Quiche: Roasted Vegetable

The Quiche: Originated by the Germans. Perfected by the French. Adored by me.

Quiches are an extremely versatile dish. They can be eaten for any meal of the day. The can be altered to be as heavy or as light as you'd like them to be. And they are an "all in one" meal: because of their depth, no side dishes are necessary (although a small side salad is preferred!). They are so very tasty. And, most importantly, it is very hard to get them wrong. Easy. Easy. Easy. I've been making about one a week for the last couple of weeks. Here is my favorite version. Lark said that it's one of the best things I've ever prepared. I think the sweet flavor of the roasted vegetables is what makes it come together. Yummm... enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prep Time: 15-20 mins

Cooking/Cooling Time: 1.5 hrs

Amount: 1 Quiche

1 ready made pie crust (or shortcut pastry)

1 red onion cut in eights

1 red bell pepper - chopped

1 yellow bell pepper - chopped

1.5 cup fresh or frozen broccoli

1 Tbs Olive Oil

2 eggs

4.5 oz cream (or milk)

4 oz gruyere (or your favorite) cheese - grated

Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat over to 200 C/400 F

2. Line pie-crust with baking paper & dry beans & cook for 10 min

3. Remove beans & cook for additional 5 min

4. Place all veggies on a baking sheet & drizzle with Olive Oil

5. Roast veggies in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until slightly charred

6. Reduce oven temperature to 180C/350F

7. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with Milk & add salt and pepper to taste (& favorite herbs for an extra kick!)

8. Stir in cheese

9. Spread veggies over the bottom of the pie shell, splitting apart the onions

10. Pour egg mixture on top

11. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the liquid has completely set

Feel free to serve this hot or cold! It's delicious both ways!

Expat Knowledge Sharing - Month 4

Biking

Life in Florence became significantly more pleasant and simple as soon as my butt hit the seat of my bike.  No more long walks to get places, no more trying to figure out buses and trains.  Just me and a little peddling.  Given, there are a few downsides (occasionally arriving places with a sweaty back, having to take the time to lock and unlock the bike) but it's 100% worth it.  

The city is unbelievably easy to navigate on a bike.  No helmets required and I can see why.  There is this unspoken level of respect for individuals on bikes.  Significantly more so than one who is driving or walking.  People slow, wait, get out of the way and respect your space.  All the common courtesy missing in other elements of the Florentine's behavior is made up for in the treatment of bikers!

A few words of wisdom:  

1) If you don't own one already, buy the cheapest possible bike you can find.  The streets are flat & you don't need fancy.

2) If you already own a bike, buy the nicest more convenient bike lock you can find.

3) Buy a basket.  You will end up using your bike for small trips to lug large things- i.e. shopping bags.

4) You don't need to follow the one way street rules, but be conscious of your space!

5) You can take your bike on the train, just stay in the entry & exit cabins between cars, and take the 1st car.

Esselunga Delivers!

One of the main grocery store chains here will deliver your groceries for a nominal fee.  Given the lack of parking space and inconvenience of the grocery stores, this is a spectacular deal and a WONDERFUL time saver.  They are cheap, prompt and who knew it was so easy to grocery shop online!!

Here's the link

Italian Language Class

There are a plethora of Italian language classes to choose from in Florence.  Choosing the right class is difficult, and important.  You want a class that challenges you, but doesn't consume all of your time.  A class that doesn't exceed 2-3 hours a day (my opinion of the average mind's language capacity for a day - in a classroom, that is) that also allows for time to get out and practice.  A class that also helps to form community so you're meeting new people and engaged in conversation.  A class with professors and classmates who care.  I found a school offering classes that meets all of these criteria.  

The school: Gorgio La Pira ( Centro Internazionale Studenti)

Gelato

Again, with so many to choose from, where do you start and where do you go when you need to be GUARANTEED creamy, sweet deliciousness?!

In the city center:  

Grom - http://www.grom.it/

No crazy/fancy flavors, just basic ingredients, small but decadent portions and all natural spectacular flavor. 

Outside the city center: 

Medici - http://www.gelateriademedici.com/

There is no better Gelato in the city of Florence.  This I guarantee.  You will not be disappointed.  

Appertivos

Free food with your "Happy Hour"?!  What a brilliant Florentine Tradition!  You pay a little more than the average price for your drink, and the bar will also include a free buffet bar so you don't have to leave to get dinner.  The food is light, but often delicious.  Here are a few top recommendations (click on the name to get to the website):

Noir (near Ponte Vecchio)

The Green Store (near Campo di Marti)

Moyo (near Stanta Croce)

Oibo (near Stanta Croce)

Good Luck!

The little fast man

Last Saturday I ran a 10k road race through the streets of the center of Florence.  There was a kicker- the race started at 9pm.  It was called "Notturna di San Giovanni" (the night of San Giovanni).  It was the 70th annual event!  This had to have been one of the oldest races I've participated in.  Besides being a beautiful experience racing through the streets as the sun set over the Arno, I was given the gift of a little man I wanted to briefly write about here.  

About 3K into the race, I came up on a man who was slightly shorter than I and about 20 years older.  When I first came up on him, he sped up just a little bit.  I was used to this in racing- men speeding up once I gain on them (ego) but usually they let me go once I keep the pace (wanting to return to their own comfortable race pace).  But within minutes I could tell that this man was running along with me, comfortably, simply to run with me (or to see if I could keep up the pace that I was maintaining! (about 6:40 min/miles)).  We ended up running/racing the majority of the course together.  There were times when he would start to slip and I would surge in front of him, silently looking back over my shoulder to encourage him to come back up besides me.  At various points, he would do the same for me.  With about 1/2 a mile left, I started to feel the race and was dragging.  The lactic acid was building in my legs and my feet felt like little bricks I was dragging along with me (the end of the race had come! OUCH!). I didn't know the course so I wasn't sure of how much race I had left!  We turned what seemed like a final straight away and you could tell the little man had steam left.  But he wouldn't go without me.  For the first time, he looked back and me and we made eye contact and he waved me on to keep up with him.  He yelled "Andiamo!" (let's go!) and vigorously gave me a thumbs up encouraging me to stay at his side.  As we crossed the finish line, he purposely slowed his final steps to allow me to finish before him.  A perfect gentleman.  

When we finished, and tried to exchange words, it was clear he didn't speak English.  I was so exhausted that my Italian efforts were futile.  Instead, we relented and gave one another hug and double cheek kiss.  He said something to me in Italian with his hand on my shoulder, looking at me proudly.  In English I said, "Thank you.  Thank you so much.  In 20 years I also hope to be as impressive as you are.  And always as kind."  

Corn & Pancetta Breakfast Pie

This "pie" is extremely simple, light and pairs well with a fruit salad or sliced apples on the side.  We found it to be a perfect (gluten free) Sunday morning breakfast.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk

2 cups fresh corn kernels (or 2-6 oz can corn/10oz frozen corn)

3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal

½ - ¾ cup cubed ham or pancetta

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Honey to drizzle

Directions

1.    Heat oven to 350° F.

2.    In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring 2 cups of the milk, ham and the corn to a boil.

3.    In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and the cornmeal. Whisking constantly, slowly add the mixture to the boiling milk. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, thyme, salt, pepper, and eggs.

4.     Transfer to a buttered casserole or cast-iron skillet. Bake until golden and set, about 30 minutes.

5.     For an extra treat, drizzle with a little honey before serving

Monaco - Extravagance on Steroids

Last weekend Mike and I took a little three day trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco.  We wanted to get out of the country, see a new place and have a completely new experience (oh and get a little sun and sea time while we were at it).  We accomplished all three.  Although I can see it's allure, Monaco is most definitely not my cup of tea.  

The location is spectacular: set directly on the water with high jetting mountains towering right up above it.  The mountains capture the clouds leaving Monaco flushed with sunshine ~90% of the time.  The city is built in to the low lying cliffs at the base of this mountain that lead in to the Mediterranean.  It's as if there shouldn't be a city there at all because of the rugged setting.  But there it is- and it's hard to miss.  

Giant yachts decorate it's coast line each one larger and more grandiose then the last.  Every third car is a Mazarati, Lamberghini or Ferrari.  Ritzy hotels sparkle and suits are recommended at it's Casino.  You can't find a meal for less than 12 Euro- that gets you a McDonalad's Happy meal.  As Mike stated this weekend, it's where the rich come to not feel so guilty about being rich.   

I had a hard time with it all.  Why do you need THAT much?  Why does a person need to have 500K Euro machine to tote them around?  Or to spend 5 million on a yacht that is their 5th home?  Why not do something with the money that would more helpful and worthwhile?  I understand wanting nice things, delicious tastes and living in extravagance- but this much extravagance?  Too much.  Much too much.  I was turned off by it all.  I was the anti-tourist.  I wasn't inspired to explore...

Now all this being said, there were two wonderful parts:

1) The people:  despite the $$$, they were open, friendly, unpretentious and it was some of the best customer service I've ever received.  

2) The food.  Although expensive, it was DELICIOUS.  I'm including two mini- restaurant reviews below.  

All in all, go to see it- but DRIVE THROUGH it on the way to Nice or Provence from Italy.  Don't stay more than one night.  Check out the Casino, the castle, beautiful Yachts, fancy cars, have a meal or two and then be on your merry way. 

(Disclaimer: We meant to check out the Aquarium, which is supposed to be really good, but we never got there... it may be worth checking out)

Restaurant Reviews:

Miami Plage

promenade du Lavotto

MC 9800 Monaco

Type: Contemporary Eclectic

Food: B+

Beautiful presentation, fresh as fresh can be, nice mixture of land and sea options.  

Service: A-

Quick, friendly, accommodating and very casual.

Ambiance: A-

Who knew you could make a beach front setting so very comfortable!

Booze: B

Mike's Mojito was delicious.  My rose as recommended by the wait staff-  very fruity and flat.  The drinks (including wine selection) was overpriced (what a surprise!)

Granola

A "go-to"granola recipe.  Easy, quick and can be fiddled with to make it exactly perfect for you.  Feel free to play with the nuts, spices and dry fruit additions.  Adding different seeds and grains is also an option!  But here is the base.  Delicious, I promise:  

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees & place rack on a middle shelf.

Mix  together Dry Ingredients in a large bowl….

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1 cup nuts, chopped (I like a mixture of almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds)

Melt together in small saucepan until just combined ….

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2  tsp nutmeg
• 1 TBS salt
• ¼ cup each: butter, olive oil, honey, maple suyup & brown sugar
• 1 TBS vanilla extract

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until all dry ingredients are coated.  Spread evenly on to a nonstick cookie sheet & bake for 30 minutes or until just browned.

Cool completely.  Break apart and add one-cup dried fruit of your choice (figs, dates, mango, raisens, crasins, apples…). 

Enjoy!

Who's afraid?

It's stories like these that inspire me.  

Here's this guy who had a successful business career and risked it all to follow a passion of owning his own business  in something that excited him: biking and later, coffee.  He listen to his heart, and put it on the line.  He went through fiscally tough times, but stuck with it.  He found his place and, in turn, found success.  

I always talk about my dream of owning my own shop.  Coffee, wine and community.  But will it ever become a reality?  How much risk would their really be?  Is success truly a possibility? 

Wine - Cinque Terre

As you hike through the five small villages of Cinque Terre you may notice, on the steep sloping hillsides, lush green vines budding with potential grapes!  "What vineyards do these belong to and where can I find this wine?", you may ask yourself.

As opposed to single vineyard owning these vines, the towns and regions have "Azienda Agricola" (basically farms) that cultivate grapes and then sell them for wine production.  

Last night we found a spectacular white from one of these "Azienda Agricola".  If you're able to get your paws on one of the 4,500 bottles of white produced in 2008, do it.  

Cheo, Cinque Terre - 2008

Vernazza - Italia

Medium bodied.  Robust floral with hints of honey and basil.  Excellent with shell fish and Calamari.  

Cinque Terre Day Trip

Cinque Terre is a tourist destination extraordinaire.  It's a well known destination spot for individuals traveling through Tuscany.  But did you know you can do Cinque Terre in a 3/4 day trip (from Florence) including: have an amazing experience, see/eat your way through all 5 towns and get one hell of a workout in?  You can!  You need to prep yourself for quite a bit of physical activity (i.e. walking a HILLY 6 miles in a day).  But if you're game, here's an example of how (as experimented yesterday by me and my husband)...

10:30 - 12:30 Drive from Florence to Riomaggiore

This will be a quick and rather senic drive to and through La Spezia.  Bring some good tunes to keep you amped.

12:30 - 13:15 Park & walk from Riomaggiore (town #1) to Manarola (town #2) via the Via del' Amore

This can be tricky as parking fills up early in Riomaggiore.  You may be forced, as we were, to park way up the hill away from the town center.  Be prepared for the walk home when you're done, if this is the case.  This first town to town trek is an easy and paved path.  You'll get your first brethtaking views but it will be extremely crowded so if you're moving quickly, be prepared for the people dodging.  Make it a game and you're all set.  

13:15 - 14:15 Walk from Manarola (town #2) to Corniglia (town #3)

Similar to the first town to town walk, this will be a gradual and paved road.  Very crowded.  Be ready to dodge more people on the path.  Corniglia is the smallest of the 5 towns.  It's narrow windy streets seem like they would be fun to explore if you wanted to take a little more time to adventure there.  

14:15 - 15:45 Walk from Corniglia (town #3) to Vernazza (town #4)

And now it begins.  There are signifigantly less toursist on this part of the trek.  For very good reason.  It's longer, steep and the terrain is harder to navigate.  Wear good shoes (especially if it's raining) as there is loose gravel and rocks.  But it's worth it.  Both pictures included here I took from this part of the hike.  Take time to soak in the views and lush viniculture you pick your way through along the way.  

15:45 - 17:15 Treak from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare (final town!)

This trek is very similar to the one listed above.  You'll have a very steep hill for the first 1.5k.  Suck it up and look forward to the top.  It's the best view you'll get all day.  Then enjoy the rest of the gradual windy downhill to Monterosso.  

17:15 - 20:00 Enjoy Monterosso!

Spending time in this charming little sea side town was 100% worth every kilometer trekked.  Cool off by taking a dip in the ocean.  Enjoy a prosecco or beer in one of the water side cafes or just wonder through the mellow but beautifully decorated streets.  I highly recommend Cantina di Mickey for dinner.  It's casual and will seat (and feed) you before 7.  Delicious.  Order anything with seafood and be sure to have a chilled local bottle of wine with it!

20:00 - 23:00 Take the train from Monterosso back to Riomaggiore, find your car and drive back to Florence!

Light Coconut Pancakes (GF)

These tasty little cakes are extremely light, fluffy and deliciously tropical.  It's like biting in to a fluffy (yet rich) little tropical cloud.  

14 oz coconut milk (use "light" for lower fat recipe)

2-4 Tbs Sugar (more if you use non-sweetened coconut)

1/4 cup flour (gluten free optional)

3 cup grated coconut

3 Tbs lemon juice & 1 Tbs lemon rind

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1. In a small sauce pan, bring coconut milk & sugar to barely a boil
   
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut, salt, baking powder and lemon
   
3. Stir in coconut milk
   
4. lightly whisk the eggs and add to mixture
   
5. Stir until all is combined
   

Makes lovely little silver dollar pancakes for 4-6 people

Cantina Sabrosa

Via dell' Agnolo 91r

Florence, Italy

055 242 645

Type: Latin Fusion

Food: C+

Hit or miss.  Some of the meat dishes were right on: well salted, tender with a good combination of spices.  In some of the dishes, they forgot to add flavor.  Stick with  the more basic meat selections: mixed grill, burritos, tacos.  Stay away from the vegetarian dishes and nachos (also forgot the flavor ticket).  Ask for salt up front, remind them not to be stingy on the spice and keep drinking- it'll help wash the lack of flavor down.  

Service: B-

They tried, they really did.  But they appeared understaffed and scattered.  The waitress confused 2/6 orders and forgot to bring one dish all together.  They were extremely friendly and polite, but unfortunately, that doesn't  make up for food not being in our bellies.  

Ambiance: B- 

You could tell they were going for bright and lively latin: Mexican fiesta meets Spanish tapas bar type of feel.  But what they got was too much light, uncomfortable seating and  lack of distinction.  We appreciated the colors and festive latin music, but pull back a little: turn down the light and ease up on the background noise.  

Booze: C+ 

Strong drinks, great selection, lots of ice, delicious Sangria, but they don't know how to do a margarita.  How can a primarily Mexican food restaurant not know how to do a very basic margarita on the rocks?  Margarita martini?  Uh, no.  Mojito with dark rum?  Not so much.    

Overall, great concept in Florence and we appreciated the diversity of the meal (not always easy to find decent Italian food alternatives), but didn't hit any of the categories on the nose. 

Addicted to NPR...

Living abroad, it can be a struggle to keep up with news and current events as actively as I once did living in the States.  To make up for my immediate gratification news addiction, I download several "podcasts" on to my iPhone and iTunes, daily.  Once I have them, I can listen to them while walking around town, driving in the car, cleaning the apartment or yes, even writing on my blog!  National public radio is my news provider of choice.  Downloading is simple: go to your iTunes store homepage and search for NPR under Podcasts.  Out will pop a plethora of choices! Here are a few of my NPR recommendations: 

7AM (EST) New Summary Podcast - A quick 5 minute highlight of the morning news summary.  There is also a 7PM (EST) summary if you prefer your summary at day end.  

Business Story of the Day: Contrary to what you may think, this podcast is very diverse selecting the most interesting "business" story of the day.  Only about 5-10 min in length and ranges in topics from video game businesses to the real-estate market. 

Food Podcast: My favorite NPR podcast!  Typically 10-20 minute clips talking about wine, food, cooking shows, recipes, new trends and many other interesting areas!  

On Health: Health and body oriented segments ranging from new illnesses, scientific studies and healthy living choices.

Story of the Day: NPR's top pick for their most interesting story of the day.  

Zucchini in Excess

Last week we found ourselves with an ABUNDANCE of Zucchini in the refrigerator.  Here's what came of it (Dad, this one is for you):  

Zucchini Barely Salad

This is great as a light and delicious side dish for a summer dinner.  It takes about 20 minutes to whip up and comes together nicely.  The flavors meld even better the longer you're able to refrigerate it prior to consumption. 

2 Cups of Vegetable Broth

1 Cup Barley (or Spelt)

2 Medium Zucchini (can use up to 3 or 4 if you have them) - Diced

1 lb Cherry Tomatoes

1 Sweet Onion - Diced

4 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Handful of Basil or Mint leaves

Balsamic Vinegar to Taste

1. Cook the Barley or Spelt as instructed on the package replacing broth for water
   
2. Heat oven to 450 Degrees
   
3. Toss all Veggies with 2 TBs Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper
   
4. Pour in to a roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes
   
5. Drain Barley & Toss with Veggies
   
6. Slice mint/basil & Add
   
7. Whisk 2 Tbs Olive Oil, Vinegar, Salt & Pepper together and add to Barley, Veggie Mixture
   

Lightly Fried Zucchini Flowers

Who knew the flower on a baby Zucchini could be so delicious!  If you grow your own Zucchini, pick the flower off early and let the Zucchinis continue to grow.  Or you can buy the Zucchinis young at a nature mart, use the flower AND the meat is still great for cooking.  

Olive Oil for frying

6-8 Zucchini Flowers

1 Egg Yolk

1/2 Cup Ice Water

1/2 Cup flour

Salt & Pepper

1. Heat about 1/2 inch of olive Oil in a small, but deep, frying pan to 375 degrees (be careful not to go over this so you're Oil doesn't start burning and smoking- this happened to me!)
   
2. Beat yolk, ice water, and flour together until it is the consistency of a heavy cream
   
3. Dip flowers in the batter coating each flower completely then allowing excess batter to drip off
   
4. Fry each flower until just lightly brown on all sides
   
5. Allow to dry and drain on paper towels
   
6. Serve immediately
   

Define "Diversity"

This afternoon I had an interview for the Duke EMBA program. The questions were fairly standard: why do I want to do this, what are my career aspirations, how will this particular program help me, etc. But there was one question that stood out to me. The interviewer asked me to define diversity. I was stumped, at first. But I talked my way through it and I ended up feeling fairly comfortable with my answer (although it's still up for debate). I decided to focus on how an individual can be diverse in a group or team environment. I defined individual diversity as having three elements:

• Cultural Diversity: What your upbringing and background gives to you. Are you from a farm or a city? Hong Kong or or Montreal? Are you from a "upper", "working" or "lower" class family?
• Emotional/Personality diversity: How your personality and nature makes you diverse. Are you introverted or extroverted, aggressive or passive, creative or analytical?
• Experience Diversity: How have the choices you've made in your life led to your current state? Have you traveled very much? Decided to follow a career in finance, philosophy, medicine or movie production? How do your hobbies add to your experiences?

Obviously, two of these are a bit more out of your control and the other one you have quite a bit of control over. When I think through putting together a professional working team, I would want to ensure you have diversity in all three of the above areas. Then I run the greatest chance of having an effective team- under the right leadership, of course. But that's a whole other area of conversation... for another day.

Sunset of the Year

It's just me and Mike again this evening. Our guests are gone. I drove them to the Milan airport this morning- 7 hours of driving before 1:30 PM. I arrived home, exhausted, for a quick nap. While I was sleeping the storm swept in. Not a rain storm, but clouds and wind. Strong wind. The cleansing summer storm that sweeps through to polish the earth's surface of ugly debris and sweep away heat and humidity. I woke up to a quiet and beautifully empty home. Wind howling through the open windows of the house as if it were not only cleaning the earth, but our home of any negativity present in the last several weeks- months. Clean.


Mike arrived home shortly after and we snuck up to the roof to watch the the brilliant sunset with it's intense array of colors. Mike called it the "sunset of the year". I agree.

Month of VINO

Ciao! It's "Wine Month" in Italy. There's one way that differs from all the other months. There are quite a few wine festivals in Tuscany and a few other regions. Mike, his Mom, Cheryl and I went to one in Montespertoli last night. You can tell it was one of the down nights as it was quite and easy to navigate... booths were elaborately decorated and set up with the vineyard's displaying and providing tasting of their wines for a small price. We plan on going to another festival this weekend with a few friends (the festival is yet to be decided), as well as participate in the Cantine aperte (Open wine cellars).

Italy is not like California with regards to it's Wine Tasting. The vineyards are not as open to tastings. Usually, you are expected to call and schedule a visit. The Cantine aperte is a rare example of a day when many vinyards will be open with no appointment necessary. All gates, doors and cellars open! Wooohoooo! Yay for "wine month" in Italy! Although for me and Mike, every month will be our "wine month".

Two vinyards we recommend from last night's tasting:

Frescobaldi
Particular Bottle we loved: 2006 Tenuta Di Castiglioni (Cabernet Savignon, Sangiovese and Merlot blend)

Tenuta Maiano
Particular Bottle we loved:: 2006 Ruscato (Chanti Blend)

Kick As- Banana Date Bread

Low gluten. No additional lard. Low sugar and yummmmmmmmmmmm.

Date-y Banana Bread

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup buckwheat or Spelt flour
½ cup rice flour (or “Mix It” mix)
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup Milk + ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
Mashed overly ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
1 egg
4 oz (1 individual size cup) unsweetened applesauce
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
About 6-12 whole dates

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8″ x 4″ bread pan.
2. Combine apple cider vinegar and Milk and set aside.
3. Sift together flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add sugar, applesauce, mashed bananas, egg, milk mixture, and vanilla.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well.
6. Chop dates in to 1/2 and mix to combine.
7. Pour batter into pan. and bake for 1 hour - 1 hour and 10 minutes.
   
   

Cinna-Chocolaty Banana Bread

Oh yum. Today I threw together a VERY quick and easy banana bread. This whole thing takes 1 hour from start to cook. Plus, no extra lard added- just wholesome deleciousness (ok, minus the chocolate and sugar)

Cinnamony Chocolaty Banana Bread

3-4 very ripe bananas (the size doesn’t much matter; medium to large works)
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large chocolate bar well chopped in to small pieces
For topping:
2 Tbsp. Coursely Chopped Cane Sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter or spray an 8-inch square pan.In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs, and stir well to combine.
3. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix
4. Add ¾ of the chocolate bar and stir briefly until just mixed
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining chocolate
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
8. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving

New Efforts

Here goes. I will use this site as a diary, of sorts. A way to keep my brain moving and sharp. A way to think through things and keep my mind clean. Thoughts on computer, not muddled up in head making me insane.

This morning while making my handsome husband (he did look very handsome this morning, by the way in his blue work shirt, sparkling blue eyes and tan slacks) breakfast and coffee (a daily ritual for me now- how domestic), I was listening to a few NPR stories. Two struck me as worth briefly mentioning:

1) The Recession Diary
A clip on a couple who choose to follow their artistic passions to make a living: one as a freelance commercial photographer, and the other a writer/publisher for public radio stations. They moved to Los Angeles from Maine to make a go at it and had a child. Now, with the child two months old, they were forced to return to Maine (via car with a baby, 90 lb dog and what few belongings they could take with them) to live with the wife's mother. They needed to get their feet back on the ground. They were broke and not able to get work. The story struck me because of the wife's ability to keep the writing and the article light and positive despite the dire circumstances. She was able to focus on the important things- their health, their new beautiful child, and what the situation was bringing them. It was giving them a new sense of family and values. They were becoming more dependent on and very close to one another... and to their parents who were so happy to have them back in Maine and in their lives again. It made me think about me and Mike's situation right now: it is tough. It's a lot of transition and change for both of us. I can't work here. My career is put on hold and it's a lot of stress for us. But in reality, what an amazing opportunity. We live in ITALY. I have time to THINK about what I want. I am blessed with an unbelievable man who loves me and whom I have a spectacular connection with. Who is smart and loving and thoughtful. We are blessed, lucky and so much better off than most. Positivity and keeping the sunny outlook on things is the key, I think. And it's my new initiative.

Here's the story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104131481

Their actual blog:
http://caitdangowest.squarespace.com/

2) Behavioral Economics
I had never heard this term before this morning, but I like it. Last night at dinner (Mike's Mom is visiting so he made us some DELICIOUS pasta for dinner last night and we were chatting over the meal with his Mom and Sheryl, her friend also visiting). We were discussing economic responsibility. What can be done to change people's responsibility level when it comes to making fiscal decisions: consumer spending, debt, credit cards, and loans. The piece on NPR referenced the Obama administration and it's emphasis on "Behavioral Economics": enforcing regulations that will help to change people's economic behavior as opposed to just enforcing laws to limit/restrict spending. "Behavioral economics is one of the most important fields to help us understand what motivates people to do what they do when they buy, sell, or otherwise interact with one another in both social and market environments."
For example, the Obama administration is enforcing a new rule for credit card companies: Included in monthly statements, the credit companies must also print how long it would take consumers to pay off their debt if they paid only the minimum balance due ever month. Mike made a good point this morning, this implies that the problem with the consumer is lack of information/education as opposed to deeper routed social problem with wanting too much. I think it is both. I think people aren't given the tools they need to truly understand financial instruments such as loans and credit card debt, but I also think it is society reconfirming that "more is better" and "more is happiness". The administration can enforce regulations to help with the first fix: give the tools!. But how do we fix the second problem? Do you really NEED that car you can't afford? Or should you be investing the $300 month extra you pay on that super nice BMW to a college fund for your child and paying off the 8k you have in credit card debt so your interest payments come down and you're able to be more fiscally responsible to yourself, your family and your community? How do we balance the want and the need? How do we change THIS mindset? I guess I can start with myself. Additional new effort: buy what I NEED, not what I WANT.