You may have seen this logo floating around the interwebs at the beginning of this month but, if you’re anything like me (and I’m Romanian), you may not have known the importance behind its spread. That’s why I’m here—to help us deep dive into Romania now, and Romania 100 years ago, at what’s dubbed as The Great Unification.
Hey guys. Long time, no chat!
I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. I could say life got in the way (it did), or I haven’t been cooking Romanian foods as often (I haven’t), but really I just didn’t prioritize blogging as much as I should have. I know my blogging schedule was lax to begin with (every/other Monday), but it became really lax, more like every/other half year.
So sorry. I hope to make From Dill to Dracula more of a priority in my life, because this food—and this country—really do fill me with happiness, joy, and warmth, and I still want to share these feelings and recipes with the world.
Guys… I’m back!
This past weekend, my little—but not so little—sister came to visit this past weekend. I like her more and more as we get older. Here we are out for drinks one evening:
Good people 🙂
And she brought with her the request to make this recipe during her visit. As kids, we affectionately called it Noodlies (pronounced: nude-lees), though I can tell you with great confidence that this is not the authentic name, no matter how fun it is to say. Noodlies. Noo-oo-d-lee-ee-ss.
C’mon, you know what I’m talking about.
Hi friends! *waves* This summer has been crazy and, for the majority of it, I haven’t even been home, so From Dill to Dracula has taken a hit. That being said, I have a lot of fun blog posts coming your way, and I’d like to kick it off with a series: My Cousin’s Cookie Collection.
Growing up, us four cousins on my dad’s side each had a cookie recipe named after each other. This recipe was always called Heather’s Cookies, so named after my eldest cousin. Of course, the downside to this is that I don’t have an official name for these cookies—lost in years and with age. And even though I’ve tried scouring the internet (and Pinterest) to find the proper name, I’ve come up empty handed.
Because this recipe uses biscuits, the only recipes that tended to come up were similar to my Salam de Biscuiti recipe, but this one is still… different. The addition of coffee (the instant variety) and a layering of cream to biscuit make it more of a cake than a cookie (even though that’s how we referred to them as kids).
Since I couldn’t very well title the recipe Heather’s Cookies, the best descriptor for this recipe I could come up with was Romanian Chocolate Layer Cake, or tortul de ciocolată din România (pronounced tour-tulle day ch-oh-k-oh-lah-tah dean Rome-ah-knee-ah).
This recipe is one of many I received from my grandmother in Romanian, and have since had my mom translate for me. Trying to translate recipes myself hasn’t gone so well in the past. Case in point:
(Shameless plug: If you don’t follow me on Twitter, please do!)
But I digress. It’s time for some food, right?
My husband likened this to a chocolate lasagna mixed with the texture of a tiramisu, and he’s pretty accurate on both counts. The layers of biscuit and cream are a lot like a traditional Italian lasagna, and because the biscuits are so porous, they absorb some of the cream and become soft, cakey bites. Yum! Enough talking. It’s time for some food, right?
Since there are four cousins, this will be the first of four recipes in my Cousin’s Cookies Collection. They’ll be posted in the order of the cousin’s age, so stay tuned for my very own cookies (“Ashley’s Cookies“) next!
↓ Recipe below ↓
—But first, some pretty pictures—
Image via My Wanderlust
Bucharest holds a special place in my heart, even though I may not remember my time visiting as a child. It’s the capital city of Romania, featuring the second-largest (but heaviest and most expensive) administrative building in the world, and is steeped in culture. That’s one of the reasons it’s the setting for my new novel One Thousand Stars That Bind (currently seeking representation). Sure, I may have taken some creative steampunk liberties with the location, but there are parts of Bucharest that stray from what’s expected of Romania—off the beaten path, if you will. Since I won’t be visiting the city for a while I’m lucky to have found Kami at My Wanderlust‘s blog post showcasing this side to Bucharest, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
I’m adding a new feature to From Dill To Dracula, which is reviewing forms of entertainment that have been created by or set in Romania. Interestingly enough, so far these tend to be movies of the horror variety, so they may not be everyone’s cup o’ tea. The first one I’m reviewing, in particular, They’re Watching
Before I get into my thoughts, here’s the trailer to get you into the right mindset:
Here’s a fun fact about me: I’m addicted to Etsy. I used to spend way too much at all the pretty shops, but now I tend to “window shop,” if you will, and save things to my never-ending favorites. During one of these bouts of window shopping, I stumbled upon Double Fox Studio, and just had to reach out to its owners Orka and Flavia to see if they’d let me feature their amazing artwork/pottery/jewelry on From Dill To Dracula. Thankfully, they said yes!
↓ Check out their interview and some of my favorite pieces below! ↓
I know what you’re thinking; chocolate salami?!? Ashley, there are some sweet and savory things that just aren’t meant to be mixed!
Yes and yes. You read that right: this is a chocolate salami dessert, formally called Salam de Biscuiti (and pronounced sah-lah-mm day bis-coo-eat-ee). And, you’re right that chocolate and cured meats stuffed into intestine casing shouldn’t be mixed. But that’s not what this is.
My favorite dessert growing up, only made for special occasions, since it isn’t the healthiest of Romanian recipes in my repertoire. I hope it becomes your favorite, too. I mean, how can it not? Butter, chocolate, rum. Captain Jack Sparrow would be proud, I can assure you. Bonus: it’s a no-bake recipe! Quick and easy to make, then try to forget about it while it’s in the refrigerator!
Yes please. Let’s do this.
↓ Recipe below ↓
—But first, some pretty pictures—
Growing up I’d often comment on how it would be impossible for me to become a vegetarian (or—gasp!—a vegan) with my family dynamic. As far as I knew, Romanians were meat lovers. The more meat, the better. ALL THE MEATS. From the parts you know are edible—like pork chops or chicken breast—to those that tend to be avoided—hooves, tongues, delicious fried fat nuggets.
Image via unsplash.com
This week, I want to share with you an inside look at Romania presented by the one and only Rick Steves. There’s so much beauty and history to this country, sometimes words just don’t cut it. But pictures do. Videos even more so. It may be less than a half hour long, but this is an in-depth look at the country, the culture, and the outside influences that helped shape it into the country I know and love today. And I’m not the only one.
Looking for more? Though it’s not Romania specific, Rick Steves does have an Eastern European Travel Guide
Looking for something a bit more specific to the country? You can one of the many travel guides focused on Romania here
Some of my favorite Romanian delicacies are things I know I’d never be able to make (or even attempt to make) on my own. And, ironic enough, they all tend to be pork products. Go figure. The previously featured Clisa {Smoked Bacon} is one of those; a great addition to eggs, soups, campfires, or as a midnight snack on its own. This next recipe-less feature is called
This next recipe-less feature is called Jumări (pronounced jew-mair-ee) is a true treat in my household. Up until Thanksgiving 2016, I hadn’t had a piece of these golden nuggets for years, and that’s simply because they’re literally fat, fried in more fat, and sprinkled with salt. A.K.A. You can’t eat too many at once, and you most definitely shouldn’t eat it without bread to sop up all the grease swimming around in your stomach.
I’m doing a great job selling these, aren’t I?
↓ How about some pretty pictures? ↓
