Somewhere in the Middle

In Bologna it's all about the food

We spent the second week of Lil' C's spring break exploring the Tuscany &  the Emilia Romagna region of Italia. Oh, how I love Italy. I love everything about it... the incredible landscape, beautiful language, friendly people, fabulous food. It's all good. If only I could live there!

This trip was all about food. While reading some travel books I discovered Bologna is known as Italy's gastronomic capital. And let me tell you it did not disappoint. Our trip mainly revolved around food. It was great although my jeans were definitely a little snug boarding the plane back to Belgium! lol! 

After arriving in Bologna in the late afternoon we hopped into our rental car and made our way to Bagni di Lucca. Our GPS took us the craziest route ever. The drive was beautiful because it was completely in the mountains but it was the roads were so windy it was impossible to gain any speed. We drove through the most charming little towns.

We had reservations at a Agritourismo, (a working farm) near Lucca. It was the first time we've ever stayed at a farm and I wasn't sure what to expect. But once we arrived I absolutely fell in love with the place.

   

Massimo, the owner, is extremely passionate about his village (as he calls it). Years ago the area was actually a village with its own inhabitants including members of Massimo's family. After World War II, people began to leave the area due to lack of proper sewage system, waterworks, electricity, and roads. When the last inhabitant died Massimo purchased the village and has spent several years working on renovations using modern bio-architecture concepts. Despite all these wonderful renovations the village continues to keep it's charming original features.

The twenty acre farm has all types of animals... horses, sheeps, cinte senesi (a black, typical Tuscan pig), chickens and other animals that can be found in the woods nearby.  This agritourismo also has it's own private 50 metre long bridge which leads to the main houses and its own church.

   

When we arrived Daniella met us and gave us a warm greeting. Shortly after Massimo arrived and helped us carry our luggage to the main house while Daniella went off to finish preparing our dinner. Which was a wonderful surprise. After spending almost two hours driving through windy mountain roads the last thing I wanted was to jump back into the car to find a restaurant for dinner. 

Before dinner was served Massimo showed us several photos of the Agritourismo during all four seasons. Every season offered something different... barbeques by the river, hiking through the mountains & discovering huge chestnut trees that took 4-5 people to surround it, rummaging through the forest to gather monster size mushrooms and big family styled dinners.

Massiso also organizes plays and small concerts at the farm. Just talking to Massimo & Daniella (the cook) you could see how dedicated they were to create an independent, relaxing and peaceful place to vacation. Not only does Massimo keep busy with his Agritourismo but he is also a chemist. His family have been chemist for generations. In fact, his family is the oldest chemist in Italy and the second oldest in Europe. Massimo was definitely the kind of man that everyone knows in town. He's the President of various local associations, teaches at the University of Pisa, and writes several articles for the local paper. He was very inspiring.

Dinner the first night was incredible... a five course meal. Delicious selection of antipasta, homemade pasta, fresh sausage, chicken, cheeses, freshly baked foccacia bread, ricotta pie and of course wine. We walked home very happy.

Daniella prepared a fabulous breakfast for us. For me what made this breakfast even more special were the fresh cheeses and the blueberry tart. All of the cheeses were locally produced. This morning we had a Pecorino made my her uncle and fresh ricotta made from her father's sheeps. I am now addicted to fresh ricotta. Every morning I would have a big bowl and drizzle it with some of the honey made from the Agriturismo's bee hives.

The following day we explored the Cinque Terre, an area I've wanted to visit for a while now. A few years ago I saw a photo of one of the villages and I immediately knew it was somewhere I had to visit.

We caught the train at La Spezia and decided to start the walking trail in a village called Riomaggiore. The Cinque Terre or "The Five Lands" is comprised of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The trails were really beautiful. We were able to explore three of the villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Corniglia.

The path connecting Riomaggiore to Manarola s called the Via dell' Amore. I found this adorable couple everywhere. 

Along the trail we found some really beautiful flowers.

S & Lil' C thought these flowers looked artificial.

There was also a spot where a few people were sun bathing. Next time we'll have to bring our bathing suits. 

My favorite by far was Manarola. I just love the scenery.

After eating some gelato in Manarola we continued along the walking trail to Corniglia.

Corniglia reminded me of a sleepy little village. The trail wasn't paved like the other two & we had to walk up 382 steps to get to the village so we definitely needed another gelato break when we arrived. ;)

   

I loved walking through the narrow cobble stone streets in Corniglia. Takes you back to a much simplier time.

   

More to come on our Italian food adventure.

La Fiesta

Today the Spaniards hosted the International luncheon.  I really like how they named each table after a different province in Spain. I believe our hostess Inma was from this area. We had a lively table with a fun group of American women.

It was great fun. And the Sangria was delicious! Lil' C would have loved this dessert. It was super tart.

Everyone went home with a little goodie bag filled with olive oil, candles & a ceramic dish along with a Spanish Peineta pin.

I also won a tombola prize... this cute Lladro.  Every time I look at it I'll think of these luncheons.

Bike Riding Through the Flower Fields

During the first week of Lil' C's spring break we went to Holland for the weekend. The weather was absolutely perfect. Lots of sunshine with a slight cool breeze. It was wonderful.

We spent the entire day on Friday at the Keukenhof which was beautiful. This year the theme focused on the relationship between New York & the Netherlands. It was pretty fascinating to discover that in 1609 Henry Hudson, on behalf of the Dutch VOC (Dutch East India Company) stepped ashore on what is now known as Manhattan and New Amsterdam was established. Later the name was changed to New York. I had no idea Dutch history played such a prominent role in the establishment of this state. I also discovered Harlem was named after the Haarlem in the Netherlands and that Wall Street was derived from the Waal River.

Sprinked throughout the park were photos of New York, a flower mosiaic of the Statue of Liberty (made with 53,000 bulbs), and other art pieces of my favorite US city.

In fact, Batavus, a Dutch bike manufacturer, is sending 200 bicycles (400 wheels) to New York representing 400 years of friendship. They will celebrate "the deep-rooted connection between the Netherlands and New York City including the common values of freedom, openness, entrepreneurship and tolerance, as well as the cultural ties of these forward-thinking societies."

These bicycles will take the same journey Henry Hudson took 400 years ago across the Atlantic to New York City. How cool is that! The bikes will arrive on April 30th, Dutch Queen's Day.  Later that day, the bikes will be part of a special NY 400 Queens Day bike tour and later in the summer the bikes will be part of NYC's Summer Streets event. Fun stuff!

Visiting the Keukenhof during the week worked out great for us. The park was almost empty compared to what it's like on the weekends.

It was a little early in the season so many of the tulips were just getting ready to bloom. The greenhouse however had so many varieties of tulips I went crazy taking photos. Here are a few of my favorites.

On Saturday we rented bicycles and went bike riding for 5 hours.

We mainly rode through the rural areas so we could see the flower fields. It was really beautiful. 

I was actually really happy we visited the area a little early since we saw different flower fields this time. Usually by the time the tulips are in full bloom the daffodils and hyacinth are pasted their season. So it was nice to see a different landscape and the scent as we rode by the hyacinth fields was just incredible.

Oh... It smelled so wonderful.

Bike riding in Holland is such an enjoyable experience. I love how the people in the Netherlands use their bicycles as a serious form of transportation. Bicycles are everywhere and they're incredibly comfortable. If I rode my mountain bike for 5 hours my back would be killing me. But their bicycles are made differently. I felt great by the end of day. We loved the bicycles we rented so much S & I inquired about purchasing a new pair. When we spoke with the store owner he explained that most of the bicycles sold in the US are geared towards sports but their bicycles are made for everyday life. They use their bicycles to go to work, go grocery shopping, visit friends, etc. Very comfy.

This bike would be really useful to take to your local market. Can't you just picture it with a big basket filled with fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables, and fish from the local fish guy.

 

It does amaze me how every time we've visited the Netherlands people just don't use bike helmets. You will see people who look like they're competitively bike racing wearing helmets but other than that no one uses helmets. It does make me a little nervous if I had little ones riding in either of these bikes. I do love the little windshield.So useful. 

Now this bike... I totally fell in love with. I'm not sure how the leather would hold up to those rainy days but it IS SO pretty. I can already see myself riding through the fields of flowers with a big bouquet of flowers in my lovely little basket. ;)

Note to Self :: Do NOT make ANYMORE Cakes

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I signed up to host my English conversation group right after my Turkish friend, Sev. I'm sure I've mentioned what an amazing cook she is. Remember those little cookies shaped like clams with a little pearl inside and the home-made Baklava? Yes, she is brilliant in the kitchen. Me? Not so much these days.

I think my memory is going because I decided to make my homemade Jewish Apple cake for the group as well a batch of Blondies. Somehow I'd forgotten how I baked 3 cakes that completely fell apart for C's birthday and what about the cupcakes that shriveled up and looked like mini brains. I'm sure there are other examples but again my memory is going so I easily forget. Or is it possible that I just can't give up trying. I used to bake cakes, cookies, muffins with no problems what so ever. Really, I was a good baker. But here in Belgium my baking confidence has taken a nose dive.

Every so often I think how it would be nice for me to make something traditionally American for my English conversation group. This time my Blondie recipe came to mind. The recipe is simple so I thought, "What could possibly go wrong?" Everything seem to be going well until I took them out of the oven. When I sampled a little piece I noticed they were a bit too much like cookie dough so I let them bake a little longer. After they cooled off I tasted them again and thought they were much sweeter than I remembered. Europeans desserts aren't very sweet so I started to think the group was going to hate them. Oh well. I still had my Jewish Apple cake. Right?

I'm a night owl so I'll usually start baking around 9 or 10 at night but this time I was so good. Since the plumber was coming by in the morning or at least that's what my landlord said but we all know they never show up when they're supposed to. lol!

So I started baking the cake early. I peeled and shredded my apples.

Added cinnamon & sugar. Much less than what the recipe called for so the sweetness level would be more on par with the European desserts.

I also remembered to reduce the sugar in the cake batter as well hoping it wouldn't be too sweet. But it wasn't...the cake batter came out yummy.

I alternated the apples between the cake batter. Things were going brilliantly. I baked it according to the directions and even covered it early on so the top wouldn't get too brown. And when it came out of the oven I let it cool for a couple of minutes and flipped it out of the mold to discover I had BURNED half of the cake!! How does that happen? ARGH!!

When my landlord came over with the plumber I was hinting about something being wrong with the oven. Surely, it can't be me! But when I showed him my cake he response was so in line with French cuisine... "Oh, just put some cream on top of it and it'll be fine". lol!! Cream? Granted, cream does make things quite delicious but I'm not sure it's powerful even to save a burned cake!

Unfortunately, with Lil'C's after school schedule and a girls night out dinner planned I didn't have time to bake another cake. When Steve got home he did try to salvage the cake. He turned it over thinking we could sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top so it would look pretty and just serve the part of the cake that wasn't burned. But because the cake had cooled on the plate parts of the cake top came off. It looked like a disaster. Even though it wasn't pretty to look at I knew it tasted good at least the part that wasn't burned.

The following morning S offered to pick up some croissants and other baked goods from our local bakery so I could serve them instead of my cake. Even though these goodies are delicious these items aren't anything unique. We all have access to the bakery.

I was still upset over my cake...there is something about serving a dish that is homemade that is so special. I really wanted to share my cake with my friends. At the last minute I made two pots of my special hot chocolate infused with lavender.

As I dropped Lil' C off at school I ran into Sev and I told her all about my cake. She said, "Do you want me to bake you a cake? It will only take 30 mins." And I knew she wasn't joking. Sev came to my house a few months ago to show me how to make this incredible traditional Turkish vegetable cous cous dish I love and I saw this woman in action. Not only is her food fabulous she is a speed demon in the kitchen. I politely thanked her for the offer but told her S had bought some baked goods from the bakery.

As expected hardly anyone touched the pastries from the bakery but surprisingly most of the Blondies were gone. Before anyone touch them though I did explain that they were a very American dessert (SWEET) with the caveat that they were a bit sweeter than European pastries.

As for the cake? I thought, "Why waste half of a good cake?" I kept it real and was honest about what happened to my beloved Jewish apple cake. ;( And you know what? A few of the ladies decided to try it and enjoyed it which made me really happy. All my effort hadn't gone completely to waste. And my hot lavender chocolate was a total hit. It saved the day!

"Ah, no...tienes una fiebre mala"

That's exactly what Nana said to me last night when I was telling her about my sewing addiction. lol! Within the past 5 days, I made a little crafty house, bought my 1st sewing machine, and ordered all the basic materials needed to create a few more projects I have my eye on. I also bought some deliciously yummy fabrics that I'm so excited to receive!

My latest addiction comes as no surprise. My grandfather, Papi is a master with a sewing machine and owned his own fabricating business for many years. Nana also worked in the industry and even at the age of 85 she continues to take sewing classes at her local community center making clothes for herself. Every year the community center holds a fashion show and all the ladies walk down the catwalk showing off the beautiful clothes they've made. I love to see her face light up when she shows me the clothes she has made. The love for sewing doesn't stop there either. My Mom & aunt also enjoying sewing. I'm just a bit surprised it's taken me this long to buy a machine and get serious about sewing.

I'll admit there is a part of me that can become easily addicted to things I enjoy. When I get serious about something I pour all my time & energy learning about this new venture and I easily lose track of time. Dinner? Who has time to cook when there are so many fun projects to make, blogs & books to read, and online forums/shops to pour through. lol!

Another fun part of this crazy love affair is shopping for all the tools needed to start making & creating all kinds of goodies. I mean what good is a sewing machine unless you have pretty fabrics to work with. Right?

Well let me explain how this love affair all started or like Nana would say, "Como la fiebre empezo." lol! Last Thursday I went to Blonde K's house so she could help me with a little house I've been wanting to make. Over the past few months I've e-mailed K a few links to things I'd love to make. And every time I asked her about a project she'd say, "Oh, that's easy. You can make that yourself."

I showed up to K's house with three fabrics I bought in Provence along with a beautiful linen skirt that quite unexpectedly tore. So I thought it would make a great little lavender sachet case. K was a great teacher. Very patient and helpful. I'm not sure how long she's been sewing but she has made some beautiful things that can be seen all throughout her home. K also has a great collection of fun funky fabrics. So we picked two more fabrics to go along with my Provincial cuttings. The actual making of the little house was much easier than I thought. In about 3 hours my little house was finished.

Every time I looked at my house I got so excited thinking, "I actually made this! How cool is that. And if I can make this little house who knows what else I can make!"

After we finished I told K about a sewing machine I was eying & asked if she could take a look at it to see if it was a good starter machine. Before you know if we were both at the store. K thought the machine would be perfect for my 1st sewing machine. So one thing lead to another and now I have my very own sewing machine and lots of supplies on their way to my home.

K sent me home that day with some fabric samples to make little Yo-Yo's and other goodies. I've also been pouring over the few books she gave me to look over. I'm really enjoying reading about the projects & techniques but I'm itching to start something fun.

Too Pretty to Eat

Lil' C & I spent the afternoon making Easter eggs. I wasn't exactly super motivated to decorate eggs but once we got started it was really a lot of fun! Lil' C & I got really creative mixing different colors and drawing designs with a wax crayon. The more we experimented the prettier the eggs became.

This little egg was my favorite. I'm not sure exactly how Lil' C made this shade of green but I was never able to duplicate this pretty shade of lime green. We still have a few more eggs to decorate tomorrow so we'll see what other colors & designs we can create.

A Day in Paris

Last Thursday Inma & I spent the day in Paris shopping. We had such a great time. Inma is from Madrid, Spain so even though her English is really good she prefers to speak Spanish with me. I was happy to practice but after speaking Spanish for over 15 hrs. my Spanish started to sound more Spanglish. lol!! Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun and I look forward to taking more day trips with her.

Inma & I both enjoy crafts & needlepoint work so our intention was to spend the day going to craft, paper, and kitchen stores. Neither of our husbands are too excited about spending hours shopping for fabric, thread, and paper so it worked out perfectly for everyone.

Our first stop was a visit to the Mariage Frères tea shop. I'm crazy about their tea. It's such a beautiful little shop too. It reminds me of an apothecary with all the big black tin cans of fragrant tea. Plus I love how all the men (and it's always men behind the tea counter or maybe I've just been lucky. lol!) wear suits... it makes purchasing tea so much more of a serious transaction. I choose two boxes of tea - their Imperial Wedding tea with hints of chocolate & caramel for myself and Jasmine Mandarin for Blonde K who asked me to bring her a box back with me. I've tasted both and they're absolutely delicious but the Wedding Imperial is really lovely. The chocolate is really subtle but you can really taste the caramel. It's perfect.

I also bought two bags of Casablanca & Chandernagor loose tea which are my favorites flavors. The experience of buying loose tea was quite fun. I gave the salesman an idea of the flavors I usually enjoy in tea and he made a few suggestions. The MF Frenchman pulled the can from the wall, opened it, and let me smell the leaves. These cans were huge! Every time I smelled the leaves I felt like I could put my whole face inside. lol!

Inma & I then made our way to Le Bonheur des Dames, a gorgeous little shop dedicated to needlepoint, embroidery, and patchwork near Opera Basille.

The samples in the store were stunning. I especially enjoyed the pieces that had items attached to them like little wooden skis, a kitchen pot, or a miniature wedding dress.

There was one particular design that looked like a Turkish rug cross stitched on linen. I joked with Inma that the person who made this piece gave up her eyesight to make it. lol! The details were incredible.

Most of the items were a bit pricey. Some of the cross stitching kits were over 80 Euros. The most expensive one I saw was about 130 Euros. They also had a wonderful selection of books. Looking back I wish I would have bought a book or even a small cross stitch kit. Next time. After spending about 2 hours at the shop we left with a variety of linen fabrics, glass beads and thread. Even though I can purchase these items online for much less there is nothing like being able to feel the fabric or see the actual color with your own eyes.

As we took the metro to our next stop we saw a group of people playing classical music in the metro. For me hearing musicians play in the streets, metro, and on the train is just one of the things that makes Paris so special. I love it. Paris wouldn't be Paris without these street entertainers. There's nothing like walking in the metro and hearing lovely music echo through the station. If you'd like to hear what I heard in the metro that day, click below.



Afterward we went to a small knitting and jewelry shop. They had a gorgeous selection of ribbons too. Many of them with vintage patterns. I wanted to buy some beads but the salesgirl wasn't especially helpful and told us we had to wait in this extremely long line even though we saw her help other customers measure their beads. I don't know if there was something lost in translation but we were a little put off so we left.

We had plans to go to E. Dehillerin, a cooking shop that has been selling high quality kitchen and pastry utensils to professional chefs since 1820, but there just wasn't enough time. But after finding this article on the shop I'm actually glad we didn't go. Next time I'll be prepared and put my New York face on and walk in with an "in your face" attitude. lol!

Paris' Oldest Kitchen Equipment Shop ~ FXcuisine.com

"The Dehillerin shop is famous for its range of copper casseroles, sold in every shape and size with either the traditional tin coating or the more durable stainless steel interior. But that's only about a fifth of their inventory. You'll find there every possible contraption used to cut, mash, wash, filter, boil, steam, mold or serve food. These are not the designer tools found in high-end kitchenware shops but rather super resistant, streamlined, giant sized tools used by actual French chefs. No surprise the place is such a magnet for amateur foodies!

I assume Dehillerin must have been featured in wealthy housewives magazines in Japan and North America because they flock here on sunny Paris afternoons, a bit ill-at-ease in the manly bazaar ambiance. The shop has been selling kitchenware and cookware to professional cooks for two centuries, so tourists are clearly not a priority. If you are a foreign chef you'll be treated decent, but amateurs and tourists are put on the back burner.

 See for yourself. A scene is repeated every other minute in the shop. One of the tourist clients would ask the price of some saucepan. One of the attendant, clad in blue overalls, gives him a nasty grin and says "You can read, can't you? Well then, it will be easy since you're so smart. You take the saucepan's reference number, here #5439795844 and go at the end of the aisle to see the price sheet. Understood? Attaboy" or words to that effect. You can see the price list in the middle of Mr Brodeck's pictures above. A really easy and user friendly system. Hard to understand why a hundred clients a day ask the question. They could put a large sign in English and French but they would miss the fun.

And if you need help, then God helps you. On an earlier visit, I saw this gigantic dented knife on a shelf and asked the attendant if he could get if for me. "What do you want to use it for?" he asked sharply. "To cut roasts, I guess" I answered. He put the knife back before I could even touch it. "This is not the knife for you. This one is used to cut slices off whole salmons. Here is a roast knife" he said, handing me the right knife, an ugly asparagus of a knife. I was quite disappointed but it became clear that they would not sell me the 'wrong' knife even if I insisted. End of story. I had bought about all I could carry, and the shop employee gave me his business card, explaining that he worked on commissions. This shows some economic rationale for the better treatment awarded to chefs who probably buy large quantities.

Parisians are not bad people. Not worse than New-Yorkers at least. But they just have more respect for the man who is almost rudely aggressive than for the one who is apologetically looking at his shoes. That's their culture. After about 2 decades of visiting Paris I've come to almost enjoy dealing with the Parisian in-your-face attitude and now manage not to be treated like a schmuck.I still wanted my knife and devised a little plan to get a better treatment next time I visited the shop and buy my knife.

About a year later, I arrived and my guy was busy mouth-trashing one of the tourist clients. I came right behind him and said loudly "Alors Monsieur [man's last name], tu me fais un enfant dans le dos?" ("So Mister, are you making me a child behind my back?", a highly colorful expression implying that the man did not recognize one of his old and trusted clients and was serving the tourists instead of dropping everything to come to me). It worked like a charm. The informal 'tu' used by professional cooks between themselves was the finishing note. The guy turned round, red in the face, like if I was some famous cook he could just not remember. He escorted me to every corner of the shop, kindly offering to look prices up, making jokes, carrying my stuff for me. I decided to try my chance with the knife again ans asked "You wouldn't have a salmon steak knife by any chance?". He stopped to think for a moment, raced to the knifes aisle and came back proudly with the knife in hand "You are lucky, we are the only one to stock it in Paris."