So, I decided to write this next post chronicling all of the amazing food that I consumed while in the USA over Thanksgiving.  There are several foods and restaurants that I miss while living abroad… so, of course, I completely indulged and felt like Violet Beauregard on the flight home.

Let’s venture through the culinary adventure…

Pho and Grill – Vietnamese Pho soup & Pork Rolls

I’ve been on a hunt for really good pho in Oslo but have come up a bit short.  I’ve had some good pho but nothing yet compares to the pho (and the delicious pork rolls) from Pho and Grill.  It’s so simple – chicken broth, shredded chicken, green onion, cilantro and I topped it with shredded basil, sriracha and a squeeze of lime.  Completely and utterly craveable.

 

Glory Garden – Sesame chicken

One of the things that I miss a lot in Oslo in the Chinese food available in the USA. I have always loved sesame chicken but have not been able to find it YET in Oslo.  It was gloriously delicious – fried chicken in a rich sweet and sour sauce topped with sesame seeds.    

Berger cookies

Berger cookies are so incredibly fantastic and a Baltimore staple.  It’s basically a shortbread cookies dipped in a thick fudge.  Really delicious and addictive.  I brought a box back to Oslo and needless to say, they were gone quickly when I shared with my friends

 

Thai House – Thai Food

There is this fantastic Thai food restaurant near my old neighborhood.  I’ve never had anything there that wasn’t absolutely delicious.  This last visit, I had ginger chicken (left) and my friend had the spicy basil crispy chicken (right).

Guapo’s – Tex Mex food

There is actually a lot of availability for Tex Mex food in Oslo which is really lovely.  However, Guapo’s was an old neighborhood favorite and after seeing a movie, we decided we could have a patron margarita and some snacks – cheese dip and nachos.  Yes, please!

Ledo’s – Delivery Pizza

Yes, there is pizza in Oslo, but we don’t have Ledo’s… no lovely crisp, buttery cracker crust.  It’s unique and reminds me of childhood.  We often had Ledo’s with friends or after team sports.  Yum!

 

 

Popeyes – Fried Chicken

I’ll be honest – I miss fried chicken A LOT.  I’ve only encountered one good fried chicken place so far in Oslo.  It’s pretty abundant back home and comes in many different varieties.  I prefer Popeyes – extremely crispy with a lovely spice and juicy chicken.  I think my New Years resolution may be to perfect a fried chicken recipe 🙂

Homemade Party Food 🙂

My mom was kind enough to host a tea party with yummy appetizers for me and my girlfriends.  We enjoyed goat cheese balls rolled in pistachios and skewered with sun-dried tomatoes and basil (left), cucumber sandwiches and scones (top right), and pigs in a blanket (bottom right).  The pigs in a blanket are particularly addictive – basically little hot dogs wrapped in super buttery pastry.  What could go wrong?

Pasta Plus – Italian Food

Pasta Plus is one of the best Italian restaurants in the Washington, DC area and was a definite stop for my husband and I.  We had a lovely family dinner there and I ordered my favorite – ricotta and spinach agnolotti in aurora sauce.  Sound familiar?  Well, I’ve blogged (and gushed) about Pasta Plus before.  A must stop if you’re in the Baltimore or DC area.  Drool.

Thanksgiving Food!

Of course, the whole point of the trip was a lovely family meal together where we celebrate all those things we have to be thankful for.  This year, my family had a really lovely, juicy turkey with stuffing, roasted potatoes and butternut squash, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and gravy.  This is not a meal that I would replicate here in Oslo as we are only cooking for two but, it was a real treat to have all these goodies back home!

Cowboy Cafe – American Bar Food

We met some friends in Arlington, VA to grab pub food and catch up together.  We ate a lot of yummy bar food – including hot wings, fried pickles, and jalapeño poppers for appetizers and burgers, brisket and chili dogs for dinner.  My favorite – above all – was the jalapeño poppers.  You can see them in the bottom right photo.  Do you see the size of the popper?  It’s an entire jalapeño filled with cheese.  Delicious.  I need to duplicate here in Oslo – pronto!

Homemade Turkey Pot Pies

My family has been telling me about these lovely pot pies that my mother makes – for years – and for some reason, I’ve never had them.  Finally the day had come!  We had these delicious turkey pot pies before heading back to Europe.  The pies are filled with shredded turkey, vegetables and gravy and topped with puff pastry.  Yummy in my tummy.

 

Well, that’s my summary of the many delicious foods that I indulged in when back home in the USA.   We didn’t hit all of our favorites.  Next time, I’m definitely having crab dip and some other delicacies.

That said, after writing this blog, I’m increasingly hungry… You too?