ExperiencePlus! Blog


Food

  • Half and Half – Mushroom and Beef or Elk Burger

    Adapted from this New York Times recipe, I’ve always wanted to perfect the home made hamburger. Especially since I often had elk meat to use which is hard to work with as it is so lean.  You can make this… Read full article

  • Pasta with Sugar Snap Peas and Asparagus

    We know it’s spring when asparagus and sugar snap peas hit the grocery stores! We have the perfect recipe to combine these two treasures. Ingredients: 1 pound farfalle pasta prepared per instructions. Garlic 2 Tablespoons butter 3 Tablespoons olive oil… Read full article

  • Squash Blossom Quesadillas

    Squash Blossom Quesadillas

    Along with the bounty of zucchini and yellow squash, the blossoms of these plants are delicate, colorful and oh so delicious. If you do not have a garden, make friends with a gardener or head to your local farmer’s market. … Read full article

  • Cycling Italy’s Culinary Delights: A Taste of Emilia Romagna

     Italy’s Culinary Capital 4 Foods Not to Miss! Italy is a country synonymous with world-class cuisine, Emilia Romagna is a region of Italy that stands apart as a culinary superstar, and home to many of the country’s most well-known foods.… Read full article

  • Culinary Considerations

    Culinary Considerations Adventures In Breaking Bread And Routine One of the many things I love about traveling is the way it allows me to insert myself into a new culture completely different from my life and daily routines at home.… Read full article

  • Spanish Tapas

    Simply Spanish Tapas: Entertaining Made Easy The first time I traveled to Spain I ordered a glass of wine in a bar and along with it came a tiny assortment of bite-size appetizers. I did my best to explain in… Read full article

  • Seeking Supper: Adventures in Sète

    New Friends And Local Favorites ExperiencePlus! Riders Find The Perfect Dinner Though it may sound counter intuitive, one of the most important elements of tour design and pre-trip planning is making space for spontaneous exploration and discovery. After all, it is sometimes… Read full article

  • Recipe: Insalata Di Farro (Cold Farro Salad)

    Umbria’s Great Grain A versatile and easy addition to summer meals. Walk through a farmers market in Italy and you’ll experience the country’s deeply rooted passion for fresh food. Noses plunge into bunches of basil and against melons as shoppers… Read full article

  • Cappelletti - from Romagna

    Cappelletti in Brodo

    Thanks to my parents’ crazy idea that maybe – just maybe – people would want to travel the world by bike, I grew up spending May through September in Italy from when I was 9 months old until I was 23.  In… Read full article

  • Recipe: Paczki or Polish Donuts

    In between the rolling hills of Sierockie, Poland, Grandma Zoisa lives quietly in a tiny village with a population of around 500 residents. The Tatra Mountains watch over her small cottage and encourage a crispness from the morning air. Grandma… Read full article

  • Afternoon at an outdoor cafe

    Franzbrötchen

    I am beside myself with excitement about our new cycling tour that goes from Copenhagen to Berlin! One reason is a food item you will undoubtedly encounter along the way — Franzbrötchen. Germans love their little pastries and Franzbrötchen includes… Read full article

  • Romesco Sauce - photo courtesy of wikipedia

    Romesco Sauce

    Tour leader Joan Escosura shares this recipe for Romesco Sauce which is a specialty of  the Catalonia region of Spain where he lives (and leads bicycle tours!) Joan also wisely points out that giving a recipe for a sauce is… Read full article

  • Acetaia Cavalli

    Two Delights from Italy’s Culinary Cycling Tour

    Bea Tassinari has been working with ExperiencePlus! in various capacities including tour leader, country coordinator, Italian office manager since the 1990s.  She is the go to person if you have any questions about Italy – it seems that no matter… Read full article

  • Cucumber, Radish and Parsley Salad

    Cucumber, Radish and Parsley Salad

    This salad is always a hit as we jump into the spring and summer growing seasons. It is crunchy, nutritional, easy to make and attractive to serve. Many simple variations are available making this salad a go-to recipe. Try adding… Read full article

  • Flavor Your Olive Oil

    Flavor Your Olive Oil

    ExperiencePlus! tour leader Yorgos Paraskevopoulos is from Kalamata, Greece and has been leading tours with us since 1999. He lives in Kalamata, Greece where he harvests and cares for his family’s olive trees. This month he offers suggestions on ways… Read full article

  • Winter Vegetable Soup

    Here’s a toasty winter vegetable soup to keep you warm as you wait for spring to finally arrive. Serves 4 1/4 cup diced carrot 1/4 cup diced celery 1/3 cup – 1/2 cup diced onion 2 sage leaves (or 1… Read full article

  • Riserva dello Zingaro Sicily

    A Sicilian Feast

    I just came back from an hiking trip on the eastern side of Sicily that included Catania, Siracusa, Val di Noto, Ragusa, to name just a few of the gorgeous places I visited. Inspired by my travels and the wonderful… Read full article

  • Photo by ExperiencePlus! traveler Alan Razak

    Straccetti with Arugula and Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

    This recipe comes to us from the Scuola di Cucina Bologna which we visit on our Whole Journey’s Culinary Delights bicycling tours in Italy. Ingredients: 1 pound of veal thinly sliced Arugula Parmigiano Reggiano to toss with veal and add… Read full article