On My Mind Today

On the road once again to Florence, with a brief stop in Pisa. If you're in Italy you should see Pisa and the Leaning Tower. Of course while there you will take the obligatory photo where it appears you are holding up the tower; it's the tourist thing to do after all. Until we arrived in Florence the driving was busy and chaotic at times, but not unbearable. Florence was enough to make me want to give up driving all together. It was here that I figured out the rules of the road in Italy; there are no rules. If you can fit even a tiny bit of your car or motorcycle in front of someone else, then you just squeeze it in there. Lanes - what lanes? Red lights seem to be a suggestion, and pedestrians walk right out into traffic to cross the street. You better have good brakes or your car will look like it's been in a demolition derby. Once we found our Airbnb we parked the car and decided to walk or take a taxi during our two day stay. We arrived mid-afternoon on our first day...

Caveat Emptor - Let the buyer beware. If you watch the news, or even commercials produced by law firms, it's abundantly clear that many big corporations are being sued. Some of the products that they manufacture and sell have either caused harm, or even death, to those who have used them. Either they were not well tested, or they made the decision to put them on the market first and thoroughly test later; money talks as they say. If these companies did manufacture and sell a product that they knew was unsafe, then they should be held accountable. The health and safety of the public should always come before their profits. If big companies are forced to compensate the victims of their carelessness or deceptiveness, they may just do what's right in the future. However, there is the old saying "buyer beware", which basically means that we all should do our own due diligence in reviewing a product before we purchase and use it. We can't always take it for grante...

From Fountain Avenue Kitchens, this baked eggplant is perfect as a side dish, or as an appetizer that can be dipped into your favorite tomato sauce. The smaller baby eggplants work well as they don't have the bitterness of larger eggplants. The Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning give them an abundance of flavor. This is a great way to use up your end of season eggplants. Crispy Baked Eggplant 2 pounds small to medium-size eggplant (about 6 depending on exact size) 2 large eggs 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 3/4 cup plain panko bread crumbs (use Rice Chex crumbs for gluten-free option) 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper Olive oil, for baking sheets Optional: marinara sauce for dipping 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a baking sheet with oil, Set aside. (You may need to use two sheets.) 2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon water. In another bowl (a pie pl...

A long quiet ride is a gift to the writer's soul. The silence allows the mind to contemplate and reflect on what has been, what is, and what is yet to be. Re-entry to normal routine after three weeks of vacation has been much more difficult than anticipated. Arriving in New England on a cool fall night after the warm summer like weather in Italy was a shock to the system. A sharp reminder of what lies ahead in the months to come. Even after a week at home, my mind still seems to be in Italy's time zone. No amount of sleep has cleared the foggy mind, and I wonder if it's all due to jet lag, or perhaps partially from the shorter fall days. The darkness in the morning has been almost unbearable; hard for the soul to awaken when it feels like the sun will never rise. Mother Nature was kind enough to let some of the beautiful fall foliage linger until after our return. Even if it was not the peak of color, it's been enough to brighten the late October days. Every red, ...

Along the route to John's first reunion with family we detoured into Verona to see Arena Roma. This arena is only second in size to the Colosseum. Verona is a beautiful ancient city and is known as the city of love. It was in Verona that Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. The large piazza and park are surrounded by the arena, and colorful brick and stucco buildings. The time in which this city was built reminds me of how young America is. Our stay was not long, but worth every moment we had. On to Offlaga (outside of Brescia) which is in farm country; quiet and peaceful in comparison to Verona. As we journeyed closer the excitement and nervousness took over. He was excited to see cousins he has not seen in over twenty years, and I was nervous thinking of the language barrier. I know some Italian words and phrases, but not enough to have a true conversation. I didn't need to worry as his family was very welcoming, and it warmed my heart to see how happy they were to see eac...

As cooler weather starts to set in, there is nothing better for dinner than comfort food. From  Food Network Magazine, t his one pan recipe is quick, easy and delicious. If you like things mild use sweet Italian sausage, or to add a little kick use spicy Italian sausage. The creamy, cheesy sauce topped with fresh basil is bursting with flavor. This is sure to be a hit for family or guests. One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage 8.8 ounces of Italian sausage, ground (I used hot sausage)* 1/2 small onion, chopped finely 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup dry white wine (e.g. sauvignon blanc) 1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with juices 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi (do not pre-cook) 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese Handful of fresh basil, torn salt & pepper to taste 1. Prep the onion. Sauté' with the ground sausage in a medium skillet on medium-high heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the sausage and onions are lightl...

Venice, a wonderful place if you can get there. Since we are driving on this adventure it was major feat to follow the rotaries and signs for a parking garage; you certainly won't be driving a car into Venice. Once that had been accomplished we managed to make our way to the ferry that would take us to our island destination; well at least close to it. Even with directions, following the winding streets and their somewhat unclear  markings is an adventure in itself; when they tell you to go straight it actually is a street that curves around the old buildings. What should have been a 10-15 minute walk ended up taking over 45 minutes dragging our suitcases behind us, and arguing over the correct way to go the entire way. Ironically, if we had gone left instead of right off the ferry we would have been there in 10. Such a great start to our romantic Venice stay. Our first night we decided to eat at a restaurant around the corner from where we were staying; looked like a decent menu...

Every month Food Network Magazine inserts small booklets with a variety of recipes from muffins to cookies, appetizers and more. Recently the recipes were for several ways to prepare eggs. This particular recipe interested me due to its name, so I prepared it for our weekend breakfast. Colorful, filled with flavor and a kick of spice, it's something that will be a repeat in our house. Prep time is about 25-30 minutes from start to finish. Great to share with family or guests for your next weekend brunch. Italian Eggs in Purgatory 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, sliced 1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 4 eggs Shredded Parmesan Fresh basil 1. Cook sliced garlic cloves in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until golden, 2 to 4 minutes.  2. Add crushed tomatoes to the skillet with the salt and red pepper flakes. Simmer until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. 3. Reduce the heat to medium...

As our plane landed in Salzburg, Austria the massive and beautiful Austrian Alps took my breath away. There are not enough words to describe the impression they made. The sheer magnitude of their size, and gray rocky peaks were unlike what New England offers. Many were nothing but rock jutting up into the clouds, others were pine covered until the very peak. Below all of this many areas were well cared for pastures, bright green with cows grazing. Much of this was on steep hillsides and I wondered how these animals had adapted to the terrain. Our two day stay was in Villach, not far from the Italian border, and nestled in the Alps. Villach is a very old and quaint village with Baroque architecture. We did some touring around town, but cool and rainy weather put a slight "damper " on things. We hoped to experience Oktoberfest, but had missed it by a few days. We did have some fabulous Austrian food and beer. The Austrian people were very friendly and ...