Yas Saffron Pistachios

We usually stop at Yas Bakery on our way to visiting our family in central Virginia. But this time we took a ride over to Yas, located in Vienna, after our morning walk. My husband was in need of some sugar cubes. It seems the grocery store never carries sugar cubes and this is a great option. But we needed to get more than just sugar cubes! One of the items we all like is pistachios. And they have a wide variety of them. I have a bad habit of eating them in the evening as a healthy snack. So we found the saffron pistachios and got a package. And, my husband loves a sort of cookie item that he used to have with his tea after dinner. It reminds him of the old country and he loves them. So we got a package of those. They are just a little sweet and something in between a cookie and cake. We have also gotten Christmas gifts and odd bits for friends and family. It’s nice to have a place like this to visit. The cookies and other treats are also lovely. I’m sure we will be back in short order. 

 

A Trip to Yas Bakery

It’s been almost four years since we have seen our friends. The last time was New Year’s Eve 2019. Right after that my mom passed away in February, my husband had cataract surgery in February/March, and then came the pandemic that ruined everyone’s lives for so many ways. We kept in touch all that time, but we are just now beginning to reconnect physically with people again. And it feels good to be “normal” again. So we are looking forward to visiting with our friends this evening. But before we go we always bring treats from Yas Persian Bakery in Vienna. I was on the lookout for something unique as well as something delicious. So we started out with Sadaf special blend tea with cardamom. And of course, Persian saffron pistachios. For sweets, we picked out a variety of baklava. And then we would put them on a pretty little silver tray with an ornate design. But for a whimsical item, we couldn’t go wrong with the camel thorn water. Don’t ask me what it is or what you use it for. I just liked the bottle, the name, and the label. So, what they might think is a wine bottle it is not! The little tray was filled with baklava and ribbons were tied around it and the other items ended up in a bag with a Christmas tree design. I love going to Yas for treats. And this year it’s even more special. 

Yas Bakery Cookies

There is a lovely Persian bakery in Vienna called Yas. We found it several years ago when we lived on Capitol Hill. It has some wonderful treats and other goodies that we oftentimes stop by to pick up when we are in the mood. My husband loves the vibe and the jellies and the pistachios and some particular cookies. We have also found some unusual Christmas and other gifts there when the occasion arises. We recently picked up some tea and pistachios for an after dinner visit with our neighbors that we just met. Last weekend our grandson and his mom were going to be passing through town on the way back from New York where he spent the summer giving white water rapid tours on the Hudson River. He was on his way back to college at UVA. They first stopped to visit her parents in Baltimore and we were next on the map. So before they arrived we took a ride to Yas Bakery and picked up baklava and some Persian cookies - enough for both to take home and school and share with our son. First we went out for a late lunch and then shared the treats before they left. It’s always so nice to have these delectables around. It’s also a great reminder of my husband’s background. We really appreciate having the bakery nearby - especially for times like this. 

Yas Persian Treats

It’s been a while. But my husband was running out of sugar cubes so we needed to take a ride to Yas Bakery in Vienna. We can no longer find sugar cubes in the grocery store, so this is our go to place not only for the sugar, but also for the desserts and other treats. Yas is a Persian grocery/bakery that we found even in Vienna even before we moved to northern Virginia. We would often times take a ride there from Capitol Hill to get cookies and treats for friends and family - and ourselves. There are also interesting tea cups and other notable items that we have made in to Christmas and graduation gifts. It’s a bit unique and we enjoy looking. So today we found a bunch of small cucumbers, saffron pistachios, a cookie/cake item my husband likes with tea, the broken up uneven sugar cubes, and some Persian tea. The tea has the name of our niece Sahar and the sugar cubes have the name of some family members Golchin. I also like going to this place because it reminds my husband of where he came from. Now it is a lot closer to home and there is no excuse not to go. This time we had a good reason. 

Persian Saffron Pistachio

I really like pistachios. I stopped eating the ones we bought at the grocery store, but they tended to be on the smaller side, were very hard, and you needed a sledgehammer to open some of them. I also have teeth that tend to break, have had a lot of fillings and crowns, and also had TMJ surgery that limits the kinds of things I can eat comfortably. Whenever we go to visit our family in central Virginia, we always bring treats that include cookies and baklavas and Persian pistachios that we buy at Yas Bakery in Vienna. I tried a few of the saffron pistachios there and they not only tasted really good, but were also “softer” and easy to peel. Because I was in the mood for trying pistachios again, we got another small Wonderful bag brand at the grocery store but the end result was the same. So today after our morning walk we decided to stop in at Yas and pick up a few things - cucumbers, my husband’s favorite Persian cookies, and more of the saffron pistachios. It’s hard to believe how expensive these things are! I still haven’t tried one to see if they meet our expectations but I am looking forward to cracking a few open later this evening. I hope they are as good as I think they will be but worry that they may become habit forming. We have a tendency to get hooked on something for a while until we decide it’s enough. But since pistachios are supposedly good for you let’s hope they are as tasty - and easy to eat - as we remember. 

In Search of Sugar Cubes

My husband loves coffee and tea. And with the coffee and tea he has to have sugar cubes - not granulated sugar - but sugar cubes. We never used to have trouble finding sugar cubes - until recently. For whatever reason the cubes could not be found at our local Giant grocery. But it was inconsistent. They had them for awhile, then stopped again. And we can’t go without a back up supply. I have actually had to order them from Amazon because they always seem to have whatever you need without a lot of hassle. So this week when we went to the grocery store there was all kind of sugar available - but not sugar cubes. Then I had the idea that the Persian grocery store Yas in Vienna had them. I remember that we bought some before we went to visit family in central Virginia along with all the other treats. So after our morning walk we took a ride to Yas to pick up a few things that we needed anyway - cucumbers, lettuce, naan bread, sour cherry jelly, my husband’s favorite Persian cookies - and perhaps sugar cubes? We went right to the tea section and there they were in all shapes and sizes. It felt like we had hit the jackpot. We ended up picking a Sadaf container of cubes that are of all different sizes - just like in the old country. And they are called fancy sugar cubes. So it was worth the trip. We already had a lot of the bread for breakfast and will be having some of the cookies this evening with tea after dinner. What a treat! 

Yas Bakery Thanksgiving Treats

We usually host Thanksgiving with my siblings. But we weren’t able to do that last year for obvious reasons. This year, my husband has had some medical issues for the last two months and one of my siblings is not vaccinated. So, we weren’t in any hurry to cook this year. Luckily for us, we got an invitation to visit our family in central Virginia. Their usual Thanksgiving plans also changed this year because of college aged kids that are spread out everywhere making it too difficult to travel to the Maryland shore. We are definitely looking forward to a change of scenery because we haven’t been anywhere since our grandson’s graduation in May. So we went to Yas after our morning walk this morning to pick up some treats to take along with us. Yas is a Persian bakery and grocery in Vienna and they have a wonderful selection. We also got pistachios and jellies and other things, but the bakery is the best. Luckily for us we will get to feast on some of it too! Maybe a new tradition is starting? 

Yas Grocery Store

It was convenient to stop at Farm Stores to pick up eggs, bread or ice cream. You would just drive through and someone would give you whatever you ordered and you were on your way without getting out of the car. That was fifty years ago! In between weekly grocery shopping sometimes you run out of a couple of things. That’s when we go to Yas Grocery and bakery. It’s not exactly Farm Stores - which are long gone - but it sort of feels the same. The big difference is that it is Persian and my husband likes to pick up sour cherry jelly, and a sort of relish. Aside from those items, he has some favorite cookies too. The bakery counter is really nice! But the other main items we get are cucumbers and flat bread. There can never be enough bread in this house. It’s hard to believe that we can go though so much bread in such a short period of time. And then you get more bread if you order from Moby Dick - our favorite take out Persian restaurant that is just a block away. So, it’s a nice ride to Vienna after a morning walk and we are never disappointed. They wrap the glass jars in Persian newspaper and we have been using the cloth bag we got in Isfahan for groceries. It’s nice to have so many options. 

Yas Bakery Goodies and Tea Cups for Graduation

Last week today we were en route to our grandson’s high school graduation. It’s been 18 months since we saw our family who now live in central Virginia. We all used to live on Capitol Hill for several years. While I worked at the Library of Congress, my husband babysat and ferried our grandson around. So we had a great opportunity to know him well. So we always stop at Yas Bakery the day before we leave and stock up on treats before we visit. This time we wanted to get something special as a token of the big event. So we got a huge box of cookies, a few different spices, candies, flat bread, pistachios, sour cherry jelly, saffron, and some sour relish. Then I noticed some really pretty tea cups with silver rims that looked like larger versions of cups my husband has from Iran. What freshman college student wouldn’t love a set of these? It was really the thought of it that was inspiring - not very practical - but one never knows. Our grandson still surprises us, so we thought we would surprise him too. So I wrapped the glasses up and put a copy of the life sketches painting on the top under the bow. It was a unique gift - and he really liked it. 

Yas and Gas

We hit the jackpot today! Yesterday we waited in line for about half an hour to fill the gas tank. We needed to kill time before we went for an errand. When we got to the pump, there was no gas left. It didn’t matter since we had a half a tank full. Today we drove over to Yas Bakery and grocery to pick up some torshi - sour vegetables - that my husband loves. On the way we observed the gas stations to see if it was possible to try again for a fill, and then stop on our way home. While we were at Yas I couldn’t help but notice the desserts that looked delicious. There was a small box of four different varieties, including little cream puffs. So we got those along with some Persian bread and some other cookies my husband loves. On the way home we ended up at a gas station that was reasonably busy and became busier while we waited - seeing how it was lunch time. It did remind me of the 70’s gas shortage, but luckily - and hopefully - this situation is short lived. The guy in front of us had to be running on empty as his bill was close to sixty dollars! The hardest part was maneuvering the car because the gas tank was on the wrong side. But in these circumstances you need to get creative. So in the end it was a good day - Yas and Gas.