taking a trip down memory lane

thought about this lady tonight and how my roommates and i were convinced that she knew how to speak english yet told us she didn't. i was reminded of how she had a bee culture (apicultura) in her large backyard. i remember her feeding us a brioche filled with apricot jam every morning for breakfast. italians love apricots. i got sick of them pretty fast. she loved that i loved her cooking. my roommates used to say i was her favorite. they told me once rita always said "rachele" this, "rachele" that. haha. i swear it's just because i was the italian one in the house. i remember her love for her cats. not my finest memory. she used to make my bed while i was at work, and when i would come home her cat would be sleeping on my pillow. i'm getting grossed out just thinking about it.

this was the street we lived on. strada di pian del lago. we used to have to walk up a beautifully long hill to make it to the bus stop where we would wave our hands for the nice man to pick us up. he loved us. i wanted so bad to blend in with the rest of the group on the bus, and by the end of my trip i was chatting it up with neighborhood ladies that were going to pick up some groceries. we became good friends.

don't you hate how your mind fails you sometimes? i was just thinking about how many things i am beginning to forget about my trip. i've got to start writing my thoughts down when they come to me.

-photos by rique stone-

destination charm necklace

my sister's friend came over to our house tonight wearing this...

- PARIS -

urban outfitters also makes this necklace

- VENEZIA -

i think i have to have both.

trip down memory lane

while searching for new recipes to try out, i stumbled upon this recipe by giada that's so similar to the one i made daily in italy. the only difference? add sauteed pears on top for the perfect salty/sweet combination.

Ingredients:

36 slices (1/2-inch thick) baguette bread, about 1 loaf
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces Gorgonzola, sliced (or Crottin de Chavignol)
3 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange the sliced baguette on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
3. Arrange the cheese on the toasts and bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.
4. Drizzle the toasts with honey. Place on a serving platter and serve immediately.

podcast #2

torta alla nocciola

site shots

can't wait to see the final product of this beautiful site in roma. ...

an exciting reunion

i just received an email saying that my boss, Dr. Luca Bonomi, Director of the Dante Alighieri School of Siena, Italy, will be visiting BYU on Monday, October 27.

i was invited to attend a special lecture given by him on something inspiring.... "Eating Italian Culture: A Culinary Journey through Italian Art, History, Music, and Literature on Monday, October 272:00 P.M.,

after the lecture, the siena alumni are going to be having a private dinner at gloria's little italy. my all time favorite provo italian restaurant.

i can't wait to catch up. it will be good to speak italian again. ill be posting pictures of the exciting reunion.

let me show you one of the reason's why gloria's is out of this world....

she has definitly perfected the art of baking let's just say

our very own local deli market...love it

best news i've hear all day

the LDS church will be building a temple in ROMA, ITALIA!!! i couldn't be more excited! the italian members there currently have to go to switzerland (which let me tell you is quite the trip) to visit the temple because there is no temple in Italia. i read an article on this exciting news that said, "The announcement of the temple in Rome brought an audible gasp and smiles to more than 20,000 church members assembled in the Conference Center." i didn't realize how loud i was screaming until my roommates looked at me in shock. the italian spokesman for the church states that "the site many members speculate about is typical Roman countryside adorned with Mediterranean pine trees. The land is located with easy access to a freeway on the outskirts of Rome." it's gonna be a beauty by the sound of it. looks like i will be taking another trip to visit soon!

andrea bocelli

here's the big man himself...

lajatico

before i flew home, i went to go see andrea bocelli in concert at a private theater located in lajatico, his home town. i had a taxi come and pick me up from pisa and take me to this remote location in the middle of nowhere. i received a special gift from the four-one events group which included bottles of wine, honey, truffle oil, and a truffle compote. very nice gift.



the concert began at 21:00 (9:00 PM) and didn't end until 1:00 AM. I didn't get back to my hotel until 2:00 AM and then i had to get up to go to the airport at 5:00 AM. i didn't get any sleep.

the concert was absolutely amazing. amazing doesn't even describe actually how good bocelli was. the man didn't sing off key at all, not to mention the fact that he plays the piano and the flute. the repertoire were popular cinema songs....mamma, torna a sorrento (la mia preferita), etc. supposidly there were 10,000 people there. my seat was jaw dropping, i was oh so close to maestro bocelli. definitly, definitly, definitly, an experience i will always remember.

more videos to post...

fresh as fresh can be

while going into the fridge to look for some more eggs to make the pasta, i found what i needed...

but when i opened the container, i stumbled upon this....

an egg with bird poop all over it...not to mention the fact that the rest of the eggs still had feathers stuck to them . i guess this is what you get in italy when you buy extra fresh eggs.

middlesbrough college

for one week i taught a group of british first-year culinary students how to cook. these kids were so much fun to cook with. they got a kick out of me trying to speak in my british accent, AND they even said that i sound like i am from london. i knew i was good at that accent. anyway, i enjoyed getting to know these kids and the last day that i worked with them, they wrote me the sweetest note ever. love the british people.

2 other chefs (enzo and nando... nando calls me his sous chef)

-this is sonia the owner...she LOVES me and gave me a veeeeeery nice gift-

-me and luisa...she calls me her little bambina-
(see recipe for torta di limone glassata)

-the british kids-

cinque terre, liguria

i had never been to cinque terre before, but only had heard good things. cinque terre is on the coast of liguria (a northern region) and consists of five small fishing villages. with that being said, i had a four day weekend so i decided to head on over. i have decided that this place is the prettiest in italy. every village was stunning. so glad i got to go. i sadly couldn't make it to portofino, but on my next trip to italy....i'm renting a boat.

-corniglia-

i wanted so badly to rent a little boat and go sailing all along the coast

-vernazza-

-monterosso-

the train ride was 3 1/2 hours from siena which wasn't that bad. i left friday in the morning and stayed at a bed and breakfast friday so that i would have all of saturday to hike the villages. well, that hike ended up taking me 4 hours because i had to hike 7 miles of stairs. those 7 miles were the hardest 7 miles i have ever done. picture being on the stairmaster for 4 hours in the heat of the sun. but the views....definitely well.worth.it.

san gimignano

had a day off from work, finally, and was able to visit this gorgeous town an hour away from siena.

i took a walk all around the city wall and this was the view at every angle...vineyards galore

the streets of siena are similar to san gim, but are cobblestone...these streets were a whole lot easier on the feet

its so common for groups of old men to congregate and mingle during the afternoon

these small little trucks are everywhere....farmers and the locals drive them

babington's english tea room

on my trip to rome a few weeks ago, i was unable to visit a quaint tea room called babington's tea rooms located in the piazza di spagna right next to the spanish steps. i briefly saw the menù and knew that i had to return...even if i was by myself. i didn't have work on monday so i decided to take a bus, which took 3 hours, to the tea room where i had the "high tea special" with carly, another intern. the place was nothing less than charming and just what i expected. i think i got to the tea room at 11 AM for brunch and didn't leave until 1:30 PM. i just sat, ate, and enjoyed the english/italian atmosphere...

23 piazza di spagna, roma

- me and carly in front of the spanish steps-

- babington's tea room-

-look at how adorable this table is-

The High Tea Special
Small assorted sandwiches- Hot buttered crumpets with strawberry jam andcanadian maple syrup- Assorted home made cakes and pastries- Babington’s special blend tea

this was the first time i had ever tried crumpets and i think i am slightly obsessed now. they are sooo good. i wanted to become english after that experience.

global warming

today is 13 giugno 2008. according to the natives, it's supposed to be hot, humid, and slightly unbearable. i agree with them on the last part. it's unbearable today. literally. it is practically flooding here. not to mention the fact that when i was on the bus it started HAILING. hail in JUNE? oh great, now i hear tons of thunder...

it's absolutely hilarious to hear the italians talk about the weather. they are completely dumbfounded. no one understands why things are like this. my answer....global warming.

"we called BYU..."

those were the words that I heard when I ran into the two owners of the language/cooking/fine arts school that i attend.

i was preparing the pasta when they said, "Rachel, we called BYU a couple of days ago....the international study program office, and we asked if they could give you an extention..."

i quickly replied, "perdoname?" i was completely confused.

they replied, "we asked BYU if you could stay with us until fall semester starts. would you like to stay with us?"

"wow, that would be awesome if i could stay, but you know...it's too expensive to stay longer...plus i have some things i have to do...i have to ask my parents, etc"

"oh, we will take care of that honey. people here love you and we would love it if you can stay with us."

those were the last words that i heard in the kitchen. thought long and hard and i have decided not to take the option of staying longer, and i have no regrets. made friends, lived in a different culture, spoke the language, learned to cook from experienced chefs....i lived the dream.

the tea room

the tea room is a place where i go on fridays to relax. it is one of siena's treasures....literally hidden beneath stairs. this place sells soothing herbal teas and delicious cakes and desserts that are perfect after a long day at work. the place doesn't open until 9 PM and doesn't close until 3 AM, but this girl can barely stay awake past 11. there is even live jazz music to set the mood.

-the tea room-
-the interior-

-cakes and desserts-

roma 1

roma. huge city, lots of fun, but it is sure great to be back in siena. the weather was perfect the entire weekend minus monday afternoon when it started pouring rain. luckily, i was leaving monday to head back to siena. i ate some really great food and literally saw rome on foot. my feet were hanging on for dear life by the end of my trip.

in the midst of my fabulous trip to roma, my camera died. these are some of the pictures i took. thanks to a friend, i will have more pictures coming shortly...

roman ruins

colosseo

capitol hill
(because of their independence day, they had the military out guarding the building)
trevi fountain

with the picture of the trevi fountain comes an interesting story. there were and always are tons of tourists that visit this hot spot....including large massive groups of indians (people from india) who like to sell stupid things to the tourists. one of these stupid souveniers included a piece of clay that had glued eyeballs and string for hair. i was constantly bombarded by these men who would say, "only fi (5) eudos." not to mention the indian man that thought throwing roses at me would get me to want to buy them.

more pictures to come ...

oh the people you meet

yesterday after work i had a few hours to kill before i started my next shift. the weather was so hot and humid that after walking around for a couple hours, i was beat. i bought a fanta, and proceeded to sit in the shade.

about 15 minutes into my rest, i was greeted by a italian couple who asked me all sorts of questions. while the wife was asking me a question, she leaned over to her left side and let out the biggest fart i have ever heard. she nor her husband flinched. i, of course, had this look of disgust and shock on my face because of this slightly abnormal situation. as i tried to hold it together to answer, she continued to let them fly.

i came to the conclusion that with this particular bodily function in public, our cultures are COMPLETELY different.

p.s.

i work all day today. from 930 AM - 10 PM. boy am i tired.