Under the Big Top - Italian Style

An annual trip to the circus was a childhood luxury my parents afforded us. We did, after all, live in the shadows of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida, a legacy of one of the famous Ringling Brothers of the 19th and 20th century circus world.

Driving to the circus always happened in the winter nights, when the sun set early, and it often took us about 45 minutes to travel to the large arena where the circus was held, a drive that to a child seemed to take forever. And was full of anticipation. The circus was a mix of emotions for me, amazement at the brilliant costumes and beautiful women, wonder at the mind-boggling stunts, and slight fear of the large crowds, the chance to lose my parents, and the thought that something might go wrong, like a trapeze artist falling to his death.  Yeah, I was a worry-wort kind of kid.

When the brightly colored posters featuring funny clowns and sparkley-clad ladies riding elephants hit the streets, I always smiled with expectation. Going to the circus each year fell into the annual category of fun events like the county fair, the Memorial weekend fishing tournament, and the Desoto Parade. 

Circus posters typically feature a tent, a "big top" as they are called, but I never experienced one like that in my childhood; instead, it was a large professional arena transformed with 3 rings and tangles of hanging lights, ropes and cages all part of the show.

Unlike my childhood, my children's circus experience has only been in Italy, and under a true "big top" tent, constructed exclusively for the month or so that the circus is in town. The posters pop-up around town, just like I remember. And my children notice them like a flash of lightening, immediately launching into "Oh mom! When are we going?!?!" questions.

  

It is, in fact, an annual field trip for their Italian school. They both experienced it last year, but only Buddy this time, and I was able to join him. (Peanut now attends the American Department of Defense School.)

The experience was quite fun, and generally speaking, much like my childhood circus days, just on a smaller scale. (Although there were quite a bit of string-bikini style outfits that caused me to do a double take. Oh yeah, it's Italy!)

I couldn't start enjoying the circus, however, until I stopped worrying! (True to my childhood nature.)

The tent was small, only 2 rings, and cramped. I am very distrustful of foreign fairs, rides and construction, visions of the tent collapsing ran through my head. An unusual gas-fume smell hit me too as we entered the arena, I think from the diesel engines used to run the lights. I immediately imagined us all getting fumed to death. Once settled in a somewhat sturdy seat, my mind had settled on the quickest escape-route, and a cappuccino was in my hand, I was just fine.  And it was a dang good cappuccino! (You can always count on good coffee anywhere, even at the "Home Depot" like store here! God-forbid an Italian shop for paint and screws without having the chance for a shot of espresso.)

There were goofy clowns shooting it up, how propos  for mafia-ridden Napoli! We also saw elephant tricks, and seals and penguins on ice, various amazing human feats, and a woman who could spin multiple hula-hoops on every part of her body, at once, while suspended in the air from a rope! The horses were also most impressive.

 

There was an ice skating rink in the first ring, not something found in my circus memories, and the various performances on ice managed to even sneak in a Michael Jackson "Thriller" tribute. All the other "props" were there too, including light-up toys, fairy floss (cotton candy) and popcorn, though the Italian lady had no change! CLASSIC in Italy. (They absolutely hate giving change.) We had to wait for the next person to buy something in hopes that she'd get the proper change for you. 

  

One thing is certain about living in Italy, it is truly fascinating! The children's field trips are unusual, and memory-making. More on that later as I share details from Peanut's school-trip this week: an olive farm with trees hundreds of years old, and two small-town olive-oil factories.

I Thought It Was A...

...Chestnut. My Road-side Roasted Surprise.

 Italians love their street-foods. Even in suburban settings like Varcaturo, where I live.

What's being cooked-up or sold fresh at my highway exit is a sure-enough indicator of what is seasonal and, consequently, craved by Italians.

At the end of spring, the peaches and apricots dot the road-side stand. Last year it was an old man with his crusty old white van, this year, his son, whose youthful energy fueled an expansion of the fruit varieties, and also an umbrella to shade the agricultural wares.

The "Cherry-man" also comes, offering two varieties. We buy them by the bag-fulls. 

Watermelons and bright yellow canery melons are a few of the hot summer's delights. 

Bouquets of flowers-to-go replace food for days of remembrance and holidays when Italians visit ancestors at cemeteries followed by picnics in the country. Bundles of cut fluffy, puffy Mimosa flowers, looking like they're straight out of a Dr. Zeus book, mark "Women's Day" in March. (Photo found here.)

The fall is the time of chesnuts (castagne), roasted or even boiled and cracked. They are found in everything from savory soups to sweet cakes. Small towns in the country feature all-weekend long festivals to honor the nut.  

A few weeks ago, I just assumed that chestnuts were roasting on the road-side grill. Streams of Italians came and went with yellow-paper wrapped pans. I was headed out for the long journey of bringing home my newest Asian-auction buy (see below), so I delayed the purchase.

Several hours later I returned to find the "Chestnut-man" packed up with only a few wrapped trays left for sale. I asked "Quanto costa?" and was a little bit surprised at the 5-Euro reply. But I was there, already out of the car, and I really wanted to try the chesnuts during season. So I bought a pack.

Back home only about 1 minute later, I tore into the paper announcing to E that I had fresh roasted chestnuts. He groaned. (He's not a fan.) But chestnuts is NOT what I discovered tucked under the faded-yellow wrap. 

Artichokes! Carciofi! (Car-cho-fee) Five, roasted artichokes stuffed with herbs and garlic, and blooming with flavor! To my surprise, and delight! 

 

Tuesdays With Dorie FINALLY

Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies  

  

YAHOOOOOOOO! I finally did it. Cooked a Tuesdays With Dorie recipe and posted it on a Tuesday right on schedule. I have missed doing this so much!

Even better yet, the recipe was FANTASTIC!

Sugar-Topped Molasses Spice Cookies are wonderful! No bones about it. Crispy-soft and spicy warm, sweet with a ginger-kick, these easy-to-make cookies will be a new holiday tradition in our household.

The smells filling the house as they bake make me H-A-P-P-Y!

They also draw an audience. Everyone - husband and kids both - kept creeping into the kitchen wanting to know "When are the cookies going to be done?"

The first batch of these over-sized treats was gone before the second batch was half-way done in the oven, which left my husband asking, "Are there more?"

The initial plan was to get them done and out of the house ASAP, to work with my husband. Do you think that happened? NAH!

None made it. They were just too darn good! Half of the 2 dozen this recipes makes were individually wrapped, double-bagged and put aside in the freezer for a last-minute holiday gathering, or most likely for Christmas Eve when the post-Paris trip has left me no time to bake Santa some cookies. (I'm quite certain Santa will enjoy these cookies!) Dorie says they will freeze well for up to 2 months.

  

I highly  recommend you give them a try. The recipe does require freezing the dough for 30 minutes or refrigeration for 1 hour (or overnight). I froze mine for about 45 minutes and had no problems what-so-ever. I kept the un-rolled batches in the freezer too. It's important to keep the dough chilled otherwise these cookies will spread  like spilled oil on your counter.

I know you want the recipe! You can find it here, at Cookies with Boyswho chose the recipe for this week. (Thank you!)

Cooking Notes:

1. Mine cooked in about 11-12 minutes, on the lower end of the time range.

2. The dough is split between to saran-wrapped mounds. After freezing and before separating them into 12 individually palm-rolled balls, I softly rolled the mound into a uniform log. This allowed me to trace a slice mark on the log to ensure even sizes. I then rolled each slice in my hand, washing my hands mid-log to keep them from sticking to my palm.

3. I used a nice solid large-based glass to press the balls of dough to get a nice flat cookie, leaving them about 1/4 inch thick. I then sprinkled a bit more sugar on top. Perfect.

4. This recipe calls for GROUND PEPPER and I did about 20 grinds, a small pinch. The result was a little heat (also from the ginger) but I might try a little more next time.  

   

My Namesake's Recipe: Hamburger Soup

You know those chain-emails that you receive sometimes?

Good friends send them which leaves you feeling guilty unless you pass them along?

So you play the game, not wanting to invite bad Karma into your life (as the email threatens) or at least not seize upon every opportunity to ensure a bit of luck (as the email promises). Occasionally the chain messages are sent with tears in your eyes, some sad story of a less-fortunate human that "needs" your cyber-support. SEND.

Recently it was a recipe exchange, I think my second round in two years. Last time I received enough return recipes that I actually created a "Recipe" folder in my G-mail. I peruse it now and then for inspiration. Many of the recipes still sit unused, though with each new review I honestly tuck them away in my "make soon!" mind. We'll see....

One recipe that escaped oblivion came from a surprise source: my Aunt Manny. I'm named after her. (Not "Manny" though, that's her nickname. Remember, my name rhymes with Panda.)

The recipe was for "Hamburger Soup" which instantly intrigued me. The timing was unbelievable, as well, because I've been pathetically lamenting the lack of access to a big, fat, juicy burger with no effort (true American desire!) all week. Just ask my husband! (By the way, I knocked his drive-to-McDonald's-suggestion explaining that the almost hour round-trip drive required to secure a McDonald's hamburger without getting out of my car did NOT fit the bill. Ahem!)

The recipe also jumped to first-place because the ingredient list was easy enough; I had everything already. It was also economical. Win. Win. Win. Soups are also so welcome right now, as the damp Italian winters set in. I'm certain my aunt also craves soup as a resident of the Chicago area with its brutal winters.

Soups comfort, as cliche as that sounds. I love the warmth of a big, hot bowl cupped by my cold hands. I love dipping crunchy toast for a quick moment, absorbing the melded flavors and then melting in my mouth with soft ease. I know of very few people who don't like a bowl of soup in the winter. (Laura, you're the exception!)

The results were wild raves from the family, although "Buddy" had to work-around the tomato pieces. "Peanut" had seconds, exclaiming it "her favorite." The soup aroused a fantasy for E who conjured up wishful images of the soup, a hot fire, a British pub and a cold beer.

A good sign he liked it was confirmed by him asking, "Will I see this one again, or will it end up in the black-hole of recipes?" I'm always trying new recipes and sometimes fail to repeat loved meals. Rest assured my E, I will  repeat this one!

Flavorful, beefy, like a juicy burger with ketchup and onions. After one hour of cooking, the barley puffs and swells, and offers just the right soft bite to balance the browned meat. The carrots, onion and celery add depth, the basics to any good soup.

With my Aunt's permission, I share it here, for you, so you too can brew a tasty batch of Hamburger Soup. Enjoy!

Hamburger Soup

1 # ground beef
16 oz. can diced tomatoes with juices
chopped onion
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 cup catsup
1/3 cup pearl barley
beef bouillon (enough for 1 cup liquid)
2 teaspoons of seasoned salt or plain
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf

In large pan sauté ground beef.  Drain off fat.  Stir in remaining ingredients and 5 cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove bay leaf.  Serves 6

Serve with crusty bread or buttered toast triangles.

My cooking notes:

1. My freezer only had ground turkey, the dark/white kind (85%). It worked wonderfully and I don't think it changed the taste much.

2. I sprinkled a bit of Lawry's Seasoning over the meat as it browned.

3. I actually added the chopped carrots, onions, celery, bay leaf, dried basil and seasoning to the meat, as it finished browning. I let it sauté this way for about 4-6 minutes, to soften the onions and veggies and add a boost of flavor. (I hate onions that aren't properly cooked and float in soups.)

4. Kid-friendly. I sprinkled chedder cheese over the kids' soup and also threw-in leftover pasta.

 By the way, my mom's friends were the ultimate in replying to the recipe exchange! I was shocked at the number that flowed from them all! Thank you all and THANKS AUNT MANNY FOR THE RECIPE!

Tuesday With Dorie - Kinda

Olive and Sun-dried Tomato Fougasse

Weekly baking with my Tuesday with Dorie group hasn't been on the agenda since early summer. I love the group and grew tremendously in my cooking knowledge. I miss it, and have plans to get back into it, but I just haven't made it work for me lately - for various reasons.

Anyway, I still love Dorie Greenspan and welcome her articles in my monthly Bon Appetit  magazine.

This month featured a recipe with an unusual name, and unusual results. It promised to take bread "Beyond the Baguette" by delivering a "chewy, olive-oil-based bread from Provence" called fougasse.

What?!

Foe-gas? Faux-ghas? Foh-gas-ey?

Help me readers!

I have no idea how to pronounce this bread, but I'm quite certain it's a word only a native French-person can get away with saying without causing gas, I mean giggles. I just visualize airy, under-the-breath words barely escaping a pinched mouth.

Back to the dough. I guess it's a traditional bread that is often included in the 13 desserts of a Provencal Christmas Eve, one for each of the 12 apostles and Christ Himself. I didn't know this when I baked it. Man Google is awesome!

The dough came together just fine though a bit sticky just as Dorie warned. She is always good at giving you details of the process at points when you might otherwise doubt yourself. Following directions, I let it rise a few hours, flipped it a few times, and then sent it off to a cold rise overnight. My daughter "Peanut" - home because it was a teacher-work day- helped the process and enjoyed every bit.

   

The dough is heavily studded with black olives, juicy olive-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon zest. Honestly, it is a pretty straight-forward bread recipe, if you've baked pane before. And the results were pretty much as pictured. Part of the appeal of this recipe was definitely the leaf design, and of course, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Oh, and that funny name.

I am still baffled by the results though. Dense, crusty on the bottom and crispy in thinner areas, the bread is like a cross between focaccia and a thin, toasted bagel. Chewy and bursting with the flavors you'd expect. Butter was good melted on top.

However, I just didn't care for it!

Good bread usually doesn't last very long in our house. This did. Grew stale, hard and un-eaten. I wouldn't say it warranted that kind of neglect, but in a house that is trying to be careful of every calorie right now (both of us) it didn't tip the scales in favor of splurging.

What I really want now is to taste the real thing, baked by French hands. We have a planned trip to Paris during the Christmas season, and I hope that the urban bakeries showcase breads from the country-side and I might luck-into a taste of the real thing.

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Recipe below or here.

makes 2 breads/12 servings

Recipe by Dorie Greenspan  November 2009

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups plus 2 teaspoons warm water (105°F to 115°F), divided
• 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted, quartered
• 1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• Coarse kosher salt

Preparation

• Pour 2/3 cup warm water into 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle yeast, then sugar over; stir to blend. Let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture bubbles, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 cup warm water and 41/2 tablespoons oil.
• Mix flour and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in bowl of heavy-duty mixer. Pour in yeast mixture. Attach dough hook; beat at medium-low speed until flour is moistened but looks shaggy, about 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium; beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and climbs hook, about 10 minutes (dough will be like sticky batter).
• Mix olives, tomatoes, rosemary, and lemon peel in medium bowl. Add to dough and beat 1 minute. Using sturdy spatula, stir dough by hand to blend.
• Lightly oil large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Brush top of dough with oil. Brush plastic wrap with oil; cover bowl, oiled side down. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Gently turn dough several times with spatula to deflate. Re-cover bowl with oiled plastic; chill overnight (dough will rise).
• Sprinkle 2 large rimmed baking sheets with flour. Using spatula, deflate dough by stirring or folding over several times. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Place 1 piece on floured work surface; sprinkle with flour. Roll out dough to 12x8- to 12x9-inch rectangle, sprinkling with flour to keep from sticking. Transfer dough to sheet.
• Using very sharp small knife, cut four 2-inch-long diagonal slashes just to right of center of rectangle and 4 more just to left of center to create pattern resembling leaf veins. Pull slashes apart with fingertips to make 3/4- to 1-inch-wide openings.
• Repeat with remaining dough. Cover dough with towel. Let rest 20 minutes. Beat 2 teaspoons water and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl to blend for glaze.
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 450°F. Brush fougasses with glaze; sprinkle with coarse salt and pierce all over with fork.
• Bake fougasses 10 minutes. Reverse position of baking sheets and turn around. Bake fougasses until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Re-arranging Stuff & Life

In with a new piece of furniture, out with the old arrangement.

It's amazing how trying to fit one new piece will domino into a chain of reshuffling.

It was like this: I got a deal on a 100-year old Chinese console table (above) last weekend at an Asian auction that comes to our military base 1-2x a year.

I decide to raise our TV and take advantage of the tables drawers to help cut clutter. It was no small feat getting the table home since we only have two tiny cars here in Italy; with the help of my friend Laura's beast of a red truck, a free overnight stay at my friend Tina's house, and hours driving in the pouring rain back-and-forth, it finally made it home.  

It sat lonely in my dining room for a few hours before my husband would reluctantly  let me "try" my proposed new arrangement. He knew before he started that he was on the losing end of this new "arrangement." Don't mess with a woman and her furniture! He obliged.

The re-arranging didn't stop there, however. By the next day, one thing had led to another, and I had re-arranged pictures, the couches, side-tables, lamps...

The re-organizing bug spread like H1N1. Fast and furious. There was no preventive vaccine or cure.

Into the kitchen... don't like the way my below-sink cabinet's busting at the seams. Following two "Ah-ha!" moments combined with an old milk crate I got off the streets of my neighborhood in Virginia, I had that cabinet looking better, and several others too. And a small collection of things for the thrift store.

Over the last few days, I think almost every room in my house has been touched by my urge to shuffle and purge. It feels good!

My husband came home the other evening casting the evil eye and confirmed I was "killin'" him with my new "projects." But everything stayed.

You see, when you live in the military, there are many forced purgings because we move so often. All the same, there are many "forced" hours arranging your life's stuff in new homes in new locations, something some people rarely do.

Personally, I love the thrill of finding a new place to live and the consequent figuring out how my collected "stuff" is going to settle in temporary digs. Every few years, this moving uplifts my spirits with a surge of inspiration and creativity required to visualize and create a new home, wherever it might be. Some things work, some things don't, but if something hasn't worked for 1-2 moves, it's time for it to GO!

The negative side of frequent moves is that when you buy furniture, you always have to anticipate future abodes you've never seen. The living room in our last home in Virginia honestly called for a corner TV-armoire. But I refused the investment, knowing that a piece like that would always have to fit a corner. It would have been useless here in our Italy home.

As a result, your possessions appear and disappear from use in your life like memories, at times tucked away and then latter popping back into existence.

If you're military abroad, things often end up scattered across several continents and states in the U.S. - remnants like foot prints on a path once tread. Or accompanying the move only to end up in a unused room if you're lucky to have one where you currently dwell. My Great Aunt's Victorian marble-topped bedroom suite is being stored somewhere in Virginia (I think). My coffee table doesn't work in this house, so it's taking a several-year hiatus in the "scary room" downstairs.

Normal conversations with friends abroad include references to pieces of furniture or belongings somewhere else other than here, including pets and cars. (We have that too!) I can't imagine how it will feel when we eventually get it all back. Will it all ever collectively come back together again under one roof?

We like to think "stuff is just stuff" but really, your things do help define you, ease your life, and add interest and pleasure to your daily existence. (Hopefully.)

In our house, our belongings come with "stories" expressing lives that have lived in many places.

"You like that antique desk? Yeah, I discovered it in the backroom of a huge antique store in Charleston, South Carolina for 75 bucks. It rode back to my tiny apartment strapped to the roof of my VW Jetta. Seventy-five bucks was a lot of money then!"

"Our slender ceramic "skeleton lady" is a hand-made folk piece from Mexico. It came from an awesome store on State Street in Santa Barbara California. She's elegant and funky, and purchasing her was inspired by friends in South Carolina who used to throw the best "Day of the Dead" party."

Stuff, though, shouldn't rule your life. Or drive every decision. Or push you past your financial limits. But getting it all in line, organized and functional, and occasionally re-arranging it to add a little spice to your life, is a good thing.

Frankly, my life is easier now that when I need a baking sheet, my entire collection doesn't "attack" me when I open my cabinet. I feel 100% better not looking at a collection of electronic remotes scattered like spilled cereal. They are tucked away nicely in their own exclusive drawer. Ahhhhhhh!

Now off to hit the spice cabinet!

Update on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 07:31PM by Panda

A collection of catalogs just arrived via my mom from the States. (Thank You Mom!) I love catalogs but never get them here. I just saw a similar "Vintage Chinese" table in Wisteria for $1499. The one above I got for 200 bucks! And it's original, antique and has a certification of age and location! What a steal!  

Ex-Cons Welcome You to Naples

My old college friend and sorority sister Lori just informed me that this story finally made it back to the States. It has actually been buzzing around Europe since last summer; I caught it several times on my "Google Alerts" set for Naples.

Basically, the city has hired ex-cons to patrol the city streets and offer advice, help and warnings (put your wallet up) to tourists. With their yellow reflector vests, they look more like pseudo-construction workers instead of official city-helpers.

To me, this is classic  Napoli, a city full of contradictions:

     Gorgeous beauty, layers of decay

    Historic ways, modern vices

    United city, divided country (Northern Italy vs. Southern Italy)

    Casual charm, inherent deceit

    Glorious vitality, inevitable fate: Vesuvius

The thing is, in a city with 30%+ unemployment rate, to keep a few ex-cons actually employed and "under the microscope" is a good thing. It's one of those scenarios that sounds bad but just might be good in practice. We'll never know. Naples is not know for its honest and open tracking of trends!

If you wish to know more, view the Today Show version here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33600539#33600539

Blueberry-almond Granola

Homemade granola doesn't have to be timely and full of unusual ingredients. Keeping it simple is best.

With a few quick ingredients that you can keep on hand regularly, you can bake up a batch in about 15 minutes, and enjoy a healthy start to your day.

I recently came across this recipe in one of my Everyday Food  magazines, and I love it. You'll only be 6 ingredients, 1 dirty bowl, and a lined baking sheet away from a delicious breakfast. Enjoy!  

Ingredients

Makes 4 cups

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup dried blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss oats, coconut, and almonds. In a small bowl, stir together oil and honey. Pour over oat mixture and toss. Bake, tossing occasionally, until lightly toasted, 16 to 20 minutes.
2. Place mixture in a large bowl and stir in blueberries. (To store, keep in an airtight container, up to 1 month.)

From Everyday Food, May 2009 

Helpful Hint

For breakfast, enjoy this granola with milk or sprinkle it on cottage cheese or yogurt. For a snack, cut an apple or banana in half, spread with peanut butter, then add granola. You can also use the granola as a topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt or add it to a fruit salad

------------------

My tips:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl first, then add oil and honey. It's too difficult to get an even coating if you pour the oil/honey onto the baking sheet. 

2. Pour the oil first, then the honey. The oil nicely coats the tablespoon so the honey glides right out without a sticky mess. 

3. I line my baking sheet with parchment paper. Makes for easy clean-up and no sticking. 

4. Definitely check on it about 8 minutes into baking, and use a fork to stir it up some to guarantee even toasting. 

5. I use Melissa's brand dried blueberries. I'm thankful I can get them here at my military store.

  

Breathtaking Bruges (Brugge)

Part 1

Upon my first glance out my taxi-cab window confirmed what I had imagined before even arriving: Bruges was my kind of place.

My feet hit the cobblestone streets of this gorgeous time-capsule of a town within minutes of arriving. It was like stepping out of my favorite Dutch Baroque cityscape painting, the architecture, wealth and beauty in exquisite timeless detail.

 

A post-rain haze glazed the city, casting a shadow of mystery and intrigue rather than dampening our just-arrived excitement. With sweeping views of the city's canal, the Hotel Tur Duinen welcomed us with a tiny but warm lobby, handing over our room keys with a smile. A peak at the sitting area and breakfast room with antique rush-seats built anticipation for the promised "one of the best in Bruges" breakfast that lived up to its claim.   

   

Pomme frites (french fries), mussels, world-famous Belgian beer, chocolate and waffles were on our mind, and within a few hours we had consumed at least half of our must-taste list.  

A local woman spontaneously struck up a conversation with us as we strolled the streets, suggesting the main square, the Markt (market), as the place to find the best french fries. (And we did.) She also assured us that we "couldn't go wrong" at any restaurant in Bruges, and we were beginning to believe that statement applied to more than just food.

 

When in doubt, start exploring any new town from the main piazza/square/market. It's always a good starting point, as it was here in Bruges. Side-streets offering hours of fashion, food, history and most importantly, chocolate, cobwebbed off this bull's eye of a city-center making a decent map a necessity. (Most hotels or shops will offer you a fold-up paper version.) Following the original medieval street patterns, roads curve and dead-end, cross the curving canal with Monet-like arched bridges that splices and circles the city, basically going every where but following a grid-pattern. Delight in getting lost; there is no "wrong turn" in Bruges.

You may lose direction, but you definitely won't get lost in translation.

Everyone in this city speaks English, along with Flemish (dialect of Dutch), French, Dutch, and even some Italian and German. The friendly sweater-clad classic European looking man with glasses resting on his nose at the wonderful Het Brugs Theehuis  (tea rooms and tea shops abound) spoke 4 languages. He was also an expert on the loose teas offered for sale, and I quickly found myself splurging on an aromatic organic black-berry blend and unusual sweet-savory mint blend. Had I extra room in my luggage, I would have added a gorgeous Asian cast-iron tea pot as well.

 

Be warned: this is a city that ignites wants. You will want to drink, eat and acquire your way through this charming town.

Heirloom lace linen stores, an historic craft of Bruges, are on every block. Before you know it, you'll be plopping down a pretty penny (or many euros) on a hand-laced tablecloth with matching cloth napkins. (Just ask my friend Laura.)

Beating out lace, is chocolate. Glass-fronted stores chock-full of dreamy mouth-watering sweets tempt you until you say "Mercy!" and buy, buy, buy. Bright bows, pretty wrapping, clever shapes and tantalizing flavors will have you hooked on Belgian chocolate, so hooked we became repeat visitors at our favorite chocolatier, Dumon. (More on that later.) 

It's as if you enter a dream-book bubble of Medieval grandeur that whiles you away to countless hours pleasantly escaping "The World." Time stops, life is far-far away, and for a few days you can live in a euphoric vacuum of vacation bliss.

Ok, maybe my joy at having my first kid-free travel adventure with a great friend got to my head!

Really, for me, chocolate and beer, french-fries and waffles, with fantastic shopping in a scenic architectural gem, and topped by easy-going gracious people (they ride bikes everywhere!)... Well, that's just a match made in heaven, or Bruges, for me.

Count me love-struck.

Bruges is beautiful, historic yet modern and fresh. Quaint but diverse, lovely and sincerely beguiling.  I don't think anyone can resist her allure.

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You must see the collection of pictures I took here and here.

Also, more blog entries to follow including mouth-watering details on the foods of Bruges, the best way to view the city (hint: the canals), and the perks of being not the least bit shy - you meet interesting people along the way! Stay tuned...

   

Thanks Laura for a fantastic trip!

Halloween In Italy

YES, we do celebrate Halloween while living in Italy.

"Do the Italians?"

....I am asked each year by friends back home. Not really, but they are adopting bits and pieces of imported holidays like Halloween, especially because they have such a commercial side to them.

Fortunately, we have access to American-style pumpkins from our military grocery store which we carve and display just like at home in America.

The base also organizes a trick-or-treat night where people set-up tables and chairs outside their apartments and hand out candy to Americans. It's fun! Peanut and Buddy had a blast this year. (Last year, Peanut was very sick and we could not attend this at the last minute.)

  

Georgia, our Italian landlords grand-daughter with the kids

In our Italian neighborhood, we actually have trick-or-treaters; just a few. Maybe because quite a few kids live in our parco (closed neighborhood) and Americans have lived in this house and others for years, the tradition is somewhat followed here. Most Americans I know "living on the economy" (what we call it if you live off-base) do not have Italian trick-or-treaters.

We did not end up handing out as much candy as we bought because we spent more time at the military base trick-or-treating and having an impromptu party at our friends. (Thanks T & M!)

Buddy also had his famous Halloween party at his Italian pre-school. Once again, here is a school that has had Americans attending for years, and they have adopted the party side of the holiday. They go all-out, highly decorating and we all bring along goodies for the kids.

I hope you had some fun out there, wherever you are! Happy Halloween!

The BEST Pesto

I feel like I'm getting ready to reveal the finale to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol  instead of simply sharing my friend's house keeper's recipe for pesto. It's so good and anyone who has had it would love to get the recipe.

And now here's your chance!

The fact is, in the small  military circle that is here, Rosa's pesto is famous. It's so yummy and "Wow!" inducing. Our book club once went ga-ga over it.

What's the secret?

Compared to the recipes I've used in the past, her special twist is using both Parmigiano Regiano and Pecorino Romano. I've typically only used Parmigiano. She also uses only the best cheese, the highest-quality extra-virgin olive oil (only  extra virgin Rosa specified), and gorgeous Italian basil. Rosa also is a super nice person, with a big heart, and I swear she infuses the pesto with good vibes.

   

Look, the Italian flag! Rosa's white shirt, red apron and the green basil

One thing you will notice is how incredibly grassy green the pesto is, almost glowing neon-like. The iodized salt from Sicily she uses is the key, doing secret science to keep the finished results as green as the pretty basil that's the corner-stone of pesto. 

Speaking of basil, Rosa hand-counts the leaves (how quaint!), and I loved how she "Sshhh" us so we wouldn't interupt her under-the-breath counting. "Uno, due, tre... Cento!" She also gently cuts them with kitchen scissors after giving them a bath three times, to rid the leaves of any clinging dirt.

And on the topic of extra-virgin olive oil, Rosa once again helps us all out by buying in bulk an excellent brand - Olio Carli - that she "takes orders for" on a regular basis. We get it for a bargain that way. (See the gorgeous bottles below. You can buy it on Amazon here, and read a review here.)  

Rosa’s Pesto 

1.5-2 Tsp. Sale Grosso (iodized sea salt)

1 1/3 c. Parmigiano Reggiano (fresh, grated)

1 1/3 c. Pecorino Romano (fresh, grated)

100 fresh basil leaves

3 ½ c. good quality olive oil

1.5-2 TBSP. Pinoli Scelti (pine nuts)

3 large, fresh garlic cloves (or 4 small) 

1. Soak in cold water and rinse basil (try and remove the stems).
2. In food processor, combine garlic, pine nuts, salt, and basil.  (You might need to add ½ c. of the olive oil to get it moving in the food processor).
3. Add Parmigiano and Pecorino to food processor.  Pulse until well mixed.
4. Add remaining oil.
5. Fill containers, but wait for about 30 min. before covering with lids.

 *One batch filled about 8-10 mini-containers. We froze the extras.

It was a joy to learn Rosa's recipe, to be in my good friend's Laura's kitchen, on a sunny afternoon, the kids running around in the living room trying to keep baby Parker entertained. Or more like keeping their water bottles away from his cute hands! Thankfully, my friend Laura has more Disney movies than your corner Blockbuster (do they still exist in the States???), so the kids were quite content. Well, the plate of cookies Laura prepared for them was probably what really made them happy.

Me, I was happy to finally try the great cook Laura's wonderful tomato/feta cheese/phyllo dough baked appetizer. Now that's another recipe I need to get! (Laura's full of great ones.)

   

Because even a simple afternoon cooking with friends is extraordinary here in Italy, I thought I'd share a few pics I snapped out my window on the descent down from Laura's house on the mountain.

The Solfatara, next door to Laura's house.

Funny note, both Laura and I dressed in clothes with green - her striped shirt and my green pants. I think we were anticipating good green pesto when we dressed! 

Julie & Julia

The Book, The Movie

 Several years ago I read "Julie and Julia" simply because I ran across a fun review of it. And I love food, and the stories of foodies.

This book is the true-life memoir of a young woman in the midst of re-defining her life, marriage and self-worth, who on a whim, decides to complete the 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" a seminal cookbook originally published in 1961.

For Julie, life had been a series of unfinished "projects" that left her feeling less than successful. With a dash of self-reflection and a dose of her supportive husband, she realizes cooking and writing are her two great passions, and by combining them through a cooking challenge (524 recipes in 365 days) and blogging about it, she can prove her self-worth.

I loved the book, light and easy, full of funny cooking success (and failure) stories with a big side of personal growth and growing pains. Her blog was wildly successful, the book too, and then what followed was every writer's dream: a movie deal.

Yesterday I saw the movie at the military theatre on site. It is fun too, and will leave you laughing in your seat. A few slow moments creep in, and unless you really enjoying cooking and all things food, you might find yourself a bit bored. But only for a minute or two. Before you know it you'll be chuckling again at Meryl Streep's dead-on portrayal of a delightful, spirited and all-together hilarious Julia Child. Streep does a fantastic job mastering Julia's mannerism, accent and smile.

Go see it! It left me longing to cook more, to get back to my Tuesdays with Dorie, and explore new recipes. I'm also planning on reading "My Life in France" the autobiography of Julia by Julia. I've heard nothing but good things about his book!