Italy~ Day 1 Mike's Version

When we first arrived in Italy both Lauren and I were tired and hungry. Being "economical" we decided that we would catch the train into Rome and walk to our hotel. We could have caught a taxi, but that would have cost an extra $50 or so. We also could have transferred from the train to the subway to get closer to the hotel, but it was only an extra quarter mile....and so we walked.

To back this story up a little bit, Lauren had read that it would be really cold in Italy. We packed sweaters, jackets, and even hand warmers. Most importantly....we dressed really warm on the flight so we wouldn't be cold when we got off. Funny how mother nature can be so fickle......so there we were, walking in jeans and thick long-sleeve t-shirts in high 80 degree weather. It wasn't long before we decided to stop for a break.
Our first food in Italy came from a bar on the side of the road as we walked to Hotel Domus Aventina. We were both hot and tired and hungry, and we decided to share a mozzarella and tomato sandwich. It was simple, fresh and good. Just look at how red the tomatoes are.
After we arrived at the hotel (and showered to cool off) we decided to go and see some of the sights. Since our hotel was right next to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill we began our explorations there. We started at the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill since we read that the Colosseum ticket line is always crazy long, and admission at one place pays for admission at both. The Roman Forum was basically where the Roman city square and government were located. Palatine Hill was where the emperors lived. We didn't want to wait around for a guided tour, so we decided to purchase an electronic audio guide to help us understand what we were looking at. A bit of advice, don't ever do this (unless you think Ben Stein reading you an art history book would be riveting). Basically you get a device that plays recordings explaining the sights when you punch in certain codes. You have a map to tell you when to punch in the right codes. We were so confused because the map codes didn't accurately match up with the proper areas. And to make things worse, Lauren's audio guide ran out of batteries! Anyway, it was surreal to be standing in the midst of things you learn about in school, but also a bit confusing.
After the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill we went to the Colosseum. Lauren already put up a picture of this in the previous post. This was much more interesting, fun and understandable. Plus we had already seen Gladiator. :)
After our long day, we went back to the hotel and fell asleep.....yes, before dinner! But after a 2 hour nap we woke up and went looking for food. We ate dinner at a restaurant called Insalata Ricca which was recommended by the receptionist at our hotel. Lauren had an anchovy pizza, I had a creamy artichoke pasta, and we shared a half liter of the house red wine. I'd say that our first meal was average. The pizza was okay. The pasta was rich and creamy, and I really liked it, but by the time I was half way through, it was a bit heavy. All in all, nothing special, but not bad. The wine was smooth, and along with jet lag, it hit us hard. Comparatively speaking, it was a pretty cheap meal. Italy can get really expensive really fast. There are no pictures here because we were both too tired to remember to bring the camera.

Italy~Day 1, Rome

I finally had a chance to sit down and review all the pictures I took in Italy, Hawaii, and Las Vegas and I cannot wait to share all the pictures with all of you. I've just completed my fourth week of work (did I mention that I love my job?) and am only now sitting down to blog about our trip to Italy. I have to learn how to manage my time so that I can squeeze in time to blog at least once a week.

Here's a picture of the Colosseum in Rome. Isn't it magnificent? You read about it in history classes (or see it in "The Gladiator"), but when you see it with your own eyes, you cannot help but wonder how the ancient Romans built these amazing structures.
Here's a picture of Mike and me so you have proof that we were actually in the Colosseum. We did not wear matching clothes during our whole trip. We just randomly packed the same shirt and decided to wear the same shirt on our first day in Rome.
Mike's Italy Tip #1, if you want to check out the Colosseum, buy your tickets at the Roman Forum, and you will save at least 30 minutes wait time.

Lauren's Italy Tip #1, pack snacks so that you do not have to buy food at the snack kiosks near tourist areas.
We bought a salami sandwich and pistachio gelato from a kiosk near the Colosseum. Big mistake. We were hungry, so we stopped for a snack, but it just was not as tasty as other foods we ate during the rest of our trip.
Mike will be taking the lead in blogging about our trip to Italy, so stay tuned for his commentary. In the next couple of weeks I'll be focusing on our game plan for "Black Friday" shopping and be traveling for work.

We're Back!

We're back from Italy! Actually we've been back for almost two weeks already, but with the move to a new state, the furnishing of a new apartment, and the start of a new job, blogging has been on the bottom of our priority list.
The good news is that bathrooms are free in the good old USA. As you can see in the picture, we ended up paying 1.50 euros to use the restroom in Venice. That's almost $2.50! Crazy huh? A good travel hint for anyone heading off to Venice is to go buy something from the 1 euro menu at Mcdonalds. Anyway, we'll post more later!

Still on Vacation....in Italy

Hi all you loyal blog readers! I keep apologizing for the lack of blog posts, but will be apologizing a little bit more. I have been taking sooo many pictures, but haven't had the time to blog. The only reason the Daring Bakers post popped up was because I had pre-posted it earlier in September.
September and October have been a whirlwind of travels. After my trip to Las Vegas and Hawaii, I picked up the hubby from Hawaii and we caught a plane to Illinois. We stayed in Illinois for ~24 hours, then DROVE to Texas. We've been in Texas for less than two days and then are heading off to Italy (Rome, Florence, and Venice) in less than 12 hours!
I guess you can say that we're training for the "Amazing Race" TV show. Nah, our travels are not as extreme.

We'll be back in the States in a couple of weeks, so by late October there will be posts about food from Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Italy.

Take care everyone!

Daring Bakers~September Challenge~Vols-au- Vent

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

These are my mini vols-au-vents filled with lemon curd (Chou's recipe), topped with fresh raspberries.
The initial butter block. Glad "Press n Seal" wrap worked well while I pounded/pressed the butter into a solid block.

One of the first folds of the puff pastry dough. The final dough.
Look at all those layers.
My vols-au-vents all stacked up and ready to be placed in the oven.

Puff pastry "slugs." By the time I was ready to bake the puff pastry, I was super tired and did not read the instructions as carefully as I should have. So I did not place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough prior to placing them in the oven. BIG MISTAKE!
These are the Vols-au-Vent I made the next morning...with a sheet of parchment paper on top.

Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
With the leftover scraps of puff pastry, I made cheese twists. Mmmmm....yummy.

Update

Sorry for the lack of posts. It's been a busy couple of weeks. Did I mention...

*I defended my dissertation and passed.
*Dropped off my dissertation to the thesis office yesterday...so it's official, I'm done with school! ~*~woot woot~*~
*Been cleaning and packing up my apartment for the past few days. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in 4 years!

*Flying to Vegas on Saturday (2 days from now) to hang out with my sister and to attend a friend's wedding (get this, she planned it so that she and guests could attend the UH game against UNLV).
*Flying from Vegas to Hawaii~send me an email if you want to hang out in Hawaii
*Flying from Hawaii back to Illinois to clean up my apartment and move out.

My sister has already emailed me an itinerary for my trip to Las Vegas and its filled with LOTS of restaurants. I will try to blog about them, but I'll be on vacation and enjoying my new found FREEEEEDDDOOOOMMM!

Hawaiian Shave Ice...in Champaign, IL?

About a month ago, Aaron mentioned that he saw a Hawaiian Shave Ice van in Champaign and asked me if it was the real deal. I was a bit skeptical about the place because at the "Taste of Champaign" a couple of years ago, the "Hawaiian Shave Ice" was similar to the texture of the coarse ice in a "Snow-cone."
Aaron brought it up again and said that he tried it and the ice texture was similar to snow, rather than crushed ice. Here's a picture of a slightly melted cup of shave ice.
So last Saturday, one of my Hawaii friends (yeah, there are a few others from Hawaii who attend school in Illinois) and I finally checked out the shave ice van on Neil St. in Champaign, IL. She's posing next to the shave ice van.
The workers were super nice and friendly and there were TONS of flavors to choose from. We tried the mango and the banana cream pie flavors. We then unintentionally got the cups mixed up and told/convinced Aaron that the mango was the banana cream pie flavor. He even said, "Mmm...that banana cream pie is really good." Then he some how figured out that he was eating the mango one. So, those flavoring in particular could use a little tweaking, but our taste buds could have been shot because we had been cooking and tasting all the food for our "Grown-Up Kids Party."Overall take home message, the shave ice van gets my stamp of approval. It is not as soft as Matsumoto's shave ice or Waiola's, but it's the best I've tasted on the mainland and definitely similar to other shave ice stores in Hawaii. I'd definitely go back, but I would try other flavors. Maybe stick with one of the more traditional flavors like strawberry.