It's official...we're moving!

Well, we've already told some of you, but now we're officially announcing...

In exactly 1 month we will be boarding a plane with about 8 suitcases and a puppy to move back the the U.S.!

It's bittersweet. It's been hard living abroad, but we've grown to love it. There are a TON of unknowns right now, but we are excited about starting this new chapter in our lives a little closer to our family and friends.

We'll be busy this next month going to some of our favorite places and packing...packing, packing, packing. Thankfully we were able to send some stuff home with my mom and sister, but we still have a lot more stuff to pack. (I have no clue how we have so much. And, not to mention, we have a storage unit in the States full of stuff we didn't bring!)

A lot of people have asked what's going to happen to Libby. Surprisingly, it is relatively easy to bring an animal into the U.S. She just needs to have her rabies shot for at least 30 days, a certificate of good health, and a pet export license. And, since she is only 6.3lbs. she can travel in cabin with us no problem. Now we just need prayers that everything goes smoothly getting her license. Everything is time sensitive and needs to be done in a certain order. I'm a bit nervous about doing all of this in Italian, but I have lots of friends who have offered to help us through the process.

Once we know more about where we'll be and what we'll be doing we will share.

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo

Though we shared the love a little too much (all of us caught a nasty cold/flu/respiratory illness) and had to deal with a very carsick puppy (had to stop 4 times on our road trip for Libby), we had an amazing Christmas and New Year's with my mom and sister.

It was a different kind of visit. Usually when we have visitors we hit the ground running. We are always showing people around Rome, eating out at our favorite restaurants, or on the go exploring a new part of the country. But, this time we spent a lot of time in our apartment. In part because all of Rome shuts down for Christmas and part because we were all stopped dead in our tracks by our mysterious illness. We cooked a ton of food, including a smorgasbord of sweets utilizing all 6 packs of butter I purchased, and listened to my beloved Christmas mix on repeat.

The trip wasn't all downtime though. We rented a car and headed for Tuscany for 3 days. We went to Bagnoregio and Montepulciano, then spent 2 nights in Florence, then went to San Gimignano and Siena before returning to Rome. We even took Libby on the road with us. It started off a little rough, the poor thing got so carsick on the way to Bagnoregio, but once she was able to get out and walk around she was great. (Though it did leave Jim wondering how he managed to get a dog that is just as carsick prone as me). Everyone wanted to stop and talk to us about her and pet her. Libby soaked it up and I enjoyed getting to talk about my little basotto nano in Italian.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Libby is all ready to go!

Bagnoregio

Santa Maria Assunta - Siena, Italy

The girls in Siena.

Libby in the car.

Christmas Tree

6 months old

Out little bassotto nano is 6 months old today! And, to celebrate we took her to the vet to get her rabies shot. She had a great exam from the vet. It was definitely a test in my Italian skills, but I managed to understand everything and communicate pretty well.

Libby is a whopping 2.9 kilos (or about 6.3lbs.) and is about 15in. long. She won't get much larger and should only gain about a pound or so more, based on the size of her parents.

Dachshunds are notoriously stubborn and hard to house train, but Libby is doing great. She's learning to let us know when she needs out and is keeping her accidents to a minimum.

We absolutely LOVE her and she has been such a blessing in our life.

Christmas Market in Piazza Navona

I was given early departure from work today in celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a.k.a. the official start of the Christmas season in Italy, as well as the busiest shopping day of the year. So at 2:30 on the dot I headed for the station and met up with Jim in the center. He had just finished watching a ceremony with the Pope and I wanted to go to the Christmas Market in Piazza Navona. The market has a lot of junk, a lot of candy, and a few hidden gems, like my favorite ornament stand. I bought 6 beautiful hand-painted ornaments to complete our very first Christmas tree. (Pictures to come soon!) We didn't put up a tree last year since we weren't going to be in Rome for Christmas and it really felt like something was missing.

Here are a few pictures from the market.

The Pope

Piazza Navona jammed packed with people.

Bufana

Buying my favorite hand-painted ornaments to complete our Chirstmas tree

Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragù

This is one of my favorite times of year to cook. You can guiltlessly cook hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals full of robust flavors. It's something about the crisp air that just makes it okay.

Tonight we're having one of those stick-to-your-ribs kinds of meals - creamy polenta with mushroom ragù.

The polenta cooks for hours and gets so thick and creamy it is like eating velvet. And the mushrooms add another rich layer of flavor with a hint of truffle oil drizzled at the end.

For the polenta:

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup polenta, or course ground cornmeal

1 Tbsp. butter, unsalted

2 Tbsp. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

In a heavy-bottomed pan, combine the milk and cream. Heat until it is just bubbling. Add the salt and whisk in the polenta, then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook the polenta for about 2 hours, stirring every 5 minutes. Just before serving stir in the butter and the cheese.

For the mushroom ragù:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots thinly sliced

2 cups of mushrooms (I prefer a wild mix) roughly chopped

1/2 cup reduced stock, either veggie or chicken (I use 1/2 cup water with 1 bouillon cube dissolved because they don't sell pre-made stock in stores)

Truffle oil to drizzle

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until the shallots begin to turn colors. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid has released. Add the stock, reduce the heat and simmer until liquid has reduced by half.

To serve, spoon the polenta onto a plate, top with the mushroom ragù, then drizzle with a few drops of truffle oil.

Tonight I served the polenta with roasted Brussels spouts. Heat the oven to 400F (200C), trim the sprouts, coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast them for about 40 min. They will be crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, and, I can actually tolerate eating them this way.

Buon appetito!

Lately

Since our trip to Venice we have been going non-stop. We found out that Great Gran wasn't doing well on our way home and had to make a last minute trip to Auburn. We hated having to go home for a family emergency, but the time with friends and family couldn't have come at a better time.

We flew overnight back to Rome and I went straight to work on Monday, that Wednesday we flew to Lisbon, Portugal. I had to attend a conference and teach a workshop, but still found plenty of time to explore. We got back the Sunday before Thanksgiving and I think we are all caught up and back on schedule.

We had to leave Libby in Rome the whole time we were travelling. Thankfully one of my good friends agreed to move in to our apartment while we were gone. Libby is amazing and such a blessing. My job has been extremely stressful the past few months and having a sweet little puppy to remind me not to take life so seriously has been a life saver.

Now, back to Lisbon. This should immediately be moved to the very top of your list of places to go. Lisbon is a modern city steeped in rich culture and history. It is cheap, the food is delicious, and the people are so nice. And, not to mention, the language is beautiful. What isn't to love?

Here are a few pictures, though they don't do the city justice.

Bacalhua à Brás at a little hole in the wall in the Barrio Alto. €24 for way more food than we could ever eat!

Pasteis de Belém - addictive Portuguese pastry made with cream and eggs, topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Yum, yum, yum!!!