Lakers Miss the Playoffs, but their Potatoes are Winners

OK, so don't these look like the Lakers' Uniforms?  These sweet little potatoes are called "Laker Bakers" because they have the same colors as the Lakers' uniforms......well, sort of! 

When I picked these up at Specialty Produce, I was wondering what they would look like inside...red, gold, stripey???  Solid gold throughout.  They are very much like Yukon golds in their flavor and love being roasted, but you could also mash them with the skins on, or try them in potato salad. 

Only available during May and June from Weiser Family Farms, they come in right in time for the NBA playoffs....which the Lakers are missing this year.

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

As Dr. C. and I reenter the USA, I've been musing over what I've learned during the past month, and thought I'd share a bit with you in photos and words. (I've been back since Wednesday night, but we've been without internet until this morning)

 Good food doesn't have to be complicated---good ingredients makes the dish taste better; buy organic and buy local, that's what the Italians do...they buy fresh everyday.

The Europeans make wine to enhance the food that they eat; Americans, Australians, and South Africans make wine as a beverage like coca cola.....In Italy wine is part of the dining experience, salute!

See the sights with your kids, no matter what age they are; learning doesn't end with High School or college---continue to encourage them to experience new things no matter their age or circumstances. 

Make new friends; 12 years ago we walked into this enoteca in Spello and our family has enlarged by 5!  Our famiglia Angelini is a blessing, and had we not reached out or they not accepted our invitation of friendship our life would be devoid of color and zest in many ways!  Grazie Irene, Carlo, Luca, Daniela and Roberto!

Capture the moment............photos are lasting memories for all of us---this was a wedding in Cortona we happened upon when we were strolling the streets there.  What a joy to happen upon this celebration...you can't enjoy the ride if you don't get involved.  Once the requisite photos were taken for the bride and groom, everyone in the square applauded!

Appreciate history and its lessons.  Touring can be overwhelming when you are trying to pack in a lot into a short amount of time.  Seeing ancient civilizations butted up against modern society gives us insight into what destroyed the old and how we move on to the new.  Rome is a great example of this, with the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine hill flanked by Mussolini's Piazza and balcony. 

Appreciate the sacrifice that others make for the sake of art.  We lose sight of the fact that daily, artists struggle to enhance our world with their creations....music, art, dance, poetry, prose.....appreciate and acknowledge those who make the sacrifice...it is their lifes' work, and can enhance our lives. 

Lastly, love the one you're with....Dr. C. and I have been married for almost 40 years....we still enjoy seeing the world, enjoying what it has to offer, trying to laugh in the face of the unknown, and to try and get into the moment wherever we are.  I know that age, and infirmity will set in at some point, but even then, we'll still find time to enjoy what we've been given.  I'm grateful we are able to travel and see places that I never dreamed I'd be able to go when I was a kid.........As I look back on this month, I know it wouldn't have been possible if he hadn't trusted me when I said, "we need to do this."  Wishing you a joy this weekend. 

Ciao Roma!

 

Ciao is meant as a salutation and also as a way to say goodbye, similar to the way the Hawaiians say aloha it's not permanent.  

 It's our last day in Rome, and I'm sorry to see this magical month end.  Between the time with our family in Spello, and the time spent here in Rome with Ryan, it's all been amazing.  I can't imagine a more perfect time away from home--we missed the Arnold Schwarzenegger debacle, and the other uglies happening in the US, just by not turning on the TV and unplugging from the world for a while...it's felt good. I don't miss 24 hour news.  I'm hoping we can continue in this vein when we get home.  

  Yesterday, Ryan was our guide and took us to churches in Rome to see some of his favorite works of art; as I said he's a renaissance man!  This is one Michelangelos' sculptures of Moses. 

I couldn't help but take a photo of this---this wasn't the main attraction in the church but reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean!

We got to this church just before it closed; a non-descript church in a square on the Esquiline Hill, this is Bernini's amazing sculpture of St. Teresa of Avila.  No photos really did it justice---it is a masterpiece.

Of course, I will miss the food, and will try to replicate the buccatini amatriciana at home, and give you the recipe when it's perfetto!

And there is good and bad carbonara and I plan to make some that is spectacular when we get home, using organic eggs, of course!!

And these carciofi are already on my "to do list"--crispy, deep fried till golden, and luscious!  Oh, and a lemon aioli will make these even more delicious.  

As we come to the end of this trip, my "aha's" have been many, my advice to you is to travel; go somewhere where you don't speak the language, don't stay in an American hotel chain, and don't ride a 40 passenger bus.  Get out into the countryside and discover what other countries have to offer.  Watch their television and discover what they think of Americans and their culture---you may be very surprised at how the rest of the world views us.  We have seen it all since we've been here; Americans loving the experience, others being "ugly" Americans, and still others complaining about the fact the locals don't speak their language.....sometimes you can't teach an old dog new tricks!  

 So, until next time, I bid you a buona notte from Roma.

Through the Eyes of a Child

Our son Ryan joined us for the last leg of this trip, spending a week in Spello with us, and now Rome. Ryan is a renaissance man; a sports writer, with a love for history and art, this visit to Rome has been fun for Dr. C and I to watch Ryan take this amazing city of art, history and culture by storm!  I realized today that we are all children when we discover a new place.  Seeing Rome through Ryan's eyes has been a joy!

Today we took a tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.  Ryan and the guide we hired were having a great time talking history, and when she asked about different popes and artists he had the answers.  She told him he should consider being a guide in Rome.  (from her lips to God's ears--think of the road trips for Dr. C and me!)  She took this photo and told him it looked like all those painting were springing from his head....love that!

Seeing your children enjoy something that is a passion is so satisfying as a parent; I love watching Ryan discover new things here, stepping into a church off Piazza Navona and marveling at the Baroque sculpture and the fact that the church doesn't make the guide books, even though the art is amazing.  BTW, the performance art in Piazza Navona is in a class all by itself, you have to be here!

As we left St. Peter's today, I realized that Ryan would be back, and the reason is that there is so much more to see; it's not just a church, it's also a museum of history, and there are new things to discover each time we come.
Of course this city, isn't just about the art, and history it's also about the people and the FOOD!   We've had some amazing pizza here, and the pasta amatriciana is awesome!  Tomorrow we head to another tour, this time of the ancient sights:  Colosseum, Forum and Pallatine Hill. I'm convinced that small tours are the best way to see any place properly, that way you can go back and see them again with a different eye.  Forty person bus tours have been all over the city today, and none of these people looked like they were having any fun, especially the woman in front of us as we were in line to go to the Sistine Chapel, who kept telling her daughter that she was afraid they would miss the Sistine Chapel (when we were on our way there)   I'll be back with more in a day or two, until then, enjoy your weekend.

Hard Work Never Killed Anyone in an Enoteca

I love this wines' name:  Work of the Earth.  The French call it terroir, and here in Italy the wines taste like the place they come from.....that's why this name appealed to me so much.  Today Dr. C. and Ryan headed to Florence for the day on the train and I spent the day working in the enoteca as part of my "stage " as Roberto calls it.  We had lots of great groups coming through, and they were really interested in the wines, and the oils and products that Roberto sells. 

I met two gents from Holland who were so happy to find an enoteca that dealt in such high quality wines and we chatted for a long time about their enforced vacations......oh my that sounds like heaven! 

Part of being the staff is knowing when to hang around and chat and when to let people alone so they can decide on their wines.....what I love is the "aha" moment when someone tastes a red that is so amazing they don't even have words to describe it. 

These are my two handsome guys, Ryan on the left, and Dr. C in the shades enjoying an apperitivo and some shade in the garden yesterday.   They arrive home tonight around 8 on the train and I can't wait to hear about their day...if they aren't on the train, I'll know that Ryan stayed over in the Ufizzi! 

Last night was the celebration of the end of May, and there was a huge procession into and out of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is usually dark and hides the amazing Pinturicchios on the walls, but it was lit up like a Christmas tree last night and standing room only.  This is the scene in the piazza

What a sweet, tired face!!!

Wishing you a buona notte from Spello!