Edinburgh Part 4: The Airport

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.

It was a sad day.

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.

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.

This salad was quite delicious--broccolini, shredded carrots, shredded beets, goat cheese, edamame, and mixed lettuce.

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.

At some point (the whole day has blended together), the flight was said to be taking off at 6:30.

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.

Thanks Ryanair.

-Meri

Yup, We're Still Eating Over Here

Before I get to more gustatory adventures of Meri and Alex, I'd like to announce that it's February! And, because I brought my wonderful Sam calendar to Italy, I still get to enjoy a delightful new picture every month. February 1st I was greeted by Zoolander telling me that I'm "really, really, ridiculously good looking." It will surely be a boost my self-esteem every morning.

However, Modena has not been really, really, ridiculously good looking. In fact, it looks pretty gross. Yesterday was fog. Today was rain. Ick.

But, that doesn't stop Alex and me from searching for delicious food. Yesterday we went to Mercato Albinelli once again to buy some wonderful bread and produce to make our own meals.

Fresh kale and spinach.

Green beans (a favorite of Alex's).

Tomatoes. We go through a kilo of these in a day, no problem.

My salad creation: spinach, arugula, kale, green beans, tomatoes, crumbled parmigiano, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Deliciousness.

Today we went out for lunch to a pizza place that does Naples-style pizza. It was amazing.

First pizza: Napoli. San Marzano tomato sauce, cheese, oregano, and anchovies. I don't know the word for anchovies in Italian so I was a little surprised when they showed up on the pizza.

Next up: D.O.C. pizza. San Marzano tomato sauce, cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil. Very classic. Very yummy.

Third and final (for two people--I swear we aren't actually pigs): 4 cheese.

Just look at that ooey-gooey goodness.

And we polished off each and every one of those pizzas.

I am quite full.

-Meri

She's 21!

Of my six close friends at college, four of them have birthdays in September. You already heard about Sam's, and you'll be hearing about Amelia and Ana's soon.

Well, this weekend, Sarah turned 21! She is the first of the group to reach the legal drinking age (and is probably the least inclined to drink anything involving alcohol). Last night we went to Dave and Busters (she did quite well as you can tell from the picture) and at midnight she ordered her first ever alcoholic beverage!

She had a chocolate milkshake for an appetizer.

I told the waiter that she wanted something that tasted NOTHING like alcohol. He came through with a berry iced tea type thing.

She finished it!

As a big celebration of all the September birthdays, I made a big dinner Sunday night with a request from each birthday girl.

Sarah asked for lasagna.

One side was cheese-less for the lactose intolerant and one side was meat-less for the vegetarian.

The meat side had ground beef and sauteed mushrooms.

The veggie side had ricotta, mozzarella, and pecorino romano cheeses. Then it had finely chopped zucchini and summer squash sauteed with garlic.

Yummy.

Sam requested fried artichoke hearts. I sorta followed a recipe but also just kinda used my gut on this one. I think it worked out! I'm just happy they didn't fall apart.

My dredging station for the artichoke hearts

For a dipping sauce, I made an aioli: mayo, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. It was a hit!

Yay frying!

Ana asked for broccoli. I did my favorite version: roasted with lemon zest and pecorino romano cheese and finished with a squeeze of lemon juice.

The table of goodies

And Amelia asked for a simple salad: mixed greens with carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and a lemon-y--balsamic vinaigrette.

And finally, there was obviously dessert: Hot Fudge Pudding Cake.

Delicious!

Happy Birthday everyone!

-Meri

Happy Birthday Mama Medoway

This birthday present is coming way late. Like, over a month late.

But you know what? That's how we do it in this family. Why? Because we like for celebrations to last as long as humanly possible. We can stretch a holiday/birthday/anniversary/etc. like no other.

So, despite it being way past my mom's birthday, I still owed her part of her birthday gift: a special dinner with a menu chosen completely by her.

She decided on:

Avocado Vichyssoise

I garnished with parsley instead of cilantro because my mom might have actually blown a fuse if she tasted said herb.

Artichoke Spinach Pizza with White Beans

This was one intense pizza. It had a white bean cream sauce topped with sauteed leeks and spinach, artichoke hearts, white beans, parmesan, mozzarella, and italian herbs.

I chose to do a sourdough crust because I needed to use Oscar, my sourdough starter. Woah. He made a delicious crust. And, I had extra dough so I grilled it for bread sticks (not pictured--eaten too fast--okay, I actually just forgot) and little flat breads with goat cheese, tomatoes, and basil.

Actually, I lied. My mom didn't choose the whole menu. I found this cake recipe a long time ago and knew immediately that I must make it for my mother at some point. It screams Darcia.

And don't skimp on the poppy seeds. It will seem like you are using way too much, but you're not. Just have faith. And bring a toothpick.

Oh, and I made a salad. Not for dessert. But a salad is always a good addition to dinner.

And she loved all of it! Now I just have to make my sister and my aunt's birthday dinner...

-Meri

Mmmmmmmm bread. And other food.

I love to cook (duh).



Sometimes, my friends benefit from that love.



Tonight was one of those times.



When my mommy last came to visit, she brought yeast so that I could make focaccia. But, she gave me three packets of yeast when the focaccia recipe only called for one.

So, I obviously had to make some more bread.

And, since I was making bread anyway, I figured I'd make dinner for my super-awesome friends as well.



I had a bunch of different palettes going on and my worst nightmare is making a meal that someone doesn't like, so I naturally chose to go with Italian food-it never disappoints.

On the menu was a salad, pasta, and of course homemade bread. People seem to think that making homemade bread is simply impossible in a dorm. It's not.



Some recipes I wouldn't go near (sourdough, etc.) because I don't have the time, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. I love this recipe because it's fast, simple, and forgiving. I altered some measurements (I was probably short 2 teaspoons of yeast) and it still turned out amazing. If you're a wary bread-maker, definitely try this recipe. It's college-kid approved and practically fool-proof.



If you look really close you can see the flecks of salt on top. I got a little fancy here and put the balsamic sea salt my mommy got me on top. Yum.

The rest of the dinner was equally easy and rewarding. The salad consisted of romaine lettuce, chopped red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and chopped cucumber with champagne dressing from Whole Foods (good and not ridiculously expensive!).



The pasta was super simple: 3 garlic cloves minced and sautéed for about 45 seconds in 2 tablespoons of olive oil with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Then add a 6 oz can of tomato paste and a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. Add a teaspoon each of dried oregano and dried rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let simmer for 10 minutes (you can add more seasoning after it simmers if necessary). For the pasta, I cooked angel hair for 2 minutes in salted water, drained it and combined it with the tomato sauce. Easy and delicious. (And I forgot to take a picture. Just imagine a bowl of comfort and happiness and that'll be enough).

All in all, a very successful dinner.



Tomorrow, Samoa brownies. I can't wait.

-Meri