tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14942256342267006972024-03-13T19:33:42.418-07:00POTS and PansA blog about food and diseases. Bon appétit!Meri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-81128512406290802422013-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:002013-07-26T19:32:31.904-07:00I'm Back!Well, I've been back since July 15th.<br />
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And man have I been busy (a slight change from my usual "do nothing all day" thing in Italy).<br />
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First things first: reacquaint myself with my kitties. Cookie took hold of my computer immediately (that's my excuse for not blogging recently).<br />
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He's intent on not letting me use technology.<br />
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Next, find a way to have Italian coffee at home. Cue the espresso maker I bought in Modena.<br />
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And my adorable espresso cups.<br />
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Attempt to hug our kitchen cabinet and end up just staring at it in awe. So much snack food.<br />
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And make a trip to Wegmans. This is a real cereal aisle, Italy. (And this is only half of it).<br />
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Finally, lots of baking.<br />
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A <a href="http://www.shutterbean.com/2013/lemon-buttermilk-bundt-cake/#more-20503">bundt</a> for my brother's breakfast every morning.<br />
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I replaced half the lemon zest with orange because I didn't have enough, and it worked out just fine.<br />
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Two loaves of bread: one sourdough boule and one whole wheat. YUM. My all-carb diet isn't going anywhere.<br />
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This morning, I finally found this baby in the basement.<br />
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Get ready for fresh pasta everybody.</div>
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-Meri</div>
Meri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-74056968530523771982013-07-07T12:21:00.000-07:002013-07-07T12:21:02.387-07:00Lago di Garda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A friend suggested that I get to Lake Garda before I leave. It seemed like a bit too far, but once I did some research, I knew I needed to go.<br />
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Of course, to get enough time in at the lake, I had to get up at 6 in the morning to catch a 7 o'clock train that had two connections. Well, it might be hard to see from this picture, but the first train was 30 minutes late, blowing both connections.<br />
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Thank you Italian train system.<br />
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I was supposed to get a train from Verona to Peschiera del Garda at 9:30, but since I missed it, I had to wait until 12:00 for the next train.<br />
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Only bonus--this awesome fruit cup from Verona's center.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkmyMgMESVceAcwnLKw2I8n9pbANliFE9FzwxZahcsM4CAK9clwW0UQsQeFQ1kog1M6Qg8WAC1sD2MZt4LRrAQM5TYeBOZQ2Ga08tBBPrTqfRNEJzxWa60LvuQjs9kYeM3dQs_1EsO4_h/s1600/IMG_2791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkmyMgMESVceAcwnLKw2I8n9pbANliFE9FzwxZahcsM4CAK9clwW0UQsQeFQ1kog1M6Qg8WAC1sD2MZt4LRrAQM5TYeBOZQ2Ga08tBBPrTqfRNEJzxWa60LvuQjs9kYeM3dQs_1EsO4_h/s400/IMG_2791.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh coconut!</td></tr>
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In the center of Verona I got to see the usual street performers.<br />
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BUT. I have never seen this one. I was so frightened and not entertained by this guy. These performers paint their faces like an animal, put it in a travel case, and hold little stuffed-animal legs. Then they make weird winy squeaky noises at the audience.<br />
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Terrifying.<br />
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I finally made it to the lake around 12:30.<br />
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It was incredibly beautiful, as expected.<br />
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These are all pictures from my walk from Peschiera del Garda to Lazise (about 6 or 7 miles away).<br />
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They had a bunch of these boats for sale. I was very tempted even though I didn't even have a bathing suit.<br />
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About 3 1/2 hours later, I arrived in Lazise, which turned out to be one of the most adorable towns of all time.<br />
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They had a free art exhibit up.<br />
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I saw pictures of animals and immediately went inside.<br />
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I got gelato before I left--I needed some energy before the long walk back. Dark chocolate and Baci di Dama. Mmmmmmmmm.<br />
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On the road back I came across this restaurant. I've always been amused by Italians adding "eria" to the end of each word to make it a store name (piadineria, panineria, macelleria, salumeria, etc.). Well, this was my favorite yet: Hamburgheria. Brilliant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUj7Wh8wLLmweUayy6OvazIxM3YoNGbGWpvpng1-F2iMYD5yqKe8teK8M6KeMo_zpCajMDfmMuNhMpT6h7ULcuoZ6HHyB2Ux8WfX_g5IxkHB3tJUgdKmbswbO6kNdR2LVCFUsLTO98zDox/s1600/IMG_2837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUj7Wh8wLLmweUayy6OvazIxM3YoNGbGWpvpng1-F2iMYD5yqKe8teK8M6KeMo_zpCajMDfmMuNhMpT6h7ULcuoZ6HHyB2Ux8WfX_g5IxkHB3tJUgdKmbswbO6kNdR2LVCFUsLTO98zDox/s400/IMG_2837.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should open a Hot Dogheria when I get home...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The road back was beautiful, but very solitary.<br />
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Had I been in the United States, I may have been afraid of being attacked.<br />
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Just me and the wine vineyards.<br />
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Eh, I made it back, didn't I?<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-17075215973761542722013-07-05T06:16:00.001-07:002013-07-05T06:16:09.738-07:00I Climbed A Hill!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My goal for my last few weeks in Italy has been to see as much of it as possible. "Possible" signifies going places that don't have a train fare of over 10 euros and don't take more than 2.5 hours to get to.<br />
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Bologna very easily fits that description and, even though I've been there a bunch of times, I've never climbed the "church on a hill" that so many people talk about. Said church is the Santuario di Madonna di San Luca and I pass it every time I take the train into Bologna.<br />
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I decided to climb the hill in 90 degree heat, so I was thankful that Bologna is a fan of covered walkways.<br />
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I was sweating profusely by the time I got to the top, but it was worth it!<br />
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After my climb, I treated myself with a trip to Eataly. I bought a book of pastry and pasta recipes, but was excited as well to see the Italian version of "The Omnivore's Dilemma."<br />
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The next day I went to Parma. The most exciting part of the trip may have been this orange and fig soda drink thing.<br />
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It was amazing.<br />
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Or maybe the amazingness was exaggerated because I was about to keel over from dehydration.<br />
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Then I found a botanical garden.<br />
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I haven't seen that much green in one place for a long time.<br />
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I'm going to miss these streets when I get home...<br />
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I'm super jealous of Parma's Parco Ducale.<br />
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No offense Modena, but it kicks your Giardini Ducali's butt.<br />
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This tree had a sign on it that said "i 30 sogni dell'albero:" 30 dreams of the tree. There were 30 little paper creatures in the tree to represent the dreams.<br />
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Visiting towns has gotten a little bit easier since they've finally decided that it's hot enough to put on the air-conditioning in stores (usually). Though it's always a mystery when I step on the train...<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-1206813323451916842013-07-03T11:26:00.000-07:002013-07-03T11:26:26.725-07:00The Days Are Winding Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I finally found a horse to play with... 14 days before I leave Italy. It still made me a happy camper.<br />
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So yes, my days in Italy are winding down and it's a very strange. I have nothing to do and will be excited to have a busier schedule soon (so I don't feel like I'm just taking up space), but I'll definitely be sad to leave.<br />
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I've been filling my final days with random activities. One included the Buskers festival in the park near my residence. This guy was balancing on top of suitcase, on top of a sideways barrel, on top of another box. Woah. Then he juggled with sticks on fire while on top of this tower thing. I was too distracted to take a picture of that part.<br />
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Then I saw that they were giving free pole dancing lessons! And there were just a bunch of people pole dancing. I started to feel uncomfortable pretty much immediately.<br />
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My friend has baby chicks at his house in Soliera.<br />
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Oh my God so cute.<br />
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This is a peach tree in the back yard.<br />
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And the chickens and ducks. I want this house.<br />
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Then we went on an adventure to find a horse. Success!<br />
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And this pretty kitty joined us as well.<br />
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I also found some more fun Modena street art while getting gelato. Not sure about the message, but cool nonetheless.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-62847233387045070222013-07-02T01:44:00.001-07:002013-07-02T01:44:59.014-07:00Jon Bon Comes to Milan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Saturday, Asia, Magda, and I made our way to Milan to see a Bon Jovi concert. Yes, I will admit to being a Bon Jovi fan. You try to listen to "It's My Life" without singing along.<br />
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We got our tickets a few weeks beforehand.<br />
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But because we were spending a bunch of money just to get to Milan, we figured we should take in some of the sights in addition to rockin' out to "Livin' On a Prayer."<br />
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The Duomo. Still awesome.<br />
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Magda was really pissed off that the outside of the Scala Theatre wasn't pretty. That is the face of extreme disappointment.<br />
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And we stopped by the castle.<br />
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But mostly, Asia and Magda really wanted to get to the concert.<br />
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Side note: another thing that Italy seems to lack--people that clean up the stadiums. San Siro was absolutely disgusting. This spoiled American is far too accustomed to Citizens Bank Park and clean sitting situations.<br />
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There he is! I think he's gotten younger since the last time I saw him...<br />
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He played for almost 3 1/2 hours straight. We were exhausted afterwords (seemingly more so than Jon Bon who was, you know, doing all the singing and dancing and whatnot).<br />
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Happy to show my New Jersey pride all the way in Milan.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-16625488257707166612013-06-30T09:13:00.001-07:002013-07-01T14:46:33.379-07:00Why I Went to Piacenza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I feel like Italians think I'm stupid. Every time I do something, they look at me like I have five heads. More explanation will come.<br />
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In the meantime, I decided to go to Piacenza the other day because, well, I have literally nothing left to do. All of my finals are done and now I'm just kind of hanging around Italy until July 15th. So, I'd heard about Piacenza (and it was recommended by a little Modena tourist book!) and decided to take a day trip, since I have nothing else to do.<br />
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There main piazza is "Piazza Cavalli"--Horses Piazza. That pretty much made it impossible for the city to be a complete failure.<br />
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I went around and saw some sights.<br />
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There was a very cute little garden right near the train station.<br />
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Then the Duomo! I couldn't go inside because it was closed. I will say that this town is definitely sleepy. I knew when I saw that stores are closed from 12:30 to 4:30 that there was a problem (Modena's stores are closed from 12:30 to 3:30).<br />
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Next I visited the main palazzo--Palazzo Farnese.<br />
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Pretty.<br />
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And empty. I take back anything I ever said about Modena being a quiet town. Modena is hoppin' in comparison to Piacenza.<br />
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Inside the palazzo were these creepy statues.<br />
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Turns out they are actually seats!<br />
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Then I took a walk to a pasticceria I had read about online. I will make a trip anywhere as long as a pasticceria is involved.<br />
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This one was particularly exciting because it was Napolitano. I love desserts from Napoli and Sicilia.<br />
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As I was paying for my sweets, the lady asked if I was Italian. When I responded and said I was American, the five-headed look came out.<br />
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"What are you doing in Piacenza?"<br />
"Well, I'm studying in Modena..."<br />
"You're studying in Modena? Well, what on earth are you doing in Piacenza?"<br />
And so the conversation went.<br />
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I got some delicious goodies though. A tiny babà (that she squirted with fresh alcohol before handing it to me) and a little airy pastry filled with an incredible chocolate cream. It was worth the trip to Piacenza.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-23114902423130602252013-06-28T12:28:00.001-07:002013-06-28T12:28:43.475-07:00S'mores!!!!!!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsVbTbmg2eSsUFJMZtpmkBrL1xd0x6ZCsO_AqoZx5Zler1OfYIXXN2KWByPAq-mSc1oS9MGULAFpeLCyq9clHWRI0OIZ66MLOll1ERTCIc08kHxnJ2hCAAYVntuCs3zaZ2xtWiSPI45Ew/s1600/IMG_2657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsVbTbmg2eSsUFJMZtpmkBrL1xd0x6ZCsO_AqoZx5Zler1OfYIXXN2KWByPAq-mSc1oS9MGULAFpeLCyq9clHWRI0OIZ66MLOll1ERTCIc08kHxnJ2hCAAYVntuCs3zaZ2xtWiSPI45Ew/s320/IMG_2657.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was very excited to introduce Asia and Magda to s'mores yesterday. It was a major hit (how could it not be?).<br />
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Usually, my friend from home has a fire pit where we roast our jet-puffed marshmallows and squish them between Honey Maid graham crackers and Hershey's Chocolate.<br />
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Well, we used the gas stove as our fire pit and I got a little creative while choosing ingredients.<br />
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I did a pretty good job finding a replacement for graham crackers:<br />
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They were a little small and lacked the hint of cinnamon, but they sufficed.<br />
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Hershey's doesn't exist here, so I took the liberty of getting a bunch of different kinds of chocolate. I was super excited to try out gianduia s'mores--and they didn't disappoint.<br />
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Mmmmmmm so yummy. Just the smell of roasting marshmallows made me feel at home.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-74642906624846314052013-06-26T13:30:00.000-07:002013-06-26T13:30:05.091-07:00Proud To Be American...?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNE6eC4eB0AGCOhS-mSLx9OfAOujRmH8grJ_kOpovH-RGHKNCW1ZcytMSfC35uX7VH7rZilRJq1QDXjmfjONnVB69Y1bRi9Rrf37io3u7G5Su4kZCsLq9i30vIzWeF_woX0oQNuGrs4zp/s1600/IMG_2650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNE6eC4eB0AGCOhS-mSLx9OfAOujRmH8grJ_kOpovH-RGHKNCW1ZcytMSfC35uX7VH7rZilRJq1QDXjmfjONnVB69Y1bRi9Rrf37io3u7G5Su4kZCsLq9i30vIzWeF_woX0oQNuGrs4zp/s320/IMG_2650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Delicacies of Stars and Stripes" (rough translation).<br />
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Hmmmm so it's "American" Food week/month over here at Lidl, the supermarket down the street. I'm a little horrified.<br />
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In picture one, going left to right and starting from the top shelf we have: pop corn, hamburger "sauce," mustard, mayonnaise, cranberry juice (in Italian known as "American blueberries"), cheesecake, apple pie, cherry pie, apple crumble, muffins, cookies, and two different kinds of chips.<br />
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More cranberry juice, peanut butter (smooth and crunchy!), hot dogs in a jar (that made me wanna puke), craisins, jelly beans, those weird gummy hamburgers, pickles, chocolate and lemon cakes, pancake mix in a plastic container, marshmallows (BBQ marshmallows--I think the BBQ refers to the fact that you are supposed to roast them...), and finally, ketchup.<br />
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I don't know which part of this is most offensive...<br />
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Well, I'm making the most of it. We'll be making s'mores and puppy chow very soon.<br />
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In other news...<br />
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I got new sandals! Having come in winter, I had only brought shoes with no air pockets to relieve my feetsies. To spare people of the putrid smell that comes after I take off my shoes (due to the excessive heat--it's not a normal occurrence), I'll be wearing these from now on.<br />
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Kitties!<br />
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We found these cuties when we went to Parco Amendola.<br />
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Scariest store front ever.<br />
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ET and a giant hand. There's more that my camera didn't catch. Asia is mesmerized, or scared.<br />
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And Modena is pretty during the day...<br />
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and at night.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-42846822420131765182013-06-23T12:54:00.000-07:002013-06-23T12:54:22.769-07:00My Penultimate Visitors!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BmW7R_1vWMmfqqpORtdgHe_VfQ9xqx-svK0enXGImTUV6VEcDEP7OrS1UoazO-Shr7HzU8sIWvddOWX21ai0wyOVWkfhW1RIJUpAwl7LMrlD8TUUuxw8SCzM56hFr6UXpznwnLju4tW8/s1600/photo+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BmW7R_1vWMmfqqpORtdgHe_VfQ9xqx-svK0enXGImTUV6VEcDEP7OrS1UoazO-Shr7HzU8sIWvddOWX21ai0wyOVWkfhW1RIJUpAwl7LMrlD8TUUuxw8SCzM56hFr6UXpznwnLju4tW8/s320/photo+3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My aunt and uncle, Cary and Margie, have been traveling all over Italy since June 11th. They started in Rome and are currently in Venice. They stopped in Bologna for a few days and I convinced them to head over to Modena a couple of times.<br />
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First, we met up in Bologna, and Cary began his insistent photo-taking.<br />
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We had some cappuccino far too late in the day, just like Americans should.<br />
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I showed them around town. That's the face I make when someone asks what something is and I have absolutely no idea.<br />
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It happens pretty frequently.<br />
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In Modena, we visited some of my favorite places, like Bar Tiffany.<br />
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And Mercato Albinelli.<br />
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We ate cherries, apricots, and strawberries.<br />
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Then we went to an amazing lunch at this place, Il Fantino. It's tucked away on a tiny side street and has incredible food.<br />
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Oh, and apparently there was an earthquake that we didn't feel...<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-14563487386814695042013-06-13T03:14:00.000-07:002013-06-13T03:14:08.429-07:00Vignola: The Search for a Torta Barozzi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The <a href="http://potsandpans-sm.blogspot.it/2013/05/vignola-is-farther-than-carpi-you-know.html">last time</a> we went to Vignola, our main goal was to eat a Torta Barozzi from this Pasticceria Gollini. And it was closed.<br />
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So we set off again in the hopes that it would be open. It helped that there was a cherry festival going on at the same time so we would have something to distract our (mostly my) disappointment.<br />
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This time we took the easy route; we skipped out on the nature trail for the sake of our bikes (and maybe our own sanity).<br />
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We headed straight for our target pasticceria.<br />
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As you can tell from my double thumbs up, it was open! Yay!<br />
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I went in and immediately asked for a piece of Torta Barozzi. And some coffee. I had to get up at 9:30 (in the morning!) for this trip. A whole hour and a half before my new wake-up time.<br />
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There was a little pamphlet on the table, giving the history of the Torta Barozzi in four different languages.<br />
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It was a tiny piece, but satisfying because this cake is so incredibly dense. And so incredibly delicious.<br />
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Next, our tummies told us that eating only chocolate cake and coffee after riding our bikes for an two and a half hours was not a good plan.<br />
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So I got some tigelle--one with prosciutto crudo and the other with salami and cheese.<br />
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For the rest of our time we walked around the cherry festival (and we downed one kilo of duroni in about 20 minutes).<br />
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And then we found this window display.<br />
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"Frightening" is the only word that comes to mind.<br />
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Vignola is a very cute little town. And it has castles, of course.<br />
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As you can see, the sky was foreboding on the way back, but we forged ahead.<br />
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And saw some cows.<br />
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And tried to get this cat to come play with me.<br />
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And became confused by this sign.<br />
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And this one. They seem to have named this street after Jack Kerouac for no apparent reason...<br />
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Then it started raining. And it didn't stop. We rode in the rain for about 45 minutes to an hour. Unfortunately, this was the first time I chose to wear shorts and a tank top in Italy because I expected it to be un-Godly hot. Instead, it was cold and rainy. We got many strange looks from the heavily covered and umbrella-ed Italians that hate to be touched by a drop of rain. First we rode our bikes 50 kilometers to eat a cake. Then we rode our bikes IN THE RAIN! Blasphemy.<br />
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Anyways, mission accomplished! Well, almost. You see, I bought a mini, packaged Torta Barozzi and the ingredients are listed on the back. Well, those ingredients do not match up with the recipes I've found online. At all.<br />
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New mission: figure out how to make the famous Torta Barozzi from Pasticceria Gollini.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-38025116193702728902013-06-05T08:51:00.000-07:002013-06-05T15:22:45.942-07:00Adventures With Gigi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My friend Victoria lives with a hostess named Gigi. Gigi is hilarious and also completely insane.<br />
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We've taken two car trips, one to Mantova and one to "Parma" (I'll explain the quotations later). The above picture is one of my many failed attempts to get a good picture of the picturesque entrance into the tiny town of Mantova.<br />
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You can't tell from my pictures, but you arrive on a bridge so that there is water surrounding you and the city up ahead.<br />
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I swear it's really pretty and doesn't involve Gigi's head in the rear-view mirror.<br />
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It was a very cool little town.<br />
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We were admiring this little garden when a group of young tourists (we're talking 5th grade) entered.<br />
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We fled as fast as we could.<br />
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We walked around the town for a while, and eventually came across this street: Giovanni Arrivabene. Translation: Giovanni arrives well. I'm still curious if this was actually someone's name or someone had run out of famous Italians and needed to start getting creative with street names.<br />
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Mantova is famous for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostarda">mostarda</a> and tortelli di zucca. The first is a kind of candied fruit that is made with mustard seed. The second is pumpkin/butternut squash ravioli--AKA my favorite food on the planet. Or at least my favorite kind of pasta.<br />
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For lunch, we started with a plate of cheeses and mostarda. This plate has fig and pear mostarda. I forgot to take a picture, but we also pumpkin and apple mostarda.<br />
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It was delicious.<br />
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And the pumpkin tortelli were also amazing. They make the filling with the pumpkin mostarda so it gives it a really complex flavor--sweet, savory, and slightly spicy at the same time.<br />
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And served in a simple butter sauce with parmigiano grated over top.<br />
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Mantova also has a traditional dessert called Sbrisolina. When Gigi first tried to explain it to me, all she could come up with was "ummmmm crumbs and almonds. Yeah, crumbs...and almonds. You'll see."<br />
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Well, she could not have been more accurate. I got a tiny version, a Sbrisolina. And it was just that, crumbs and almonds.<br />
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After we found Gigi (she had left her phone at home and we luckily found each other while wandering around the city), she wanted to show us the Palazzo del Te. We weren't supposed to drive this close to it, but Gigi decided no one would mind us breaking the law.<br />
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The next trip that we took was to Parma. Or, at least that's where I thought we were going. I knew I was in for a unique trip when we started driving on the <i>very</i> scenic route.<br />
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For about an hour and a half I had no clue where we were. My phone had no service and there were no road signs.<br />
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Though, it was certainly pretty.<br />
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This dog was wondering what we were doing intruding on his property.<br />
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Yep. This continued for a while.<br />
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Most of the trip involved us driving through the mountains, becoming hungry, passing a bunch of viable restaurants, stopping at restaurants closed on Tuesdays, and then finally deciding on a place in Albinea, a town in the province of Parma.<br />
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When we asked Gigi about going to Parma (as in the main center that was certainly likely to have an open restaurant), she responded "oh, it's all Parma." Hence the earlier use of quotations.<br />
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And then she didn't like the restaurant we ended up going to after two and a half hours traveling through the mountains anyways. The tortelli were not up to par. However, I'm still thankful that Gigi was willing to drive me to all kinds of new places--places I would never have seen without her lack of directional skills.<br />
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In other news, I've decided that I want to go to culinary school in Italy. You know, if I get accepted to a school and all.<br />
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I've chosen <a href="http://www.scuolacucina.it/">ALMA</a> as my first choice. I have an interview there on June 14th.<br />
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The school happens to be located in Colorna, Parma, and Gigi graciously offered to drive there so I could see it.<br />
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The school is located in the Palace.<br />
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And there is this pretty garden outside.<br />
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Fingers crossed over here.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-4362212255718958712013-05-30T09:57:00.000-07:002013-05-30T09:57:59.673-07:00Vignola Is Farther Than Carpi! You Know That, Right?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, if my <a href="http://potsandpans-sm.blogspot.it/2013/05/vai-in-bici-ma-perche.html">first bike trip</a> got bad reactions, it only got worse when I said that I was biking to Vignola.<br />
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As you might be able to see, Vignola is 24.5 kilometers away from this starting point, only about 4 kilometers farther than Carpi. Not too dramatic a difference.<br />
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Of course, we didn't quite realize the path that we had set out on. The bike route website had two options to get to Vignola: one a straight bike path, the other along a river. We chose to do the river one first.<br />
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It started to get weird just a little ways in. We found this decrepit building that was kind of horrifying up close.<br />
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It was also surrounded by this forrest.<br />
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It felt like we were in the middle of a fairy tale.<br />
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Which was cool, except for the fact that witches are usually part of fairy tales. And it felt more than likely at that moment that an evil witch was living in that creepy building.<br />
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Most of the first leg of the journey looked something like this. Or like some grass that had been stomped on a little and named a bike path.<br />
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After what I thought had been at least 15 kilometers, we reached this sign that told us otherwise.<br />
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20 kilometers to go.<br />
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We passed lots more pretty stuff.<br />
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And then we saw some bulls on the side of the road. Just hanging out. Not enclosed. Just chillin'.<br />
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The goats must be a little less trustworthy. They were put behind bars.<br />
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WOOHOO!<br />
<br />
Entering the city of Vignola.<br />
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I wanted to go to Vignola pretty much only because there is a pasticceria there that is famous for its "Torta Barozzi," a kind of flour-less chocolate cake with rum.<br />
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Well, wouldn't yah know, they're closed on Mondays!<br />
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Ugh.<br />
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So we went to another little bar for foodsies. I ordered a prosciutto crudo and fontina panino. Good, but I thought I deserved a larger sandwich after a three and a half hour bike ride and four euros.<br />
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Vignola was a very cute town and I hope to get back there before I leave. And maybe get a slice of Torta Barozzi because, really, I just want chocolate.<br />
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On the way back, we took the non-nature path and came across this crazy model city that someone had made.<br />
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Not sure what it was for, but it was quite impressive nonetheless.<br />
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All of the sudden, we heard loud music playing. We turned right and ended up at some kind of carnival. Again, not sure what the surprise amusement park on a Monday was about, but still entertaining.<br />
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I couldn't decide if this "ride" was awesome or just weird. They load children into these giant bubbles and then put them in the water to roll around.<br />
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Yup. Still not sure what my opinion is.<br />
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The highlight of my day might have been the stop we made on the way home. Vignola is famous for its cherries so when I saw the sign for cherries, sour cherries, and strawberries, I turned down the little dirt road. I bought these awesome "duroni"--sour cherries.<br />
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But that wasn't the highlight! When we got to the farm stand, there was a kitty that trotted right over to us and I got to play with her for a whole ten minutes.<br />
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Day made.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-90043134970479259892013-05-28T12:05:00.001-07:002013-05-28T12:05:53.507-07:00Stuzzica Gente!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This past Sunday was a kind of food fair in Modena, called Stuzzica Gente. You paid 13 euros for a ticket and got to try an array of foods from different participating restaurants around the center of town.</div>
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I was so distracted by the idea of food that I forgot to take a picture of our first taste: gnocco fritto. Thankfully, Victoria eats slowly enough that I got a picture of her last bite.<br />
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I swear Magda is not in pain in this next photo. She's displaying our second stop which included water, naturale o frizzante.<br />
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She went with classic naturale. Good choice.<br />
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Next, pizza tricolor: a pizza with a pesto crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella.<br />
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Then we had some artisanal beers. <br />
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At La Mamma Pizzeria, we had pasta with a sausage and cream ragu.<br />
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I think this a half smile indicating happiness to be eating, but a little bit of disappointment with serving size...<br />
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Next, we headed over to L'Erba del Re, one of the three restaurants in Modena to have at least one Michelin Star.<br />
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I was pretty excited, until I saw the so-called "hamburger" they were giving out.<br />
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It was so dang small!!!<br />
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So small you could eat it in one bite.<br />
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That is not a hamburger.<br />
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I thought that it was pretty good, but Victoria was not as impressed.<br />
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Lambrusco! You chose between two kinds--I got amabile, the sweeter one. I loved it. Mostly because it tasted like cranberry juice.<br />
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Gelato was next on the list, but I forgot to take a picture. It wasn't very exciting because we had to get "fior di latte" and "crema"which are basically two kinds of gelato that both taste like frozen cream. I mean, it's good, but I want exciting gelato.<br />
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Then, I took the first successful shot of my life. Mostly because I think there may have been two drops of vodka in the whole shot. The rest was juice.<br />
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But look at me go! I'll totally be ready to turn 21 by the time I get back in the US...<br />
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That was it. Then I continued to make my way through the newest season of Arrested Development!<br />
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Good day.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-33615861397351188742013-05-24T09:26:00.001-07:002013-05-24T09:26:34.790-07:00Franceschetta 58<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEzilChPfjCU-hEoD6nIKA6H_cuTzEEzW4PTP0L6BraFehBA6K0e0AeqeoWlHD7NQxug2Nh2a0euKy8pZXJhKzMOXj4iraBGjTNRdN8mClg3DsPWFFd34xu5BkXp7Y1JTH4cDTMifcZ5n/s1600/IMG_2468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlEzilChPfjCU-hEoD6nIKA6H_cuTzEEzW4PTP0L6BraFehBA6K0e0AeqeoWlHD7NQxug2Nh2a0euKy8pZXJhKzMOXj4iraBGjTNRdN8mClg3DsPWFFd34xu5BkXp7Y1JTH4cDTMifcZ5n/s320/IMG_2468.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmmmmm bread basket. And Victoria's arm.</td></tr>
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I'm on a mission to get to as many restaurants as possible before I leave Italy. I've got a long list, a short amount of time, and an ever shrinking wallet, but I'm still going for it!<br />
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A few days ago, my friend and I went to the Franceschetta, the sister restaurant of <a href="http://potsandpans-sm.blogspot.it/2013/05/osteria-francescana.html">Osteria Francescana</a>. And also a significantly--for reals--cheaper version.<br />
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And it was delightful! The restaurant is adorable. There are plates hanging all along the wall of the tiny rectangular dining room and everything is mismatched. Each customer has a different plate and glass set and each table has different table cloths and whatnot.<br />
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The food was amazing. We shared everything so they brought us little bowls to put our servings in. And most things were presented in mason jars. I tried hard not to comment on the hipster-ness of this fact.<br />
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We got a pea soup with awesome cheese-y bread crumbs and mint on top.<br />
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Next this salad with asparagus, zucchini, peas, and fava beans.<br />
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Then, this masterpiece. Not 100% sure on what was involved exactly. It was a baked egg with asparagus and some kind of amazing truffle stuff. It wasn't foam and it wasn't cream, but somewhere in between. And beyond delicious.<br />
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We licked that ramekin clean. So much so that our waitress commented on our gluttony. It was worth it.<br />
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For dessert, this Pistachio Crostatina (mini crostata). My friend is the baker at the Franceschetta and presented us with this beautiful plate.<br />
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I'm starting to feel really self-conscious about my now apparent lack of baking skills...<br />
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These candied almonds came out as a special offering from the kitchen. They were sweet, salty, and spicy all at once.<br />
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A very delicious meal.<br />
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Can't wait to get to the next restaurant...<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-54065443987407683562013-05-22T12:22:00.000-07:002013-05-22T12:22:30.797-07:00Notte Bianca, Cooking, and Pretty Skies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been incredibly beautiful in Modena these last few days.<br />
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I mean, we are are heading into a weekend of rainy days, but I sure have appreciated the recent blue skies.<br />
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This past Saturday was "Notte Bianca" ("White Night") in Modena. Pretty much every city has its own, and on this night, all the museums are free and there's a bunch of other stuff to do.<br />
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Modena's involved free museums, dancing competitions, artist open markets...<br />
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And this random street filled with random open garage-style rooms.<br />
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Normally, these rooms are closed, but on Notte Bianca, each had either a band or some weird art thing set up.<br />
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And they usually had some free wine and beer inside too. And potato chips.<br />
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AND, whether the room had a band in it or not, there was music blasting from inside. I mean that each room, at most five feet from each other, had its own music blaring into the street.<br />
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It was so crowded and so loud that it felt like I was in a club.<br />
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Look at all those people! If this was Modena's Notte Bianca, I can't even imagine what Milan's or Venice's was like...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q-02NHlp8tCMDHLDPHnUpGmVJOOkZnAcfo-SaWIwE80yYwqMG4MuJjtQ-sKgmWvSm8tgG222PTurKmCtGwqb2qEtgbXWkoOMqZEypjoHPhz9Rl9E6orxBoWjzWRcH6TR6mmGsveHShnu/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q-02NHlp8tCMDHLDPHnUpGmVJOOkZnAcfo-SaWIwE80yYwqMG4MuJjtQ-sKgmWvSm8tgG222PTurKmCtGwqb2qEtgbXWkoOMqZEypjoHPhz9Rl9E6orxBoWjzWRcH6TR6mmGsveHShnu/s320/IMG_2444.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haha this guy in the bottom left corner looks like he walked into Notte Bianca by accident.</td></tr>
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Italians certainly know how to party. There were a bunch of children hanging out of their windows partying along with the people on the street. I guess they start young.<br />
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In other news, I've been cooking!!!<br />
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God I missed that. The other day I made a meal for our Italian studying party. It was 50% eating, 45% chatting, and maybe 5% studying. Part of the 5% might also include bathroom trips or something...<br />
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Quinoa salad! Haven't had this stuff since I came here. It was a welcome change. Quinoa with wilted chard, thinly sliced raw carrots, grated parmigiano, and a lemon-y vinaigrette.<br />
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Roasted eggplant, roasted asparagus, mozzarella, and burrata drizzled with 35-year-old balsamic.<br />
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I wanted to make <a href="http://www.traceysculinaryadventures.com/2013/05/blackberry-pie-bars.html">these</a> bars, but with cherries instead of blackberries. It's cherry season over here and they are everywhere!<br />
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First, just look at these eggs.<br />
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I almost thought I was doing something wrong with the batter because the filling was so much more orange than the one from the blog.<br />
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Ready!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCknsTMhgHbruVmg019BcnD0A9FTuDollHMRXMYqwtPGHsFV96NPucsOZTBKgLTOhany9nja5kC26VZfdbZgkQGf6e6GMe_umegBGCm3xj-lnoU0Y6gG9x12bRjwAj4BS7I6IuX4-E_za/s1600/IMG_2451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTCknsTMhgHbruVmg019BcnD0A9FTuDollHMRXMYqwtPGHsFV96NPucsOZTBKgLTOhany9nja5kC26VZfdbZgkQGf6e6GMe_umegBGCm3xj-lnoU0Y6gG9x12bRjwAj4BS7I6IuX4-E_za/s320/IMG_2451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So. It's kind of obvious that I'm out of practice. I wasn't paying much attention and should have realized some of the red flags in the recipe. First, my pan wasn't big enough. I'm used to all recipes being cooked in 8x8 or 9x13 pans and that every baking dish I buy will fit to those dimensions. Lesson 1: they don't measure in inches here, so those pan sizes don't exit.<br />
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Well, my pan was too small so the bars were burning on the outside before the center was cooked. And there was an insane amount of sugar in the recipe. Way too much. Lesson 2: Always double check a recipe for red flags. An adjustment is almost always necessary (or at least won't hurt).<br />
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I definitely want to try the recipe again with the correct pan, less sugar, and less butter.<br />
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Another day, I introduced some friends to an American style breakfast: scrambled eggs, biscuits, and hash browns.<br />
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I was very nervous about making the biscuits because my friends' oven doesn't have a temperature. You can only turn it on and off.<br />
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Asia was kind enough to test the heat for me with her hand...<br />
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They turned out well! My friend Magda had brought back parmigiano reggiano from Parma, so <a href="http://www.sweetie-home.it/index.php/2013/03/08/scones-al-parmigiano-reggiano/">these</a> were the inspiration for the meal.<br />
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Mmmmmmmm I love scrambled eggs. Takes me back to my kitchen table in New Jersey.<br />
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Here are some more shots of the pretty blue skies we've been blessed with.<br />
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I'll look at these pictures while it rains this weekend. Maybe I'll take this opportunity to study for finals.<br />
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Or not.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-35701811041275501682013-05-18T07:46:00.001-07:002013-05-18T07:46:17.914-07:00Vai In Bici? Ma Perché?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzky9h6tVyAlQ1r3f1wWFl5GDpMA90gbMhzGlYxF2IFlnbW44kHEBBjDnuizUclxM_W1C3IuW_Gc4_qdom7ShIHCAGLJIhudIG5XoH3EQ-X-MTVsPpRHEdqc70mhHYbWDvBxGtjlX3zkY/s1600/IMG_2430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzky9h6tVyAlQ1r3f1wWFl5GDpMA90gbMhzGlYxF2IFlnbW44kHEBBjDnuizUclxM_W1C3IuW_Gc4_qdom7ShIHCAGLJIhudIG5XoH3EQ-X-MTVsPpRHEdqc70mhHYbWDvBxGtjlX3zkY/s320/IMG_2430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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That was the reaction I got from everyone I told about my trip to Carpi, a small town that is still part of the province of Modena. "Your going to bike there? But why?" They seemed to think it was too far--20 km. It wasn't too bad. If we hadn't gotten lost so many times in the first part of the trip, it might not have taken so long.<br />
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The most important part of the trip occurred before the bike riding began, however.<br />
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This puppy.<br />
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My friend Victoria lives in a flat in the center of Modena. The owner of this puppy lives in the same apartment complex.<br />
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I think this is the happiest I've been since I came to Modena. LOOK at that puppy.<br />
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Anyways, we finally tore ourselves away from the cuteness and were on our way. After going on the wrong road for a while, we realized we had to cross the train tracks some how to get on the right path.<br />
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To do so, we had to go into a creepy underground tunnel that had stairs with little bike lanes attached.<br />
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I had significantly more trouble accomplishing this feat than Victoria.<br />
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We both had significantly more trouble than the 70-year-old man that swept through that tunnel like, perhaps, a 20-something.<br />
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The trip was very beautiful, especially once we were pretty sure we were on the right track (always a good feeling).<br />
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Getting so close!<br />
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OH MY GOD. Puppies and horsies all in one day.<br />
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I couldn't get anywhere near the ponies, but seeing them made me happy nonetheless.<br />
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Woohoo!<br />
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When we finally made it to town after about three hours of bike riding (my butt was quite sore), we needed to reboot.<br />
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We got lunch in the second largest piazza in Europe.<br />
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Then we did some site-seeing. Love this statue thing.<br />
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Turns out Carpi is pretty quiet, but very cute. Except for these mannequins. Why on earth would you buy clothes at (or even enter) this store after seeing them???<br />
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We decided to take the train back. It was a good idea, except when we realized that we actually had to get our bikes on and off the train, and up and down the stairs to get to the right platforms (because god forbid the elevators be working).<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-64946357943550302532013-05-14T12:16:00.001-07:002013-05-14T12:16:30.939-07:00Final Adventures with Beth and David<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Beth, David, and I had lots of fun in their last few days in Italy.<br />
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Bethy showed me the Anatomical Theater in Bologna where they used to do surgeries. So creepy.<br />
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There was stadium-style seating all along the walls of the room, allowing the audience to view the operation table perfectly. Still creepy.<br />
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We went to Ferrara!<br />
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The castle had a moat. I don't think I've ever seen a real moat before...<br />
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I love Italian cities because pretty much all of the sites (at least for smaller cities) are in one spot--the historical center. It makes it very easy to reach everything by foot. Like this beautiful cathedral!<br />
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On Saturday, we tried to go to Florence. We failed. The tickets were completely sold out. I've never experienced that before.<br />
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So we went to Ravenna. It actually turned out to be a good last-minute decision--it's a great little town and much less packed than Florence would have been.<br />
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Dante's tomb!<br />
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We were looking for a place for lunch, but not in a very efficient manner. We were wandering without any destination in mind. At one point, I realized we had wandered out of the center and there didn't appear to be any restaurants around anymore. So I brought up my googlemaps and noticed a trattoria right around the corner. We checked out the menu and decided to go for it.<br />
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Thank God we did. It was one of the best meals that I've had in Italy. And it was served by the most adorable Italian man of all time.<br />
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At Trattoria al Cerchio we got prosciutto bruschetta to start. Incredible bread drizzled with olive oil served with freshly sliced prosciutto. Like everything here, it was totally simple and completely delicious.<br />
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I got passatelli, one of my favorite new dishes. I have a feeling that one of the reasons you don't find it in American restaurants is because it isn't pretty enough.<br />
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This one was delicious, with the tastiest chicken broth. We got two vegetable sides and veal as seconds. I was full, but I still finished both plates of perfectly cooked veggies.<br />
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My aunt and uncle told our waiter/host that the meal was delicious. He didn't speak English, but told me in Italian that all the food was made from the heart. Seriously. The most adorable human on the planet.<br />
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Ravenna is famous for mosaics.<br />
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Well, this one's a painting, but it was in the basilica with other mosaics.<br />
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There's a mosaic!<br />
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That is some amazing craftsmanship.<br />
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We had our last meal together in Bologna. Roasted veggies to start.<br />
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Then gnocchetti for me with tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Like little pillows of happiness, those gnocchetti.<br />
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Then Bethy convinced me to take a sip of Lemoncello. I then proceeded to spit it out/choke on it. Blech. You just can't take me anywhere.<br />
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Beth and David were supposed to fly out yesterday, but their flight got cancelled. Hope they arrive safely today!<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-79233945725144168542013-05-10T06:20:00.001-07:002013-05-10T06:20:40.741-07:00Wait, Your Family Is Still Visiting???<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes.<br />
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My family comes in droves. You think we're traveling in a large group, and then we add some more.<br />
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Last Friday, my aunt Beth and uncle David arrived in Bologna and we've been having fun ever since. My parents left on Tuesday, but in the meantime we accomplished a lot. And ate a lot of food.<br />
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Our first meal was made up of pizza and panini. It was my parents' first experience of an italian panino--they were surprised it wasn't grilled on a panini press.<br />
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Then we got some gelato at K2.<br />
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They were all quite pleased.<br />
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Beth, mommy, and I went to my favorite cafe to get some mammolini--a fabulous beverage.<br />
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We went out to dinner with my friend, Federico!<br />
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Bethy is trying to add her cat, Pi, into this next picture by showing her photo on her iPad. Can you see her?<br />
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On my parents' last night, we got aperitivo...</div>
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Then we went out to Pepperoncino for some delicious pizza with Federico and his parents.<br />
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We also got gelato after having aperitivo, antipasti, mussels and clams, and pizza. I didn't take a picture because I was in too much of a food-coma.<br />
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Beth and David are leaving Monday morning. I don't know what I'm going to do without having a massive group of people around me...<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-44761092758137244422013-05-05T11:17:00.000-07:002013-05-05T11:17:07.240-07:00Osteria Francescana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yup. We went to Osteria Francescana for my mommy's birthday dinner last Thursday night. It is ranked as the <a href="http://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50-winners/">third best restaurant</a> in the world right now. I am aware that I'm INCREDIBLY lucky.<br />
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First, we got to choose our wine for the night. Dad got this massive menu and was so intimidated that he didn't get past the first page. He also didn't realize that the first page was just the table of contents.<br />
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That was a fun surprise when one of our many waiters came to take the wine order. He had to help dad turn to page 84 when dad asked for white wine.<br />
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We eventually got some kind of wine. Happy Birthday mommy!<br />
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Some pictures of the menu. There are some great choices on there. My personal favorite: "Think Green: an evolving landscape through the seasons." I really want to know what that means...<br />
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We all went with the first tasting menu: Traditions.<br />
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They first brought their house-made bread accompanied with Tuscan olive oil.<br />
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Then the "Memory of a Mortadella Sandwich." (That name still makes me giggle.) It was a piece of thick focaccia with whipped mortadella, accompanied by crumbled pistachio and a cream of some kind that I don't remember.<br />
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They kept bringing out bread. It was all super fresh and delicious.<br />
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Next was the plate with prosciutto, salami, and some kind of candied orange that was slightly spicy.<br />
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It was served with "focaccine," little rolls of warm focaccia.<br />
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This next course was not on the original menu, but the chef--Massimo Bottura--added it for the night. Oh, I forgot to mention that the chef comes out and talks to all his clients and takes orders.<br />
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He swore we would love this next dish.<br />
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It is one of the craziest, most incredible things I've ever eaten. It was five versions of parmigiano reggiano, all at different ages, temperatures, and textures. You see this spoon of foam right here? That tasted like a spoonful of parmigiano. Insane.<br />
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Next, traditional tagliatelle with a meat ragù.<br />
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Then traditional modenese tortellini cooked in broth and served with a light cream sauce. I cannot get enough of the fresh pasta in Italy.<br />
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What we thought was the last course were these short ribs. They were slow cooked so that you could press them lightly with your fork and they would fall apart. Topped with balsamic vinegar and served with creamed potatoes and celeriac.<br />
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The chef also added this dish to the menu for the night.<br />
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Millefoglie: A thousand leaves. It was all different leaves like basil that were candied and served with creamed hazelnut and chestnut and all kinds of other stuff.<br />
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Then they brought out my mommy's birthday cake! When I made the reservation online, the restaurant asked if I wanted a special cake prepared for my mom's birthday. Well, duh. Of course I did!<br />
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The chef presented the cake and then took it away to plate it.<br />
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So delicious. It had a vanilla sponge cake bottom and then a kind of mousse/gelato filling. The chocolate ganache on top was pure decadence.<br />
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Then a plate of cookies, truffles, and jellies. My favorite was the truffle filled with chestnuts. Yum!<br />
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And my daddy gets the bill.<br />
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It was most certainly the experience of a lifetime. I will NEVER forget that meal.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-38527679865822340632013-05-03T16:03:00.001-07:002013-05-03T16:03:06.746-07:00Recent Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've been having lots of fun these past few days! This is mommy and daddy on the infamous red stairs by my residence. They are slanted down and incredibly scary.<br />
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In other news, I haven't put up pictures from the calendars in two months!<br />
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Okay, now we're all caught up. Happy April and happy May!<br />
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Me, my mommy, and my daddy went to Embassy for the best aperitivo in Modena.<br />
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And then to Slurp--one of my favorite gelato places.<br />
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I got the Slurp (the store's flavor) and Biscottino. With free whipped cream and nutella! Incredibile!<br />
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We also got to explore my university a little bit. I got to show them the crazy Harry Potter stairs. Here we are at the fourth floor. We want to go to the fifth floor. But how do we get there?<br />
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Here we find the other set of stairs that only go from the fourth to the fifth floor. You have to go through the secret library room to find them.<br />
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After our harrowing adventure, we deserved some good foodsies. Gnocco fritto with prosciutto crudo from Bar Tiffany, home of the Gnocco D'Oro--the golden gnocco (they won an award for having the best gnocco fritto).<br />
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Look at that happy face.<br />
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I found a Phillies hat in the store where we got my shoes! It was hidden away behind the Yankees hats, but it was there!<br />
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And we went to Venice!!!<br />
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We had a lovely lunch.<br />
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And I convinced the waiter to get me a Spritz even though he looked at me funny. You're only supposed to drink it for aperitivo, but I didn't care.<br />
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We shared an artichoke pizza to start. Delightful.<br />
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And then I got Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Peperoncino. Super simple and deliciously spicy.<br />
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I found a sign for a veterinarian. It's hard to see, but there is a cute little outline of a german shepherd on it.<br />
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Che bello!<br />
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There were too many people this time. Definitely a difference between February and May. It's still my favorite city though.<br />
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Next time on the blog, we go to the third best restaurant in the world.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-40782586220001868682013-04-28T12:58:00.002-07:002013-04-28T12:58:52.036-07:00My Mommy and Daddy Are Here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And so are my aunt Donna, family friend Toni, and her friend, Janet.<br />
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Just a quick side note on Donna: every year for Easter, she gives me, my brother, my sister, and my cousin an Easter Egg from Aunt Charlotte's, the greatest chocolate store in the world.<br />
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And guess what! She brought me one all the way from New Jersey!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was beyond excited.<br />
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Anyways, for our first meal, we headed to Stallo del Pomodoro for lunch--a restaurant that used to be a horse stable.<br />
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We got some salumi and prosciutto to start of course.<br />
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I got cheese tortelli with cinghiali ragu--more of that wild boar meat!<br />
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The next morning, we headed to one of my favorite cafes for a late breakfast.<br />
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Tiny espresso cups!<br />
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I LOVE the pastries at this place. This croissant is filled with a lemon cream and topped with fruits of the forrest.<br />
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Then I took my parents to Mercato Albinelli. They are in love.<br />
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They got to meet my salami guy (who first thought we were from England, and then, when I said we were American, thought we were from Minnesota. Interesting).<br />
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We got a bunch of food and had a delicious lunch of cheese, meat, and bread.<br />
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That night we went out for aperitivo. The sky was looking pretty cool.<br />
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Yesterday, we went to Genova.<br />
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Mostly because I wanted pesto.<br />
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Alright, we went there for the sole reason of getting me some pesto.<br />
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We had a fabulous lunch with prosciutto and melon...<br />
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and pasta with PESTO! It was incredible. Definitely worth the four-hour train ride.<br />
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However, if you can tell from this picture, it was pouring for a majority of the five hours we were there.<br />
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Luckily, we found an Eataly to pass the time in.<br />
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I could live in this place and never get bored.<br />
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An hour before we had to leave it finally stopped raining.<br />
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And now I really want to go back to Genova because it's a really cool town.<br />
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I just have to convince someone to go with me...<br />
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So I picked out four kinds of pesto while at Eataly. I find it much easier to get things when my parents are paying.<br />
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One is traditional Genovese pesto (basil and pine nuts), another is sun-dried tomato, another is pistachio, and the last is fennel.<br />
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Of course I got the giant jar of the Genovese and realized this morning that it has to be consumed within three days after opening.<br />
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This will be an interesting challenge.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-17468310891819443382013-04-24T09:46:00.002-07:002013-04-24T09:46:51.564-07:00Fava Beans and Some Yummy Toast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fava Beans ("fave" in italian) are abound at this time of year in Italy, or at least this part of Italy. They are at every market stand and every supermarket.<br />
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This was my first venture in working with fresh fava beans...<br />
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and the rumors are true: these guys are a true labor of love.<br />
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First, you peel back the pod to get the beans out, like for peas in a pod. But then you also have to peel the individual beans. If you were smart and decided to follow directions, you would blanch the beans before doing the second peeling to make it easier. I decided to waste the time fiddling with the outer skins while watching The Sopranos.<br />
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Turns out there's more than one reason for blanching the beans first. The quick boiling takes away a bit of the bitterness. The first time I cooked them, I just sauteed them and they were still a tad too bitter. Depending on the beans you buy and how long you keep them, they might always have a hint of bitterness, but blanching them quickly tempers it.<br />
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So this is how much I had after peeling one kilo of fava beans. I had to keep telling myself the price and time spent were totally worth it for the final product (spoiler: they were).<br />
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I decided to use them in pasta. Blanching them first and then cooking the pasta in the fava blanching water.<br />
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Then I sauteed the favas in oil, butter, salt, and pepper and added it to the drained pasta. Undercook the pasta slightly so that it can finish it's cooking in the fava bean sauce.<br />
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It was delicious!<br />
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Side note: I sincerely apologize for my picture-taking (or lack there of) abilities. I promise this food tastes good even though it doesn't look good. Now not only do I have no photo skills, but I eat off of paper plates in a very un-photogenic room.<br />
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Anyways, I made this toast after being inspired by <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/04/spinach-and-smashed-egg-toast/">this post</a> on Smitten Kitchen.<br />
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I've always wanted to make a soft-boiled egg, and these directions were just simple enough. I boiled some water, dropped on egg in it for 6 minutes, and then pulled it out, pealed it, and smashed it over some toasted Pugliese bread. I topped the whole thing with a drizzle of olive oil, excellent aceto balsamico, grated Grana Padana cheese, salt, and pepper.<br />
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Heavenly!<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-13642631714629542372013-04-21T12:59:00.001-07:002013-04-21T12:59:18.937-07:00It's Spring Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The change of season means a few things.<br />
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First, FLOWERS! I really love the wildflowers that are growing around my residence. They seem to be mowing the grass a lot nearer to town but I hope they leave the fields near me alone.<br />
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Spring also means gelato is even more enjoyable. Nothing cools you down like a cone of delicious gelato.<br />
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Fresh fava beans are alive and well. I will soon post a recipe. I can tell you part one right now though: dedicate at least 2 hours to peeling (adjust accordingly to the amount of favas you have) and expect to pay an exorbitant amount for a kilo (or pound) of favas and find yourself left with a handful of edible beans.<br />
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But boy are they delicious!<br />
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Spring also meant that Amelia and Sarah were on Spring Break!<br />
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I convinced them to make a day trip to Bologna while they were staying in Florence for a few days.<br />
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We also got to enjoy the glory that is gelato.<br />
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Sarah got hers made into a frappé (milkshake).<br />
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<br />
Classic cone for Amelia.<br />
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I got Nutella and Bananita. I was a little disappointed with the flavors, but happy to eat something cold.<br />
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And you can't tell from this picture, but there's all outside seating now! This morning I got pancakes with banana and chocolate. I enjoyed my dish from an "American Menu" while sitting outside of Juta Café.<br />
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Yay Spring!<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-20387746970018247242013-04-15T03:27:00.001-07:002013-04-15T03:27:20.148-07:00Congratulations Sistah!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
They're getting married!<br />
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Look at that ring. Well done, new brother-in-law.<br />
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<br />
Congratulations Melissa and Brad! I love you!<br />
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And I'm already planning your wedding cake.<br />
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-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1494225634226700697.post-91934244201777898612013-04-11T11:21:00.000-07:002013-04-11T11:21:21.798-07:00Edinburgh Part 4: The Airport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Well. My flight was supposed to leave Edinburgh Airport at 11:25 am on Wednesday, April 3rd. In fact, it departed at 6:45 pm.<br />
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It was a sad day.<br />
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When I first got to the terminal at 10 am, after going through check-in and security, I saw that the flight was delayed until 1:30. So I got a lovely pot of tea.<br />
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Then, it was delayed until 2:30 pm. And then 4:30 pm. So I decided to get food. I must say, this was a delicious airport meal.<br />
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This salad was quite delicious--broccolini, shredded carrots, shredded beets, goat cheese, edamame, and mixed lettuce.<br />
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However, the meal didn't change the fact that I had been sitting in the airport for six hours with no end in sight. So I got some chocolate.<br />
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<br />
At some point (the whole day has blended together), the flight was said to be taking off at 6:30.<br />
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As you can see by the next photo, my deterioration was complete by dinner time. Yes, I had Werther's candies and jelly beans for dinner.<br />
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<br />
Thanks Ryanair.<br />
<br />
-MeriMeri and Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05231090774948440577noreply@blogger.com0