ExperiencePlus! Blog


Carol Busch

  • lamb gyros_tastes better from scratch

    Recipe: Homemade lamb gyros

    A couple of us were on a hut trip in Colorado’s high rockies the other week and had the pleasure of dining on lamb gyros that were prepared mostly at home, but partly at the hut. I was a little… Read full article

  • Quartering cabbage on a cutting board

    Recipe: Charred Cabbage With Miso Browned Butter

    The humble cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables, so when I saw this recipe for charred cabbage with miso browned butter by Andy Baraghani, my eyes grew big and my mouth watered. Andy, how did you ever think to… Read full article

  • skillet baked mac and cheese from deb perelman

    Recipe: Skillet baked macaroni and cheese

    I started making mac ‘n cheese from scratch in the early 1990’s after being introduced to my first vegetarian cookbook – the New Laurel’s Kitchen. I fell fast and deeply in love with the idea of revamping my eating and… Read full article

  • Top 10 bike tours for families

    Start a new tradition ExperiencePlus! has led every possible combination of grandparent, parent, child, uncle, sister in-law, and friend group on a vast array of private, custom and regularly published departures in Europe and South America since 1972. As a… Read full article

  • Lemon Turkey White Bean Soup

    Lemony Cannellini Soup with Turkey and Greens

    Despite early fall temperatures in northern Colorado consistently reaching 80 degrees over the last week, it is, indeed, officially autumn. The local cottonwood, honey locust, ash and maple seem to agree, as evidenced by their flame yellow leaves. This also… Read full article

  • fresh tomato tart

    Recipe: Fresh tomato “tart”

    Once upon a time I fell in love with a salted butter chocolate chip cookie recipe my nephew Stefan found by David Lebovitz. Then, I started seeking out the blog for other yummy recipes and ultimately subscribed to his newsletter.… Read full article

  • Verona on a bike

    Self-guided: Italy’s Alpine Valleys with Erik Weihenmayer

    Meet pioneering mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer. Perhaps most well-known for being the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest in 2001, Erik is now the first blind person to take an ExperiencePlus! self-guided tour. In mid-July 2024, Erik and his partner… Read full article

  • Smooth and refreshing creamy cucumber gazpacho

    Hot summer days call for cold, refreshing, and tasty soups that remind you why heat it not such bad a thing. I mean, without hot days you might not want to eat a chilled soup, right? This month, we turn… Read full article

  • Simple “salade Lyonnaise”: gateway to poached egg perfection

    When I want to make a refreshing summer salad that features protein, lots of color, and a vinaigrette-forward flavor, I think of salad “Niçoise,” but I rarely have all the ingredients I need on hand, especially ahi tuna. While many… Read full article

  • Follow Erik Weihenmayer’s self-guided bicycle adventure

    The trailer for “Soundscape” – an award-winning 2023 short documentary by Timmy O’Neil that features Erik Weihenmayer, a global adventure athlete and author who is fully blind, as he ascends a massive alpine rock face deep in the Sierra Nevada,… Read full article

  • Storm clouds behind Pienza in spring

    Riding through time: UNESCO on The White Roads of Tuscany

    Cyclists head to Tuscany to pedal quiet roads, drink amazing wine, savor Pecorino cheese, and immerse themselves in a remarkable landscape, such as what you encounter in the Val d’Orcia – a prominent corner of Tuscany best experienced cycling the… Read full article

  • pistachios in a cup

    Recipe: Pistachio-Lemon Bars

    While hunting for a recipe to feature this month, I came across a lovely pistachio-lemon bar recipe from Molly O’Brien at The New York Times. The gorgeous photo adorning the easy-to-make treat made me longingly sigh, “Ahh, pistachiooohhs.” Then I… Read full article

  • Spotlight: Road bike fleet

    When you bicycle tour with ExperiencePlus!, you should expect to ride a professionally-tuned piece of high-performing equipment that amplifies your travels. You’re on a bicycle tour, after all! ExperiencePlus! takes great pride in the quality of our diverse fleet of… Read full article

  • grated carrots on a counter

    Faenza, a stolen pig, and carrot tartare

    Last night the entire U.S. staff toasted to our good fortune with a glass of La Sabbiona sparkling brut rosé, Bella Vita, as we sat around a table in the cellar of Bisinì dla Sghisa, a local food osteria in… Read full article

  • Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Roasted Vegetables

    Sheet Pan Gnocchi With Roasted Vegetables – delicious & easy!

    Gnocchi is one of those absolutely fabulous foods that blow my mind: you can buy it pre-made in a shelf-stable form, boil it in no time, add some sauce and boom: dinner is served. The idea of baking gnocchi never… Read full article

  • abbey of hambye, France

    Spring to Normandy and fall for Brittany

    Two primary destinations draw tourists from all walks of life to Normandy: the magical tide-engulfed island of Mont Saint-Michel and the hallowed grounds of the D-Day beaches. The allure of these coastal and storied Normandy sites is easy to grasp.… Read full article

  • Best bike movies for inspiration

    I’ll never forget the first time I watched Breaking Away. Everything about the film mesmerized and charmed me. The fake Italian identity. The friendship among the Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher. The ambition. The catastrophic pump in the spokes. The… Read full article

  • cathedral view in Narbonne

    What’s wrong with the South of France?

    Each year ExperiencePlus! staff in the U.S. are gifted the amazing opportunity to join a tour of their choosing. Sometimes we can’t realize our dreams because no one has booked the tour we want to take, and so it gets… Read full article