My Brotha Is Here!

Alex is here! Yay!

And we've been doing a lot of exploring. That's why I haven't written in a while. Well, that and the super-shoddy internet.

We went to Milan and Venice this weekend (so much to write about--they will be separate posts).

To get ready for his arrival last Tuesday, I went to the supermarket for cheese, meat, and bread. A classic Medoway welcome meal.

Before our fun adventures, we had some fun around Modena. In the picture above, Alex is eating a pizza from one of the bars in the Palazzo Grande. Everything was fine. I got a potato pizza, Alex a margherita and pancetta pizza.

All was well, until we went to leave. I was rushing a bit because the guys were shutting the place down and I wanted to be out of the way.

Alex did too. So as he walked towards the trashcan, he chugged the rest of his water. He claims that there was a piece of pancetta stuck in his throat and thus, the water went down the wrong pipe and he spewed the stuff all over the floor.

I can never go back there.

Great. I'm in a country on my own and my family is already wreaking havoc all around town.

Anyways, we had more success at my favorite bar. Alex got a cappuccino (my dad would be proud).

I got a chocolate mammolino (I guess the drink the bar is named after). It was a shot of chocolate syrup, covered by a shot of espresso and topped with whipped cream. Yum. My kinda caffeine.

More to come on our out-of-city adventures!

-Meri

My Brotha is 23!

My wonderful brother Alex turned 23 on February 21. I wasn't there to celebrate.



BUT, he came to visit me with my mommy today and it was fabulous.

It was also stressful.



I was seeing him only a couple of days after his real birthday. That means I had to have a gift ready.

Not that he would actually care. Alex would be totally fine with a delayed present. But it wouldn't do for my peace of mind.



So, when I realized he was coming at the beginning of this week, my brain got to work. I went through a lot of possibilities that I can't remember now and then ended up with an old standby: food.



Alex seems to like my baked goods so I'm more than happy to provide him with sustenance. However, I had limited time and resources as I didn't have time to shop during the week. I decided on something peanut butter-y (since he was the first Reeses-lover I ever knew, and since I could by the stuff at the food store on campus).



I remembered these goodies that I made last year to bring back to my dorm floor after Thanksgiving break. Being sandwich cookies, they're a little twist on the usual and very decadent-perfect for a birthday gift.



Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on any vanilla, so these went without. Hopefully the intense peanut flavor will help Alex forget about the missing extract.



Also, the filling calls for peanut butter and powdered sugar. I made half with this classic filling and then made another batch using Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter. A little variety is always good.



These cookies are gooey and yummy (especially since I totally undercooked one batch-it's a problem I have. I prefer foods that might give you salmonella poisoning). They also give you multiple opportunities for dough-eating. You have the original cookie dough, then the filling (then the other filling if you choose to make it). And you absolutely have to taste each. Quality control people.

Here's the full gift after my beautiful packaging (paper bowls courtesy of Sam). I also got him an American University beer mug, for good measure.



I hope he likes it!

Find the recipe here: http://bromabakery.blogspot.com/2010/12/half-way-to-heaven-peanut-butter.html




-Meri