ode to marie callender

dear marie callender,

you look like a nice lady and all so i'm sure you won't be pleased when i tell you of a family experience that we had at one of your restaurant's just last night.

the family was hungry and you looked like a good option. i mean, who could resist a warm slice of pumpkin pie? the host led us to the table and we proceeded to crack jokes and order our meal at the same time. i ordered chicken fingers, dad ordered the frisco burger, and mom ordered some nasty disgrace of a chicken pot pie.

the food comes out quick and as dad is about to take a bite of the burger i yell, "DAD! The burger is raw!" dad takes a look, RAW, feels the meat...COLD. looks under the bun soaked in blood, RAW MEAT. the waitress comes around acting all concerned and decides to bring dad another burger.

she brings out the burger and in a fake tone says, "enjoy your meal." dad looks at the burger....they used the exact same blood-soaked bun with raw meat still attached. oh no they didn't. dad uses his famous line, "give me your manager."

thanks for the free dessert and manager discount marie, but....couldn't you have taken care of our entire bill?

i'm sorry to inform you that we will never eat there again. we just can't risk it. i don't want to know what they would to our food if they recognized us again. rest assured, i will order your pumpkin pie though. delish.

thanks.

kneader's carmel syrup

1 c. Brown sugar
1 c. Cream
1 c. Light Karo Syrup

Blend together and heat on stovetop until sugar is smooth. Serve warm.

pool day

nothin' like the pool on a hot summer's day...

mi piace restaurant

ate at a great italian restaurant in one of my favorite cities, pasadena this past weekend. devoured a delicious butternut squash ravioli dish with a brown butter sauce, and finished the meal off with a few desserts that i shared with the siblings. oh, grandmama didn't want us to forget the experience so she bought us all mi piace ("i like it") shirts. priceless.

paradise cafe

lately i have been wanting to have a chocolate chip cookie from paradise cafe, but because of the sparse locations of this cafe, it's difficult to make that happen. i just recently ate a mrs. fields cookie and i just about died because it was so good. the highlight of my trips to this bakery and cafe are the cookies. the many different types of cookies. from oatmeal to chocolate chip, you name it...they are the best cookies i have ever eaten. i have been wanting to find the recipe to their chocolate chip cookie, but usually never could find it. then one day, i found it. i don't know how, but i did. i haven't tried out the recipe to see if it works or is anything like the cookie yet.

Paradise Bakery and Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 375* . cream together butter and sugar. beat in eggs and vanilla. in a seperate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. gradually beat into butter/sugar mixture. add chocolate chips and stir in. spoon and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. bake 9 minutes.

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.

cioccolato italiano

1/4 cup of good quality unsweetened cacao powder (such as Pernigotti)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Potato starch (corn starch in the US)
3 1/2 cups of milk

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Whisk over medium heat until smooth. Continue whisking until the mixture is warm and has thickened (about 5 minutes). Serve with a dollop of whip cream if desired.

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 ...

la festa

italians celebrate their independence june 2nd. going to rome for the holiday weekend...

w.e.t

tanti auguri!! happy 26th (?) birthday!! hahaha. i would like everyone to meet my best friend whitney. this girl is amazing. we get along like peas and carrots. we are together EVERYDAY and when one of us is on vacation, we are constantly asked how we are surviving without the other one. she is adorable and i miss her like crazy. hope you have the best birthday ever! eat extra for me!

-celebrating my birthday at macaroni grill-

-my spinning/gym partner- (oh hey sickle cell)

-after a long day-

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.

drunk driving

look what was posted on youtube! i was chosen by byu to give a persuasive speech to 200 people in december 2007.

p.s.

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

job well done

this week has been wonderful. i feel like i am finally on top of my game. not only can i understand everything that goes on in the kitchen, but i can predict what the chef is going to do next. its a dream.

-one angle of the kitchen-

work last night was great. as i was helping the large group of american tourists cook the asparagus risotto, luisa, the chef who almost killed me for not eating her dessert, pulled me aside and said, "sono contento lavorare con te. sei bravissima...ben fatto". in inglese this translates to, "i am so happy to work with you, you are wonderful...well done". this was just what i needed to hear. looks like i have done something right!

-Luisa and Stefania (love her to death) -
(luisa studied with japanese chefs in japan and

has owned her own restaurant for 25 years)

a whole new meaning

last night as i was laying in my bed trying to go to sleep, I looked up at the light and saw....

i guess tampons can also be used to collect dust from lamps. who knew.

grosseto

today i traveled to grosseto to hike throught a regional park. the park overlooked the adriatic sea. it was beautiful. the weather wasn't that great, but it was perfect for hiking because it wasn't too hot.

la tavola

i tried to get a few shots of some of the dishes i cooked today, but usually forgot to snap a shot.

-la tavola, meal included fried zucchini flowers (delicious), a shrimp gumbo, tomatoes and potatoes with roasted fish, and for dessert a version of creme brulee-

- smoke salmon with a herbed lemon butter, along with smoked salmon crostini on a bed of greens with balsamic vinegarette -

james bond

it just so happens that most of the next james bond movie titled "Quantum of Solace" is filmed in italy. while passing through piazza del campo today, i saw the camera crew getting ready to shoot a scene. supposedly, in the next film there is a shot of the palio di siena, the famous horse race that takes place twice a year. according to the crew, they couldn't wait until july to film the scene, so they are recreating the entire race now. yes, recreating the ENTIRE race. that means laying a thick foundation of dirt all around the entire piazza which is pretty big, and staging the whole horse event.

the medieval costumes for each contrada

these people are supposed to be shouting and rooting for their favorite team or contrada. some of the people are wearing scarves like the man in the yellow.

last week i tragically missed james bond jumping off the bell tower in the piazza. what a shame. i have yet to see daniel craig.

i captured a video of the film crew, but its taking more than an hour to upload. stupid italian computers. i don't think they understand what it means to have high speed internet.