the boot

creamy feta walnut dip

2012-03-07T03:34:00.001-05:00

Aperitivo is one of those Italian institutions that I’m completely on board with - that and the afternoon nap.
It’s supposed to prepare your stomach for dinner, like the French aperitif. The drinks are bitter, the snacks are salty, and the ambience is so fabulous. Picture the sun setting at 7:30 p.m. on a cute little bar nestled between some palm trees in the historical center of town. A waiter with an orange tie serves you little bowls of chips, peanuts, briny olives and crackers. You drink your Aperol spritzer or Campari and prosecco and dream about how great dinner is going to be. Then, once you’re super hungry, you pay the cost of your drink and waltz home, kind of tipsy and loving life.

The only problem with aperitivo is the salty, bad for you snacks. So I’m constantly thinking up healthy alternatives for when our friends come over for aperitivo on our balcony. Now that the weather is nice, I want to serve this easy Creamy Feta Walnut Dip with glasses of Rose’ and fresh veggies. Friday at my place around 7? Be there.

[Aperitivo with Monica: those are the briny olives and cracker-like taralli]

Creamy Feta Walnut Dip

based on this recipe

1 container Greek yogurt

1/2 cup crumbled Feta

3 tbs chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley

crushed red pepper or chili flakes to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for an hour before serving with fresh veggies and pita bread.

This is such a protein-rich, sumptuous dip! The walnuts add depth and richness and the tangy, sharp feta is the perfect complement. I made two batches and devoured the first bowl before skipping off to Zumba last night. (Much better than the four scoops of peanut butter that I had last week!)

cinnamon raisin bread

2012-03-06T02:42:00.000-05:00

We have this promotional mug at home from Sleepytime Tea with a bear on it in a rocking chair. It says, "Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea." I always thought that was so sweet, and true, that life is about simple pleasures.

My Nana was the queen of toast and tea; every day during Oprah she would have a cup and a slice of toast. Cinnamon raisin was a favorite, but any toast would do, really. Now, I find myself having toast for breakfast every single morning. Though we don't have a toaster, or really good bread for that matter (you know, a nice whole wheat with seven grains or flax seeds) I make do. But yesterday, all I wanted was the smell of cinnamon raisin toast, with melted butter, and tea. And when I want something (food related), there's no stopping me.

I made a few tweaks to the King Arthur Flour recipe, but it still came out great, albeit a bit flat and dense. Breads are one of those things that I don't have a hand at yet, but I'm going to keep trying. Cinnamon raisin bread must be in my culinary repertoire, so that I can have great toast and tea for life!

P.S. It's looking like breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Here are some recent morning recipes you might have missed: Blood Orange Muffins, Baked Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal, Apple Breakfast Strudel

what we ate this weekend

2012-03-05T05:32:00.000-05:00

This weekend’s sweets were exceptional; so much so that I haven’t stopped indulging, as I sit here eating a cherry and cream filled croissant. (Don’t worry, I’ll do a few push-ups later to cancel it out.) And let’s not even discuss the apparent problem I have with peanut butter, because in only one week I polished off the jar! Manu said that every time I went into the kitchen, he knew what I was doing. (Dipping a spoon in the peanut butter and then in some raisins. It’s come to that.) On Saturday after an inspiring trip to Ikea, I was talking to myself in the kitchen, “No, I just can’t stop. It’s so good.” Manu was outside working on the balcony, but he already knows that sometimes I talk to my food. No shame there.

[A crèpe at 3 a.m. filled with Nutella, almonds and strawberries, semifreddo: three trypes of gelato with a layer of sponge cake and a cherry, Krapfen and cappuccino for breakfast.]

As Manu said yesterday afternoon, when we decided to split another zeppola, “Come on, live a little! It’s Sunday!” And he was right. The weekend is made for indulging.

What about you? Any weekend indulgences you'd like to share? :)

lemon pepper pappardelle

2012-03-02T02:48:00.001-05:00

Prologue: This morning Manu's alarm went off bright and early (this week it's the theme song to Pirates of the Caribbean. Oh, Manu. A ten year old at heart.) He turned to me and asked, first thing, "What are you cooking on the blog today? And will you save me some?" When I told him it was the Trader Joe's pappardelle he said, "You never take me to the Joe's!"

A staple in our summer kitchen in Medfield is lemon pepper pappardelle from Trader Joe’s. Peppery with a great big lemon flavor, we eat it as a quick lunch with some olive oil and grated Parmigiano, or as the main event with a cream sauce and some veggies. I love the pappardelle, but since I live in Barletta and TJ’s sadly doesn’t exist, I needed to make my own. Plus, it felt like the perfect day for it - sunny and bright, just like a lemon itself.

Lemon Pepper Pappardelle

1/2 pound pappardelle or fettuccine

1 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

1 tsp ground black pepper

grated cheese

Boil plenty of salted water for the pasta. (Italian lady trick: taste the water, if it’s salty, it’s just right.) In the meantime, zest the lemon and squeeze its juice in a big bowl with the olive oil and two peppers. Drain the pasta reserving about a 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the other ingredients in the bowl adding the reserved cooking liquid for moisture, you might not need it all. Serve immediately with more lemon zest on top and the grated cheese of your choice. Buon appetito!

Another gorgeous weekend is in store for us here in Barletta, so I want to savor every minute outside on our balcony and riding my bike. With a trip to Ikea squeezed in to buy supplies for my new endeavor. :) If you want to take a little virtual trip to Barletta today, check out my post on Elembee!

Buon weekend!

the state of things on the boot

2012-03-01T02:27:00.000-05:00

It hasn’t always been easy to find my blogger voice these four years that the boot has existed. I’ve gone through some blog metamorphoses (first it was just vignettes of life in Barletta, then I experimented with all kinds of topics and niches) but that’s also the beauty of having a blog and using it as your creative outlet - you can go wherever you feel guided to go in that moment.

And right now, I’m being guided toward my kitchen with a force like I’ve never felt before. I don’t know why I’m surprised by this, and more importantly, why I didn’t think of it earlier. Food. Food runs through my veins and always has. Just take a look at my culinary history: my dad is a chef, his mom was a butcher, my great-grandparents were greengrocers in the North End, my grandmothers were rarely seen without aprons, and my extended Italian-American family connects, thrives and lives for food-related events. Everyone in my family cooks. My mom has such ease with baking that she created a three-tier wedding cake for friends. Even my papa has his trademark dishes of icebox cake and stuffed mushrooms.

I grew up in the kitchen. After school I would color while sitting on reach-in refrigerators and waiting for my dad to finish prepping soups or whatever he was “whipping up” for that evening’s dinner menu. Or maybe I would be at nana’s house, reading Roald Dahl on a wooden stool in the kitchen while she rolled meatball after meatball and pushed up her glasses a thousand times. These moments are burned in my memory and in my soul as if food were another family member, constantly there with me.

This summer I can’t tell you how many times Kate said, mid chew, “I think you should pursue a career in food.” Who knows if that’s just her motherly instinct trying to steer me in at least some clear direction (see this post) because what I’m doing now is anything but clear, but she put the idea in my head, and now I’m a woman on a mission.

I don’t want to become a chef (I mean, the phrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” exists for a reason) but for the first time in probably ever, I have this crazy, wild, passionate desire to work with food. I want to become a better home cook, learn techniques, develop my own recipes, take better photos, learn how to style food and get elbow deep in flour on a daily basis. I want to shuck clams, roll out dough, crumble feta, dice an onion, stew a catfish, mash a potato, and I want to do it right here on the boot.

That being said, I hope you’ll all stick with me on this edible journey of mine. I’m sure Manu will be very happy about this turn of events and will be reaping the leftover benefits! (He just won’t be going near any peanut butter.) Thanks for listening, following along and being the most supportive group of people I’ve ever come into contact with!

P.S. It's fitting that this is my 500th post. Sometimes it takes 500 tries before you find the thing you love.

baked peanut butter banana oatmeal

2012-02-29T04:34:00.002-05:00

I don't usually "announce" that I'm going to the kitchen just to wash dishes. That's what probably gave me away. Manu, from the living room, gasped,

"Wait...are you in there eating MORE of that peanut butter?"

"I CAN'T STOP!" I yelped between muffled fits of laughter and rapture. It went a little to my head, I guess, and justly so, it had been six months since I'd eaten the stuff!

Manu, and most Italians I talk to, think peanut butter is gross. In fact, all night when I was secretly going to the kitchen for more, he was worried about me and my stomach. Which is aboslutely fine. More for me. :)

Baked Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

1 cup oats

1 1/2 bananas (save the half for the garnish)

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 tbs honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt
cinnamon + sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash one banana and add peanut butter, blending well. Add milk, egg and honey to the banana, and whisk well. Pour into that the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and blend until just combined. Pour into your buttered baking dish and top mixture with sliced banana and a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon. Bake about 15 minutes or until nice and set. (My oven is super powerful, so keep in mind that your cooking time might be longer.)

There's something so right about peanut butter + banana. The two are perfect together, and now I'm pretty sure that oatmeal should be part of that holy pairing as well. Eat this and hit the ground running! I know I'm ready to skip through the sunny streets of Barletta; dreaming all day long of my next bite of peanut butter!

living in italy: letters

2012-02-28T02:36:00.001-05:00

Anyone living far from home can agree, that you have to experience homesickness to relate to it. Ah yes, the dreaded pangs of missing home, I know them well. But sometimes you can be lifted out of it, thanks to something very simple; a letter.

Almost nothing makes me happier than coming home to a letter on my front stoop! (Well, maybe a jar of pickles.) I have every one I've ever received here saved, and I look at them from time to time and reminisce. Last week was a good one - I got two! Jillian and Christianna were absolute dolls and I have theirs on my mantle. Before that I got my first engagement card (swoon) and before that a postcard.

Emails are nice, and I always appreciate them, but it's another feeling entirely to see someone's handwriting, touch something that came from America and see how stamps are changing. Plus, it gives me a chance to be super dramatic and read them the way they do in period films; sitting at a desk with frequent gazings out the window.

A little letter can do wonders for your spirit, on both the sender and receiver's behalf. So send me your address if you'd like to be pen pals. I'll send you a postcard direct from Italy, with my real handwriting, and Italian stamp. :)

pasta shells with cherry tomatoes and ricotta

2012-02-27T05:15:00.000-05:00

It was a whopping 65 degrees here on Saturday morning so I rode my bike to our old neighborhood where there’s a daily market. It was only three years ago, but it felt like I hadn’t been on that street in eons; the old ladies selling carrots and potatoes in burlap bags by their front doors, the children begging for a chocolate covered almond (the carnival candy tenerelli) the fish vendors screaming their prices. Stall after stall of fresh everything practically pouring out into the hands of the women shoppers and the sun beating down on the produce was too much for me to bear, I was smiling to myself the whole time. After some price comparisons I decided on a tablecloth for three euro. The tablecloth is sacrosanct. And of course, some lovely cherry tomatoes.

Pasta Shells with Cherry Tomatoes and Ricotta

based on this recipe
4 cups cherry tomatoes (or grape)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove minced (optional)
coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound medium pasta shells
fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
Toss tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and basil. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta, drain and toss with the tomato mixture. Serve with the ricotta on top and some more black pepper.

Have a great Monday, and as always, if you try the recipe, let me know how it comes out or what you would do differently!

P.S. Look for my guest post on Very Loveleigh today - a love letter to my favorite teacher of all time!

apple breakfast strudel

2012-02-24T03:36:00.000-05:00

Italian moms just always have something around to feed you, and they won’t take no for an answer, you will eat it and you will like it. But the problem is, yes, you will eat it and you will like it. Monica’s mom made this quick apple strudel for a late Sunday afternoon snack, but the minute I tasted it I knew I wanted it for breakfast. Let’s face it, it’s my favorite meal of the day. I woke up early today (actually, Manu woke me up singing, typical) and I put the ingredients together and baked this off in less than 45 minutes. The contrast between the crunchy walnuts, sweet raisins and soft apples is pure morning magic.

Apple Breakfast Strudel

2 apples (any kind)

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tbs sugar

frozen pastry dough

milk and sugar

Peel and core apples and roughly chop. Scatter on a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees until just soft, about 10 minutes. Mix the warm apples, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl, and spread out on top of the rolled out pastry dough. Carefully roll the dough back up to form a log. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden on top. Slice and serve.

I hope you all have a wonderful early spring weekend! I plan on spending our first sunny Saturday in weeks at the local market - a chaotic and truly southern Italian institution.

P.S. And, in case you feel like cooking this weekend, here are this week's recipes: Blood Orange Muffins and Sweet Roasted Tomatoes. Buon weekend!

host a fun girls night

2012-02-23T02:26:00.000-05:00

It had been ages since I invited the girls over for appetizers and drinks, so I stopped being lazy (let’s face it, the winter makes you not want to do anything) and got out my post-its. I put together a grocery list and cleaned the house on Thursday, so that when I came home on Friday I just had to shower and put the snacks together.

Menu

-Tuna and Tomato Crostini (Crumble tuna in olive oil with chopped parsley, a pinch of salt, grated black pepper, capers, chopped tomatoes and a teaspoon of mayo. Mix well and spoon over slices of toasted baguette.)

-Grilled Prosciutto Piadinas (like tortillas) with Lemon and Shaved Grana (Layer prosciutto on your tortillas or flatbread and grill or heat in a skillet. Before closing, squeeze lemon juice, sprinkle black pepper and shave some cheese on top.)

-Fresh Fennel, Carrots and Cucumbers with Greek Yogurt (For the yogurt: mix a good pinch of mint, dried chilies and salt with Greek yogurt. Serve with veggies.)

-Green olives

-Rose’ (our new favorite wine!)

I gave them each a little hostess gift when they left too: colorful nail polishes with instructions to create a “look” of their own. Polka dots for Chicchetta, stripes for Barbara, one different nail for Ale and glitter for Vale.

We gossiped, put on each other's makeup, and of course, ended with a dance party. That always happens, though.

[me, vale, ale, chicchetta, barbara]

Host your own girls night this weekend, and let me know what you do/eat!
P.S. I wrote a little guest post on Betsy Transatlantically about how I made Barletta my home. Go check it out! :)

sweet roasted tomatoes

2012-02-22T03:14:00.000-05:00

When Manu worked here in Barletta, he would come home every day for lunch, as custom permits. He loved that 1-5 break to eat and sleep, but now that he commutes to Bari, about 40 minutes away, he doesn't have the luxury of coming home. He calls me when he goes down to the local bistro for a quick bite and we chat about what we're having. Yup, he's usually jealous of what I'm whipping up in our miniscule kitchen.

Yesterday I had a few mediocre tomatoes, so I roasted them. Roasting brings out new flavors; bland or mealy tomatoes turn sweet and super juicy. I topped them with what we had on hand: parsley, oregano, garlic, fresh parmigiano, salt, pepper, olive oil. After that I gave them a good chop and tossed with with angel hair pasta. A lunch for one that stood out from the rest!

Sweet Roasted Tomatoes

Slice tomatoes horizontally so they can sit up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and whatever herbs you desire. I like a mix of parsley, oregano, garlic and fresh grated cheese. Drizzle with good olive oil and another sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until soft and bubbly. Serve as a side dish, chopped up and tossed with pasta or however you wish.

Hm, now I'm wondering what I'll make for myself today. Any suggestions? Where and what do you usually have for lunch?

P.S. Something that you probably didn't know about Italians here!

when friends don't get you

2012-02-21T02:18:00.000-05:00

When we were in high school, Paige and I thought certain (specific) things were hilarious: our history teacher Ms. Lee, the song Dr. Bombay, and the Martin Short movie Clifford - which, one night we tried showing to our friends. It bombed! They didn’t “get” the wacky humor at all and we were devastated. “How are we friends with these people?” we thought. It was an existential crisis.

I had a similar moment recently. It was Saturday night and my friends and I were chatting about what we were going to do Sunday night. I said, “Well, we all know what I like do: eat popcorn and watch Columbo.” To that, a friend of mine said, “Are you serious? (insert look of superiority here) Isn’t that show like, for old people?”

Oh no, she didn’t!

I mean, aren't friends supposed to understand your quirks? Brittany would probably never watch Columbo, but at least she gets why I like it. That’s not asking so much, is it? All we want at the end of the day are our guilty pleasures to be confirmed by the ones we respect. That's pretty much why we have twitter isn't it? To say to the world, "I'm watching 7th Heaven right now and eating NIlla wafers" and not be embarrassed about it.

Here’s another example of what I’m talking about, that I found two friends of mine discussing on Facebook:

Friend 1: "We watched Drop Dead Gorgeous last night...but he didn't 'get it' :( Best in Show and Romy and Michelle are a no then?"

Friend 2: "How can u not get drop dead gorgeous?! Did he even find the dancing jesus funny?? Or "the swan ate my baby"!"

Your turn. Please chime in with all the so-called "weird" things that you love, below!

blood orange muffins

2012-02-20T05:02:00.000-05:00

It’s blood orange season. A significant fruit in my life, it always reminds me of a memorable college trip to Sicily for a travel writing and photojournalism course. It was the most sensual and creative ten days exploring that ancient island with other thinkers, artists, writers and photographers. One of our favorite snacks were the blood-red oranges that accompanied us on our excursions and through the hill towns. Biting into one, juice streaming down our chins, was like taking a bite out of Sicily itself. (I’m sure we all made that metaphor several times.)

These are quite possibly the most successful thing I have ever baked. I always wished I had inherited my mom’s baking skills, but in actuality I have more of my dad’s hand at the savory side of things. I haven’t got the patience for measuring and usually just wing it. But these muffins? I followed the recipe to a T and they came out so incredibly perfectly muffiny. Crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, with just the right amount of orange fragrance.

Blood Orange Muffins

based on Mark BIttman’s recipe

3 tbs olive oil

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)

Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and line it with paper or foil muffin cups if you like.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, juice, and oil in another bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but quite moist; add a little more juice or other liquid if necessary.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as possible. (If you prefer bigger muffins, fill 8 cups almost to the top; pour 1/4 cup water into the empty cups.) Bake for about 20 minutes (about 30 minutes for larger muffins) or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking out of the tin.

Breakfast is going to be so good for the rest of blood orange season.

good morning

2012-02-18T05:20:00.001-05:00

Buon giorno, friends! After a long, bitter cold spell, the sun has come out and today Barletta is absolutely resplendent! (Finally, I can do laundry! In the land of no dryers, the sun is crucial to laundry efficiency.) I'm sitting in my favorite cafè, cappuccino steaming next to me, with its friend the apricot jam croissant. I'm making some changes to the boot's pages and breathing in the sweet smell of spring as it wafts in the open window. Oh, and I'm also dreaming about pickles and mustard: two things that my poor, American palette misses like crazy! I have a precious jar of spicy honey mustard that I ration out, and it's almost finished. That will be a sad day, I tell you.

[photo via my new favorite blog, High Heels and Frijoles]

Hope it's a great Saturday, wherever in the world you are.

friday is fancy

2012-02-17T02:55:00.002-05:00

Manu and I always dream about one day having this conversation: "Honey, what should we do this weekend?" "Oh, I don't know. Let's just look for a cute boutique hotel on the Adriatic somewhere and explore a new town in our Audi." (That's my "I've made it" car.) "But we did that last weekend!" "Oh right. And wasn't it fabulous?"

Yes. The pair of us in our weekend wear sightseeing all the ancient hill towns of Tuscany and Liguria, collections of hotel bathrobes amounting high and savoring it all until Monday.

[MaxMara sunglasses, Steve Madden boots, Philip Lim shirt dress, Jerome Dreyfuss handbag, Kate Spade bangles, MaxMara leather gloves]

Oh well. Duty calls and spontaneous weekend trips are left to being daydreams. But we'll still have fun this weekend, maybe exploring a new side of town, in our Opel.

Have a great weekend, friends! Buon weekend!

living in italy: tiny spaces

2012-02-16T02:15:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to find renovated, furnished apartments in the historical part of town. Buildings can date back to the 1400’s and renovations can be dangerous to Renaissance foundations. Our place is small, but Manu and I were lucky enough to have found a newly repaired apartment, and we weren’t about to complain about the lack of space. And since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about the fact that we have to climb a pull-down metal staircase to get to our “loft” (that sounds way too glamourous for what it is) bedroom. And that we share a pretty standard IKEA armoire for all of our clothes! Alas, we made it work, small spaces and all, and next year when we’re married (it’s so weird to say that!) we’ll have new digs. Spacious digs, at that. Movin' on up, people!

[tiny office]

[tiny kitchen]

[tiny bar]

[tiny gallery wall]

What about you? Do you rent or own? What are some housing challenges you've faced?

the key three

2012-02-15T02:43:00.000-05:00

After I turned 25 I felt...old. For the first time in my life. It was like all of a sudden I had an eye wrinkle, extra winter pounds to lose and a lack of that youthful skip in my step. I knew immediately that I had to take better care of myself, from the inside, and that bad choices would reflect outwards in a way they didn’t before. It’s been about nine months now that I’ve stayed faithful to what I call, “the key three,” and I seriously feel like a million bucks.

[Balm Balm HIbiscus Face Mask, Grilled Halibut with Mango Avocado Salsa recipe]

Activity: I work out four times a week, and when I don’t, I can really feel a difference. It’s nothing too intense, just PIlates and Zumba, but it’s fun, and it feels good to move even when it’s freezing out. (Plus, duh, then you can eat as much as you want after!)

Eating habits: I started steaming, cutting back on sugar, using less salt and trying to avoid fats. Obviously I still have french fries, but only a couple times a month, not every week.

TLC: I’m all about natural beauty, but let’s face it, there’s a lot to maintain! Skin, hair, nails - I’m tired just thinking about it. That’s why I dedicate one day a week to doing some important upkeep like a face mask, a body scrub, and a good deep hair conditioning.

It’s the little changes that make the difference! What do you do to stay feeling young, fit and healthy?

P.S. For more tips to becoming “a better you,” visit la chapstick fanatique every Wednesday this month!
P.P.S. What do you think of the boot's new design? It's all thanks to the fabulous Ana and Lena at Blog Milk! They were so attentive and great to work with - if your blog needs a new design check them out!

gnocchi for two

2012-02-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

If you thought gnocchi were hard to make, think again. These deliciously light puffs can be whipped up in a half hour, topped with your sauce of choice, or even just a sprinkling of parmigiano reggiano and a lump of butter or glug of olive oil. They're not super popular here in Barletta, but you will find them on menus usually as an antipasto served baked with tomato sauce and lots of stringy mozzarella. Another favorite way to serve them is with butter reduced down in a sautè pan and a sprig of fresh sage. Let the possibilities inspire you to make your own! And I'm sure your honey will love you for it.

Gnocchi For Two
2 medium potatoes
3/4 cup flour
salt

Peel, chop and boil the potatoes until soft. Mash them with a potato masher or a fork, but not a mixer or they'll get pasty! Salt them to taste. While they are still hot, add the flour and work the mixture with your hands until it becomes like dough. If it's very sticky you can add more flour. Roll out strips of the dough to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle some flour on the log of dough. Cut 1/2 inch bits of the dough and slowly roll a fork over the pieces of dough until it forms the typical gnocchi shape. (It gets easier as you go.) Throw the gnocchi into boiling salted water, and strain them when they float to the top, no later. Serve immediately with your sauce of choice.

And what will you serve for dessert, you ask? Cupcakes for two of course!

Happy Valentine's Day, my loves! Buon San Valentino!

favorite film couples

2012-02-13T03:16:00.001-05:00

I think what we all need is just a little more love in our lives. In Italy you're constantly reminded of love as you walk through tiny cities and villages, because declarations in graffiti are all over the city walls. Lots of "Ti amo" and "I miss you." Another way I like to be reminded of love is from my favorite films.

Ronny: I love you.

Loretta: [Slap. Slap.] Snap out of it!

Harry: I'm here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

Mr. Darcy: In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.

Scarlett: Sir, you are no gentleman.

Rhett: And you, miss, are no lady.

Maude: Oh Harold, that's wonderful. Go and love some more.

Who are your favorite film couples that make you swoon and blush with l-o-v-e?

caught!

2012-02-10T05:11:00.001-05:00

Red handed! And the best part is that I had just finished telling Manu that cheese curls were bad for him.

Unfortunately, friends, today is a sick day for me. (Hence the lack of friday's fancies.) So I plan on staying planted here on the couch and watching hilariously Italian-dubbed daytime TV (7th Heaven, Murder She Wrote, Walker Texas Ranger.) Yup. What are your "I'm sick" guilty pleasures?

Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!

living in italy: nietta's cake

2012-02-09T06:36:00.000-05:00

I arrive at Nietta’s house for our English lesson but I find her not on the couch as usual, looking over notes from our last hour together, but in the kitchen.

“Un momento,” she says. “Hang on a second while I finish up this cake.” She gestures to a wooden bench in the kicthen. “Sit.”

I watch her flatten out a perfect sheet of green rolled chocolate. She carefully cuts out two little flowers using her various tools that are strewn across the flour-covered table. The flowers go atop the cake with some tiny candied fruits. “There,” she says, satisfied with her creation. She puts the delicate, green cake on a plate with a white doily. Then she says, “Come with me to the balcony. We’re sending this to Michela.”

Her beloved younger sister is a gorgeous, stylish, food-loving interior decorator, and just so happens to live across the courtyard in an apartment on the same level as Nietta’s.

“This thing’s getting rusty!” laughs Nietta as she gently places her cake in a basket held up by a white cord strung from Michela’s balcony to hers. She calls out, “Michela!” and pulls the rope, sending the cake perilously across the courtyard.

“Now, we do English,” says Nietta, in English.

A little while later the phone rings.

“Pronto?”

I hear Michela talking on the other end, but Nietta just smiles and says, “Ha!” They hang up.

When I ask her after our lesson what was said between them, she answers, “Oh nothing, I just won the contest of who could make the most delicious and beautiful cassattina siciliana!”

p.s. Make your own Cassattina Siciliana: recipe here. And I love Nietta's baking motto. :)

great women series: paige

2012-02-08T04:26:00.000-05:00

Paige has had the capacity to make me laugh until it hurts since middle school. Still today the one-liner emails she sends me create a fit of giggles that are very difficult to translate to Manu. He says, “Paige email?” and in between cackles I respond, yes. She is quite possibly the perfect balance of funny and smart, and our conversations can go anywhere from discussing the latest arts & culture news to, “Have you seen the Real Housewives of South Boston?” You will see what I mean when you read her responses below.

But maybe what I love most about Paige is that even after all these years our friendship is still fresh and inspiring. We don’t have just the past to connect us, but our futures as well.

What inspires you?

Poetry! “The music of what happens.”

A Birthday by W.S. Merwin

Something continues and I don't know what to call it
though the language is full of suggestions
in the way of language
but they are all anonymous
and it's almost your birthday music next to my bones

these nights we hear the horses running in the rain
it stops and the moon comes out and we are still here
the leaks in the roof go on dripping after the rain has passed
smell of ginger flowers slips through the dark house
down near the sea the slow heart of the beacon flashes

the long way to you is still tied to me but it brought me to you
I keep wanting to give you what is already yours
it is the morning of the mornings together
breath of summer oh my found one
the sleep in the same current and each waking to you

when I open my eyes you are what I wanted to see.

What would you do with an extra $500?

Oysters and champagne, followed by champagne and oysters. I guess I’d let Paul join me. [her fiance!]

You have an hour to kill, what do you do?

I’d plan to go to the gym and tell everyone I was going. Then I would do a Youtube search for “Young Stevie Nicks,” and a minute later the hour would be over. I’d tell everyone that tomorrow would be a better day for me to go to the gym, anyway.

Is there a talent you wish you had?

Always knowing the right thing to say. Or at the very least, the ability to deliver an Omar Little-esque monologue during difficult social situations.

What do you like most about yourself?

The self-deprecation that prevents me from properly answering this question. And my large collection of cardigans.

The union of Paige and another long-time friend Paul is happening this summer, and I have no doubts that Brittany and I will be blubbering during the whole ceremony. I love you Paige! Thanks for being my great woman today! (And every day.)

creamy tomato barley

2012-02-07T03:35:00.000-05:00

There's nothing an expat dreams of more than food. So when I discovered an all-organic Whole Foods-esque grocery store in town, it was like hitting the jackpot. Though everything is super expensive (15 euro for a bottle of maple syrup), a girl can dream.

My new discovery (and obsession) that I found there is pearl barley. I make it like rice or risotto and think, "This has eight essential amino acids, so I can have four bowls of it!"

Creamy Barley with Tomatoes (and Greens)
recipe by Real Simple

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

kosher salt and black pepper

2 cups quick-cooking barley

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup dry white wine

8 cups torn mustard green leaves (from 1 small bunch) or spinach (optional)

2 ounces Taleggio or Brie (rind removed), cut into small pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the barley, tomatoes, wine, and 2 ½ cups water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the mustard greens (optional), Taleggio, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.

Yesterday was the perfect day for this because it snowed here! It hasn't snowed in five years so everyone was super excited (read: horrified). A photo of it up here! Buon appetito!

a blog post about blog posts

2012-02-06T02:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in the shower I had such a good idea for a blog post that dripping wet I had to run to the living room, grab my stack of post-its and write it down, little puddles of water trickling under my feet. Manu, displaying the typical Italian fear of cold, told me I was absolutely crazy to walk on the tile floor without my slippers! Absolutely crazy!

It made me realize that there are very specific times when blog post ideas come to me, and I wanted to share them with you.

• In the shower. Maybe it’s the shampooing that stimulates my brain, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come up with something mid-lather.

• Walking. Here we walk everywhere or ride our bikes and I practically write out entire dialogues as I’m skipping off from one job to another. Do you know how many people have said hi to me as I zip by, not even noticing them because I’m too busy editing in my head?

• During my morning coffee. This is the best time. Drinking coffee and looking at beautiful things on the internet and writing is comparable to a warm bath on a cold night.

• As I live them. I had an idea to do an aperitivo post during aperitvo this week so I grabbed Manu’s iPhone and took a bunch of photos to remember the little details. (I think you need an iPhone to be a good blogger, but I’ve yet to cave.)

Ok, now to you. Where and when do you plan blog posts and if you’re not a blogger, when do your best ideas come to you? You can write them here in the comments or on the boot’s facebook page! Go!

paris tidbit 15: a love story

2012-02-04T05:35:00.003-05:00

Maybe he had been planning it for months, or maybe it was that look in the Mona Lisa's eyes that prompted him to do it. And though amongst hundreds of camera-clad tourists and gawkers, when he asked her to marry him, nobody even noticed. Except for me, of course. I'm always on the lookout for true love.

Ah, oui. Love in the Louvre.