a taste of vietnam

this is an exceptional video (sent to me from S -of alaska fame) showcasing a two weeks meant for "exploring the food of vietnam."  it also hints at many other awesome things about vietnam and the vietnamese people that i experienced while i was there in november (don't they all look so friendly!?).  so in addition for making me terribly hungry, i'm crazy-nostalgic right now.

enjoy! and plan your trip to vietnam. you won't be sorry.

A Taste of Vietnam from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

x! 

cronicles della mia cucina: spinach and sausage quiche

speckled eggs

recently, i had a bunch of eggs that were just about to go bad.  they were straight-from-the-farm eggs, so for them to become rotten without being consumed would have been absolutely tragic.  how to resolve this situation quickly?! a quiche!  it took me longer to figure out how to spell "quiche" then it did to gather up baking instructions - it was so easy! AND one of the most delicious things i've ever eaten.  (i'm so very humble)

ingredients:
pie crust
eggs
milk
whatever you'd like to add to your quiche

step 1: purchase frozen pie crust (deep dish) and thaw.  preheat oven to 350.
step 2: put all quiche additions inside pie crust (i used sausage, spinach, onions, and the best cheese in the world)

step 3: scramble eggs together with a cup (ish) of milk - i used 4 medium eggs. pour scramble mixture overtop of pie crust with ingredient filling.

step 4: bake for about 40 minutes

step 5: admire

step 6: devour (see the sausage on the bottom?!) 

like i said, this was one of the easiest things i've ever made.  and it was incredibly delicious.  i'm sure the delectable taste derived from the farm-fresh eggs AND sausage AND the best cheese in the world.  i mean all three of those things are incredible individually - just thinking about combining them again is mind-blowing. 

YUM! 

memories of parma: bikes! and un panino di pesto cavallo.

last september, i spent a weekend in charlottesville, a place that i love.  the weekend was full of concerts, good food, good friends, and the beginning of incredibly crisp fall weather (!).  cville visits are always full of memories that make me terribly sad college is over.  however, since returning from italy, one of my favorite things about visiting cville is chatting in italian with one of the best bartenders on the corner, N, and invoking a whole different kind of nostalgia.

last year, N spent some time in parma, italy, playing for the parma panthers football team.  i know it sounds strange, an american football league in italy?  have you read john grisham's playing for pizza?  well N lived the life of the main character in the book - he played for and also coached the panther's football team.  in his spare time, he was hanging out in parma! lucky for me, he had a lot of free time during the day and his stay in parma overlapped with our spring break from school.  so before our epic malta adventures, V and i ventured to parma.  hanging out with him in cville brings back wonderful memories of our visit so enjoy a much-overdue review of our trip to parma in spring 2011!

________________

parma was an amazing surprise. the people must be very interested in keeping their little town a secret, because i haven't heard nearly enough rave reviews about the city.  being just a short train-ride away, it often gets overshadowed by the historically famous university city of bologna.  i haven't been to bologna myself, so i can't offer a comparison but i loved the quaint charm of parma;  it was beautiful, and just bustling enough to feel alive.

i arrived before V and spent an evening strolling the cobblestone streets with N and his football friends. similar to other small italian towns i've visited, people were spilling out of bars and cafes and flooding the streets.  it was a clear night and the streets were filled with light and weekend city noises - i was in heaven.

V arrived the next day and we only had the afternoon to explore before heading onward in our spring break journies.  thanks to the preferred method of transportation in the city, we were able to cover a lot of ground in a little bit of time.  

everyone in the city bikes, which i LOVED.  thankfully, N had 2 spare bicilette that V and i were able to borrow.  N was an excellent tour guide and led us on a speedy tour past all the sights.

we started at the duomo which was rather plain on the outside but incredibly beautiful inside.  this is unusual in italy as many of the churches seem to be competing with their neighbors to see who can have the most magnificent display.  it was refreshing, actually, to see a church that was so humble from the outside.  it seemed as if it was saving the beauty for the true visitors who ventured inside -- why waste all the effort on the half-hearted tourists who didn't bother to enter? 

after the duomo, we continued on our bike tour by the river, over bridges, and through a gorgeous park with lots of ruined things.  

then it was lunchtime.  N led us to a tiny alley that was full of parked bikes and people having lunchtime conversation - our hole-in-the-wall destination seemed like the place to be!  N assured us that we were getting something authentic to parma. 

we walked in and N ordered for us, "tre panini di pesto cavallo per favore"

knowing he was still just learning italian, i offered to help.  "hey, N? you just asked for some horse, what did you mean to say?"

nope, he ordered correctly.  we were about to receive a sandwich with RAW horsemeat.  the thing to eat in parma? who'd have thought?

the preparation

the finished product

in addition to the raw horse, the sandwich had grilled vegetables and some sort of white condiment.  and oh MAN was it good.  the horsemeat was very light - not too filling (which was good because it was piled on) and the crunch of the veggies went well with the texture of raw meat.  the bread was that perfect soft and flaky italian variety and it was just all perfect.  you could tell it wasn't their first time creating the masterpiece.  

as we left, it was a bit unsettling to see the horses trot by pulling carriages... but i would definitely eat the sandwich again.

after our raw horse sandwiches, the only thing left to do was buy postcards to send our friends telling them that "we ate raw horse!!!"  no other tourist attraction was going to top lunch.

the whirlwind day in parma was magical. beautiful weather, wonderful friends, bikes! and raw horse (?) - what more could you ask for?

xx

cronicles della mia cucina: brooklyn dinner party

last week, in new york, i got together with some friends i hadn't seen in a while; we gathered at one girl's brooklyn apartment for dinner.  i was in charge of wine, D was in charge of delicious baked goods and J brought the ingredients.   since i was the only guest who doesn't live in the city, we spent a lot of time talking about me and my last year in trieste.  it was nice to be doing what we did so much of last year with a new group of people.  it was comforting to be cooking with friends while i was talking about cooking with friends on via della guardia.  we talked about trips i had taken and made plans for new trips; our conversations flowed just as they had in italy - with the help of italian wine.  and it was especially fun to learn that i'm capable of cooking delicious things that don't involve pasta (thanks for the delicious recipes, J!)

shrimp and avacado salad with crispy tortillas

adapted from here

ingredients: 

tortillas sliced into strips

5 tbls olive oil

kosher salt & black pepper

1.5 lbs peeled & deveined large shrimp

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tbls fresh orange juice

2 tbls fresh lime juice

2 romaine hearts, sliced (about 5 cups)

1/4 small cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

1 avacado (or more, avacados are yummy)

directions:

heat oven to 400 F.  toss tortillas with olive oil & salt; spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp (7ish minutes)

in a large bowl, toss the shrimp with cumin, salt, and pepper.  heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  cook the shrimp until golden and cooked through. 

in another bowl, combine the juices with 3 tbls of olive oil, salt, & pepper.  add romaine, cabbage, avacado, and shrimpg.  toss to combine; top the salad with the crispy tortillas and serve!

roasted corn with manchego and lime (YUM)

adapted from here

ingredients:

6 ears of corn

2 tbls olive oil

2 tbls unsalted butter

kosher sald & black pepper

1 jalepeno, finely diced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 lime, cut into wedges

1 cup finely grated manchego cheese (YUM!)

1/4 cup thinly sliced chives

2 tsp finely grated lime zest

directions: 

preheat oven to 450 F. roast unhusked corn on a baking sheet, turning occasionally, until heated through and crisp-tender (about 15 minutes). let cool, shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs.

heat oil in a large skilled over high heat.  add corn kernels and saute until heated through and golden brown.  add butter; stir until melted. season to taste with salt and pepper. 

transfer corn to a large bowl/platter; sprinkle jalepeno and crushed red pepper flakes over.  squeeze lime wedges; sprinkle with cheese, chives, and lime zest. 

next up in the life of liz: fall 2011

when i typed the title of this post, i initially typed "2010." that's wrong.  it's 2011 and really almost 2012.  when did that happen?! it really is true what they say, "time flies when you're having fun."  as my sister said the other day, "how much faster is it going to go when we're OLD?!"  i'm not sure how the acceleration of time with age works, but i don't want to waste any of my 20s trying to figure it out -- i know i need to enjoy it while i can; i only have one life. 

so what am i going to do with these epic years of mine, you ask? what have i been up to since my grand return to america at the end of july?  well, besides spending lots of quality time with all those people i missed last year, i've got some pretty sweet plans in the works.  i won't give away all of my hopes and dreams because, you know, i don't want to jinx anything.  but i will give you a high-quality preview. 

(an extended) labor day weekend: new york city! people i can't wait to see include: my long-lost ladybird, IST ex-coworkers who are educating the new york city youth at a charter school in brooklyn, J, who will absolutely be my first famous friend with her sure-to-be-rapidly-approaching broadway musical debut,  some sisters (a fellow ginger and twin b), my favorite princess (who's engaged!!), and many others.  i'll be there for pretty much a week and who knows, at that point the city may have sucked me in and i might never leave. 

if i do make it out, 

september 8th - 11th: dc/northern virginia!  again, so many of my favorite people live densely packed into this small area that i just hope i get a chance to see them all.  concrete plans so far include hanging out with V and her family; i have been suffering without my roommate/coworker/travel partner/friend since she left me in trieste on july 11th.  i'll get to see her as cheerleading coach in-action and i'm hoping her dad will cook us some delicious puerto rican food.  or maybe we'll make italian food?  we'll probably eat a lot; it will be delicious. 

later in september: a weekend in charlottesville for some other liz time (which will surely include a "cville highlights" journey before she leaves for oxford) and some concerts with friends and the family, some days at the beach (which days are yet to be determined), and then! an unprecedented alaska/canada/other places road trip adventure.  no, i have no idea what i've gotten myself into but i'm excited. 

other goals: i've been told i'd like chicago and seattle.  i also have some friends who are out of the country in some pretty cool spots that i might need to visit....

stay tuned for updates! 

x!

cronicles della mia cucina: sunday brunch!

i've only just begun and this post has already made me hungry.  i currently have no groceries and sunday brunch was always one of our most delicious events.  

we started off the year, going to our favorite spot for brunch on sundays but once we got into cooking, we decided to recreate brunch at our apartment.  the meal slowly grew from simple to a smorgasbord of amazing things all made from scratch.  below, enjoy a sampling of photos

wheat bagels in the process, almonds being toasted to be turned into almond butter, and V making smoothies

finished wheat bagels, a variety of spreads, mimosa fixins, the grinding of almonds into almond butter and coffee

another table view: eggs and hash-browned potatoes and friends!

bagel batch #2 and homemade bread becoming french toast! 

after this specific brunch, i remember a group food coma that resulted in movie-watching-turned-napping in the via della guardia movie theatre. 

x!

cronicles della mia cucina: delicious risotto!

a friend sent me this zucchini risotto recipe (thanks, dr!) and said that it was a "good thing to make if you can get fresh ingredients" and he also said that it was his "fallback - simple, plain, and straightforward."  well, yes, i can get fresh veggies and cheeses but i would definitely not call this simple or plain.  straightforward, maybe, but i had never made risotto before so definitely not on attempt #1

this risotto involves: 

zucchini

onion

tomato

garlic

rice

chicken/veggie stock

cream

parmesean

thick, creamy cheese (i used latteria)

olive oil, butter, water and s&p

sautee, sautee, sautee veggies (not tomato) in oil. melt butter with veggies, and then add rice.  after grains are toasted, add garlic, s&p, and stock.  continuously stir mixture and add stock and water until rice becomes thick. 

let the rice finish cooking.  when the rice is almost finished, add loads of cheese and cream to make it really delicious.  add tomato at the end and then EAT.   

oh, man. it was so creamy and delicious and i made a TON and it lasted for a week and i was happy.

x! 

marymom and daddyjohn take on trieste and the trifecta.

playing tourguide is incredibly exhausting. my parents arrived in trieste last friday evening and left for venice this morning.  despite having a day off from work on tuesday, this week has crawled along slower than so many others.  it could be the fact that spring break is now only a week away and i am dying for its swift arrival, but it could also be that i have been entertaining 24/7 since last friday.  don't get me wrong, i loved having my parents here (i've said before how we love visitors) but man, i am tired.

my parents came to visit me in 2008 when i was living in siena and they still talk about what an amazing vacation they had, mostly in part to my impeccable planning for them.  before their arrival, i had concocted a detailed itinerary with times and locations for meeting as well as set them up with things to do on their own while i was in class.

this time around, however, i tried my hardest to have them plan their own itinerary.  weeks (months? maybe too soon?) in advance i began sending them emails including links of things to check out and suggestions of what they could do while they were in the area.  neither of them had been to this edge of western europe before so i knew it was necessary to include the "trifecta," as V has aptly named the combination of venice, slovenia, and croatia, into our plans for their time in trieste.

it can't stop with simply, "include the trifecta," though.  there are so many things in slovenia that i am only just discovering myself, venice can be done in a day or a week - what were their priorities? - and not even i had been to croatia yet! oh! and i have a full time job with AND am training for a half-marathon that will be run in a month... this visit would be slightly different from tuscany in 2008 when i was going to a class or two a day (i believe that i easily understand my exhaustion now).

so! as i mentioned, i did my best to shove them in the planning direction by providing suggestion upon suggestion for their visit.  however, two days before their arrival, i realized they had no plans and i caved by quickly concocting the following itinerary which we followed very closely during their stay.

friday: you arrive. i pick you up with no major problems (hopefully). we arrive back at your hotel/my apartment around 730/8. you all spend a brief amount of time getting settled and we go to my 2 favorite spots for drinks and dinner (delish burgers) 

saturday: spend the day lounging. the weather will be beautiful and warm -- we should go to barcola and through the city. wander for a bit, stop for drinks, repeat. 
- osmiza for dinner!

after getting on with our adventure a bit later than we had hoped, we made our way to the carso to find an osmiza.  i went to an osmiza during one of my first weekends here in the fall and immediately knew that my parents would love the experience.  

to find an osmiza, you must drive and drive into the carso until you see signs and the osmiza branches directing you where to go

we finally found one!

and ate loads. 

after osmiza #1, we resumed the hunt and went to a 2nd one with a totally different vibe.  at osmiza #2 we sat near a birthday party that involved guitar playing and boys pulling their pants down..... so, that was an experience. 

sunday: croatia. spend the day at some fabulous beachy/port city. drive up the coast. 
check, check, and check.  we headed straight to porec (got 3 passport stamps along the way), wandered around the town for a bit and then drove back north along the coast toward italy.

the coastal drive was incredible.  it reminded me of driving on the big island in hawaii -- the road was a bit away from the water but the way the surrounding land sloped, you could see down to the sparkling adriatic and it was just the most beautiful view. 

we stopped along the way at roadside stands and bought dried fruit and unidentifiable bean pods (that i later found out were carob and is used as a chocolate substitute?)

and then, i ate this incredible piatto di frutti di mare. the octopus hidden in the middle underneath all the shellfish was my favorite. 

monday: you all wander around trieste, walk along the water, visit the castle, etc. take the tram up or drive the car up to my school around lunchtime, come eat lunch with me at school and spend some time letting me show you off (as you desire) and then there are things you can do (beautiful overlooks, etc.) in opicina until school is out and then i usually have italian class at bar vatta (drinks near school) which could be fun for you all to come to! or we could just go down into town after school. 

-campanon for pizza dinner! 

after enduring an exciting morning on trieste trasporti in part due to my poor directions and in part due to the failure of the tram to be run regularly, my parents made it to opicina and school.  they hung out at lunch and recess, heard all about my students and met pretty much everyone i work with.  we rendezvoused a bar vatta per il mio lezione d'italiano.  

then! we drove down the hill and went to wander around the gardens at castello di miramare.  it was just before sunset and the weather was beautiful.  all the spring flowers had popped, making the gardens just breathtaking.  thus began the repeated phrase, "you live in such a beautiful city!"

it's true. i do live in a beautiful city. 

tuesday: my day off. SLOVENIA! we can do lake bled, possible lake bohinj, the predjama castle (google these things, if interested -- they're all awesome), and ljubljana. there are some delish thai/mexican/indian restaurants in ljubljana that we could patronize for dinner if you all were up for it. it stays light so late here now (730 at least) that we could wander until dark and then eat dinner and head back to trieste after dinner (ljubljana is about an hour away, so that's not even getting back that late)

i have done this slovenia day before so it was easily a success -- we made it to the predjama castle for a quick stop before heading past ljubljana to lake bled.

in bled, the sun was warm and the breeze was crisp, perfect for a stroll around the lake with the sneaky alps poking out underneath the light cloud cover.  

we had some lunch in bled and then went back south to ljubljana for the late afternoon and evening where we wandered the old town and marymom and i got some stranded tulips at the end of the farmer's market.

wednesday: you all wander, do whatever while i'm at work. pick me up at school? 

-pizza night at my apartment!

before pizza night could really get started, this happened. he took it like a champ (as you can see)

as you can see, we had so many of the bases covered (numerous bottles of wine, trieste-style deviled eggs, pimento cheese, and freshly rolled out pizza dough)

this bbq chicken pizza was incredible -- thanks for the bbq sauce, america!

being forced (hahaha yeah they had to twist my arm) to show my parents around the trifecta of my current home, gave me the opportunity to explore some myself -- sunday was my first time in croatia!  showing them where i live and what i do here really helped me to appreciate my life (the amazing weather didn't hurt, either).  

as much as i have complained about trieste and the bora and work and everything else i've complained about this year (when did i grow to be so negative?), i can fully recognize now that life is good, here. 

spring has sprung, the surrounding bella vistas are out of control and time is flying.  next week we enter the final quarter and have only 8 weeks of school to go.  spring break is around the corner and my departure date is very quickly approaching.  i'm just not ready to leave yet....


x!

manu chao!: first stop on his april balkan tour

manu chao in ljubljana? hell yes, please. 

i believe we've discussed my minor obsession with slovenia, especially ljubljana, and also the fact that i'm starving for some culture in the form of live music in trieste.  these factors combined made this weekend somewhat ideal.  add: incredible springtime weather, good friends and the most amazing falafel in the entire world and i was pretty much in heaven.  

i was just introduced to the excellence that is manu chao last december during a somewhat lengthy car ride to the dolomiti with friends.  and why i had never heard his hot jams before makes me upset with everyone who had and didn't spread the love my way.  

when browsing the book "1001 songs you must hear before you die" from our school library last week, i discovered that his 2001 release, "clandestino" was chosen as one of these songs.  (by noting some of the other songs that had been selected, i would make this fact less interesting and exciting, so i won't.)  

in the book, for each of the songs chosen as all important, the authors tell a bit about the song, its release and the artist.  in manu chao's brief bio was the following: 

"chao escaped celebrity by returning to travel.  "i have what the spanish call 'a worried ass,' he explained.  "i literally cannot stay in one place too long."

welp, i guess i now know my malady, i have a "worried ass." 

posters advertising the concert all over LJ.

and yes, the concert was excellent. he played a 2.5 hour set, which included an hour's worth of encore songs and oh man, he was just cool.  he's off to other really cool places in the balkans for the rest of the month and YOU should go.

x!

goals getting squashed by the rain

over the weekend, i made a list of all the posts i want to make and the list is rather lengthy.  so! i made a goal of blogging once every week day, monday through friday, starting today.  in addition to the list of overdue posts, things happen around here on a very regular basis that i also like to keep you all updated on (all 5 of you who read regularly), which means my list of "things i need to post" will only be growing.  i needed to create some sort of schedule to keep me on point.

however, today il tempo fa schifo (the weather sucks).  it's one of those rainy, colder-than-you-thought-when-you-were-getting-dressed, foggy days that makes you just want to curl up in bed with a good book (we all know how i feel about the rain and unanticipated temperature fluctuations).  i had the following conversation with my lizzy about the weather while i was doing laundry (another thing that makes me go "ugh"):

me: ugh
lizzy: yeah this weather sucks.  but today is supposed to be the worst of it.... bora might come later this week.
me: ughhhhhhh bora is coming?!
lizzy: yeah i think so, someone told me that it was coming
me: it sounds like the bora is a dreaded relative coming to visit
lizzy: i don't think it's going to be bitter cold, i think it will be more like the bora that just blows all these clouds away.
me: oh! we like that bora!
lizzy: yeah! so it's like that cousin that your hot and cold with instead of the always dreadful relative.

so, there you have it. we're preparing for the arrival of our sometimes dreaded cousin to hopefully clear out these clouds and just jump ahead from april showers to may flowers.

all is not lost, though, on this rainy monday -- thanks to daylight savings time, it's not dark yet AND before checking the weather forecast we made plans for a fajita dinner.  what it does mean is that this non-planned blog post will be today's and i won't be checking anything off my list (unless i add this to my list so that i can check something off - something i'm not above doing).

see you tomorrow when (hopefully) the clouds are gone and i'm full of a delicious mexican dinner.

x!

freckles! it's about time.

today has been the best day. the weather is amazing! like, sunshine ALL DAY. went for an amazing run (in preparation for my 10k a milano this weekend) -- note: i accidentally typed "fun" instead of "run" in the past sentence. freudian slip? -- and played lots of soccer with the boys in my class (i scored a goal! they were impressed)

and then, i had the following conversation with a friend which made me laugh about the bora: 

Katie:  im so jealous you have good weather.

 me:  it's amazing

the weather gods OWE me, though

 Katie:  uh oh why?

 me:  it rained all fall here. i mean like months in a row. AND the bora exists

 Katie:  wtf is the bora?

 me:  funny you should ask!

per bien's request, i blogged about it

 Katie:  hahaha perfect

 Katie:  so funny

mostly about the crane

 me:  yeah that was hilarious

i mean a giant crane

just blew away

 Katie:  i mean that's a costly expense

   also a good lie for homework

"it blew away"

a likely story

 me:  hahaha

 Katie:  and then the kid could respond "remember when the bora blew away a crane?...it's definitely possible to blow away my homework"

 me:  hahahahahahahaha

Katie:  im laughing out loud because that would be so clutch

me:  definitely a "pro" to the bora's existence

and then she proceeded to tell me that she and her soon-to-be-groom are buying a house, much like my other close married friends. and this sent me back into fits if indecision about life like that day i entered into my quarter-life crisis. but then she said the following: 

Katie:  so you can come visit me and stay in a guest room!!!

 me:  you're a grown up

OMG

you're going to have a  guest room?!

 Katie:  its sort of exciting that my friends could bring someone home if they visited me

and i laughed. and the day was good again. 

and THEN, i went to a student's house (that was on the side of a mountain and had amazing vistas of the city and sea) and learned how to make meringes! AND i ate amazing homemade italian food, drank delicious vino e prosecco, was told that my italian pronunciation is "perfetto" (which i'm not sure is true but, boh), AND walked in on my students (about 8 boys and girls who were there) playing truth or dare and talking about jabas. mamma mia, to be 10 years old again. 

spring is here! 

x

cronicles della mia cucina: hummus!

so, being a vegetarian in italy is un po' dificile.  vegetarianism is a concept that they don't quite understand here -- you know, they like eating the animals.  so! while they cook loads of things at school with only veggies -- i was getting sick of eating just pasta/rice/another starch with various sauces at home for dinners.  i was missing my veggie foods that consisted of things other than pasta, veggies, and sauce. 

nothing a quick google search of "how to make hummus" couldn't solve! 

now, i had heard that finding tahini (an ingredient that is essential to hummus production) in bella italia was difficult if not impossible. however, the coolest little bio store down the street did not fail me and has jars of tahini for very cheap. success #1! 

i half followed recipes, and half made it up along the way but essentially, i sauteed a red pepper (because i couldn't find already roasted red peppers) and then mixed everything together in our little hand mixer device (production would be much easier with a food processor, however, we don't have one and i don't want to buy one).  

what is "everything"? i used:

1 can of chickpeas

1/3 cup of tahini

1 or 2 lemons worth of juice

2 tbls olive oil (it's good to use the oil from the jar of red peppers, if you get them already roasted)

1/2 c - 3/4 c of roasted red peppers (i roasted mine with peperoncino)

tobasco sauce (to taste -- this is the crucial ingredient)

then you mix everything together! 

mix as much as you like based on how smooth you like it (haha?)

and enjoy! 

since the first red-pepper hummus experience, i've made multiple other kinds of hummus including pesto hummus and black bean hummus (i found black beans! so exciting).

you can really just put whatever you want in with the chickpea mixture and it should be delicious.

xo!

cronicles della mia cucina: adding to the list

thanks to a few recent email requests to share recipes, i've been given too many new ideas of things to whip up in the kitchen.

at the top of the list, these fully loaded granola bars found on shutterbean.com (a new favorite blog to follow)

soon after, DR's deliciously cheesy risotto that he said "is easy and good if you can find fresh veggies and good cheeses," and i believe italy has both of those things.

and now i'm hungry.

xo!

cronicles della mia cucina: homemade bagels!

at our favorite spot in town, they have delicious brunch bagels.  this is the only place in italy that i have ever heard of to serve bagels so obviously it is wildly popular with the IST staff members.  on sunday mornings we have been known to fill the place during brunch hours.  

however, the prices at our posta don't get along very well with our bank accounts.  maybe this was the reason, or maybe she had another, but one day, post brunch, V declared, "i want to make bagels." 

she did the necessary research, made the first batch (which was delish), and then obviously, i copied her. and now we make them frequently!  we've figured it out that each white bagel costs about 8 cents.  when wheat flour is used, however, the price increases to piu' caro 11 cents.  

the necessary materials:

and the process:

boiling before baking

flipping!

sunday-after-break bagel + spreads + glee + boxed wine feast.

round 2: wheat bagels! 

oib august 2k11: get excited for so many homemade bagels. 

you may no longer rightfully ban me from the kitchen at 16 isle plaza. 

x! 

cronicles della mia cucina: an introduction

as i have mentioned here, here, and here, i am acquiring some culinary knowledge.  i now can say that i know my way around the kitchen; i can properly use a stove and oven and am developing the ability to mix things without a recipe.  AND i have an apron. i am making significant progress!!  everyone should be very proud.

obviously, i am a master at the simple things such as pasta and rice and i have successfully experimented with mixing various sauces into both of these starches.  my current favorite and go-to dinner dish is rice with a pesto, ricotta, sundried tomato mixture. YUM.

i have decided to cronicle my specific culinary adventures in posts that will be titled such as this one, "cronicles della mia cucina."  i have no timeline, no goal of a regular schedule for these food-related posts, however, i will be letting you know as soon as i make something delicious.  this is so that i may brag about my food being more delicious than yours in hopes that you will all come and visit so i can cook for you.

below are some pictures of things i have made so far during my time here in trieste:

epic grilled cheese: pesto, fresh mozzerella, cheddar (from scotland!), sundried tomatoes, arugula

vin brule and penne al fumo

baked brie with apricot preserves and sweet chili sauce

first solo loaf of bread!

ketchup!

mexican feast. fajitas and refried beans!

pizza: garlic and ricotta with fresh basil and arugula

pizza: pesto, mozz, sundried tomatoes, fresh arugula

also, last night i made a pesto gorgonzola risotto. it was delicious but not very pretty so i didn't take a picture of it. i should have, though.

current goals:
- soup involving a roux
- hummus
- some sort of incredible vegetable/tomato-based pasta sauce


a quick DID YOU KNOW that fire (like a candle) burns onion fumes to prevent tears when you're cutting onions? because i did not know this. and it's amazing news.

that's all for now. i'm hungry.

xo!