Fried Zucchini blossoms

I recently tasted some fried Zucchini blossoms made by a sweet Nonna (grandma) who likes to share with me. She didn't have a recipe but from what she described to me this recipe seems to match pretty closely:

http://myitaliangrandmother.blogspot.it/2008/07/fried-zucchini-blossoms.html

So if you're at the market and thinking about trying to make something with those orange flowers they sell at the produce stands, try it. They are yummy!

Pineapple Tiramisu

Tiramisu is usually made by soaking the lady finger cookies in coffee, but this recipe uses pineapple juice instead, it's sooo good. I learned it at a cooking class through the arts and crafts center on base, I highly recommend signing up for fun classes like this!

First of all you need to keep in mind that this needs to be done at least 12 hrs in advance. It has to sit for the flavor to be at it's best. 

First step, make the marscapone cream.

Marscapone cream:

2 cups Marscapone cheese (Comes in a tub like cream cheese)

1 cup whipping cream (Italians do not refrigerate this, it comes in a little carton)

3 egg yolks (only two if they are really big yolks)

1/2 cup sugar

1. Blend the egg yolks and sugar well

2. Add the Marscapone and mix with egg beater

3. In a separate bowl whip the cream (until it forms peaks, this will take several minutes on top speed of the egg beater, but don't overdo it, watch it closely)

4. GENTLY fold the whipped cream into the marscapone mix, be delicate.

Next prepare the lady fingers:

1 package of savoiadri (Lady fingers)

2 cans (maybe one...I can't remember) of pineapple (I like the full ring ones cuz they look pretty on top)

5. Pour the juice from the can of pineapple into a bowl. Dip your ladyfingers in it one by one. These cookies will soak things up very quickly so I find the best thing to do is put it in the juice, turn it and then take it out. Less than a second, that's all it takes. If you want to see what I mean, stick one in for 4-5 seconds then squeeze it, it will be completely soggy and dissolve in your hand, it's crazy.

6. PLace dipped ladyfingers in a pyrex dish, until you have covered the bottom of it (this recipe is cake pan size I believe....)

7. Next spread half of your marscapone cream

8. Place a layer of pineapple rings over cream

9. another layer of lady fingers

10. The other half of your marscapone cream

11. More pineapple rings, or whatever pineapple you want in a decorative way. 

12. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours. (Italians claim that it's better the longer it's in there, if you try a piece right when you make it and 12-24 hrs later you will be amazed at the difference)

And enjoy! 

Spring Forward...not yet

Time change happens on a different date here in Europe then it does in the states. So don't change your clock tonight just because your friends back home are. We still have a few more weeks until we spring forward an hour on March 25th. 

It also happens on a different date in the fall, which we were completely unaware of last year and ended up getting up an hour earlier than we needed to. Why do we all still change the clocks anyways? I think Arizona (who doesn't do daylight savings) is on to something...

Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone finds someone to enjoy this holiday with. It can be hard to be away from home for the holidays but good friends and food always help alleviate that, so give someone a call! I'm sure we will skype with the family later as well.

This year I am so thankful to have the opportunity to live in Italy. I have heard a lot of people complaining about living here and it makes me sad. On the one hand, yes it is hard to be far from home and family and familiar things. But on the other hand I think it is all about your attitude. It can be oh so wonderful to experience all of these new things. Yes, it's scary sometimes. But it's wonderful too. The time will fly by and soon each of us military families will move back to the states, this is really a very short time we have here overall. So ENJOY it!

This year I am attempting to brine my turkey. Wish me luck! I hope this recipe works:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

Let's eat!

Working in Italy

Jobs can be tough to come by here in Italy. Because of the SOFA agreement you are not allowed to work on the economy or have any kind of home business (the only exception is if you live on Villagio you can open your home for Family Child Care). Also because of the SOFA agreement something like 80% of the jobs have to be given to the local nationals. So that doesn't leave many jobs. You can check on www.usajobs.com for some job listings.

There are lot's and lot's of volunteer opportunities available. So if you want to keep busy it's really not hard to do, even if you can't get paid for it. You can volunteer for American Red Cross, the EFMP program, USO and many more. Pretty much all the organizations here will take volunteers.

Kitchens of Italy

Kitchens in Italy are...interesting. Italians like to "take their kitchen" when they move. Which means that typically when you look at an apartment to rent there is nothing there but some water pipes where you would put your sink. I had a hard time wrapping my head around this. I still have a hard time with it. So if you end up in private housing you have to figure out what to do with your kitchen (arrange your contract so the landlord puts a kitchen in or make a big IKEA run...)

If you're in goverment housing like me, it is taken care of. It's not amazing, but you do have a fridge, sink, dishwasher and maybe some counter space. Below is a picture of my set up. The walls are just outside the edges of this picture. The only other thing you don't see in this photo is my fridge which is on the opposite wall. So as far as counter space/storage space what you see is all I've got.

This is definitely something to consider when deciding what to bring over with you...of course everyone's situation is different. But I can tell you that most people here complain about their kitchens.

Condensation dryer...heard of it?

When I first got into my house here in Italy I did about two loads of laundry and my dryer stopped working. I could not figure out what the heck was wrong with it. Finally I pulled this little drawer out and it was full of water. I wasn't sure what it was but there was a little hole so I decided to empty it, my dryer went back to working. It's called a condensation dryer, have you heard of this? Maybe I'm ridiculous but I've never heard of it.

From Wikipedia:
"Just as in a normal dryer, condenser dryers pass heated air through the load. However, instead of exhausting this air, the dryer uses a heat exchanger to cool the air and condense the water vapor into either a drain pipe or a collection tank. This air is run through the loop again. The heat exchanger typically uses ambient air as its coolant, therefore the heat produced by the dryer will go into the immediate surroundings instead of the outside, increasing the room temperature."

P.S. Speaking of laundry there are a few other quirks you might want to know about...the machines here take FOREVER. The washer takes 2 hours unless I run the "quick" 1 hour cycle.  The dryer also takes about two hours, depending on how much I'm drying. And to make things worse, if I try to run both at the same time it flips the breaker. A lot of other ladies here have told me that the same thing happens to them.

Call the states for FREE!!!!!!!

I have always used Google voice to call home from here in Italy. It only charged me 1 cent a minute to call the states. I even use it to call landlines here in Italy because it's only 2 cents a minute as compared to the 12 cents a minute they charge me to call a land line from my cell phone. But it just got even better!

If you have a .mil email address you can add it to your google voice account info (if you have a gmail account log in with that info, if not, create a google account) and it emails you at the address to confirm and then you are signed up for FREE calling to the states from anywhere overseas! Thank you google voice! This would have been nice to have when my husband was deployed!

READ THIS

If you are an army wife in Europe, READ THIS.

I just found out today that your gas coupons EXPIRE at the end of every fiscal year (Sept 30th). So what you need to do is take any remaining gas coupons that you have on Sept 30th to the Px to get a refund and then buy your new coupons for the next fiscal year. They are a different color every year so it's pretty noticeable and you won't be able to use any coupons that you've bought before Sept 30th, so be sure you don't lose any money on this!

Good to know right??

Verona Opera season comes to a close...

The Arena in Verona (think mini Colliseum) has shows throughout the year, but summer is the opera season, I keep thinking I want to go to one, I just looked it up today and realized the season is coming to a close!

 If you have thought about going to an Opera in the Verona Arena, better do it quick. There are only a few shows left now. You can get nosebleed tickets for only 20 Euro! I think I might go to two this week....

Aug 30: La Boheme
Aug 31: Aida
Sep 1: Nabucco
Sep 2: La Boheme
Sep 3: Aida


http://www.ticketmi.it/programma/Arena-di-Verona-Festival-Lirico-2011-170

To the Zoo!

Looking for something fun to do with kids? Italy has some awesome zoos. Check out Parco Faunistico Cappeller. It's close to Nove. They have all kinds of animals including camels, monkeys, flamingos, kangaroos, goats, penguins, turtles and lot's of birds. The park has a really nice flow to it, there are play areas and picnic areas throughout the park where you can stop to take a break. There is a lot of foliage that keeps the place pretty well shaded.

The cost is 10 Euro for adults, 7 for kids.
The address is:
Via Kimle
36050 Cartigliano

www.parcocapelleri.it
ph.: 0424.592513

I have heard there is a cool drive through safari zoo in Verona...I will be heading there sometime too!

Let's talk about trash....

Ah yes, trash. So much fun. Italy requires you to recycle. There are six categories of trash.

These first three get picked up every other week on a rotating schedule:
1. Plastic & cans
2. Glass
3. Paper and Cardboard

4. Ecocentro (branches, wooden pieces, oils, appliances, old shoes & clothing, old furniture, batteries...you have to bring this stuff to them, there is no pick up.)

5. Humid waste (See below.)
6. Dry waste....everything else essentially. Pick up once a week.

Number 5 is the hardest for me. Food. They want you to recycle food. They even give you a cute little bucket for it. It's smart in theory, it keeps my big trash can from stinking. I discovered really quickly that even though they pick it up twice a week it's almost not enough. At first I had it in my house, but I couldn't stand the smell. So I put it outside, and now it is often times infested with maggots. GROSS. Seriously.

You're supposed to put your humid waste in a biodegradable bag. The ones they sell at the commissary are a bit pricey, and I recently discovered a cheaper option. Every bag I've ever bought from an Italian grocery store (yes they make you buy your bags) has said "biodegradable". And they are only 10 cents! Score!

Cutting your hair...

Many people wonder where they should get their hair cut/dyed in Italy. I have heard lot's of different reviews of different places. My neighbor moved here and very bravely walked to the closest hair salon and had them cut her hair, she loves it. A friend of mine found a groupon (yes they have it in Italy, but it's in Italian so be prepared to translate the fine print) for a salon in Padova, she told them not to put red in her highlights, but they did anyways, and she's not happy. I have heard that Italians like to be "creative" in their hair cutting, so be prepared. 

I heard good and bad things about the hair places on post, mostly I heard "go to the family salon across from the post office, not the beauty shop in the Px". So I decided to give that a try. Overall, I think I like it. Sarah did my hair, she was very friendly and spoke great English, no problems there. I think it's just like moving anywhere...you try a few different places until you find the one you like. 

I wanted my hair shorter and kind of choppy layers. I think she did pretty dang good, it's just going to take some time to get used to it being shorter. They charge 12 Euro for a cut without the styling.

Where do you get your hair cut/dyed? Anyone have any horror stories? Happy stories?

Do you know the "Chicken Man"?

Some of you may have heard about the "Chicken Man", he makes and restores furniture. And he is very good at it. Why is he called the chicken man? What I heard is that when his Dad owned the business he had chickens that he let roam around the warehouse, so sometimes when you opened a drawer there would be an egg or two in it. (There are no longer chickens roaming).

Basically you walk into this big warehouse and you can look around. A lot of it is unfinished so if you find something you like you can choose your finish. He has a "special room" where you can choose from all kinds of beautiful inlays, including the 173rd crest.

If you are looking for a nice piece of wood furniture or have something that needs restored, he's your man. His website is: www.bizzottosilvano.it
He is open weekdays (regular Italian business hours) and weekends only by appointment.
The address is:
Via Salute, 137
Rossano Veneto 36028

 To make an appointment or for questions call 0424.540061 or email chicken@bizzottosilvano.it

Home Security in Italy

So far I have found that Italians are serious about their home security. They have these really thick security doors (I have yet to see someone not have one of these...) With a big key (picture an antique key) that when turned about three times puts out multiple bolts. The door knob on the outside is not even functional, you have to have a key to open the door even when it's not locked. So don't forget your keys when you take the trash out!

Then there are the windows. They always have shutters or security blinds. The security blinds are pretty easy to use, you pull that little rope to the side of the window up or down. I do worry a little about little people getting their fingers caught, but so far it hasn't happened. The blinds are awesome because they block out pretty much all the light, making it easy to sleep in or take a nap, not sure how I'm ever going to be able to go back to wimpy American blinds.

Most places also have a fence that you have to have a key to to get in and then a locked door into the apartment building. So when someone comes over I have to "buzz them in". When they rind the buzzer I simply pick up my little phone and look at my little TV to see who it is and decide if I want to let them in or not. Nifty eh? It's like living in a big city.

Even with all this there are still sometimes break ins. "Gypsies" are well known for stealing, but I'll save that for another post. Just be sure you get renters insurance and lock your door.

My new pet.

This is my new pet, his name is Snappy.

I picked him up at the commissary yesterday for a few bucks. The lady at the checkout told me he was so beautiful (not sure I agree) and that he will catch flies AND mosquitoes! I grabbed him just for the fly catching, but if he can catch the sucker that's been eating my baby at night then he will be my new best friend!

Anyone else have millions of mosquitoes in their house? We are lucky to have screens on our windows, most Italians don't seem to have them and yet they still fling their windows wide open...how are they not being eaten alive???

"The hole"

Ah yes, the hole. Not every place that you go has these, but many do. An Italian explained it to me this way "If the place looks nice, the bathroom is probably nice, if it doesn't, then the bathroom probably has 'the hole'". These aren't just in Italy though, this is a picture of one I found in Switzerland at a rest stop:

I had to take a picture of it because it's a little different then other ones I've seen, it has little islands for your feet. Usually you have to straddle it, this one allows you to stand right in it. Not sure if I like that better or not...

Conversions hurt my head

Let's talk about what it's like living in a foreign country. The biggest thing that both Nick and I have noticed is how many conversions we have to make (and remember how to make!). Such as euros to dollars, dollars to euros. Pounds to kilos, gallons to liters, and miles to kilometers. It gets really tricky when you are at an Italian grocery store and the price of produce is in euros per kilo. Umm, yikes. Oh yeah and Celcius to Farenheit...even my oven is in Celcius! AUGH!

Then there are the road signs, we had to learn them all to get a license here but it's still hard to remember sometimes. And they have some doozies. Thank goodness our speedometer has kilometers per hour on it!

Even when you plug things in you have to make sure to use a converter if it needs it.

Then there is the language. We are attempting to learn it, but we have both realized that it is going to take time and perseverance. Just one more thing to make our brains work work work.

It takes a lot of brain power to live here! I'm hoping all of this will come more naturally with time but right now, we are mentally exhausted!