Cooking challenge

After four years of living in Rome I've managed to collect a fair share of recipes, recipe books and cooking magazines. My all time favorite is "Cucina Italiana". It's got fantastic recipes and the pictures make my mouth water every time I look through it! My only problem is that I never use the recipes! A lot of it has to do with time. The only time I cook is the weekend, usually Sunday (since we try to eat lighter during the week) and so I really only have one opportunity a week to try new recipes.

So, starting this weekend (excluding those when we go to my in-laws place) I will set myself a cooking challenge. To try something new, or play with recipes I know. I'll try to take pictures of the successes (and failures...I guess :/ ) and post them up here.

I better start looking for that perfect recipe!!

I just know this post is going to make me feel old...

So, kids these days! In particular Italian teenagers...I just don't get them. The first thing you notice about Italian teenagers, at least in Rome, is that their clothes are absolutely ridiculous. They have found a way to intertwine 80s style with that of the early 90s, and to do it in such a way that the urge to hold a mirror in front of them and scream "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???" is overwhelming. Let me paint you a picture...A boy of about sixteen, dirty blonde hair, cut to look like a cross between a mohawk and shag (it sounds weird, but it's the closest I can get, it's shaved on the sides and medium-short on top, standing straight up but not greasy or gelled stiff), unless it's covered by a baseball cap set very precisely on the back of the head so all you can see is the front. His pants are sweat pants, or jeans, they wear them pretty much the same way, baggy on the butt- you can usually read the brand and see the exact shape of their cheeks they are so far down- and tight rolled or hemmed so tight at the bottom it's a wonder they don't cut off the circulation at the ankles- if you're really lucky, you'll see a pair of jeans with rhinstones or some kind of design on them...it's a pretty awesome form of entertainment in and of itself, and untied sneakers on their feet. You sometimes pray they will trip over one so you can laugh. Anyway, the shirts are usually tight, no matter what the style, and short enough to show the elastic of the aforementioned underwear. On their face, they more often than not have some pair of god-awful, huge lensed sunglasses set a little too low on their nose, so they have to lean their head back slightly to get any use out of them whatsoever. This causes their walk to be more of a saunter or a swagger, greatly increased by the fact that they almost always have their hands in their pockets. I'm convinced that this move is in reality to keep their pants from falling all the way down :)
My favorite part of the picture, however hilarious it may be, is not actually their clothing, but the way they relate to each other, especially in a group. I'm rarely able to decipher exactly what they are saying in it's entirety, but it sounds much like I imagine a herd of apes would sound....."AHO...BELLO ZI'....OOO OOO, EEE EEE, AAARRRGH" (the last bit may be an exaggeration, but it's not too far off).
My question is this: do they honestly think this is attractive? I see them checking out girls, and the girls check them out too, and again all I can think is "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING????"

IKEA

Okay, so some of you may remember a certain post in which I was DESPERATELY hoping to con my honey into taking me to IKEA, to no avail. WELL....success! Last week I somehow got him to take me, and it was all I could have hoped for. Pots, pans, potpourri, oh my! (okay I don't use potpourri because I think it smells like old lady, but I do use candles, close enough) I love love love Ikea. I would live there if they would let me :) http://www.ikea.com/it/it/ Browse, and bask in the loveliness of organized closets...

HOME

So after three weeks at home I have found myself asking more than once why I moved...I mean how gorgeous is this!! I know, I know, normal life happening in one of the most amazing cultural cities in the world. That's pretty awesome too, but no riding on the beach here...UFFA!
PS. Happy New Year everyone! It's going to be a good one, I can feel it!

Crazy weather!

Last night felt like the end of the world! Seriously! I have never seen storms like this one after the other-wind, rain, hail, thunder and lightning that shook the top floor of our apartment building (I know first hand since that's where we live). Crazy!
Then the cherry on top of the very wet cake was to wake up to a flood in the kitchen-how do you have a flood on the top floor do you ask? Well, our cooking area has these vents, which due to the genius of Italian engineering, don't close, so when it rains the rain comes in and I feel like Winnie the Pooh in the movie where him and Piglet are floating down the river on the tree trunk...Anyway, after cleaning up the flood I got to go out in it! And here is where we come to the real point of this entry-

How is it possible for a European capital city to enter into a panic when it rains? Flooding, trees down, car accidents etc. etc. etc. People can't get to work, can't drive their cars, because the flooding causes the engines to get wet and stall. It's incredible. I'm wondering if other cities have this problem, and if they don't do their civil engineers want to come clean up our mess??? I expect something like this in San Diego or the desert where it never rains, but not in Rome.

Why I'm here.

Sometimes in our lives we need little reminders about why we have made certain choices, especially in these times when not only our world, but our personal lives may seem to be in a tail spin, or just aren't working out quite as we imagined they would.
I had one of these reminders yesterday as I was settling into bed next to my boyfriend, snuggling in may actually be more appropriate as my position is generally cuddled up to his side with my hand rested on his chest, and all of a sudden this peace came over me.
After a chaotic day, at the beginning of a chaotic week in a chaotic month it was just the thing I needed. Since I've been here he's always been like that for me. A port in the storm, a shoulder to cry on and a warm body to snuggle up to on a cold autumn night. And I remembered why, why I'm here, why I left my beautiful California home to live in the disorganization, inefficient, but hopelessly charming country we call Italy. For love of him, because anyone who can bring you complete peace and a feeling of safety when you are feeling completely lost is worth making that kind of sacrifice for.

Amatricana!

On the up-side, I'm making amatriciana today. One of my favorite things to make. If you're interested, here's the recipe:

4 tbs olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 c diced bacon (pork cheek is actually better and more flavorful)
1/2 c white wine
2 cans diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 package spaghetti
romano cheese to top

Put a pot of water on a high fire. In a medium sized pan saute the diced onion with the olive oil until it's translucent. Add the bacon or pork cheek and saute until they are almost crispy. Add the wine and reduce. Add the diced tomatoes, salt (not too much since the bacon is already a bit salty) and pepper.
When the water is boiling add a small handful of coarse salt and the spaghetti. Cook until al dente or to the consistency you prefer. Drain and return to the pot. Add the sauce and mix. Sprinkle with cheese and serve hot.

Enjoy!