim with them. I couldn’t fit into my swimsuit, haha! Still, I enjoyed watching them take a dip in the water and walking along the sandy shore.
I still like to stay active and keep my body moving during the day, usually in the form of a morning walk. I’ve mentioned before how a morning walk is always better with beautiful views, and this trip was no different. Every city was gorgeous, but Charleston is one of my favorites to walk around because of its colorful old buildings. I wake up—and sometimes, my husband and son do, too—early enough to see the streets while everyone else sleeps, and also to avoid the intense heat!
Whenever we travel, I like to stay at hotels in historic buildings or areas if possible. I find the vintage architecture so beautiful and relaxing, and you get to experience the character of each individual city.
In Charleston, we stayed at the HarbourView Inn, which is conveniently located right in downtown Charleston! True to its name, it is close to the water and has a clear view of the harbor and ocean.
St. Simons Island, off the coast of Georgia, is a location we consider an underrated gem. We stayed at Ocean Lodge, which has been one of our favorite resorts for its European style and great service. However, this time we were disappointed by the service! Normally it’s much better, but our experience this time was not as good.
Thankfully, our hotel in St. Augustine was much better. The Casa Monica Resort is conveniently located like the one in Charleston, and furthermore, the building was built in 1888! The historic charm definitely shines through in this one.
The last, and perhaps the best, was the Vinoy in St. Petersburg. The building is a lovely shade of pink, with arches overlooking an ocean view. The food here was delicious, and they even have a cafe with coffee and pastries (which we loved).
As always, we ate so much good food on our travels, from dinner to pastries and sweets. It’s difficult to narrow it down, but here were our favorites for every city:
Wild Olive — Our Charleston go-to (some of you may recognize I’ve mentioned it before!), and we’ve tried nearly every pasta on the menu here! We were so full, which usually happens here.
Georgia Sea Grill — In St. Simons. Make sure to get a reservation! The service is always great, and we love the live piano. Everything is delicious, but our favorite was the crab hush puppies and the crème brûlée, so make sure to leave room for dessert!
Lotus Noodle Bar (pictured) — A small, intimate location in St. Augustine. I loved how we could watch them prepare the ramen, and even the chef came around to see if everyone liked the food (which we did!)
Paciugo (pictured) — A gelato place in St. Petersburg with an extensive list of flavors. We stopped here many times, we couldn’t resist! I loved the fruity flavors like the strawberry and coconut mango. My husband’s favorite, as always, was the pistachio :)
Pia’s Trattoria (pictured) — This Italian restaurant in St. Petersburg is great for its calamari and live music, but especially its atmosphere. It feels cozy and effortlessly Italian!
All in all, a tasty trip indeed.
I consider summertime the best season for salads and wraps, but it’s also the season my family usually visits Türkiye. Because of that, I found myself missing those flavors that remind me of the Turkish streets. So, I brought these flavors to a well-beloved dish: a chicken Caesar salad wrap, with the chicken prepared döner style! Stay tuned for the recipe—along with homemade flour tortillas—below.
There are several components in a wrap—the tortilla, the salad, the chicken. Don’t be daunted: making these from scratch is far from difficult, especially if you have the right tools.
Rolling Pin: Necessary for rolling your tortillas even and thin. I found my favorite rolling pin at a vintage store, but I like any rolling pin that’s sturdy with handles.
Salad Bowl: I love a wooden salad bowl. Not only does it have plenty of space to toss ingredients together, but it looks beautiful to serve on the table as well.
My Cookbook: The Spicy Chipotle Flour Tortillas recipe below is adapted from the original recipe for Flour Tortilla that you can find in my cookbook, along with plenty of other doughs and dishes! Right now, you can find it on sale for 40% off.
Salad Servers: These wooden salad servers can toss all your salad ingredients and dressing together without tearing or crushing the more delicate items.
Handheld Grater: It’s very important that you use freshly grated parmesan cheese when making a Caesar salad. A handheld grater is a must for grated cheese, chocolate shavings, citrus zest, and grated garlic or ginger.
Griddle Pan: For the tortillas, you’ll need something round with low or no outer edge like this griddle pan, which can be used not just for tortillas; but for crepes, dosas, pancakes, and more.
Vertical Skewer Plate: A few of you asked about what I used for the chicken döner. Here is the skewer plate I used. With this inexpensive tool, you can make all your street food favorites like döner, but also al pastor or gyros.
As promised, here is the full recipe for my Chicken Caesar Döner Wraps!
Crunchy, savory, creamy, bright, and spicy; these Chicken Caesar Döner Wraps have it all! I’ve taken the classic Chicken Caesar wrap and given it a few twists. Rather than a chicken cutlet, I’ve used chicken döner.
You may have noticed how the tortillas have a lovely orange hue. This is because I’ve added another surprise: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the tortillas! I adapted my Flour Tortillas recipe in my cookbook and added a slightly spicy, smoky flavor that I think pairs so well with the Caesar salad and chicken döner.
I hope you all enjoy the summer season and get some time to travel! Though, whenever plans change, you can always bring a taste of vacation into your home kitchen. I’m grateful I was able to savor a bit of time away before the baby arrives. Some of you have been wondering what I’ve been getting for the baby, but I generally prefer to wait until I’m past the 30-week mark to start prepping. Now that I’m back from vacation, I’m feeling refreshed and back to baseline, so to speak! I’m in a better place to mentally prepare for the baby’s arrival, and would be happy to share what I’m buying for our new family member in the coming weeks if you are interested.
Congratulations on your new little one. (BTW, we have doctors in Canada so you likely would have been ok!)
I’m always so happy to see a new post from you. So positive and lovely with amazing recipes. 🌷