when in Rome....

You know the saying. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

I like to apply that to my food. (Imagine that!)

We travel a lot. Not glamorous vacations in high-end resorts, but typically road trips, with the destination being a family member or close friend. And the best part of road trips is seeing everything along the way. We have road tripped out west, down south, to the east, and even Route 66. One of my favorite things to do on road trips is sample the local foods - finding small, out of the way eateries that specialize in some of the local favorites.

Being the foodie that I am, I often come home from the trips wanting to recreate what I've enjoyed on my road trip. My family is even guilty - asking me to make something they've had on a trip. I learned early on that living in a small Midwestern town, I don't always have access to ingredients needed. And I have learned to improvise, making muffaletta olive salad from scratch when it wasn't found in the store.

But I am wiser now.

So while other people bring back shot glasses, artwork, and postcards, I bring home souvenirs that will help me in the kitchen - seasonings, condiments, and even chicory. I will even bring back meats, cheeses, and of course wines and beers to enjoy once we are home. (Again the perk of road trips - room for more to bring home!)

We returned a couple of weeks ago from an extended vacation to New Orleans and Memphis. While I've been to New Orleans several times, I had never spent time in Memphis. With family and friends in both places, we got to enjoy amazing local foods - both homemade and in restaurants. My new favorite from New Orleans would have to be the boudin sausage, and from Memphis of course - we had amazing ribs.

So I brought home my souvenirs from both places -a couple of seasonings, the chicory I can't find here locally, as well as the muffaletta salad, and some amazing rib marinade to try.

For me, it allows me to not only play with some new foods, but it makes our vacation last a little bit longer, as we remember our favorite parts of the vacation while enjoying some of that amazing food back home.

So next time you're a world traveler, think about bringing something home for your kitchen. It will give you a reason to try some new recipes!