From Evernote:

Anne & Mike's 8 nights in Italy (on going posts)

Some close friends asked our opinion about an 8 night stay in Italy, landing in Rome to start and ending up on the way to Geneva on the 9th day.  They are excited to see sites, but more interested in "experiencing" Italy.  For efficiency sake, I will address this in a few/several posts.

Tonight's research is looking at the trip from a macro level.  Main sites to hit as they relate to their interest and logistics in getting to Geneva to see friends before they head home.  They arrive in Rome, and plan 2 days there.  One could spend a month in Rome and not really experience Rome, so 2 nights is enough for a taste (and to realize you need to come back).  They are excited about Tuscany (rightfully so), given their appreciation for the food and wine attributed to it.  There stay will be late May into June, so the tourist season will be just getting started and the city filling up.  I have suggested they train to Florence and rent a car and drive to Sienna, 50 miles/1.5 hours.  They would then base themselves there for 4 days and take day trips to possible locales as San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Volterra, Orvieto & other places I don't even know of...  More on that later.

Some overall logistics relating to Sienna/Florence.  Below are current Trenitalia information relating to travel between respective cities (travel time) and their current pricing (in Euros, first class/second-class):

Rome to Florence - 1:35 - 63/45

Florence to Venice - 2:03 - 60-/43

Florence to Milan - 1:45 - 71/55

Florence to Como - 3:43 - 77/57

Como to Geneva - 6:30 - ?/?

Venice to Geneva - 6:55 - 152/99

Milan to Geneva - 3:50 - 113/72

More on this later.....

From Evernote:

Arugula Salad for the Bodnars

-2 types of Arugula from our garden, just enough for 4 adults

-fist full of pine nuts toasted in olive oil with a pinch of coarse salt

-3/4 of a small onion

-fresh corn cut from one cob

-1/2 of an apple (your choice of variety)

-dressed with grapefruit balsamic vinegar and hawian black salt (both from the Filling Station, Chelsea Market, NYC)

The corn made it!

From Evernote:

New Zealand - Meritage

Craggy Range - Te Kahu - 2009

Good, inexpensive($36 at restaurant) New Zealand french blend, cab, cab franc, merlot....  Had at founding farmers in DC

Easter Goat

Sorry no images for this one.

Ellie's parents got some some local goat so I am preparing in a way Sean showed me a few weeks ago (we did lamb shanks that time).

I prepared a large mirepiox and placed lamb leg and back (?) in mirepiox and filled the shallow le cruset almost to the top, getting the goat to be about half submerge in mirepiox stock mixture. I then covered tightly with tin foil and we roasted for about 3-4 hours. Goat was soft and delicious, falling off the bone. I took the mirepiox stock mixture and blended it to form a light sauce for the meat and roasted potatoes.

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Location:Ocean City, MD

Purple Pickled Eggs

By Bernard Mooney

These have been a popular snack or treat among Irish families for many years, especially around Easter and other holidays.

Ingredients:

12 eggs – hard boiled and peeled

Two 14.5 ounce cans of canned beets

Apple cider vinegar

One empty large jar

Directions:

Hard boil and peel the eggs.  Eggs peel easiest and most evenly when their temperature is reduced very quickly after boiling.  Drain both cans of beets of their juice and measure it.  It will be about two cups.  Pour the beet juice in the large empty jar.  Measure out an equal amount of vinegar and pour it into the jar also.  Stir the mixture and add about 6 slices of beet for coloration.

Place the jar of eggs in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  After this time the purple color should have saturated the white of the egg, but not the yoke. This is the sign that they are done and ready to serve.

Special Note:  These eggs can be sliced and put on top of salads for color.  Deviled eggs can also be made from them, or just slice and serve.

Dinner tonight

The beginning: left over grilled shrimp and spinach fusilli.

Heres where we went:

Equal parts oil and butter in a pan (about 2 tbs each)
3 medium shallots
1 small potato, finely diced (less than 1/4" cubes)
Cook for 10 mins over med-high heat

then splash of wine to deglaze
then 1 cup of pasta water
add leftover shrimp

bring to a boil and then let simmer for 20 mins or longer at lower heat

20 mins before serving
add capers, chunked fresh white fish (cod in this case) and zuccini
add more white wine, bring to a boil and then serve over aldente pasta (spinach fusilli in this case)

I found it best served in a pasta bowl and a glass of white wine (7.99 whole foods piquepol in this case).

In the words of one of my cooking tv idols "happy coooking"

Christmas Pig

> Christmas 2010 at 1717
>

Italian Hot Dog

Angel making this New Jersey specialty!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_hot_dog

Thanks,

Scott

first post among many

Setting up a new blog to capture and share information that we encounter  in our travels.We travel quite a bit around the US and abroad. Throughout our travels we actively seek out interesting opportunities for new and different foods and the next great wine.