Vegetable Tart

 I know that we eat with our eyes first!  I think presentation is so important in cooking and plating. I saw a photo of a spiral vegetable tarte and had to give it a go.  The base was puff pastry... easy enough as I purchase the frozen kind.  The filling was ricotta, egg, and parmesan cheese.  I also added oregano and lemon zest.  The vegetables were a little tricky to slice thinly so I used the vegetable peeler.  I had Japanese eggplant, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash.  After the filling is added to the partially baked crust, the veggies are put in a circular pattern from the center out to the edge.  It was a little time consuming, but fun nonetheless.  The filling was just a tad bland, so I added some chimichurri sauce that I had made.  That really put the taste level over the top!  I will definitely make it again one day.

Pizza

 As an American, I've had my share of pizza!  Greek pizza, vegetarian pizza, meat pizza, and even dessert pizza.  It is one of my favorite foods.  The only thing I absolutely will not have on a pizza is anchovy.  One little, tiny fish, can ruin the taste of the entire pizza for me.  It really makes no sense because I love fish as well as salty things.

When travelling in Italy, I could have eaten pizza every day!  It was that good!  I had so many different flavors.  They really know how to add toppings to pizza.  Not once did I see a pizza with little bitty chopped bits of ham, mushrooms, or vegetables.  One look at the pizza and you knew exactly what was on it.  

We went to a Pizzeria where you could pick out the pizza slices you wanted and they would box them up right there.  In Rome, I saw where several slices were taken from a particular type of pizza.  It was a potato, pine nut, and pesto pizza.  I had to give it a try.  It was delicious.  Venice had several walk up windows where you could order the huge slices to go!  

In Venice, there is just something about eating pizza while watching the gondoliers float by from your airbnb home.  

I could have eaten it breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but there were so many different foods to try!  I will return to Italy one day if just for the pizza!  

One of my many slices of pizza.                      This was our dinner view from where we were staying.                                             

The great variety of pizza                          Potato, pine nut, and pesto pizza! So good.

Tiramisu

 Tiramisu has to be one of the most well known Italian desserts. What's not to like!  Coffee, cream, mascarpone cheese, cookies , cocoa and sometimes liqueur.  When visiting Italy, one of my very dear friends had this dessert after almost every mean!  I can say that she is a tiramisu connoisseur.  I recently made a recipe for a friend.  I do not use raw eggs in mine.  It's just a personal preference.  If I am eating it, I leave out the alcohol...again a personal preference.  It is such a great make ahead dessert that all ages can enjoy.  There are as many varieties as their are Italian Nonnas (grandmothers).  All of them are tasty.

Each Day is a Special Day

 

I have been gifted two sets of fine china in the past several years. For some reason or other,  people don't want it. When offered them, that little girl hidden in my heart was simply overjoyed! I now have 3 sets of fine china. This pattern is from Wedgewood and is called Satine Platinum. I had tea parties as a child, and have never stopped having tea parties.  I thoroughly enjoyed tea on my most recent vacation too!  I still have my little mini blue willow dishes I used when I was a little one.  They are "real" china, not plastic.  They proudly sit in the little china cabinet my grandfather made for me.  I also have a piece of blue willow that was my mom's when she was little.  It was either hers or her sisters, but I have a few pieces for which I am very grateful. 

I don't know why it brings me such joy.  I use Christmas china the entire month of December not just for one special meal.  It makes every day a special one.  When my parents passed, other family members were not interested in the china.  I use my mom's fine china in March as it has green flowers on it.  She loved the color green, had emerald green eyes, and was of Irish and Greek heritage... it just works!  

Do something every day to make each day special.  This morning, I used the fine china for my croissant and coffee.  It honestly tastes better than coffee in a paper cup and croissant on a paper plate.  I make it a special occasion to enjoy my meals.  Will I gladly eat Chinese food out of those box containers... heck yeah! I can do a picnic with wax paper wrapped sandwiches, etc... I do have a special picnic basket though... anyone remember those?  

My mom did teach me many things over the years.  One thing was to NOT WAIT FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION to use that china, wear that special piece of jewelry, etc...  I can't tell you the last time I went to a really special occasion that would warrant wearing a special piece of jewelry.  Life situations change.   Make every day special. Even when I write my travel journals, I wear a nice sweater. Sounds crazy,  but it is respect for me! I set out a pot of tea (puts me right in the "feel good mood" -hot tea does that for my soul).  It makes me feel great, so I honestly take my time,  write neatly and think about what I am writing.  The journal notes I wrote on my trip were written in a quick manner (because 10 seconds waiting for a train, last minute notes at a kiosk, etc...), not very neat, and were just a quick mention of things to remind me of the entire story they would produce when I really had the time to write.  It takes time for me to write... travel, fun, tired at end of day, just made time for quick notes.  I even made journals with my photos so they would be even more special.

A photo of me enjoying one of many pots of tea at Cosi Posi in Aix-en-Provence.  This is me... totally at peace, loving every minute of my travel adventure...and now planning even more.

 

All of that being said, I would also like to add that on some days there is nothing more cozy than that comfy sweatshirt, delivery pizza from the box, and that favorite Netflix show.  I'll save that for another day!