Italy, Day 3

Day 3 in Italy we learned that ancient Rome is only part of the spectacle. The Vatican has had a tremendous influence on making the city a tourism city. We arrived early so that our tour group would be one of the first in line at St. Peter's Basilica.

Our group wore "whispers" which is what you see hanging on Jim's necks. It's a small radio on a lanyard with one ear piece. Our local tour guide wore a similar whisper but hers had a microphone. If you can imagine the thousands of people around us, speaking different languages and touring the SAME Basilica, you can understand the need to hear what our tour guide was explaining. No matter if you were in the front, or the back, we could always hear her speak. It was a GREAT technique!

The only entrance to the Vatican for the casual visitor is through St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro.) As we stood in the huge piazza, we were surrounded by the arms of an ellipse partly enclosed by a majestic Doric-pillared colonnade. Atop it stands 140 saints.

This is looking straight ahead, the facade of St. Peter's Basilica. St. Peter and St. Paul are represented by statues in front, with Peter carrying the keys to the kingdom. We soon learned in the art galleries we visited, Peter was always represented by the key.  Mary always wore blue, John the Baptist depicted with a staff/cross. I found this symbolism fascinating. 

This is the view from the front steps of the church. Peter was allegedly buried here near the site of his execution. The original structure stood for more than 1000 years, until it verged on collapse. The present basilica, mostly completed in the 1500-1600's is predominantly High Renaissance and baroquee.

Just inside the basilica on the right stands one of the Vatican's greatest treasures: Michelangelo's exquisite Pieta, created while the master was still in his 20's but clearly showing his genius for capturing the human form. It is now behind glass because a madman tried to vandalize the sculpture back in the 70's. This depicts the moments after Jesus' crucifixion, when he was taken down from the cross and placed in his mothers arms one last time. Our tour guide spoke of how young Mary looks in this sculpture and how it was Michelangelo's way of conveying Mary's purity. Not even 10 minutes into the church, and I'm so blurry eyed from crying I can hardly take this picture.

Here... I am not crying. I'm actually really grossed out that this is a glass casket for a dead saint. They put wax on the face...I don't know, to make it less creepy?  Jim thinks this is REALLY cool. There were several saints in the church who were preserved and put on display like this.

Inside, the massive scale is almost too much to absorb, showcasing some of Italy's greatest artists. It's meant to be overpowering, a church of such grandeur, overwhelming in its detail of gilt, marble and mosaic. This is a picture taken underneath Michelangelo's dome, the celebrated twisty-columned baldacchino by Bernini. The 90+ foot ultra fancy canopy sits over the papal altar.

THIS is a mosaic! Not a fresco or painting...this incredible art piece, and probably a dozen more like it were all made with tiny tiles. It is seriously too much to take in.

Now a shell, the Colosseum remains the greatest architectural legacy from ancient Rome. If you knew Jim and his love of architecture, history and engineering then you can easily come to the conclusion this was the highlight of his trip.

I was getting into character here. Jim doesn't look amused, probably just wants to get on with the tour and get inside the Colosseum.

You have probably seen the movie Gladiator or maybe even Spartacus, so you pretty much know the story of the Colosseum. Our tour guide said that although Gladiator was a very entertaining movie, Spartacus was actually more realistic and on point with history. It was built in A.D. 72 and inaugurated by Titus in A.D. 80 with a bloody combat, lasting many weeks between gladiators and wild beasts. This amazing structure at one time could seat 50,000 sadistic Romans. It was hard for me to hear on the tour how slaves would train to be gladiators in the hopes of winning their freedom back. Exotic animals were shipped from all over the empire to satisfy the jaded taste of the Romans - pitting lion vs bear, two humans vs hippopotamus. Although its been said Christians were once fed to lions in the Colosseum, historians have since proved this to be inaccurate. The structure was struck by an earthquake and it was used as a quarry when the Romans stripped away the marble to build palaces and churches. On one side, part of the original four tiers remains - and you better believe that Jim and I climbed all the levels and it was a HOT day in Italy.

I wish I had more photos to share of our after hours tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. There were very few places that cameras were allowed. To be honest, I'm not even sure my photos would do the artwork justice. The Vatican boast one of the world's greatest art collections. It's a gigantic gathering of lavish palaces, apartments and galleries all leading to the real gem: the Sistine Chapel. I will tell you that being one of thirty people standing inside the hollow Sistine Chapel will be an experience I will always hold on to. There are not words to explain the adoration and respect I have for Michelangelo, who didn't even consider himself a painter, but a sculptor.

Jim very much enjoyed a gallery of hand painted maps. Not all of them correct, I might add. These were early on when explorations were still going on, these artist simply painted what they knew.

We ended our after hours tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel and headed back to the Westin Excelsior for dinner.

Cilantro-Lime Mayo

I started flipping through this cookbook and an hour later I had to force myself to put it down - it's so amazing and full of interesting recipes and equally interesting tidbits about eacha artist who contributed the recipe. I like all types of music, but I love country music. The first thing I did was look up all the artists I liked most and about died when I read Robert Earl Keen's Bacon-Wrapped Dove Breasts. The ingredient list is 12 dove breasts, teriyaki marinade, salt, pepper, fresh jalapeno peppers and 6 slices bacon. Doesn't that sound like a perfect recipe? Simple but full of BIG flavor.

Then I laughed out loud when I read Pat Green's recipe for Chicken Squares. His recipe actually reads, "Cook the chicken however you like: grill it, bake it, cook it in the microwave. Hell, it doesn't matter as long as it's fully cooked." He ends with saying, "...let them cook for 5 minutes - that concoction in the middle gets nuclear hot and will remove the top of your mouth if you aren't careful. Served with a salad and a beer, you have a good right-down-the-middle meal. Yummy good."

I guess you are wanting to know who will be the next proud owner of this tasty cookbook, Music in the Kitchen by Glenda Pierce Facemire. I numbered all the comments and used a random integer generator to determine the winner. The lucky winner is: Natalie! She's the one going to Diego and Boston. Check out her cute blog The Sweets Life.

Congrats Natalie! Shoot me an e-mail so I can send this brand new cookbook to you.

I got a quick recipe to share too! After Jim and I returned from our honeymoon we had my brother and his girlfriend Tiffany over for a weeknight dinner. I was feeling particularly inspired by seafood...well, mainly because I asked Jim what he wanted to eat and he said simply "seafood." So I went to work looking for recipes that inspired me and met his criteria.

For the starter course, I made a salad of mixed greens dressed in a simple salad dressing, topped with two seared scallops and drizzled with this really yummy Cilantro-Lime Mayo. For the special sauce, you will need cilantro (duh), mayo (duh), dijon mustard (secret ingredient!), garlic, lime and tabasco.

Throw it all in the food processor and blend until you get everything minced and combined really well.

Voila, Cilantro-Lime Mayo. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I wanted the ingredients to sit and get to know each other really well, so I put it in a zip top bag (labeled of course) and into the fridge for a couple of hours.

Here is the beautiful salad. The salad dressing was made up of grapeseed oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Really simple stuff, lightly tossed with the baby greens. Next I seared the scallops, read here for more info on searing scallops. Then I snipped the end of my zip top bag and squeezed a dollop of the Cilantro-Lime Mayo on top of the scallops. This was surprisingly GREAT for something so simple! The Cilantro-Lime Mayo was so good in fact that I could have thinned it with olive oil and used it as a salad dressing.

The entree I served was this flavorful pan seared Tuna with Ginger Shiitake Cream Sauce. If you do the prepping before hand, the dish comes together really quickly.  It's a great recipe to have in your arsenal and even better to impress friends (or your brother and his girlfriend) with all your culinary talent.

We ended our dinner by opening this bottle of Limoncello that we brought back from Italy. Kept in the freezer, it's ready to pour and sip following any meal. It's the perfect after dinner drink in my opinion, I absolutely fell in love with this in Italy.

Cole (bottom left) made friends this night too. Deuce (top right) came with Tiffany and thoroughly enjoyed lounging in Cole's bed. I thought it was so cute the way they shared the bed.

{Cilantro-Lime Mayo}

Italy, Day 2

In the heyday of the Roman empire, all roads led to Rome, with good reason. The city is breathtaking. Here are a few pictures of the Villa Borghese on the second morning of our honeymoon in Italy.

Located in the heart of Rome, the Villa Borghese is nearly 3.5 miles in circumference and is one of Europe's most elegant parks. 

The landscaping was beautiful, and the crisscrossed roads led us through the greenbelt as we discovered monuments, vistas and hidden ponds. It was a welcomed escape from the city, the traffic, the people and we were reminded of the time we spent in New York's Central Park.

It was quiet the morning we spent walking through the gardens, but I read that on a sunny weekend, we would have found the park full of Romans at play, relaxing or in-line skating.

Although we didn't visit any art museums in the Villa Borghese, the park is home to a few outstanding museums like the Galleria Borghese which houses Bernini's Apollo and Daphne, the National Etruscan Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art which houses the largest collection in Italy of 19th and 20th century works by Boccioni, Morandi, Manzu, Burri and Fontana to name a few. 

We started heading back into the city around lunch time, and took a recommendation from our hotel that led us to this Ristorante, La Bruschetta.

Another GREAT recommendation that panned out - asking for house wine. I wasn't sure about this since we rarely like any of the house wines served in restaurants in the USA. Boy were we surprised. A half liter of their house wine cost hardly anything and we both really enjoyed it a lot.

 We dined outside, but inside the restaurant I photographed this pizza oven.

Don't even get me STARTED on the pizza in Italy. It is like nothing I have ever had, a true first for me.

We ordered a simple formagi pizza with a little basil clumped on top. The crust is paper thin, but somehow not soggy. The tomato sauce is also thin, but flavorful and the cheese is gooey and stringy. It all came together for a perfect lunch.

Following every meal...gellato.  

And every day at 2? We had an espresso. Did you know that the cost of an espresso goes up if you take a seat and order one? Most bars in Italy will charge one euro if you walk up to the bar, order an espresso, drink, and then leave. But if you sit at a cafe table, the cost can go up two or three euro for the same thing.  

This was right before we met up with our tour group. Jim and I already had a long morning of exploring the city, so we thought a shot of espresso would perk us up for the evening tours.

After introductions, our tour group boarded a bus and we visited the Catacombe di San Callisto. To translate, these are underground tunnels. These tunnels, or Catacombs, were where early Christians buried their dead and, during the worst times of persecution, held church services discreetly out of the public eye. We wandered through a portion of the musty-smelling tunnels where the soft walls are gouged out with tens of thousands of burial niches. It's dark and dank, and knowing there are/were dead bodies down there...really creeped me out to say the least. Jim loved every bit of it, I couldn't wait to surface again and go have dinner. That's me, always thinking about our next meal.  

I cannot remember the name of the restaurant we dined, it was pre-arranged by our tour leader and the first meal we ate all together. It gave us a chance to meet the other families in our group.

When we arrived at the restaurant, there were antipasta platters setting out and servers pouring your choice of prosecco or wine. This pizza board had chopped peppered pork.

 This is the only photo we took together all day. See, we did go on this vacation together.

Dinner started on the right foot with prosecco, but continued when we were seated outside under a pagoda and presented with a bottle of red and white wine. It was all you could drink - all included. Heck yes.  

This is the first course or antipasti plate. Each of us received an assortment of meats and cheese along with sauteed vegetables. I tried so hard to save room for the other courses, but this was so delicious. 

 The pasta course was a dual entree. Here, the servers were plating table side.

My handsome husband.  

 Gnocchi in a tomato sauce and a brown butter and tartufo (truffle) spaghetti.

I sneaked away to catch a glimpse of the kitchen. I love an immaculate kitchen. 

After dinner we got a tour of their wine cellar. We climbed down a winding staircase under the restaurant, and discovered these treasures of very old Italian wine.  Just like in the movies, the owner wiped the dust and cobwebs out of the way to show us where he keeps these prized possessions. It was an amazing experience.

Now on to a giveaway. As much as I love to travel and experience other parts of this great world of ours, there just isn't anything that compares to coming home. Am I right? My home in Austin, Texas is where I live with my husband and our two toy poodles. It's where I lay my head at the end of a long day. It's where I cook and eat, where I go out on the town and listen to some great live music on 6th street. They call Austin the live music capitol of the world. It's a funky town, full of life and very talented people who take the stage night after night to entertain. 

I'd like to share my hometown with you! This giveaway combines two of my favorite things: Austin and Cooking.  My giveaway is the cookbook, Music in the Kitchen, a compilation of favorite recipes from some of the most amazing performing artists in music history. These performers have come to my city and played the Austin City Limits Music Festival, held annually in October. In 2009 ACL celebrated its thirty-fifth year on PBS, making it the longest-running popular music series in American television history. You might not be able to play an instrument, write a hit song, or bring an audience to its feet, but there's a good chance you'll be able to recreate one of these treats in your own kitchen.

Here is how to enter the contest:

In the comment section, leave me a note about your most favorite vacation, or one you dream to take one day. Contest closes on Tuesday, July 20th at midnight (central time). The winner will be posted on Wednesday morning along with a new recipe from HWM.

When you entertain your guests with any of these yummy dishes, you will most definitely take pleasure in saying "Oh, it's a recipe from B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Femi Kuti, Bruce Hornsby, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, David Gray, Joan Baez, or Joss Stone," just to name a few. That's sure to make your guests sit up and applaud!

Be brave, be bold, and let's eat!

My Dogs and a Giveaway

My two toy poodles are my babies. Madeline and Cole bring so much joy and laughter into our home. I received Madeline when I was a junior in college; she lived with me in my tiny apartment in West Texas, moved with me into my tiny apartment in Austin and finally moved with me into my house. She was so happy to get a doggie door and access to a huge backyard.

It was a year or two after I bought the house that I thought Madeline needed a play mate, so I found Cole. He was nothing more than a tiny black cotton ball that I could hold in one hand. Madeline was curious about him, but not too interested when he began to play with her. She was used to being an only child, and now there is this BOY in the house!

They have a true brother-sister relationship. She likes to play chase sometimes, but most of the time would rather be left alone.

The two of them play together well, but Cole has so much energy he wears us all out.

I used to make their dog food {recipe here} because I liked knowing exactly what they were eating and could alter the recipe to give them more of what they needed at the moment and control their intake of fatty foods. In her old age, Madeline developed an allergy to most proteins forcing us to purchase a limited ingredient can food with duck and potato. Luckily, they both love it and Madeline’s health has improved immensely while on this new food.

For treats, they get baby carrots. I was surprised how much they like carrots, and I don’t feel guilty treating them SEVERAL times a day vs. counting how many treats they are allowed to eat per day with regular processed dog treats. Don’t get me wrong, I give them the bad stuff every now and then. They absolutely love the Purina Busy Chewnola Treats which keeps them occupied for hours. When I’m at the dollar store, I buy discounted cans of sardines for the dogs.

They both go NUTS over the fish. I mash it up in their dog bowl and even though it makes their breath stink, I love to watch them eat the oily fish and then beg for more. Fish oils are a beneficial treat good for healthy coats.

I suspect that some of you, like me, have pets that have no idea they are not people. I saw this morning that Whole Foods is having a competition on their blog about our pets and what we like to treat them with. They are generously giving away two care packages of healthy treats — one to a randomly selected dog owner and the other to a randomly selected cat owner — just go to their blog and enter your pet’s favorite healthy treat by July 21st. Even if you don’t give them a healthy treat, you can still enter. Hey, I’d like to know what you feed your pets too, so leave me a comment below (it won’t help your chances of winning in the Whole Foods giveaway, but it would put a smile on my face.)

Speaking of giveaways, I think it’s time to have one of my own! Check back on Monday, July 19th for a special cookbook giveaway. (Hint, it’s a local Austin cookbook and it’s pretty amazing.)

I found this post on Serious Eats today and it put me in a good mood. Video of dogs eating ice cream. What a hoot. I love it.