10 Reasons

Recently I've found myself a bit Rome-sick.

Coming back to the States and back to a place I've called home since I was 10 has definitely been a challenge and has had it's moments. But, I love this place and for now it's home again.

So to get me out of my Rome-sick funk here are 10 reasons (in no particular order) why I love being back in the South and back on The Plains.

1. Afternoon thunderstorms - didn't realize this was unique to a Southern summer until I left. I love the torrential downpour with claps of thunder and flashes of lightening that goes as quickly as it came.

2. Football season - not a huge fan of the game, but the spirit that fills the air is contagious. Already the countdown to kick-off has begun and I'm already getting caught up in the buzz...I think we're at 46 days.

3. Driving to the grocery store - Okay, so this isn't unique to the South, but it is a luxury I took for granted and I'm glad to have back. No longer do Jim and I have dates to the grocery store and an only-buy-what-you-can-carry-on-the-walk-home mentality.

4. Dinner with family - love being able to have a spontaneous dinner with the parents.

5. Not being anonymous - in Rome it was very easy to be anonymous. I could go throughout my day running errands without running into a single familiar soul. Here I can't go to one store without running into someone I know. It adds a nice touch to the mundane task of running errands.

6. The Rum Salmon Salad from Amsterdam Cafe - Okay, maybe this one is just pure addiction. It is the perfect meal. A huge salad of mixed greens with fresh mango, candied pecans, and a to die for rum vinaigrette served with a grilled to perfection filet of salmon. There is nothing better.

7. Breakfast - Italians don't eat breakfast (unless you count espresso, a cigarette, and sometimes a cornetto - a sweet pastry). I love breakfast. It is my favorite meal of the day. I love being able to go to Chick-Fil-A to grab a chicken biscuit (when I'm being really bad and eating gluten), or go to Price's Bar-B-Que House to get a good 'ol Southern breakfast complete with grits, bacon, eggs, etc. And, can I just say Waffle House? Who doesn't love Waffle House? Breakfast available 24/7 is a beautiful thing.

8. Lake Martin - I love Lake Martin, but it is a bitter sweet place for me. Two years ago one of our close friends and Jim's roommate, Kevin, tragically drowned there, but I'm learning to love it again. I've been back only once since that happened, but I'm looking forward to more lake time to come.

9. My things - I know this sounds materialistic, but it is so nice to be surrounded by all my things. My art, my photographs, my beloved Le Creuset, all the things I had to pack away in storage, not knowing when I'd get to pull them out again.

10. My Southern accent - I will say, I don't think I have a strong accent and I'm definitely not Paula Deen, but whatever accent I did have has definitely come back. I love being able to say "y'all" and add a little twang to any word without getting strange looks or giggles.

So that's the end of my silly little list. :-) I hope you enjoyed it and that it can help you think of 10 reasons you love wherever it is you're calling home these days.

Pepper Bacon and Summer Corn Risotto

Well, I caved. I did something I never thought I would do.

I cooked with pork fat. And, I loved it.

I had several ears of sweet summer corn from the farmer's market in the fridge that I needed to use. The plan was to fire up the grill and throw them on. There is nothing better than grilled corn on the cob, right? But, with the excessive heat warnings we decided it wouldn't be very pleasant to stand over a hot charcoal grill, so I came up with a plan B and decided standing over a stove in a house with no AC lovingly stirring risotto for 25 minutes was a much better solution. Maybe it wasn't a cooler solution, but it was a tasty solution. :-)

Risotto is one of my absolute favorite things to make. It has a reputation of being very labor intensive and complicated. But, it really isn't. It does require active cooking time, you can't just turn the stove on and walk away. So my solution is to open a good bottle of wine and drink a glass while I'm stirring away. Last night we decided to crack open one of our good bottles of wine we brought back from Italy. It was a Castel Gioccondo 2004 Brunello. Again, not really the most refreshing thing to drink on a hot summer night, but it was divine. Such a good wine. If you can get your hands on it definitely try it.

Without further adieu, here's the recipe:

2 ears of sweet corn, husk removed and corn cut off the cob
2 strips of bacon diced (I used thick cut sugar-cured, pepper-crusted bacon)
3 cups of stock (any stock will do, I had vegetable stock on hand)
3/4 cup arborio rice
1/2 an onion, diced
1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano cheese

Start by rendering down the bacon over medium-low heat. (I recommend using a good enameled cast-iron pan for risotto.) While your bacon is cooking go ahead and heat your stock in another pot. Once the bacon is to your desired crispness take it out and put to the side. In the same pan with the bacon drippings add the onion and saute until it is slightly translucent. Then add in the corn that has been removed from the cob and the rice. Saute for a few more minutes then slowly start adding your liquid.

Add stock a ladle full at a time and stir, stir, stir. The more you stir the creamier your risotto will be. When most of the liquid has absorbed add another ladle. Keep doing this for about 20 minutes. Then start tasting your risotto. The rice should be slightly al dente, you don't want it to be mushy. If you need more than 3 cups of stock, use more. If you need less, use less. When you've added in all your stock stir in the parmigiano reggiano and add in the bacon.

Then turn off the heat and enjoy.

Buon appetito!

Spanish Tortilla

When you think tortilla you normally think something made out of flour or corn that you make a burrito or quesadilla with, right? Well for the Spanish, a tortilla is something a little more magical.

It is basically a frittata, at least to the Italians, and for the Americans, maybe it is best to compare it to a crust-less quiche or an omelette of sorts.

Traditionally a Spanish tortilla is served with every meal in the center of the table and is made from eggs, potatoes, and onions.

It is one of my all-time favorites. It is simple to make and I always have leftover for breakfast the next day. YUM! It is also great served at room temp, so it is great to bring to a pot luck get together.

Here's the recipe:

1 potato (medium sized) peeled and diced
Half an onion, sliced into thin half moons
6 eggs
A splash of milk
2T of oil (I like the light flavor of canola oil for this, but you can also use olive oil)

In a 9-in non-stick skillet start sauteing the potatoes and onions in about 2T of oil. Keep covered and on medium-low heat. You don't want to vegetables to brown, but you want the potatoes to be soft. Cook for about 15 min.

In a mixing bowl, crack the eggs and whisk together with a splash of milk. Once the potatoes have softened take of the heat and mix with the eggs. Turn the heat back to medium and add the egg mixture to the pan. You want to cook the eggs slowly so a crust forms on the bottom. After about 10 minutes, run a spatula around the edge of the pan. If the tortilla easily comes free it is ready to flip. I like to put a dinner plate over the pan, flip it, then slide it back into the pan. Cook the second side for about 5 minutes, or until the tortilla is firm in the center.

That's it. Easy, easy, easy. Once it is done I slice the tortilla in to 8 slices and usually enjoy with a nice salad. I love a spring mix of baby greens with herbs. And for the dressing, I love Annie's Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette. Makes for a light, healthy and satisfying dinner.

Should I mention that after dinner tonight we went to Sonic to get milk shakes? Gotta keep it real. :-)

Grilled Summer Fruit Cobbler

Why waste hot coals? Right?

This recipe is easily adaptable to any fruit that is in season and is super, super easy to make. I made mine gluten free, but you can easily glutify this recipe if you so choose. And, it's a great way to keep those hot coals working for you.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 cup Bisquick (I used GF bisquick, but use whatever variety you prefer)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 nectarines, sliced*
1/2 pint of blueberries*

*Fruit can easily be substituted to any fruit you like, or better yet, any fruit that is fresh and in season at the farmer's market.

To Prepare:

In a mixing bowl combine Bisquick, 1/2 cup sugar, and milk. Mix and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon.

Place a 9-in. cake pan on the grill with 1/4 cup butter. Once butter has melted pour in the batter. Then top the batter with sliced nectarines and blueberries. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top. Cover the grill and cook for about 30 minutes.

I know, it looks like a lot of butter...

The finished product.

I love this recipe and hope you will too!

Buon appetito!

Long time, no blog

Well, I can't believe it has been since April that I've blogged. We both have been so, so busy.

I am loving my job at Auburn University working for the International Hunger Institute doing communications and social media for Universities Fighting World Hunger. I've also been ramping up my jewelry design business, spending 15-20 hours a week in production and pitching lots of different boutiques and galleries around the southeast to carry my line. I've been making jewelry since I was about 10, and officially started my business when I was 16, but my jewelry had to take a back seat during our time in Italy. I so missed my creative outlet.

Last week I was in Houston for the NAFSA 2012 conference. UFWH has a booth in the expo hall every year. It was an exhausting week. 10-12 hour days talking to thousands of people. I didn't get to see much of the city, but I did have a great view of the skyline from the hotel and loved being back in the state I used to call home.

I also got to hear my favorite travel companion, Rick Steves, speak. It was a great talk about the importance of travel and how it helps with our world view and understanding of different people, places and cultures. I love travel and believe firmly in exploring as many places as you can. I'm so thankful to my parents for encouraging me to travel and letting me go to Haiti when I was just 15 to help me start understanding that the world is a beautiful and diverse place worth seeing.

Other than working, we've slowly been finishing up the house. And I mean slowly. I've had a serious case of unpackitis, so the last few boxes are just lingering. Before we moved to Italy we only had about a month to prepare with a wedding and honeymoon in the middle of that month. So our packing method was just to get everything in a box and stuffed in the storage unit, not worrying about sorting or going through anything. So now, we have to go through everything and it is a more than daunting task. We also got rid of most of our furniture before we moved, so we had to start over with only a bed and a dresser. We've purchased a few pieces and had some great hand-me-downs we inherited from the family. But we're still lacking a few key pieces. Our dining room table, for example, is a fold up card table. It totally does the job though, and doesn't look too bad with a table cloth over it. :-)

In other news, this is a big month for Libby Loo, she is turning 1 on June 22! We just love that little dog. She is such a blessing in our lives. And yes, I'm totally planning a party for her. 

Earth Day Craft Project

Happy Earth Day!

To celebrate I decided to use items I had around the house to make a decorative wreath for our front door.

What you need:

• 1 wire hanger
• about 2 yards of fabric (I used an old mosquito net sheer curtain I had from Ikea)
• Scissors

To make the wreath start by re-forming a wire hanger into a circle. Then cut lots and lots of strips of fabric. The beauty of this project is that the fabric strips don't have to be exact. I cut mine into 8-in.x2-in. strips, approximately. Then, just tie the strips on and fluff them around the hanger.

This couldn't have been easier, or cheaper, or better for our precious planet. It took about 2 hours, but I think it was worth it.

Here are some step by step pictures:

Happy crafting.

The Beautification

I love a good outdoor space to enjoy in the spring and summer. To me there is nothing better than having a glass of wine on a perfect spring evening being surrounded by beautiful plants. I just love it. So, when we moved into our new house we knew one of the first things we would do was to spend working on beautifying our outdoor space.

Last weekend we had the perfect combination of beautiful weather and time to spend the weekend outside. Well, I should clarify, Jim spent a lot of time beautifying the the yard. He trimmed, he weeded, he dug and he planted a lot of plants. We bought confederate jasmine (a plant we fell in love with in Rome and had on our patio), bougainvillea, herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, mint and cilantro), ferns, and many more. We also used quite a few amazing trellis pieces that are handmade by my uncle, Noah. His work is so beautiful and adds a special touch to any outdoor space.

Here are a few pictures:

Before

Cute owl statue I found at Target

Table and chair (Thanks Debbie!) and a fire pit

Confederate jasmine

Bougainvillea

Herbs - basil, rosemary and thyme

Front porch (plus Libby)