tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11921662193179227322024-02-19T11:28:02.306+01:00GillianasanaGastronomy with a G!Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-78104150648890618462011-01-12T05:45:00.000+01:002011-01-12T05:45:20.026+01:00Don't Panic.<div style="text-align: center;">No, really, don't.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm not going anywhere.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, ok, I am actually going somewhere. Here: <a href="http://whenbreadisbroken.wordpress.com/">http://whenbreadisbroken.wordpress.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Yes, that's right, a new blog. It was time. But don't worry, all the posts on here you can also find on the new site, and of course, this page isn't going anywhere either. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year, and as always,</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-84928062479506260732010-12-30T05:20:00.000+01:002010-12-30T05:20:59.796+01:00All in the Family<div style="text-align: center;">***Author's Note: This post is about 3 days overdue because the internet and blizzards don't get along. At all.***<br />
<br />
I mentioned that I made my brother Sticky Toffee Pudding for his birthday. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Well, my dad's birthday is actually in the month of December, and so I made him a cheesecake. Boys are darn hard to shop for, so I go with the "the way to his heart his through his stomach" adage for gift inspiration. It has never been received with disappointment.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> He's not big on sweets but he loooves cheesecake, and so I dug up my grandmother (his mother)'s recipe and got to work, almost the minute I walked off the plane!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx86yZ3QgyQkUja2KeU8QhOhSBHRdWkFx6envuSbUaMDic-fakyKz22ZpRc7DuUgQeF5meQ9NpDvSy93KJF1OEfvZHZAO2lPTaPRT7klshPdAZqTwKkMqt6umFCPIwvI6z16xOibvfXqs/s1600/dad%2527s+bday+cheesecake+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsx86yZ3QgyQkUja2KeU8QhOhSBHRdWkFx6envuSbUaMDic-fakyKz22ZpRc7DuUgQeF5meQ9NpDvSy93KJF1OEfvZHZAO2lPTaPRT7klshPdAZqTwKkMqt6umFCPIwvI6z16xOibvfXqs/s320/dad%2527s+bday+cheesecake+%25282%2529.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Not perfectly pretty, but damn was it good - and I am not a big fan of cheesecake! It was "iced" with a little nutella, microwaved to make it a little liquidy and scooped into a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off for perfect makeshift frosting purposes. This was the French style - about half as high as New York cheesecake, less cakey, and topped with a sour cream + sugar topping. I made a gingersnap crust instead of graham cracker, just for something different, and I highly recommend it! Dad had it for breakfast. Twice.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Yes, it is my grandmother's recipe, but I don't believe in withholding recipes because of family tradition or anything. The holidays are a time for sharing, after all!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">For the crust:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">8 oz gingersnaps</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">2 T sugar</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">1/2 stick (4 T) butter</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">sprinkle of cinnamon</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Put the cookies between two sheets of wax paper (or use a fancy schmancy pulverizer) and a rolling pin to crush the snaps into crumbs. It's fine if there is some irregularity in the size of the crumbs and a couple bigger pieces here and there - just makes it rustic ;)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Melt the butter and mix it in with the crumbs, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon if you like.<br />
Press the mixture into the bottom of a springform pie pan and set aside. (The crust is only on the bottom - not the sides.)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">For the cake:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">2 eggs</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">1/2 c. sugar</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">3/4 lb (12 oz) cream cheese</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Beat the eggs and sugar. Add in the vanilla and cream cheese and beat 'til smooth.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Pour over the crust and sprinkle with cinnamon.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Bake for 20 minutes at 375 F. Let cool.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">For the topping:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">3/4 pint (12 oz, about a cup and a half) sour cream</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">2 T sugar</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Beat all ingredients til smooth. Pour over the cooled pie. Bake at 450 F for 5 minutes. Chill very well before serving (several hours and overnight would be best).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">In any recipe I use ever, when I see vanilla, I usually double it. I swear it makes it 10 times better. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Alas, with great recipes comes great responsibility. So for the love of all things sweet and creamy, <b>do not</b> use lower fat cream cheese or sour cream. Just don't. Promise me.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-68871336355624284202010-12-27T07:26:00.000+01:002010-12-27T07:26:45.824+01:00A Backwards Christmas<div style="text-align: center;">Christmas is my favorite holiday ever. I even like it better than my birthday - and don't worry, I will get to that too.<br />
<br />
But first - can we just <i>talk</i> about the blizzard that is currently covering every inch of Massachusetts?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0YbI_mmNuFNPxL0HGYnjizqQ0IiXFlZz9DSbPahu6v9ilJGDcB5gIXBbAMsH5AK1ll6Gmv1Na8i-YzcluR3s8G4o0_Vh7hyphenhyphen7fhMKAaAlI0W4MFB_MoJZIMhKn3NchW5vvjor2zHjzztp/s1600/blizzard+10+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0YbI_mmNuFNPxL0HGYnjizqQ0IiXFlZz9DSbPahu6v9ilJGDcB5gIXBbAMsH5AK1ll6Gmv1Na8i-YzcluR3s8G4o0_Vh7hyphenhyphen7fhMKAaAlI0W4MFB_MoJZIMhKn3NchW5vvjor2zHjzztp/s320/blizzard+10+%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTGmYkdiGxX3yVvz2iFEUZ_FsY6Sq2bfG6S1ceGeJXPVUGXQZy5WGjbyP4Y8uwhhOrbxHNa0x1sUdQyPyOQqKJSExmMjsLTecu7gHBW8wFHXkzsggSZftDmgfXIURUKRV44qw1dK9OJeL/s1600/blizzard+10+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTGmYkdiGxX3yVvz2iFEUZ_FsY6Sq2bfG6S1ceGeJXPVUGXQZy5WGjbyP4Y8uwhhOrbxHNa0x1sUdQyPyOQqKJSExmMjsLTecu7gHBW8wFHXkzsggSZftDmgfXIURUKRV44qw1dK9OJeL/s320/blizzard+10+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZPCibVRQDEh0G-Kz9OCBQ1pUDt-4az5nxjwCuS7DXiASc8pw3M5Vp5MOSDzeUEG8zPShfuSR7xZn5u2sytySaYwnKoMrib5u7yWROz6BoQaXd9Q6MsAn289ppSIdjDqwISWuREUL8TJ9/s1600/blizzard+10+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZPCibVRQDEh0G-Kz9OCBQ1pUDt-4az5nxjwCuS7DXiASc8pw3M5Vp5MOSDzeUEG8zPShfuSR7xZn5u2sytySaYwnKoMrib5u7yWROz6BoQaXd9Q6MsAn289ppSIdjDqwISWuREUL8TJ9/s320/blizzard+10+%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The dog loves it...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYwLB9QDo1RoIAEIVmG533zDqu2m0TssrHCJAVV-myNQtFsXt5vyQiysgsLr17BNjU0LLWUQM1pk8eNb29W628Ml8f101-21ajbJKPt7mNY5fV7k3mr1o51gu9ZO8zw-rNY99mn3DcHVx/s1600/snowbeast+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYwLB9QDo1RoIAEIVmG533zDqu2m0TssrHCJAVV-myNQtFsXt5vyQiysgsLr17BNjU0LLWUQM1pk8eNb29W628Ml8f101-21ajbJKPt7mNY5fV7k3mr1o51gu9ZO8zw-rNY99mn3DcHVx/s320/snowbeast+%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkk0bS_RbX6fycK36n27qLEUvfHVVjo-qbnLLVIw5pMdKMESvsDQZwkTYSVAl4kgoUyC2H6t5-rKfU8BheeqN3S7sSQ47QxuwRlvxtsWwKYfQ_GMxh4cJPHM8p7p5gozIbSWg3wsy60Pt/s1600/snowbeast+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkk0bS_RbX6fycK36n27qLEUvfHVVjo-qbnLLVIw5pMdKMESvsDQZwkTYSVAl4kgoUyC2H6t5-rKfU8BheeqN3S7sSQ47QxuwRlvxtsWwKYfQ_GMxh4cJPHM8p7p5gozIbSWg3wsy60Pt/s320/snowbeast+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> ...even though she comes in every time shivering.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFgCWbcg67Rwz-1afHFZBhnecsRCIiijpyKx0zhgLYbm-m_7sFsVUet84yR-XrcZj9BV1GL-J0yFJlfgbCsw4ai-ZJgfSfFOmOpwP_7hotEjC3WeDHywZeIA-6lAmk111nUsKmXyvKg7h/s1600/snowbeast+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFgCWbcg67Rwz-1afHFZBhnecsRCIiijpyKx0zhgLYbm-m_7sFsVUet84yR-XrcZj9BV1GL-J0yFJlfgbCsw4ai-ZJgfSfFOmOpwP_7hotEjC3WeDHywZeIA-6lAmk111nUsKmXyvKg7h/s320/snowbeast+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She loves when I wrap her up in a towel <i>almost</i> as much as when I take her picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*coughNOTcoughwoofwoof*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP-rVnAHw2dtK14LU9GqrcmThmeCSSNPvOgV_WWzabkY_i0w8dSEOTLReMRYZCw2gi8SJenFTOe-aSAEcUy5Rx5pFXlO8Mjs2Z7ikWYpEU0XCdlF5PHRDh6mb_CrTRPmylMZJ3zwhogxr/s1600/our+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP-rVnAHw2dtK14LU9GqrcmThmeCSSNPvOgV_WWzabkY_i0w8dSEOTLReMRYZCw2gi8SJenFTOe-aSAEcUy5Rx5pFXlO8Mjs2Z7ikWYpEU0XCdlF5PHRDh6mb_CrTRPmylMZJ3zwhogxr/s320/our+tree.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> Our perty tree. (The bottom half of the lights just fizzled out...but you don't notice that at all. Not at all.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4KSkdazCJ0e2uBeBBQc1BGWuzeJFyWDYkLFvCe9_MKB5ipEOh6SfVi3iN9Pp2127FkTlEeEAqzemCtP_BxEMoicFpTimIrY1rEn9tPOb9gz2mi6H0-01DOn8ZHXsvbcv8iTsZRV03M_N/s1600/tree+shots+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4KSkdazCJ0e2uBeBBQc1BGWuzeJFyWDYkLFvCe9_MKB5ipEOh6SfVi3iN9Pp2127FkTlEeEAqzemCtP_BxEMoicFpTimIrY1rEn9tPOb9gz2mi6H0-01DOn8ZHXsvbcv8iTsZRV03M_N/s320/tree+shots+%25287%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRZ_v7ZoDfIOYAp9IRLLUx3iIOMGYgcQ2eaTmHO59ZDpdDwTc32QmpT8mKNK9VbxK3QLiPypQbCoLRBJGjBa7FHDrhIUN8Js3WTPGPR6KwHgNRjMCHyF83n-ZObnbtjJt9t2Pr4HaJoua/s1600/tree+shots+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRZ_v7ZoDfIOYAp9IRLLUx3iIOMGYgcQ2eaTmHO59ZDpdDwTc32QmpT8mKNK9VbxK3QLiPypQbCoLRBJGjBa7FHDrhIUN8Js3WTPGPR6KwHgNRjMCHyF83n-ZObnbtjJt9t2Pr4HaJoua/s320/tree+shots+%25289%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Christmas morning was filled with presents, hiding from my dad's video camera, and monkey bread made with extra dough my mom used to make her grandmother's yeast rolls the night before.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6mPFFTUyP0RJaftcYIMUw0uboAw2XqhKLJEDGOYSzwrSQHvLIXmq1rbgGniSTtVQmn8YFDacNA4gyF46Sj60dyrtp1cbuqWwxHs_f6e9UIDc4W0wtLbNy_n0sJdouA-2KWu5GtCBbUmY/s1600/xmas+am+monkey+bread+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6mPFFTUyP0RJaftcYIMUw0uboAw2XqhKLJEDGOYSzwrSQHvLIXmq1rbgGniSTtVQmn8YFDacNA4gyF46Sj60dyrtp1cbuqWwxHs_f6e9UIDc4W0wtLbNy_n0sJdouA-2KWu5GtCBbUmY/s320/xmas+am+monkey+bread+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwcG509We3Ur9z8kFYowH2WSyE99m9plSrfOik5WFxufIKCkCuqcqrrvGt98wzTZBmN2F7hQFAA9hZW-D3VHAQ0Z8fl3jtZkbsMzqdZSCg0pftjQcYwVsll2lYMQaG-FeW3OnvqbLhw0A/s1600/xmas+am+monkey+bread+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwcG509We3Ur9z8kFYowH2WSyE99m9plSrfOik5WFxufIKCkCuqcqrrvGt98wzTZBmN2F7hQFAA9hZW-D3VHAQ0Z8fl3jtZkbsMzqdZSCg0pftjQcYwVsll2lYMQaG-FeW3OnvqbLhw0A/s320/xmas+am+monkey+bread+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cinnamon-sugary, doughy goodness! The phrase "melt in your mouth" came to mind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After presents and general Christmas lazing, my parents, brother and I set out in our three-year-old Christmas day tradition: we go to a movie and have an early dinner at Legal Seafoods. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This year, we saw <i>The King's Speech</i>. MAN, it was good. It was wonderfully well acted and I fell in love with Colin Firth for the 12387654th time. <i>Oh Mr. Dahcy!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We like going to the Park Plaza Legal's in downtown Boston for the ambience. I pretty much just go for the rolls. They have wonderful fish, of course, and the restaurant's been a favorite of mine for....um, pretty much as long as remember. I was the six-year-old who drooled over lobster and shrimp cocktail - clearly, I've always had impeccable taste ;) Unfortunately, the menu seemed more boring than usual - they must have changed chefs recently. It really wasn't a problem for me; I barely slept the night before and was still suffering from a food hangover, so I just got an appetizer and stole bites from my generous fam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Continuing the holiday journey backwards, Christmas Eve is probably my favorite day of the year. Good moods are in abundance, and I get to bake my happy little hands off! My mom has always hosted a party on Christmas Eve and we have a Honey-Baked Ham, her sweet potatoes (the droolworthiness of which was previously discussed <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/12/blogs-first-thanksgiving.html">here</a>), and the party-goers bring their favorites. This year the spread involved baked beans, hot chicken salad, scalloped potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts (one of my faves!), and green beans. Unfortunately, no pictures are to be had...because I was a little distracted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiue-8of_dLJXTa7yIW86AFsdBsesCI_QpQZsWNVGiyDysqU74C6WhQQ214UP94SZIXbAqIsCZvqty8x_cWRTbCEvpf6nr9wu4RniOvPIlLGt81D0lKudqs52mOPSTmRFpeB7pgxj4rwO0r/s1600/pumpkin-gingerbread+trifle+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiue-8of_dLJXTa7yIW86AFsdBsesCI_QpQZsWNVGiyDysqU74C6WhQQ214UP94SZIXbAqIsCZvqty8x_cWRTbCEvpf6nr9wu4RniOvPIlLGt81D0lKudqs52mOPSTmRFpeB7pgxj4rwO0r/s320/pumpkin-gingerbread+trifle+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIatDGvU-gxTae64n38C2dZXuRdL-bZuNWSPtme9xOee5YKiivsSZ-8_76lS6bN3SD8tQI78D920a6R2JRiTTSZZFAn_I6LyAluaxrb65-rmXaC5rx8Bgt6oI_huNKLt4CAycFPlIrill3/s1600/pumpkin-gingerbread+trifle+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIatDGvU-gxTae64n38C2dZXuRdL-bZuNWSPtme9xOee5YKiivsSZ-8_76lS6bN3SD8tQI78D920a6R2JRiTTSZZFAn_I6LyAluaxrb65-rmXaC5rx8Bgt6oI_huNKLt4CAycFPlIrill3/s320/pumpkin-gingerbread+trifle+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintY3dUiRB4LT-UP7lSBlC4-bgLqg4qOAauuyGHFyvqMlUSPbuwiZZEHduyLa7SxbsXC93YPiC2cuQxk1SXgi7o7wE6MhGFJfSt5lkXuNS_mVgKhqTWvHMa3Uw0TYJzGabzCyNYRwAHxxI/s1600/pumpkin-gingerbread+trifle+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintY3dUiRB4LT-UP7lSBlC4-bgLqg4qOAauuyGHFyvqMlUSPbuwiZZEHduyLa7SxbsXC93YPiC2cuQxk1SXgi7o7wE6MhGFJfSt5lkXuNS_mVgKhqTWvHMa3Uw0TYJzGabzCyNYRwAHxxI/s320/pumpkin-gingerbread+trifle+%25284%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
And Sticky Toffee Pudding (so good, it has to be capitalized).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECRAyvKcj5BncaTSxbT554TY6TKyBIlfo-2R-uOpd0aJUwuk0zuFDRGPv_YU_cMEhUai8ZutAc8l2UQVGqjXZk55y8ACd3fmV0AGdPmj2QYY_tIqSqde-_Hz6julvE8qNz1gUU7X6nHh5/s1600/ernie%2527s+bday+sticky+toffee+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECRAyvKcj5BncaTSxbT554TY6TKyBIlfo-2R-uOpd0aJUwuk0zuFDRGPv_YU_cMEhUai8ZutAc8l2UQVGqjXZk55y8ACd3fmV0AGdPmj2QYY_tIqSqde-_Hz6julvE8qNz1gUU7X6nHh5/s320/ernie%2527s+bday+sticky+toffee+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk0pFBeFw5-azz67gTUfIYt9qMm6RbqmJg3fysa8K2yuowpAp9YtWSYeE_BKjCrO2h8tfGNNm0ey9Vq6HBUFelo71gmFjBeiSv7bN8A3DP45K77EshahpUrxQw0ZhstAF5AdhxHj0xs_k/s1600/ernie%2527s+bday+sticky+toffee+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKk0pFBeFw5-azz67gTUfIYt9qMm6RbqmJg3fysa8K2yuowpAp9YtWSYeE_BKjCrO2h8tfGNNm0ey9Vq6HBUFelo71gmFjBeiSv7bN8A3DP45K77EshahpUrxQw0ZhstAF5AdhxHj0xs_k/s320/ernie%2527s+bday+sticky+toffee+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Yes, I made both. From scratch. I baked for two days. And I was happy as could be.<br />
<br />
The trifle was something I had years ago at a friend's Thanksgiving and became obsessed. It is one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. I usually make the pumpkin mousse part with sugar-free, fat-free pudding mix and cool whip, and the gingerbread out of a box mix. But this year, I made it my mission to make my dessert as real-food-full as possible. It tastes better, costs less, and really is better for you.<br />
For the pumpkin mousse layer, I used <a href="http://www.katheats.com/finger-oatmeal/">Kath's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe</a>, just making the filling. It was perfectly spicy and thickened up beautifully overnight in the fridge. 2 things to keep in mind - 1) it is a good idea to make this well-beforehand, and 2) the mix will seem soupy before you add in the beaten egg whites, but don't fear! It will set!<br />
For the gingerbread, I used a recipe out of a (gasp!) Weight Watchers cookbook! [<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Watchers-Turnaround-Program-Cookbook/dp/B000KNNQS0">This one.</a>] They actually have some really good recipes, regardless of whether you are on the WW plan or not. Their turkey chili is to live for. And, the gingerbread recipe called for 6 tablespoons of real butter and all real food ingredients, so I wasn't worried. It was delicious!<br />
I did not, however, use real whipping cream. I really didn't want to use Cool Whip, because it does seem like a bunch of crap I really don't want in my body, but I still wanted to make the dish a little on the lighter side (sticky toffee pudding is, um, NOT), so I used <a href="http://www.truwhip.com/">truwhip</a>. It actually worked really well and tasted delicious and quite frankly, I really like how those whipped toppings taste - and I know I'm not alone!<br />
<br />
As for the Sticky Toffee Pudding, you may remember <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/10/productive.html">my first encounter with this dish</a> that redefines delectable? It was the restaurant that I am going to work at this summer just 3 minutes from my aunt & uncles' house in Georgia. It was a gooey, caramelly, thick plate of goodness, the likes of which my tastebuds had never before experienced. I decided right then and there that it would be the perfect birthday present for my brother. His birthday is in October and I am 1) never at home for it and 2) never sure what to get him, so I always bake him something, and this was definitely a good belated birthday present. The sauce, however, calls for 2 cups of heavy cream, and that was a bit much to keep just for the 4 of us alone, so the Christmas Eve dinner was the perfect occasion. It took most of a day to prepare, but damned if it wasn't worth it. And, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy spending most of my day toiling over a cake to be enjoyed by others. It's kind of my favorite thing to do. Ever.<br />
It's basically a super-moist cake made with dates and heavy on the molasses, which is then drenched in a bath of rich toffee and served very warm.<br />
<br />
Good as it sounds? Nope. <b>Better</b>.<br />
<br />
On with the rewinding!<br />
<br />
Wednesday night, the fam and I ventured into Boston to see an improv show - anyone familiar with Sassy Gay Friend? If you're not, you <i>really</i> should be. He is absolutely hilarious and I desperately want Saturday Night Live to create a sketch just for him. His <a href="http://www.youtube.com/show/sassygayfriend?pl=01F5F8A7DC2DDA80&ob=showav_n">YouTube videos</a> are addicting - you just never get sick of watching them! I have them memorized and I still crack up when I watch them. Anyway, the actor is a Boston native and was doing a live show at a small<a href="http://improvasylum.com/"> improv company</a> where he got his start (he's actually from my hometown - one of Dedham's finest!) The show made me cry with laughter multiple times, and I really wish he was <i>my</i> Sassy Gay Friend.<br />
<br />
The theatre is right in Boston's North End, which is our Little Italy. Italian restaurants (authentic ones - Olive Garden is a swear down there) line the streets from all sides, and you only have to choose one. That's actually more difficult than it sounds - eenie meenie miney moe would serve you well. We chose <a href="http://www.ristorantefiore.com/">Ristorante Fiore</a>, mostly because we were getting cold and hungry and it was on the same side of the street as the theatre. We didn't regret our choice.<br />
<br />
A really tasty bottle of wine was ordered (because I can drink in public now - amen!), although the olive oil didn't taste as "fresh off the boat" as I would have liked. I think Italy ruined olive oil here for me. Damn.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZS2eE2Uoxk9_kTEaMcZPhx6I2XShH1w3SSAgMdbdXgNqy8SfCcMwYY4keXSqoiKHoxpxMbWPzK75sTmsLPJLIqw-U2YJjDohD8cW0-LZwDq6gC8mA_qxbuBqhc65a9CwbGwDH2S5FiHB/s1600/ristorante+fiore+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZS2eE2Uoxk9_kTEaMcZPhx6I2XShH1w3SSAgMdbdXgNqy8SfCcMwYY4keXSqoiKHoxpxMbWPzK75sTmsLPJLIqw-U2YJjDohD8cW0-LZwDq6gC8mA_qxbuBqhc65a9CwbGwDH2S5FiHB/s320/ristorante+fiore+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I ordered the <i>bombolotti al forno</i>, which was housemade pasta (an absolute must - any Italian restaurant that doesn't make their own pasta should be embarassed, in my very snobby opinion) with a simple marinara sauce and housemade sausage topped with regiano and goat cheeses. Oh dear pasta gods.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhpA7_M6twb5HGi6NY2EcL2XTjRKLDQ12UcvuE0YqSZJGcMTpbL-c2Fl-xHE03evwcTnBD74Fq1SCTqqkEzK0wjUW71ctNXSpiMuKE7vxS6kqBf5MghvCuAceM8e24k7JkSGpUXTF81T3/s1600/rist.+fiore+bombolotti+al+forno+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhpA7_M6twb5HGi6NY2EcL2XTjRKLDQ12UcvuE0YqSZJGcMTpbL-c2Fl-xHE03evwcTnBD74Fq1SCTqqkEzK0wjUW71ctNXSpiMuKE7vxS6kqBf5MghvCuAceM8e24k7JkSGpUXTF81T3/s320/rist.+fiore+bombolotti+al+forno+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHl1grVc_i5csV6iei6elVXkuci2qevssYA3pOrfPJSuaDagmW9hZxK2RvCPBMDe6okqyf56fNX_QaZc9X2eLZ0z3-xQabewptqRkO4WI8kZvT-kFoa6lckXezUxrz6dHi3uuwPh8SFj1g/s1600/rist.+fiore+bombolotti+al+forno+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHl1grVc_i5csV6iei6elVXkuci2qevssYA3pOrfPJSuaDagmW9hZxK2RvCPBMDe6okqyf56fNX_QaZc9X2eLZ0z3-xQabewptqRkO4WI8kZvT-kFoa6lckXezUxrz6dHi3uuwPh8SFj1g/s320/rist.+fiore+bombolotti+al+forno+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The goat cheese just put this over the edge of delirious deliciousness. I actually asked if I could have it without the sausage, mostly because I just can't eat much meat anymore and it doesn't appeal to me much - but the waiter was mildly horrified and convinced me. I was happy he did; it added a ton of flavor and had the perfect sausage texture - tender and juuust crumbly enough with a slight kick of spice. I was so distracted by the wonderful homemade pasta that I didn't think to take a picture of it, which I regretted sorely after I realized it, because it was beautiful! <i>Bombolotti</i> is very, very wide and thick tubes of pasta but this restaurant made several little tubes inside each piece - it kind of looks like the wheel-shaped pasta before it's cut into individual wheels. A wheel log, if you will. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That probably makes no sense, so obviously you must go as soon as possible and try it for yourself. Hanover Street, on the left side. Trust me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What is it about homemade pasta? I hate to say it, but I think it's just something you have to experience. It has a different density, a different mouthfeel...it's just so much more <b>satisfying</b>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anyway, where was I? Pasta gets me so very sidetracked. Oh yes, the Christmas break rewind. Well, I flew from Atlanta to home on Saturday, cutting my Christmas vacation at home to a mere 2 weeks instead of a blissful 3. But there is a method to my madness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That restaurant that I mentioned I will be working at this summer? Well, it's more of an internship than work. To attend the CIA, I have to have 6 months of hands-on food prep experience - read:I have to chop vegetables for 12-15 hours a week. Which I am totally fine with - the trick was finding a place that would have me! I found my "in" at this restaurant that is a couple miles down the road from my aunt & uncle's house in Lilburn, Georgia called <a href="http://tbmrestaurant.com/">Three Blind Mice</a>. It's a really cool restaurant and the chef is super nice and was very accommodating for my situation - and every one on the kitchen is very supportive of my goal o be a food writer! I'm always a little apprehensive to tell chefs that I want to be a food writer; I expect the "oh, so you want to tell me what's bad about my food for a living?" response. Thankfully, food writing is really becoming an established literary genre and the immediate thought was that I would write a book - that's more than a career goal, that's kind of a life dream of mine. But they made it sound a lot more possible than I believe[d] it to be, so yay!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, last week I worked a 9-hour and 7-hour shift, two days in a row, followed by a 4-hour shift (Thursday was totally dead for the dinner hour and I was pretty much useless). I peeled and deveined shrimp for 2 hours straight. I took over the salad station. I made enough hummus to fill the biggest stainless steel bowl I have ever laid eyes on. Oh, and I learned how to use the torch that caramelizes the sugar on creme brulees. That was pretty cool. And I learned all that after just 3 days - get excited for this summer, when I will impart all my new knowledge to y'all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[And I do expect to have enough material for a book after this summer. I've started taking notes. Definitely have a good cast of characters.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before that was finals and the presentation of my <b>senior thesis</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i>You know, the 20-page paper that determined whether or not I would graduate with the degree I've spent the past 3 years of my life working for? Yeah, that one. It owned my soul for the past 3 months. It felt like I gave birth to a child when the last copy was printed. But, it also kicked ass and I am now the proud owner of an intense amount of knowledge surrounding food writing and food in World War II America. If I ever got to write a longer thesis or a research book, I would totally devote it to examining how food in the 1940s helped shape American cuisine & food attitudes as they are today. It's completely fascinating.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In fact, I actually enjoyed the research involved. Even though at one point I had over 30 post-it notes covering my desk and over 30 (yes, <b>30</b>) library books on food covering my floor, printer top and window sill. It was so interesting, and it let me learn all there is to know about M.F.K. Fisher, the woman who basically founded American food writing as a genre. But she is more than a food writer - and you don't have to subscribe to Bon Appetit or have an entire bookcase of cookbooks or even watch Paula Deen to fall in love with her writing. Her books apply to everyone. If you are in need of a New Year's resolution, let me help you: read <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Eating-M-F-Fisher/dp/0764542613/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293428921&sr=8-1">The Art of Eating</a></i>. At the very least, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gastronomical-Me-M-F-Fisher/dp/0865473927/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1293428940&sr=1-1">The Gastronomical Me</a></i>. If she doesn't capture your heart, she will at least arouse your tastebuds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And the week before that...I turned 21! I would say that all the responsibility and freedom that comes with being able to drink makes me feel different, but....um, I kind of spent the first half on my 20th year in Italy, going to wine tastings and aperitivo. But, I do not drink to get drunk, because I think that's stupid and disrespectful to the drink - especially with wine, it's someone's career to craft every ounce that goes into that bottle. It's not made to be chugged, thankyouverymuch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, off my soapbox.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, that's my recap for the month. Miss me?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I know I was a bad, bad blogger during this semester. But please understand, I took 5 classes - 3 literature classes, 1 senior thesis, and chemistry - and balanced [barely] 4 jobs on the side (I <a href="http://blogs.converse.edu/gillian/">blog for my school</a>, I do some study abroad work for my awesome study abroad company, <a href="http://www.apistudyabroad.com/">API</a>, I work at the Writing Center on campus, and I'm the Italian tutor). It might sound like I'm blowing my own horn...and, well, I kind of am. I'm actually a little proud that I made it through in one piece, with all limbs and GPA in tact. But, I am definitely <b>not</b> proud of the neglect this blog felt, and hope to remedy that immediately and into the new year. I will be moving into the senior apartments for the Spring semester which means that I will actually HAVE A KITCHEN! It is very difficult to put my excitement about that into words - but I promise to try. I also don't have classes on Monday or Friday, which is a first (and last!) for me. I really feel like I've lost my blogging mojo, and have every intention of getting it back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That said, I will return tomorrow with a super easy and tasty one-pot, quick and warming dinner for all of my fellow blizzard shit-ins!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div></div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-72276679993358705582010-12-14T00:49:00.000+01:002010-12-14T00:49:24.611+01:00Blog's First Thanksgiving<div style="text-align: center;">*knockknockknock*</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Did you hear that?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">*KNOCKknockKNOCK*</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What <b><i>is that????</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTgZHq_bFkIEJTt3Oizm2LPJ9Aws0lhQVRP7znWJETI0Jt72ohXiYJB9_JvXlVUIMEVZIeQFkMts9NTjpp269BxHAF_4x_uxBtWhsWyN5ueOnFM9OTeRSRbJwGz7x3nrRy_E9saMP5f7N/s1600/Lulu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTgZHq_bFkIEJTt3Oizm2LPJ9Aws0lhQVRP7znWJETI0Jt72ohXiYJB9_JvXlVUIMEVZIeQFkMts9NTjpp269BxHAF_4x_uxBtWhsWyN5ueOnFM9OTeRSRbJwGz7x3nrRy_E9saMP5f7N/s320/Lulu.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Why, it's Lulu, begging me to use the photos of Thanksgiving she still has in a blog post!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sheesh. Even my camera gives me grief.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My blog's 1st Thanksgiving - this calls for celebration!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa47yH74rMo586c5ilgxyjlQ8YUL3xx2W5WMXwONvWu_PxMuDD85baUg59DrXF4m_2jKvCZ0NlcMCKJVbRT8UunjEYM9Fo_NiVFl66IGc-6zULFPa2p6H6juRFEHVAo7MxNx8j7oUbRL-/s1600/T-day+tavola.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa47yH74rMo586c5ilgxyjlQ8YUL3xx2W5WMXwONvWu_PxMuDD85baUg59DrXF4m_2jKvCZ0NlcMCKJVbRT8UunjEYM9Fo_NiVFl66IGc-6zULFPa2p6H6juRFEHVAo7MxNx8j7oUbRL-/s320/T-day+tavola.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And hors d'ouvres, of course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had a very small gathering, which was really really nice - made for a very fun and relaxed holiday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They brought crostini (in my honor :), which is just good toasted bread with a topping.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIjvyZlIB6MsGaTeQ2ceC1AUl1Gu8qpUlkQqaXrUjjdRm_ru7cAoSiNYK2CusKOFNn26036Xce4TA-DKTlFGHUkomPcyry4wm36DFaKowTXfs2b-Xwkc3LINjj36GU-loD0jerafNqhue/s1600/crostini+con+ricotta+delle+herbe+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIjvyZlIB6MsGaTeQ2ceC1AUl1Gu8qpUlkQqaXrUjjdRm_ru7cAoSiNYK2CusKOFNn26036Xce4TA-DKTlFGHUkomPcyry4wm36DFaKowTXfs2b-Xwkc3LINjj36GU-loD0jerafNqhue/s320/crostini+con+ricotta+delle+herbe+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They made an herbed ricotta to go with!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8skmuf8_6-ost3pRzsZ_G3sRkiHQ2pufc-xcDkHlCj83mwldgQyhAHntG1EzKcue9jyA5l1W18nYIbDo6STX7gTCAJWDhXe_dwCOcY9drOfnfEg4866AHmtmZ0RRDouicWeTxVKfK1Cg/s1600/ricotta+delle+herbe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8skmuf8_6-ost3pRzsZ_G3sRkiHQ2pufc-xcDkHlCj83mwldgQyhAHntG1EzKcue9jyA5l1W18nYIbDo6STX7gTCAJWDhXe_dwCOcY9drOfnfEg4866AHmtmZ0RRDouicWeTxVKfK1Cg/s320/ricotta+delle+herbe.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy5oEUS5JP1kbMB0yTjUf8pa8xVU5kVzXXFIJ4cszxLOLzOn6bqEOL280O8C89v_nzMvGHggTxbTajry_C_KJ2SqLIpYZp39gmG6i8BE_EE6YAKrPHU2fSlxLdBOD6yvlkmcsPMKjqvM0/s1600/crostini+con+ricotta+delle+herbe+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIy5oEUS5JP1kbMB0yTjUf8pa8xVU5kVzXXFIJ4cszxLOLzOn6bqEOL280O8C89v_nzMvGHggTxbTajry_C_KJ2SqLIpYZp39gmG6i8BE_EE6YAKrPHU2fSlxLdBOD6yvlkmcsPMKjqvM0/s320/crostini+con+ricotta+delle+herbe+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> It had scallions, dill, and other herby goodness. I had to remind myself not to eat to much before the main event - but it was hard!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf5exbgmV10RNdXmsHZsjtpoBqY-fr8ZIVPBKKqfvcW76KyNJjtnh5EaQwWzkSnvpFvPX3Bz_nK_tq3TA9Po5tng0_72WNv62V3WCFKhH01Hsz6AewadKR3tl7Fx14bSvq6lZEwYNziZn/s1600/maple+orange+spiced+nuts+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf5exbgmV10RNdXmsHZsjtpoBqY-fr8ZIVPBKKqfvcW76KyNJjtnh5EaQwWzkSnvpFvPX3Bz_nK_tq3TA9Po5tng0_72WNv62V3WCFKhH01Hsz6AewadKR3tl7Fx14bSvq6lZEwYNziZn/s320/maple+orange+spiced+nuts+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> They also brought these <i>amazing</i> spiced nuts - recipe to come! I know there was orange juice and maple syrup involved. They totally had that sweet-salty-crunchy thing going on. I was very happy to see these leftover the next day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">While the master carver was at his station...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQENtiTbz4bIUnzIwQCNBnmqS_MBJlAIqIwKEcZjB_WefiZM5x9ziAUYMdU8uS4TDnFVFNGe4-wJ09y-dKLIOll3mhVqTSLHllTmUOtvIXyNyl6LdZRe6E10JIi0fkuB38WXbZowdBhnMf/s1600/master+carver.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQENtiTbz4bIUnzIwQCNBnmqS_MBJlAIqIwKEcZjB_WefiZM5x9ziAUYMdU8uS4TDnFVFNGe4-wJ09y-dKLIOll3mhVqTSLHllTmUOtvIXyNyl6LdZRe6E10JIi0fkuB38WXbZowdBhnMf/s320/master+carver.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">with the ever-faithful turkey lurker never far from the action...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9ZW1HObefu3FxgFFbxx1cm2hgvghprI0N2DlBw2wT-RBmz94_OKCthrKffRMC9YX2j7sL-ePlNVPNtaVrV6h21uglfVG0MrzBQ8F9c6zIBuLw4hE8-zTMRfuT0udqk8m-kd7TZrr88By/s1600/turkey+lurker+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9ZW1HObefu3FxgFFbxx1cm2hgvghprI0N2DlBw2wT-RBmz94_OKCthrKffRMC9YX2j7sL-ePlNVPNtaVrV6h21uglfVG0MrzBQ8F9c6zIBuLw4hE8-zTMRfuT0udqk8m-kd7TZrr88By/s320/turkey+lurker+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihi3bUgymtYNVwv7_24G6-atRRhAlS7pe-uqXU2CngrpbP93hduEkStquQPskQj43U6GhNX15E3kMbe0b_3Gn_j_Sjb1nFRNWLzpbOgBCdzCAtRx3ITQJ0AUC60-MrwjwJXpchyHejauFR/s1600/turkey+lurker+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihi3bUgymtYNVwv7_24G6-atRRhAlS7pe-uqXU2CngrpbP93hduEkStquQPskQj43U6GhNX15E3kMbe0b_3Gn_j_Sjb1nFRNWLzpbOgBCdzCAtRx3ITQJ0AUC60-MrwjwJXpchyHejauFR/s320/turkey+lurker+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">*must. get. turkey.*</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...we brought out the side dishes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV_D0PyQkRyf6jz4_hm-SenABzi_fYwTIYPTd-HDQg66Km57077MlXhSl3i0qZX6Tv0A-7wS-f-Ch-ArwCtUNuUPHjhwgdH_GzOpPghzJNjRMON237yNpe2-04dAuwK_jR244Jr0TfhqB/s1600/tday+greenery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV_D0PyQkRyf6jz4_hm-SenABzi_fYwTIYPTd-HDQg66Km57077MlXhSl3i0qZX6Tv0A-7wS-f-Ch-ArwCtUNuUPHjhwgdH_GzOpPghzJNjRMON237yNpe2-04dAuwK_jR244Jr0TfhqB/s320/tday+greenery.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Some holiday greenery, simply steamed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooOVaxy76WYkgOok7vJsGZlSPGUs1CLpcFTK4qKJ_oJInRvwYnh-3BI7I7aUZ502FF3ekWcHKTVa1shw4EvH8W99YRIkDFBQY19Fl8i0X2QUOozCxUBLgIm3Gj-7JSxqep5FCjVzE6xxh/s1600/spoonbread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooOVaxy76WYkgOok7vJsGZlSPGUs1CLpcFTK4qKJ_oJInRvwYnh-3BI7I7aUZ502FF3ekWcHKTVa1shw4EvH8W99YRIkDFBQY19Fl8i0X2QUOozCxUBLgIm3Gj-7JSxqep5FCjVzE6xxh/s320/spoonbread.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mom's spoonbread.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It's basically a cornbread souffle, and tasted like....um, cornbread! I really liked it, and Mom hadn't made it for Thanksgiving before. A welcome addition!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz41UpHZn8N3UPYNhGwJVgJ1KPfgNnBMQssR4SbHAGA4z5b-8saD-ivqZaIP3vH0K3MGplTJhICF7XvTSNqAloF8qeabHriCqCDREFIDIVcNJvmtFnFzIO__aXTxnQn2DWgk8MzXsp6TuT/s1600/the+classic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz41UpHZn8N3UPYNhGwJVgJ1KPfgNnBMQssR4SbHAGA4z5b-8saD-ivqZaIP3vH0K3MGplTJhICF7XvTSNqAloF8qeabHriCqCDREFIDIVcNJvmtFnFzIO__aXTxnQn2DWgk8MzXsp6TuT/s320/the+classic.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You know that dish that is <i style="font-weight: bold;">so darn good</i> that you wait all year long for, but know better than to request it earlier in the year because then it would lose some specialness? That is my mother's sweet potatoes for me. I don't remember a single year I haven't had them and loved every buttery, brown-sugary bite. She always makes one section without nuts for my brother and I - but in the last few years, I've come around to the bourbon-praline-pecan topping too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's even better than it sounds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[There were also mashed potatoes that apparently went unphotographed. The sweet potatoes usually distract me. You understand.]</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">And finally, the bird was ready.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5iX7TBqB-dkqnVFyVRNwG-lYkuxNNwz52teNSb7hgYm0Mm6A8OCxwW5RMuIcXZnW9PcUWObq42GbB3U1rcey24uiyZnXs8JZ_R0zB1scG_SMSUbBEfDYNakcqza0yaNj-ssCiP6E0UXV/s1600/the+boid+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5iX7TBqB-dkqnVFyVRNwG-lYkuxNNwz52teNSb7hgYm0Mm6A8OCxwW5RMuIcXZnW9PcUWObq42GbB3U1rcey24uiyZnXs8JZ_R0zB1scG_SMSUbBEfDYNakcqza0yaNj-ssCiP6E0UXV/s320/the+boid+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And so was my stomach! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The evening was capped off with a classic:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA9eAhpoWKVBHT_IJyZSKiVQbcBozhTP8Tj2keyOVIH_HM65s_bF_Sp9iQxuzea01LJfCW3t4Mwdex8KsGleFmkb2NSSQ99eQnm4FbLHq7inUg0qwwVghZHYS8xq-bWGejoazwncHwNI8/s1600/homemade+pie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA9eAhpoWKVBHT_IJyZSKiVQbcBozhTP8Tj2keyOVIH_HM65s_bF_Sp9iQxuzea01LJfCW3t4Mwdex8KsGleFmkb2NSSQ99eQnm4FbLHq7inUg0qwwVghZHYS8xq-bWGejoazwncHwNI8/s320/homemade+pie.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin pie, made from scratch. Oh yes, I was one happy foodie.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm all for going all out and making crazy experimental dishes, but there is something to be said for sticking to tradition. And sweet potatoes. Man, those things are good.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I will return soon to celebrate vacation, sleep, the end of my ridiculous semester...and food, of course.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> In the spirit of this post, I wish you all happy holidays...and good digestion!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste!</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-37134664676831349992010-11-20T03:54:00.000+01:002010-11-20T03:54:33.853+01:00Product Review: Nature's Pride bread<div style="text-align: center;">As a member of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker program, I occasionally receive an offer to try new products and review them right here, on home sweet blog. I have two lovely loafs just begging to be written about from Nature's Pride Oven Classics line of sliced bread - Oatmeal, and Whole Wheat.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">You don't have to have read much of this blog to know that when it comes to bread, I am <s>obsessed</s> <s>addicted</s> a real enthusiast. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to try a brand I've never had before - let's see if there really is something better invented since sliced bread!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[Leave me and my insistence on using cheesy adages alone pleasekthanksbye.]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh bread. How I do love you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56MvQy2KLoQbUjKhS-jqWPZfFMZjgrsxF8SrgjuvTNTbnPD0eKyaG1dQc7VwQAZacloFFc4i1Iv741qPNl97XwPxbfohpFdciTt7YFDyb_O0Y9lL_mW0pQLjDQgWt044m1UZF_EL1EV4w/s1600/nanatoast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh56MvQy2KLoQbUjKhS-jqWPZfFMZjgrsxF8SrgjuvTNTbnPD0eKyaG1dQc7VwQAZacloFFc4i1Iv741qPNl97XwPxbfohpFdciTt7YFDyb_O0Y9lL_mW0pQLjDQgWt044m1UZF_EL1EV4w/s320/nanatoast.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Especially when covered in dark chocolate almond butter and smashed banana.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
But this post is not about toppings - let's face it, what are nut butters for without a vehicle upon which to put them?<br />
<br />
Enter: bread.<br />
This bread.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaT97Jiqd7mmXQ5bHISyxKu5JGJNRZKLfp7bmAJBpGIkgw-QZg7rbmMtypq0hk0bUfc_8rF4C3SYbsJoDQ-goraSfhQ5wCdgECS0-94lgup_3m39Q58Z9Plz9v7jC-3bIhTuGdVriD88v/s1600/NaturesPride+to+review.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaT97Jiqd7mmXQ5bHISyxKu5JGJNRZKLfp7bmAJBpGIkgw-QZg7rbmMtypq0hk0bUfc_8rF4C3SYbsJoDQ-goraSfhQ5wCdgECS0-94lgup_3m39Q58Z9Plz9v7jC-3bIhTuGdVriD88v/s320/NaturesPride+to+review.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nature's Pride Oven Classics</span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I tried the Oatmeal bread first, mostly because it was all white and fluffy and shares a name with one of my favorite breakfast foods ever.<br />
Appearances were not deceiving.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHWKStQjFHvRm4585MjEfDEmoOJofG9rmfNPvhKLvvv4_imwRXClZE85fCgrk84WNELp9dIoAzCEx6RPwliitXq4vVfp3APJUhI7j9VbpWuXLUWaOaN0-6AE5NnK2Ydm_OeqY6cVSitQ8/s1600/NaturesPride+OC+Oatmeal+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHWKStQjFHvRm4585MjEfDEmoOJofG9rmfNPvhKLvvv4_imwRXClZE85fCgrk84WNELp9dIoAzCEx6RPwliitXq4vVfp3APJUhI7j9VbpWuXLUWaOaN0-6AE5NnK2Ydm_OeqY6cVSitQ8/s320/NaturesPride+OC+Oatmeal+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dark chocolate almond butter (addict? who, me?) + raspberry jam.<br />
This combination might not have been as good, however, if not for the soft, honey-sweet bread beneath it. While I usually don't like white bread - the crust always tastes weird to me compared to the white part - this made a mean pb &j. And no high fructose corn syrup to boot? Win. <br />
<br />
I <i>really </i>liked the Whole Wheat. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_Qivv4-soUQx6fIGPd6Lst04ihhOFkM9MVFXP_QgOWxguTJ_DojW6LymM4xBGLY7WD4ire1O7NSZ_0zztJiWIr07slkai-jqg2R7bVgy-4UVSASX93cQeKGYmuttVNFrsgbE5BGkfedA/s1600/Nature%2527s+Pride+whole+wheat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_Qivv4-soUQx6fIGPd6Lst04ihhOFkM9MVFXP_QgOWxguTJ_DojW6LymM4xBGLY7WD4ire1O7NSZ_0zztJiWIr07slkai-jqg2R7bVgy-4UVSASX93cQeKGYmuttVNFrsgbE5BGkfedA/s320/Nature%2527s+Pride+whole+wheat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yes, that's right - enough to eat it plain. (So I eat plain bread. If that's weird, I don't wanna be normal.)<br />
It had that nostalgic, homey taste - like, "this is what mom packed in my lunch every day" homey. It really had a nice flavor, not just blah dry wheatness. Now, I have had plenty of other good-tasting wheat breads - they're kind of hard to avoid nowadays - but what I love about this is that it has no HFCS involved. Seriously, get your creepy overprocessed crap <b>out of my bread</b>. Major props to Nature's Pride for keepin' it real. Or natural, as it were.<br />
<br />
I will admit, I am not a huge fan of sliced bread. Tasty as it can be, it still has an overprocessed feel to it. Bread is so easy to make and it <i>always</i> tastes better when it's fresh and, um, not found in plastic bags. BUT - and that's a big but (teehee) - I am the first to recognize that not everyone, myself included, has the time/ability/patience/etc to make their own bread or buy the fresher stuff, and sliced bread is just so convenient. I love seeing products like Nature's Pride stuff that aims to keep it natural and without the preservatives, fillers, and words with more syllables than should be allowed in any language in the ingredient list. This is not just a crunchy-granola-head-organic-eating-locavore rant - this is based on my own experience. I not only enjoy bread more without all the icky stuff, but I <i>feel</i> better physically. And that's where I stand :)<br />
<br />
As much as I miss my dearly beloved bakery and constant access to fresh bread in Florence...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P5PjEfrAQvsC8dV7fFYg-9v3Hikv1Ps9hfG7VG7jhhCk1I_KQn7C9sN-Rmc_O0Mz5xX8f0n_Vs3Tv06pOfOByadA-7AIpcQBesWXenTPVyVl6UFv7KDuO-dN2SAcvovR0jP02ki6Nxzo/s1600/pane+al+soia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P5PjEfrAQvsC8dV7fFYg-9v3Hikv1Ps9hfG7VG7jhhCk1I_KQn7C9sN-Rmc_O0Mz5xX8f0n_Vs3Tv06pOfOByadA-7AIpcQBesWXenTPVyVl6UFv7KDuO-dN2SAcvovR0jP02ki6Nxzo/s320/pane+al+soia.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yum.</span><br />
....maybe that's a memory to keep in Florence. Corner bakeries aren't exactly a cornerstone of American culture, and I think that's an important thing to acknowledge. I talk a whole lot about how much I love & miss Italian culture and the lifestyle there, but I wouldn't necessarily want to impose that culture on my own country, which has its own interesting culture and foods and peoples. It's so easy to go abroad and look down on your own country for what they don't have - but for me, I've realized that there is no 'better' or 'worse', just different. <i>That's</i> why studying abroad is so important - you gain that respect and understanding not just for other cultures, but for your <i>own</i>. That's pretty important too.<br />
<br />
America, land of sliced bread? Well, yes. But we've got some darn good sliced bread.<br />
<br />
~Namaste~<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-41624500818972723602010-10-25T04:23:00.000+02:002010-10-25T04:23:20.310+02:00Productive<div style="text-align: center;">Wait...what could this be...an <b>update???? </b><i>Surely</i> thine eyes deceive!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Nope. I'm here, and [mostly] in one piece. What prompted a sudden revival of posting, you ask?...a weekend of blatant procrastination. I am none too proud of it, but the past 3 days have been painfully unproductive. And with 6 1/2 weeks still left in the semester, it's not making me happy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Today, however, for the <b>first</b> time in two months, I actually read blogs. I blew the dust off of my Google Reader and read. And I've decided, it was possibly one of the more productive things I've done yet during this <s>absolute hell </s>,ahem, <i>busy </i>semester.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As I'm sure any current college senior can attest, that ubiquitous question "so what are you doing next year?" is the hot topic of the moment. And I will say it is quite a relief to a) <b>know </b>the answer and b) be able to ignore the GRE-mania that has taken over my friends and fellow <s>tormented</s> classmates. But, I can't say I'm immune to my own self-questioning of <i>is this what I really want</i>. As I've been running around, making arrangements for gaining my 6 months of food prep experience required by <a href="http://www.ciachef.edu/">the CIA</a>, I can't help but hear that very teeny voice in my head saying "oh, but this could be BAD. WHAT do you think you're doing?" etc, etc - that same voice that held me back before Florence figuratively slapped me in the head.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.divinacucina-blog.com/">One of the blogs</a> I depended upon in Florence for restaurant recommendations had been left ignored, like all the others. I caught up on it today, and it all came hurtling back to me. Everything I learned - everything that Tuscany taught me - about food, and food as something inexplicably <i>more</i>, flooded my senses. Oh right - <i>this is why</i> I love it<i>, </i>why I want it. Duh.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHS5wZye4xkbyPA1lxvLlxjTClfQ7pTHdwJlO0QKsCFMmzYoPBcrbVdrldVkDwkDI0x9gE_OBZ47vRFbvu1WOnT0jG5LcypJ_yKPpAAq_MbcYa49HyDBo3hhWZAe9cS95D4Dfl230MuZe/s1600/fresh+fruit+at+MC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHS5wZye4xkbyPA1lxvLlxjTClfQ7pTHdwJlO0QKsCFMmzYoPBcrbVdrldVkDwkDI0x9gE_OBZ47vRFbvu1WOnT0jG5LcypJ_yKPpAAq_MbcYa49HyDBo3hhWZAe9cS95D4Dfl230MuZe/s320/fresh+fruit+at+MC.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxO0TZ4Wqt_6-19d1sp74H7gZrp8vK8lI9EgR6X8v2nhyphenhyphenY5dlMWd2XzZYQLLaNqBCZAR6IrHQnRoT3cZtaMqhuLLPugmwW3_srWCblUzVhBy9ErJZ2DiRAAIKAP7HOiC359jQpYoqNwcgJ/s1600/bologna+tortellino.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxO0TZ4Wqt_6-19d1sp74H7gZrp8vK8lI9EgR6X8v2nhyphenhyphenY5dlMWd2XzZYQLLaNqBCZAR6IrHQnRoT3cZtaMqhuLLPugmwW3_srWCblUzVhBy9ErJZ2DiRAAIKAP7HOiC359jQpYoqNwcgJ/s320/bologna+tortellino.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I really do miss those yellow apples.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">BUT, a number of other exciting things have happened in those few & far apart moments when I'm not metaphorically [usually] bound to my desk chair researching recipes from the 1940s. (My thesis and I....it's a love/hate relationship. Not sure if I'm the love or hate...but that's another post for another time.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fall Break was last weekend, and I spent it with my aunt & uncle in Georgia. Not only did I get to hang out with these adorable faces for 4 days:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxPidMxZUFjWcwczgTVWFZi2FtpeVrwTIQ-o8kK-Vf8mYflQ4z0etlMGvezoYAjhIlEioIDGJ-qAmDdDb5epmpoG30fY5Kl1Gv_5wcNlF0hYO4JixEBwpyPkHh8_6wsTuh2AiDBlFRct9/s1600/IMG_2279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxPidMxZUFjWcwczgTVWFZi2FtpeVrwTIQ-o8kK-Vf8mYflQ4z0etlMGvezoYAjhIlEioIDGJ-qAmDdDb5epmpoG30fY5Kl1Gv_5wcNlF0hYO4JixEBwpyPkHh8_6wsTuh2AiDBlFRct9/s320/IMG_2279.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bosco, Banda, and</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgWzLkODokfzmpNIQfaDaIoUJVccJ_HAiO5FWRgbFrcnpX-1AT7tmSKOfn5INAGhBWoteyOkfNDYl5cjrLMmT-KAQv5HOzl04dMIzY2_QCs6Lqc-_SIBUy1IqDTNRxO7qMGvBZeigAa2E/s1600/IMG_2286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgWzLkODokfzmpNIQfaDaIoUJVccJ_HAiO5FWRgbFrcnpX-1AT7tmSKOfn5INAGhBWoteyOkfNDYl5cjrLMmT-KAQv5HOzl04dMIzY2_QCs6Lqc-_SIBUy1IqDTNRxO7qMGvBZeigAa2E/s320/IMG_2286.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buster!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">...but I am also hoping (planning? let's not jinx it just yet.) to spend the summer with them while getting the aforementioned food prep experience at a restaurant just down the street from their house. We went there - <a href="http://tbmrestaurant.com/">Three Blind Mice</a> - for dinner and a little good-natured schmoozing with the owner/chef to check out that possibility.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzwHMN39ROBMa7uzKTefi11CYSX2XCcI-MvU705uVweIrplDxVX9qbP8yxskwlJjZJdPy9Ld40iDSCYaBAqR_aQsqmZy-dpRV8qKSlFLmGOpK2EbMTcj05zxUfzZf5wcuomJGWM65GIpx/s1600/3blindmice+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzwHMN39ROBMa7uzKTefi11CYSX2XCcI-MvU705uVweIrplDxVX9qbP8yxskwlJjZJdPy9Ld40iDSCYaBAqR_aQsqmZy-dpRV8qKSlFLmGOpK2EbMTcj05zxUfzZf5wcuomJGWM65GIpx/s320/3blindmice+(3).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My initial reaction to the restaurant itself was something to the tune of "too good to be true." And I hadn't even tasted the food yet. The decor is pretty perfect - you walk in and there is a wall of wines ordered by country of origin in front of you; a look to your left is a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf <i>filled </i>with culinary literature*.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">*Side note: As a result of my thesis, I now have a venerable wealth of knowledge concerning what to call "food writing": this includes, but is not necessarily limited to, 'culinary literature,' 'culinary writing,' 'cookery books/literature,' and 'gastronomical literature/writing.' Just in case you thought I was only trying to use fancy words...I wasn't. That's just a broad enough title.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But let's get to the menu, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw-uKI35fxV9QKp0CCzaMehzT0Tm8Y4fOCkWsykuQ9kEyw5LkEsL5Eozal9IeCtllTkobrEthBFvZ3b4LVjUdw3Za5OGeVIIQVIy1bXRy85J3IoU0BMGHl6JLgWO8rOQ9VcWN5A2G80La/s1600/3blindmice+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipw-uKI35fxV9QKp0CCzaMehzT0Tm8Y4fOCkWsykuQ9kEyw5LkEsL5Eozal9IeCtllTkobrEthBFvZ3b4LVjUdw3Za5OGeVIIQVIy1bXRy85J3IoU0BMGHl6JLgWO8rOQ9VcWN5A2G80La/s320/3blindmice+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now, I don't know if you can see it, but if you look under appetizers, you will see a <i>affettati</i> board, which is Italian for literally 'slices', usually referring to meat. Look a little further down. Any die-hard Gillianasana fans remember <i>finocchiona</i>??? (Hint: <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/04/yogalicious.html">here</a> and <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/04/thoughts-for-food.html">here</a>!) Only my <b>favorite.sandwich.EVER.</b> from my beloved sandwich shop/wine bar, Casa del Vino!! Y'all, I just about had a heart attack. I have not had the pure unadulterated joy of <i>finocchiona</i> since my last day.second-to-last sandwich in Florence. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...and then our waitress brought out the bread.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfB7MdA7uICdozV75uUplIt9WqV_nTzpkepleESvqBjlFKISLQYOat4_fbGvfwEvKPjRR1Ger7zd361PhI9cSkAdk0sV59IQEbuAQWKsFPauOHF8J3TMthnoEhpgi1q4-FQ0KwjYE42RX/s1600/3blindmice+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfB7MdA7uICdozV75uUplIt9WqV_nTzpkepleESvqBjlFKISLQYOat4_fbGvfwEvKPjRR1Ger7zd361PhI9cSkAdk0sV59IQEbuAQWKsFPauOHF8J3TMthnoEhpgi1q4-FQ0KwjYE42RX/s320/3blindmice+(4).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, no olive oil & balsamic, but it <i style="font-weight: bold;">is </i>in middle-of-nowhere suburban Georgia. Let's not push it, shall we?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was seriously torn come decision-time, but I went with the Nicoise salad. I'm a huge fan of tuna in salad - but I <i>hate</i> 'tuna salad' (mayonnaise makes me gag. and shudder. and then gag again.). I actually make it all the time at home. That, and when my family and i were having lunch after touring Pompeii, my mom and I got this salad with tuna, corn, olives and arugula that <i>blew our minds</i>. Italy kinda does that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfB7MdA7uICdozV75uUplIt9WqV_nTzpkepleESvqBjlFKISLQYOat4_fbGvfwEvKPjRR1Ger7zd361PhI9cSkAdk0sV59IQEbuAQWKsFPauOHF8J3TMthnoEhpgi1q4-FQ0KwjYE42RX/s1600/3blindmice+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBM_-FMo8Pydinw33ZW_nmvgwNdH_cGS9Q4O_-V8Kmq05_AGKPpYcTVIbaMJsJftZJdr9_NrrsdDX5Ct6qdJFbGxTjEeIodkZsMK2k3h7_4imneitCfR-QlpWnZm0tDP1g4nmu1xmGt8JM/s1600/3blindmice+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBM_-FMo8Pydinw33ZW_nmvgwNdH_cGS9Q4O_-V8Kmq05_AGKPpYcTVIbaMJsJftZJdr9_NrrsdDX5Ct6qdJFbGxTjEeIodkZsMK2k3h7_4imneitCfR-QlpWnZm0tDP1g4nmu1xmGt8JM/s320/3blindmice+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTa8Nn5DTAJ-Gw3QPv8OHrG_qrt0D_NpqvGPybZ4sTvN23JY20TV12k4dNiPVz5MMM1LOwHzsMkhFzmn9o9zvpBU7c7qGTGFQ3p0unICJGQjqkXTmt2MZO1iUG_e35_9ZFyEEADk9BWl2/s1600/3blindmice+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTa8Nn5DTAJ-Gw3QPv8OHrG_qrt0D_NpqvGPybZ4sTvN23JY20TV12k4dNiPVz5MMM1LOwHzsMkhFzmn9o9zvpBU7c7qGTGFQ3p0unICJGQjqkXTmt2MZO1iUG_e35_9ZFyEEADk9BWl2/s320/3blindmice+(5).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Loved it. Especially because it was over arugula, my love for which knows no bounds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My aunt ordered the Panzanella after I had another mini spaz attack over it (another fave of my mom's & mine), but I actually didn't love it. In another appeal to its audience, it included chicken and that was just kinda wrong to me. That and my pescatarian ways are slowly taking over. My uncle got the shrimp & grits (you see how awesome this restaurant is - it had <i>rigatoni abruzzese</i> just under shrimp & grits...genius.) and near licked his plate clean.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But, I will never forget the sage words (haha, get it? <i>sage?</i> like the spice...oh, never mind.) of my Italian cooking professor when he told us that the way to judge a restaurant is by its appetizer menu - CHECK - and its dessert menu. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We ordered 3.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My uncle ordered a chocolate-raspberry fontaine, a pastry of deep dark chocolate and raspberry filling enclosed in a flaky phyllo dough </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1P4jDKdjizxek_FHoTMpJC60hIp13R8Ow8XMeua35Z3T_rcBmHJ2a57yyMiIGMEDdlVC3wCPXLCc7c_ZcnlSYLJiK1ZokOJapCqS0yHVIwIqYbVcrpdVftOJAsMeii8DG7AhBUvmuOITU/s1600/3blindmice+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1P4jDKdjizxek_FHoTMpJC60hIp13R8Ow8XMeua35Z3T_rcBmHJ2a57yyMiIGMEDdlVC3wCPXLCc7c_ZcnlSYLJiK1ZokOJapCqS0yHVIwIqYbVcrpdVftOJAsMeii8DG7AhBUvmuOITU/s320/3blindmice+(7).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had a bite or two, but found myself a little distracted by the meringue-topped key lime pie...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLS2IccLfm2zphvGEJeN4nw2BNS1tPJV_NZ5MWT95-mSb_ZuPozy4mxWawvlAB-fJAovn0Orx7CZk1hyphenhyphencSrlIqX8kypDmt7BnmZ4xl8nNmAKAfZ3QTrlwvW_wcLIuOLqxyijUXthITKCU/s1600/3blindmice+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLS2IccLfm2zphvGEJeN4nw2BNS1tPJV_NZ5MWT95-mSb_ZuPozy4mxWawvlAB-fJAovn0Orx7CZk1hyphenhyphencSrlIqX8kypDmt7BnmZ4xl8nNmAKAfZ3QTrlwvW_wcLIuOLqxyijUXthITKCU/s320/3blindmice+(6).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...was amazing, mouth-watering, and basically exactly what I think of when key lime pie comes to mind, only maybe a step above. Even my aunt who <i>hates</i> key lime pie - and really desserts in general (I don't know how I'm related to her either) - had a couple forkfuls. It was so light and perfectly tart, and didn't have any of that icky gelatinous artificial mouth-feel that waaay too many key lime pies do. My fork was momentarily panicked when it could find nothing but a few graham crust crumbs left. Of course, then it found...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__dAy2gkNCbm36rrZNghjwz96WrWpLyaDUN-naz3M7Timw1rCP36-vcyPE6Df40lF5Ie5SvpxDFhgZToWMiVTCeOjUo_5wZLSZkpaXNj5yPrWc5yKFjJPNmvoEmV9anr3P62h-c6xKCUd/s1600/3blindmice+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__dAy2gkNCbm36rrZNghjwz96WrWpLyaDUN-naz3M7Timw1rCP36-vcyPE6Df40lF5Ie5SvpxDFhgZToWMiVTCeOjUo_5wZLSZkpaXNj5yPrWc5yKFjJPNmvoEmV9anr3P62h-c6xKCUd/s320/3blindmice+(8).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...the sticky toffee pudding.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ok, now I am well aware of the reputation - or perhaps infamy - of British cuisine. That being, in layman's terms, that it sucks. But I had heard of this dish before and being the dessert aficionado that I am, I was curious if nothing else to see what it was.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I did not expect it to be one of the fluffiest, most moist and caramel-y cakes ever steeped in a heavenly bath of liquid toffee. My aunt - you know, the one who "doesn't like dessert" - and I dueled over the last toffee-soaked speck like two cats over catnip. I promptly texted my brother to inform him that his birthday present this year was going to be my recreation of this. It will be done.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The prospect of working here for a whole summer? Exciting is a sufficient but mundane word to describe how I feel about that! </div><div style="text-align: center;">And on the summer, I just <i>might</i> have a life again. A thesis-free life, at least!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm also writing a weekly <a href="http://blogs.converse.edu/">blog for Converse</a> (my college) - because, you know, I need something else. But it's pretty fun :) And the next post (up tomorrow I believe!) is all about my favorite topic - Florence! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ok, back to...Henry James, a paper on Emerson, or chemistry problems. Gosh, what thrilling prospects.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's to being productive.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-87990920622284033852010-09-27T07:20:00.000+02:002010-09-27T07:20:40.459+02:00Reflecting.<div style="text-align: center;">No, I am not belting out the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1658167754">Christina Aguilera song from </a><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8GUCQQZS64">Mulan</a></i>.</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you read this entire post, you may end up thinking "well, <i>some</i>one's PMSing!" or "oh gawd, another one of those <i>English majors </i>who has to turn every moment of life into a poem." That is your right, if you so wish. Freedom of thought is a beautiful thing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But so is the freedom that comes with writing. And that is what I intend to do for my weekly blog post (yes, I'm still bitter about the fact that I can only update once a week. I'm working through it.). It may be rambling, nonsensical, even <i>*gasp* </i>boring (perish the thought!), but I think it is what my current mental state is asking of me. Bear with me. Or jump ship. Your call.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Last fall, something happened. Something I have avoided mentioning in any kind of detail not just in this blog, but just in daily life. For other reasons, I'm still not completely comfortable with stating explicitly what; but for now, I will say that I fell apart. And by 'I', I am referring to everything that is encompassed by the pronoun - my physical and emotional stability, my memory, my work, my life. All of a sudden, I was no longer up to the task of being the perfect straight-A student with great friends and family and smile on her face. I was, if you can bear the overused teenage-angst-filled word, <b>broken</b>. My plan to go abroad to Italy was one of two reasons that I made it through the semester, and even then I was hardly what you could call 'in one piece.'</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Today, my email inbox informed me that it is closed because I have kept too many emails over the past 3 years. Well, since some days I spend 50% of my time emailing, this was a problem, and I entered into the ever-so-thrilling process of reading all my old emails and determining which ones were deletable.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Is there a quote about the 'presentness' of the past? Somewhere? There should be. Maybe I should make one.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Either way, I came across emails from last fall of conversations I had with my mother during this time. My family is [almost abnormally] supportive and they are, without a doubt, that second reason I made it through the semester. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">These emails were...enlightening. I remembered the incredible, unbearable pain with each word I read, and it was hard to see myself as that tiny, hurting person again. This journey to the not-so-past past, however, was not for naught.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the biggest stress points was that constant dark cloud hanging over every college upperclassman's head: the <b>future</b>. The word just sounds scary, doesn't it? I was torn between three different paths. </div><blockquote><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I know what I want to do. I want to learn Hindi, and teach English as a </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">foreign language in another country. I want to learn more about nutrition </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">and help people with eating disorders. I want to study language and grammar </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">and all that crap that everyone else thinks is so boring. I want to go one </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">whole day without feeling stomach acid burning a hole in my esophagus and </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">making noise that I'm pretty sure [my roommate] can hear sitting over at her desk. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I want to go one day without feeling like I could drop dead from exhaustion. </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">I want to stop basing my own opinions on what everyone else thinks. But not </div><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;">a single one of these things seems even remotely possible.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">Sound familiar? You were probably a confused college kid too, once. But this went beyond just a fear of life outside the campus bubble. I didn't understand what it meant to <i>live</i> anymore. I was grasping not for a career or a goal to achieve, but for a <b>purpose</b>. A voice that said "you are needed; don't give up." I was desperate; but it <i>felt</i> like I was dying.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enter my very own <i><a href="http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=deus+ex+machina&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=deus+ex+&gs_rfai=ChL39WiSgTPnEGZz0ygTUj5iOBQAAAKoEBU_Qd0yS">deus ex machina</a></i> (Google it): my mother. In the response to my virtual cry for help, she said:</div><div style="text-align: center;">"No one gets to live the perfect life. You just get to live the life you get."</div><div style="text-align: center;">(Little did she know, I'd be immortalizing her words only a year later on the world wide web. You're welcome, Mom.)</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't remember a lot from last fall; it's still a little raw for me. But I know this email had an impact because just rereading those words was like a ton of bricks on my head - and I mean that in the best possible way. That purpose I was looking so hard for? Where most important things tend to be: right in front of my nose.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What is life if not a span of time given to you - to us - to <i>me</i>, in order to discover that purpose. Destiny, fate, *insert lofty abstract concept here*. [And yes, I just tried to define life - roll with me, I've been discussing too many abstract literary theories to count recently.]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm the first to admit that <b>senioritis</b> is most definitely setting in. I now sit in my Survey of American Literature I class, diligently taking notes on the significance of Puritan sermons and the attitude towards the natives with my 1000-page anthology open on the desk, and all I can think is, "<b>why am I <i>here</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">." I could be reading about M.F.K. Fisher, doing yoga, or....researching M.F.K. Fisher (I love my thesis topic but it's taking over my life), but instead I am in an hour-and-a-half class discussing works which in other real-life circumstances you couldn't <i>pay me </i>to read, much less analyze the crap out of. But I have to go back to that perhaps unintentionally sage advice - I only get to live the life I get. And if Puritanical literature and endless hours of research are a part of it right now, then I better accept it fast so I can just <i>do it. </i>Because this semester - this 3-month period of time - isn't much compared to what is waiting for me. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">At some point in the near future, I will reread this post and say, "what the hell was I talking about. My life involves burying my head in a book or screaming at the New York Times archives because it won't let me view an article I paid 4 dollars to view. How can I just "accept" this???....I was definitely PMSing." Well, that's okay too. But I <i>will</i> get through it. And I will <i>move on</i>. And I will </span>not</b> be broken at the end. In fact, I'll probably be stronger. What doesn't kill you, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enough of these musings. I have to go annotate chapter 3 of my chemistry textbook. Joy of joys.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...What? I said I'd accept it. I <b>didn't</b> say I'd do it with a smile.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-26638344308561395282010-09-19T08:19:00.000+02:002010-09-19T08:19:21.396+02:00Challenges<div style="text-align: center;">Y'ALL. This is killing me. Posting barely once a week....pathetic. And frustrating. I MISS writing whatever insanity pops into my head. Instead, I'm chained to either a two-ton anthology or writing about the underlying racism in James Fenimore Cooper (you think I'm making this up...nope.).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am resigned to the fact that my dear beloved blog may very well turn into a weekend activity, much as it pains me to say. My job with my study abroad program is going to start getting a bit heavier AND I'm going to start blogging once a week for my school. All of which I love and am very excited about...but MAN, does it leave precious little time for, um, life. I'll admit, it's all my fault.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But I do have something important to say other ohmygodfourenglishclassesatoncewhatwasIthinking. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I know I've said it before, but I can't help it: I am constantly amazed at the effect Italy had on me. At this point in the semester, I would be in total freak-out mode. I would stay up til 3 because <i>god forbid</i> I don't read every single page assigned and put 100% into each and every paper, be it 2 pages or 12. </div><div style="text-align: center;">But I'm not. I have my priorities, I take it week by week - sometimes day by day - and I breathe, and laugh, and <b>sleep</b>, and the world (or at least, <i>my</i> world) doesn't implode when I go to class a bit less than ideally prepared.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So...ready for what's been going on down here in Sparkle City (a.k.a, Spartanburg, South Carolina...if you really want to know, google it.)?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think you are.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvyQ04yShS1NA1JJjZavGzPU9nPyMIu__qq4vuRuNZ5rTK-_nZ05AYw0Dtn9QgzDkylZcof3Ab_OkqMQEbdDkHmVRRMbur7Gkn-xsoHrFYje1k_DHWgqhR1SXzWAGE1LFeXeS9uZ5CIzM/s1600/IMG_2169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvyQ04yShS1NA1JJjZavGzPU9nPyMIu__qq4vuRuNZ5rTK-_nZ05AYw0Dtn9QgzDkylZcof3Ab_OkqMQEbdDkHmVRRMbur7Gkn-xsoHrFYje1k_DHWgqhR1SXzWAGE1LFeXeS9uZ5CIzM/s320/IMG_2169.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Daphne (my car) is legal to park (in the yellow or green lines only, of course).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNqixnz01vdLk8njEbzpBwGU6qLXUOT-aIY9V0UfOWCQQvKSH5Fu2yIa0EUtpUKVKvDBIML_8LyrIgReednsQw0t4R_itu1q9sPY_N6hal2LPg-wf_gwz6dxHZqxkA5AJPcmk3olcoSkX/s1600/IMG_2199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYNqixnz01vdLk8njEbzpBwGU6qLXUOT-aIY9V0UfOWCQQvKSH5Fu2yIa0EUtpUKVKvDBIML_8LyrIgReednsQw0t4R_itu1q9sPY_N6hal2LPg-wf_gwz6dxHZqxkA5AJPcmk3olcoSkX/s320/IMG_2199.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Graduation GOWN. *insert mini-spaz moment of anxiety about graduating <b>here*</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before I continue, let me explain. At Converse, if you enter on an odd year (like 2007, when I was a fresh[wo]man), you are a <b>red devil</b>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meet Richard the Red Devil mascot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR26JcOzVEI21p0udnKU5IMfFqCYYe25FDyYyAH7yLsM55WZpiczpBVIWUc0m3i2xZAHPFQDv109jLmByig-Rl_5TmAflelSk-6V_8jJpzSPQmalJ9u983id6I-BsRTQeQHrd_58sjz3WH/s1600/IMG_2206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR26JcOzVEI21p0udnKU5IMfFqCYYe25FDyYyAH7yLsM55WZpiczpBVIWUc0m3i2xZAHPFQDv109jLmByig-Rl_5TmAflelSk-6V_8jJpzSPQmalJ9u983id6I-BsRTQeQHrd_58sjz3WH/s320/IMG_2206.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He's basically a hottie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you enter on an even year, you are a pink panther. You get picked by a junior (who is also a devil or panther) who is your Big Sister. It's NOT a sorority thing - we are a small women's college of about 1200. We are basically one big sorority anyway. So, for a week in September your Big Sis delivers you presents - in my case, all revolving around RED. There is SO MUCH red in my life now. And it's <i>awesome</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">During Formal Opening Convocation - big ceremony where our lovely President officially declares this school year open - seniors wear our gowns, our horns and tails (which our Big Sisters made for us), and of course...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfmKVg7p2O_Blo9o4AX7ZBsismLBVqvK6AZ1ogmf1bx44S5hyphenhyphen6ZIHzjmEa0NsMoMWoEP0hFNNAAB2EyS9OhhaFUJqTDwG7cj2l_5B0k74oF8F4NFmGFR-T0gQTzNlyCqnKnGarb_8Ckv-/s1600/IMG_2209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfmKVg7p2O_Blo9o4AX7ZBsismLBVqvK6AZ1ogmf1bx44S5hyphenhyphen6ZIHzjmEa0NsMoMWoEP0hFNNAAB2EyS9OhhaFUJqTDwG7cj2l_5B0k74oF8F4NFmGFR-T0gQTzNlyCqnKnGarb_8Ckv-/s320/IMG_2209.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Red Converse sneakers. (No, our school name has <i>nothing</i> to do with the shoe company. But come on...how could we not?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, got all that? ...yeah, it took my parents a while too. Don't worry about it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The night before Opening Convocation, we paint the campus red (or pink...ick). It's pretty fabulous.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BH8wQdg4YIkPgWe4yuEAgXUzQbfMecZUQjIcGvIgWJWcp7ZuYGOP6-jrNDHVMMT30BekKBqgdae7czSLDFWIyTJjNfpqEYzEcwNwDkmWjIgBpaylXO4YRYVqUIT2Y4SKEquNAjMXTwvu/s1600/IMG_2220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BH8wQdg4YIkPgWe4yuEAgXUzQbfMecZUQjIcGvIgWJWcp7ZuYGOP6-jrNDHVMMT30BekKBqgdae7czSLDFWIyTJjNfpqEYzEcwNwDkmWjIgBpaylXO4YRYVqUIT2Y4SKEquNAjMXTwvu/s320/IMG_2220.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32mZ10K4bmE7tXaRVUS_0SVIlE0UU0zzHU56_dS31Hw5_t8cf67iuH4eDLNlNOGd_KuwC0tNic73rndhHVdttAKTbTU2QyJbaDRrsKtmBR3nAFs4MeUb6SFJ8pHIJRoUiJuKg5pYFZopC/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32mZ10K4bmE7tXaRVUS_0SVIlE0UU0zzHU56_dS31Hw5_t8cf67iuH4eDLNlNOGd_KuwC0tNic73rndhHVdttAKTbTU2QyJbaDRrsKtmBR3nAFs4MeUb6SFJ8pHIJRoUiJuKg5pYFZopC/s320/IMG_2210.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDEBxnDF8iD9AiUe1TaCNYuX1Kx-v4E1_urpM6M6CMXRkaZKsk_M2iPgbBh3H5euEk1ypAhSsPjr648gosNxwroxVN3depRBSAjtgSLGnW0G6QEcMFW-YWNK9Uje77IOXri3Lp8dzRrtu/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDEBxnDF8iD9AiUe1TaCNYuX1Kx-v4E1_urpM6M6CMXRkaZKsk_M2iPgbBh3H5euEk1ypAhSsPjr648gosNxwroxVN3depRBSAjtgSLGnW0G6QEcMFW-YWNK9Uje77IOXri3Lp8dzRrtu/s320/IMG_2211.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDEBxnDF8iD9AiUe1TaCNYuX1Kx-v4E1_urpM6M6CMXRkaZKsk_M2iPgbBh3H5euEk1ypAhSsPjr648gosNxwroxVN3depRBSAjtgSLGnW0G6QEcMFW-YWNK9Uje77IOXri3Lp8dzRrtu/s1600/IMG_2211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lIWHG1IdK2UPRnV9x0p4kNMLUUEWaAcCwLHDmtcSh4-a4PsqspOnUd2qeNcI_26scjOe5JOicDg9O7WH7KiXFJ14ux5zsJp7mcW-DKt5VrtPVj6kFCdnIoLTltCAAK2E8G_b9nxLRM8P/s1600/IMG_2212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lIWHG1IdK2UPRnV9x0p4kNMLUUEWaAcCwLHDmtcSh4-a4PsqspOnUd2qeNcI_26scjOe5JOicDg9O7WH7KiXFJ14ux5zsJp7mcW-DKt5VrtPVj6kFCdnIoLTltCAAK2E8G_b9nxLRM8P/s320/IMG_2212.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lIWHG1IdK2UPRnV9x0p4kNMLUUEWaAcCwLHDmtcSh4-a4PsqspOnUd2qeNcI_26scjOe5JOicDg9O7WH7KiXFJ14ux5zsJp7mcW-DKt5VrtPVj6kFCdnIoLTltCAAK2E8G_b9nxLRM8P/s1600/IMG_2212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI83wt1bFKlDUMYpcoNEbJOEKANENYA8-XhJyfacJdzR9OAWHb5gGJ9wTbl0rQt-vLJkCpCOFBCoLBtZSDc31mG2lsw70alfO81YeKtcwE5MPtQV_LJscAOu53B3Jpv9H-H85eHculiyB/s1600/IMG_2213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI83wt1bFKlDUMYpcoNEbJOEKANENYA8-XhJyfacJdzR9OAWHb5gGJ9wTbl0rQt-vLJkCpCOFBCoLBtZSDc31mG2lsw70alfO81YeKtcwE5MPtQV_LJscAOu53B3Jpv9H-H85eHculiyB/s320/IMG_2213.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvI83wt1bFKlDUMYpcoNEbJOEKANENYA8-XhJyfacJdzR9OAWHb5gGJ9wTbl0rQt-vLJkCpCOFBCoLBtZSDc31mG2lsw70alfO81YeKtcwE5MPtQV_LJscAOu53B3Jpv9H-H85eHculiyB/s1600/IMG_2213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBxgK0rCrAbKVamW7DG8zGvPMcF1QHPeU3V1WdeCsFUP9t9i6674b63bHQq3heQd4XMmXJq6pAxHAJ_2YrGYNa2nzgePIgexSzj3C54qvvSJBqHUuVLdWNoBvfKSrGsGBBPPNEuXaTz10/s1600/IMG_2214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBxgK0rCrAbKVamW7DG8zGvPMcF1QHPeU3V1WdeCsFUP9t9i6674b63bHQq3heQd4XMmXJq6pAxHAJ_2YrGYNa2nzgePIgexSzj3C54qvvSJBqHUuVLdWNoBvfKSrGsGBBPPNEuXaTz10/s320/IMG_2214.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuREsyGIx93Z-kDEe2c_QA4HuqfuPC84QSfKFShh27NIZlfoBcirttanYAlUu0rmJiNzIgEVVl2AUWisgQeKU66ubkSMQQwhHGhMAv42xKl9p6oXpg1qXEkRl0BgVYJBXNRoCYUjvNvfM/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuREsyGIx93Z-kDEe2c_QA4HuqfuPC84QSfKFShh27NIZlfoBcirttanYAlUu0rmJiNzIgEVVl2AUWisgQeKU66ubkSMQQwhHGhMAv42xKl9p6oXpg1qXEkRl0BgVYJBXNRoCYUjvNvfM/s320/IMG_2215.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuREsyGIx93Z-kDEe2c_QA4HuqfuPC84QSfKFShh27NIZlfoBcirttanYAlUu0rmJiNzIgEVVl2AUWisgQeKU66ubkSMQQwhHGhMAv42xKl9p6oXpg1qXEkRl0BgVYJBXNRoCYUjvNvfM/s1600/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv3K8vhwufaUaJYmCH_LjpDXXPrJ-g0ewc3TOHZt7fjDCsF5Pon6xjOgzKBDBT87sF2cHBHvo5uVHCRN9ewsndYh39ZFAm3IBDBhcvm37LdScjRziJCoES-KkL0qzye6Z4eTWVYX5ID82/s1600/IMG_2216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibv3K8vhwufaUaJYmCH_LjpDXXPrJ-g0ewc3TOHZt7fjDCsF5Pon6xjOgzKBDBT87sF2cHBHvo5uVHCRN9ewsndYh39ZFAm3IBDBhcvm37LdScjRziJCoES-KkL0qzye6Z4eTWVYX5ID82/s320/IMG_2216.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2011 - Little piece of heaven! (C'mon, say it with me: "aaaawwwwwww!")<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2YRDpnc9-MrpYQfmyOEBbT7s1iyyZKLRBI6od35ibt81Z4p281XFB98JTxAjvDco6oFLgGP7F7YrlQ6KZAod7n-VhCYBPCjwNuRDZSVp4r2BT3zsg-arXWVrvl0CBCWCG9SsXSa8jM_P/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2YRDpnc9-MrpYQfmyOEBbT7s1iyyZKLRBI6od35ibt81Z4p281XFB98JTxAjvDco6oFLgGP7F7YrlQ6KZAod7n-VhCYBPCjwNuRDZSVp4r2BT3zsg-arXWVrvl0CBCWCG9SsXSa8jM_P/s320/IMG_2217.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before we jazz up campus, we go to "Hats On", basically a party for the seniors where we wear crazy hats and eat cake. I'm sure there's some symbolism in there about "hats on" and getting ready to graduate....whatever. It's all about the cake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlie_uUJ_5D7yEURLPJ_EeP_ZoPxBPEjPlNj7AjwtGVvo60cnqb5hwUORzgnpMGKtxYub6Whjz34ms_4P9Qhzhhhrqg_wvcI6kPsaCmak0O35jkhNYNUpY2nnxLIGMqNB031SyOsxMpUQO/s1600/IMG_2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlie_uUJ_5D7yEURLPJ_EeP_ZoPxBPEjPlNj7AjwtGVvo60cnqb5hwUORzgnpMGKtxYub6Whjz34ms_4P9Qhzhhhrqg_wvcI6kPsaCmak0O35jkhNYNUpY2nnxLIGMqNB031SyOsxMpUQO/s320/IMG_2204.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Had to represent my homeland, right? [GOSOX.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And as for eats, there's been plenty o' salads...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLSPOM8IHtOfjtozfWb0h1y-BGJAsgaN3rB6B6-6OhaBtSY8TNo9d1IjBn_fWJBMYn26vuRgvNFuyQBxIrVPUaqRIyvTRV5L2JZhGPZL77p8PqA89QoBcJtZuYK3FMyFRbq5sjMIMAlI-/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLSPOM8IHtOfjtozfWb0h1y-BGJAsgaN3rB6B6-6OhaBtSY8TNo9d1IjBn_fWJBMYn26vuRgvNFuyQBxIrVPUaqRIyvTRV5L2JZhGPZL77p8PqA89QoBcJtZuYK3FMyFRbq5sjMIMAlI-/s320/IMG_2170.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Most not as delicious as this one, which was from a deli across the street. It's called "the hippie." It has hummus and goat cheese. 'Nuf said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hxnlPiSBeGhSK8upKkr356xHslvi3Pkfu59wzEYH2Ad4hP3r4dbLN3ABNKiE4SV_UxWypdyyL4DMiWJVqRt6lNQ9IN_gqbhSiBofOVilqY0Y9jQJ0_2ILZZBs1Pa-VcCbVSerOkYtGTj/s1600/IMG_2231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hxnlPiSBeGhSK8upKkr356xHslvi3Pkfu59wzEYH2Ad4hP3r4dbLN3ABNKiE4SV_UxWypdyyL4DMiWJVqRt6lNQ9IN_gqbhSiBofOVilqY0Y9jQJ0_2ILZZBs1Pa-VcCbVSerOkYtGTj/s320/IMG_2231.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And some banana oat bran. Of course. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KZ34YGKQSuJXW8UfHSlAbLN5G5LsAxg5q-dlYXaOfC5WYOqXtC5bI8UB4aX7HpyTI1ru-us8tB6grEAxClWwebIoVeTiLouwvnOoGVzCXs1oCu8YGarCGbCGxPWCDkrd4HJgXa_wXwNV/s1600/IMG_2230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4KZ34YGKQSuJXW8UfHSlAbLN5G5LsAxg5q-dlYXaOfC5WYOqXtC5bI8UB4aX7HpyTI1ru-us8tB6grEAxClWwebIoVeTiLouwvnOoGVzCXs1oCu8YGarCGbCGxPWCDkrd4HJgXa_wXwNV/s320/IMG_2230.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some things never change.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And I can't forget about the best.frozen.yogurt.EVER.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS88BCv5_DYUJMAvqWjdvM8ycIAFyxrx4Wd8jtXXXJ9US20KoHsPBOpOqQ8bGdfIXXYNTkHpuGsHAoLMtgGxUksRj3cJd9UEvsdAa6S-YlUQjDMkmPRV_n6l02haiu2GkCFpM0NMPam8ZG/s1600/IMG_2189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS88BCv5_DYUJMAvqWjdvM8ycIAFyxrx4Wd8jtXXXJ9US20KoHsPBOpOqQ8bGdfIXXYNTkHpuGsHAoLMtgGxUksRj3cJd9UEvsdAa6S-YlUQjDMkmPRV_n6l02haiu2GkCFpM0NMPam8ZG/s320/IMG_2189.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Compliments of <a href="http://www.blueberryfrog.com/">Blueberry Frog</a>!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxzNW_x9dfTjZ4DkOJgUtbyOzjHvnDbtKto1fvqIIlYt2ECA0tgQvUrIGoyrp1mDkw9-c1iIBg4_gin_Dvxi-iYMiA5-5lr22vn3l-UO3oOXBzr9U63Kfkj0ZXeiCcsjKUwMuVFlBzZbe/s1600/IMG_2188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxzNW_x9dfTjZ4DkOJgUtbyOzjHvnDbtKto1fvqIIlYt2ECA0tgQvUrIGoyrp1mDkw9-c1iIBg4_gin_Dvxi-iYMiA5-5lr22vn3l-UO3oOXBzr9U63Kfkj0ZXeiCcsjKUwMuVFlBzZbe/s320/IMG_2188.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pomegranate + plain tart with mangos + raspberries. Or, as I prefer to call it, heaven in a cardboard cup.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Good ole SC has been treating us to some gorgeous sunsets:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sctip9h-5-aZu-NE_xE4diKtQEPd1wpT5Ua2xPvT7b-dDfW1BL1Z5Wuef1cLgZKwFijUuecvB-FKZgx3RNKkqX-_FUU9u4v1QeeTdk4kvMIOvYoU0Ed5OUgA6gZsVNS_DHqtCQW3FMIQ/s1600/IMG_2227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sctip9h-5-aZu-NE_xE4diKtQEPd1wpT5Ua2xPvT7b-dDfW1BL1Z5Wuef1cLgZKwFijUuecvB-FKZgx3RNKkqX-_FUU9u4v1QeeTdk4kvMIOvYoU0Ed5OUgA6gZsVNS_DHqtCQW3FMIQ/s400/IMG_2227.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Find the symbolism yourself. This English major is off the clock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Until tomorrow, of course. Chaucer, here I come.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-62941488887621362532010-09-08T03:36:00.000+02:002010-09-08T03:36:11.513+02:00Okay.<div style="text-align: center;">It is SO good to be back. And by back, I mean back online. The language that I have been using in the recent past is far too adult to be published, but let's just say...I didn't have internet and I was NOT happy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But absence makes the heart grow fonder, no? I have been in desperate need of an outlet to babble about food on. Don't get me wrong, I love discussing the Gothic elements in the works of Washington Irving and the Middle English dialect of Chaucer...but I <i>need</i> to write about food.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Classes are back in full swing, and it is increasingly more apparent that I overbooked myself this semester. Now, pre-Florence Gillian would have multiple panic attacks and drop a class faster than a baking pan of cookies without an oven mitt, but something about me has definitely changed. I am shocked, quite frankly, at how much more relaxed I am about everything. As much as I talked about "adopting the Italian lifestyle", there was always a little voice in my head that said, "oh please, you know you will just go back and turn into that crazy control freak perfectionist you always are." And yes, that is still very much a part of who I am, but I feel just a little more clear-headed about all the work I have to do. I may not get everything done perfectly, but that's okay. It's a ridiculously liberating thing to know that not being perfect about everything all the time is <i>okay</i>.<br />
<br />
So, food? I'm still going to write my senior thesis (someone please explain to me HOW I am a senior in college??) on my hero (heroine?) M. F. K. Fisher. If you haven't read any of her works, you must! Her writing is so pleasurable to read, even after hours of poring over literature anthologies with font size 0.2, I open up one of her books and immediately feel relaxed.<br />
<br />
In less than 24 hours, I will be in my professor's office with 3 topic ideas for a paper and I have to "sell" them to her. Y'all, I'm shakin in my Rainbows! So I am going to enlist your fabulous opinions, if you don't mind ;)<br />
<br />
<b>Why do you think food writing is important? </b>What do you get out of reading about food - be it a blog, a cookbook, or an anthropological text (that last one applies to....um, me?)?<br />
<br />
I will post pics of my roommate's & my AWESOME hippetastic room soon!<br />
<br />
Oh yes, it's good to be back.<br />
<br />
~Namaste~<br />
<br />
[I apologize for the photoless post - Herman (my big laptop) was not moving all too swiftly tonight. He just got internet back, so maybe he's feeling a little overwhelmed.]</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-16432730712851627542010-08-27T04:24:00.000+02:002010-08-27T04:24:19.129+02:00On The Road Again<div style="text-align: center;">I completely forgot to mention that as of Wednesday, mia mama and I hit the road. We are driving to Georgia, were most of my material life is residing all packed away in boxes at my grandparents' house. On Sunday, we're driving up to South Carolina to move me in! I'm SO excited to reunite with all my friends - haven't seen them since December!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That said, it will be a bit more difficult to blog for the next few days. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">BUT, I went and missed yesterday's Over-the-Humpday Challenge, and feel the need to make up for it...with a restaurant review!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mom & I rolled into Charlotte after a <b>very </b>long day of driving. We were hungry, exhausted, and just wanted a nice, rejuvenating sit-down dinner. Charlotte did not let us down.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">At the concierge's recommendation, we walked down the corner from the hotel to LaVecchia's, a seafood/steak restaurant.</div><div style="text-align: center;">[The pictures aren't super clear; in LuLu's defense, the lighting was not exactly food-blogger friendly.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zUIKxc5vdDmGW_z7qW8tD2t-2OMiVchvEz_XesgCREXfpVvhZLxGUkyY5cI0mwG6CwNByQmEJecDDMG3udBCNmy51ckIlwdMKdvuQclpdyDw3QfNFWkPjnsHF_z06teu9YJ2mBTaFirE/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zUIKxc5vdDmGW_z7qW8tD2t-2OMiVchvEz_XesgCREXfpVvhZLxGUkyY5cI0mwG6CwNByQmEJecDDMG3udBCNmy51ckIlwdMKdvuQclpdyDw3QfNFWkPjnsHF_z06teu9YJ2mBTaFirE/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(7).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They had really funky decor - I love it when restaurants use the industrial look of the space to their advantage. I think it looks really modern & fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7L0RjzrVAV4xMhyphenhyphenpOQq5B9yMtAG3xPJ_8e5uKpg6MQWwXvVltNvlLiH4PSoDrfaue5nRmh6XO5TFF_YLhsNyQlgJprA6BOXs1rnnWgaB9KLTeKQD2Cr6KSsC_GvxwYwGI2f33EZlHuZ9/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7L0RjzrVAV4xMhyphenhyphenpOQq5B9yMtAG3xPJ_8e5uKpg6MQWwXvVltNvlLiH4PSoDrfaue5nRmh6XO5TFF_YLhsNyQlgJprA6BOXs1rnnWgaB9KLTeKQD2Cr6KSsC_GvxwYwGI2f33EZlHuZ9/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(6).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lots & lots of metal fishies hanging from the ceiling. As true fish-lovers, we took this as a good sign.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Things only got better from there:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8l41rfhTabAXB-eqJyrQuXQ-cnsJZg2L1Kg6JKdRNMv_dfEyN6Q4ywye3zZKIsQofhreGvZ14pVlkjt_GC2C6o4UXM1ZFPfP4rk-zmhnP2kUp5rYu_GxvQ7X5I94oItI-JKPR9gwklZf/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8l41rfhTabAXB-eqJyrQuXQ-cnsJZg2L1Kg6JKdRNMv_dfEyN6Q4ywye3zZKIsQofhreGvZ14pVlkjt_GC2C6o4UXM1ZFPfP4rk-zmhnP2kUp5rYu_GxvQ7X5I94oItI-JKPR9gwklZf/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bread baskets just make me happy. This arrived warm with a light but doughy interior and a perfectly crispy crust. Never mind the basket - <b>bread</b> alone is enough to make me grin like an idiot. I had 2.5 pieces, and I'm not ashamed to say it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mom ordered a salad as an appetizer:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitOU7eI9vJi95LZAF8TW639Vgh-G8ftqlcuTUHZ3FaF9rqqYHuP7GV36SqQoy24a1oDfFAxnT6R29l1NmMHBupZyaZPWPEQBcyTYG-NcoYFV3sBVXNLGuTSUWmxHPnGwet6rLEIySmQe9/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitOU7eI9vJi95LZAF8TW639Vgh-G8ftqlcuTUHZ3FaF9rqqYHuP7GV36SqQoy24a1oDfFAxnT6R29l1NmMHBupZyaZPWPEQBcyTYG-NcoYFV3sBVXNLGuTSUWmxHPnGwet6rLEIySmQe9/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(2).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Arugula with beets, blue cheese, and candied walnuts in a lemon-y dressing. It was delicious - she all but licked her plate! I helped her out a little ;) Although it would have been better with goat cheese...but I'm getting to that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">For dinner, I ordered exactly what I was craving: a big bowl of <b>spinach.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNENuyjt2mFqEfVYvsORxdAgbSUH_FQ85o6RPPcy8mfFLvY_DmvRsHGABBMxpZ5bMuBWA0bp2du5V-XADCHzvglCjt2pjtVVdx4_RszKUi2ibP4CldAvw82UyQe3f6g2W9Vy0LYrPT20iL/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNENuyjt2mFqEfVYvsORxdAgbSUH_FQ85o6RPPcy8mfFLvY_DmvRsHGABBMxpZ5bMuBWA0bp2du5V-XADCHzvglCjt2pjtVVdx4_RszKUi2ibP4CldAvw82UyQe3f6g2W9Vy0LYrPT20iL/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(4).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, alright. Spinach with goat cheese, caramelized onions, tomatoes, pancetta & spicy grilled shrimp. The shrimp was actually a little <i>too</i> hot for me, but I'm a big fat baby when it comes to hot-spicy. I'm also a big fan of shrimp, so I still ate every single bite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was not expecting the pancetta - I don't think the menu mentioned it - but much to my surprise, it was <b>perfect</b> on this salad! I'm not much of bacon person at all and since basically giving up red meat, I haven't really had it in years - and when I have, I always remember why I don't like it. But on this salad....holy pork. (I think it was pancetta because it both looked & tasted more like it than bacon, but I could be wrong.) It was diced into teeny tiny pieces and was absolutely drool-worthy when combined with the caramelized onions. It totally had that sweet-salty thing going on. I am a little in love with this salad, actually. Spinach + goat cheese is one of those to-<b>live</b>-for combos in my book. If you haven't tried it, please do. You can thank me later ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mom's entree was beautiful, in more ways than one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbmlzZ7pojSWrMAUVkJrvEqUGC5jMcx_qXnzCqirc-HOdzWD6uvX3uSBPEh-KL174220_8T6CPz2BT59EYdKfehztvKSLz6bObjyf6Zns7glRfRWYEo3brJuoYNjJ8Bzx-zJ9JXYA7nqY/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbmlzZ7pojSWrMAUVkJrvEqUGC5jMcx_qXnzCqirc-HOdzWD6uvX3uSBPEh-KL174220_8T6CPz2BT59EYdKfehztvKSLz6bObjyf6Zns7glRfRWYEo3brJuoYNjJ8Bzx-zJ9JXYA7nqY/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(3).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Almond-crusted tilapia with blue crab beurre blanc and mashed potatoes over roasted corn, baby asparagus and red peppers.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It was in a cute little edible tower with the veggies hidden on the bottom, the taters, the crab, and the fish on top.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ok, I was one of those kids who ate everything on her plate separately and <b>freaked.out</b> if one section of my plate touched another. Woe to anyone within ear range if my baby carrots began mingling with the ketchup for my hot dog. Thus, I was a bit skeptical about this stacking situation currently going on on my mother's plate. </div><div style="text-align: center;">But damn if it didn't meld perfectly! I would never have put mashed potatoes with tilapia, but they actually complemented each other quite well. It definitely helped that the fish was super fresh and delicious. The crab beurre blanc...well, put it this way: I only got one bite. The vegetables underneath also went well with the potatoes (which weren't in and of themselves amazing per se, but they tasted like my mom's mashed potatoes, and there is certainly something to be said for keeping it simple and comforting!). It was just a great dish overall.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I will add that my mom ordered 3 different white wines, all of which were rather disappointing. But it's hard to tell if that was just due to bad luck on her part or something else. Either way, the food made up for it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">And of course, I can't not have some form of dessert. It's simply a must.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyEQ3T2RwgH7GQWrYKgGgb_u-ApsZiPhUx_1N2WRtBL4AbG2uUcohAz26NxPdF3vs-xEAUhRU9xJF9YyVYKVQu61XdhdfYCHYwVBH-Z2iOudu57NuBloUdZvgY7BMzfN7mDWGK0uQ8Jui/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyEQ3T2RwgH7GQWrYKgGgb_u-ApsZiPhUx_1N2WRtBL4AbG2uUcohAz26NxPdF3vs-xEAUhRU9xJF9YyVYKVQu61XdhdfYCHYwVBH-Z2iOudu57NuBloUdZvgY7BMzfN7mDWGK0uQ8Jui/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(5).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yep. Definitely a must.</div><div style="text-align: center;">That is mango sorbet - and downright delicious at that. I think sorbet is actually <b>the</b> perfect summer dessert. It's cold, light, and refreshing, and satisfies a sweet tooth without causing that pushing over the edge into too-stuffed-to-move land. Although it didn't have a smooth and creamy texture like, say, <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/04/chocolate-anger-green-contentment.html">a certain gelato place</a>, I could definitely taste how <i>fresh</i> the mango was and I think that's more important anyway. It was exactly what I wanted. Don't you love it when that happens?!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A lovely meal in a lovely city.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmCYViiyY96-0uuSbC7eJecvTMpw1_bfraDJtsMMzeSbm05-GeOgdOr7DMo55DIZ16EkrsRtINPAadrWfASoTJZ9GngAV65FA8NaK9e2TEfwsyTHLP436nUvldT3zSDhEnERCBqgDK8-Z/s1600/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmCYViiyY96-0uuSbC7eJecvTMpw1_bfraDJtsMMzeSbm05-GeOgdOr7DMo55DIZ16EkrsRtINPAadrWfASoTJZ9GngAV65FA8NaK9e2TEfwsyTHLP436nUvldT3zSDhEnERCBqgDK8-Z/s320/LaVecchia's+-+Charlotte+(8).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now <i>that</i> is delicious.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-86444648795538317772010-08-24T22:41:00.001+02:002010-08-25T04:01:20.192+02:00Unexpected Austin<div style="text-align: center;">Wednesday, August 11th 2010: Wake up far too early for a sunny day in August. Eat some melon. Head to airport. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Destination: Austin, Texas.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Purpose: Training as a Peer Mentor for Academic Programs International.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[Just wanted to set the scene for y'all. Why the James Bond writing style?...If I told you, I'd have to kill you.]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Once I passed through security - always a barrel of laughs, that process - I proclaimed it breakfast time. And whaddya know, but there was a <a href="http://www.ufoodgrill.com/">UFood Grill</a> in the American terminal. I have heard of this particular restaurant and have always wanted to go, but all its Massachusetts locations are in downtown Boston, and it's not easy to just hop down there. (Mostly because I refuse to drive in Boston. I value the lives of myself and my car far too much.) It's a super casual dining place that features all health-focused fresh foods - AND tart frozen yogurt. If I haven't mentioned it before, I have a frozen yogurt, erm, problem. The problem being that I love it and will get it at pretty much anytime of the day or night, irregardless of actual hunger. It's usually worth it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But, I also saw they offered smoothies, and that sounded perfect so early on in the day. I grabbed a yogurt and the Mango Madness smoothie - mango, banana, and orange juice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6iWZifdoLmcAh2HgWKwaCZaG-ZDafzBgdn8Zd8vBqjUWw06p0-9QUOdSZnWcJn9RuxSThEoqqohai1UBwz3Ragv0t7ko2gTNNSZWu_TbcOjq0mRgfbC1hwQ5FGgVvJ94kQMm7x599442/s1600/IMG_1966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6iWZifdoLmcAh2HgWKwaCZaG-ZDafzBgdn8Zd8vBqjUWw06p0-9QUOdSZnWcJn9RuxSThEoqqohai1UBwz3Ragv0t7ko2gTNNSZWu_TbcOjq0mRgfbC1hwQ5FGgVvJ94kQMm7x599442/s320/IMG_1966.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a little heavy on the OJ flavor, but it was pretty tasty. And it made me happy to see a substantial healthy breakfast option in the airport. It made me smile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWpBg7tKUqu7jnAvZL9YjSr3m_uo4B9VbDX9uiJblU4gofgn_yKL16Row1SDM89Dzw5bcj-Wkf8bf2fBPHAmAffeJHMwkReSts7vGpP-3YHUHCQK4l41wDElE0ktwfZZV8jNymMG74Ua8/s1600/IMG_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWpBg7tKUqu7jnAvZL9YjSr3m_uo4B9VbDX9uiJblU4gofgn_yKL16Row1SDM89Dzw5bcj-Wkf8bf2fBPHAmAffeJHMwkReSts7vGpP-3YHUHCQK4l41wDElE0ktwfZZV8jNymMG74Ua8/s320/IMG_1967.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had a layover at OHare in Chicago, and was equally as successful in finding a healthy lunch option!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_T02gedm4dswPiYcSuzxU2fgX6Y44oduFiYvMqcDW6cu4WqelKKk0B2NYA58nBlr_F58QPrJVBAYGh0tiEwF2iYVpen2c7Svj8sG9jUEiUnCzfZ10lCPx4EqDn_9gxMLDCfsaReI1eIFi/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_T02gedm4dswPiYcSuzxU2fgX6Y44oduFiYvMqcDW6cu4WqelKKk0B2NYA58nBlr_F58QPrJVBAYGh0tiEwF2iYVpen2c7Svj8sG9jUEiUnCzfZ10lCPx4EqDn_9gxMLDCfsaReI1eIFi/s320/IMG_1970.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-bkKL94zbSA8G_NmUanXx0C9q4L6lXnULRNIm_jO3gfi54Q-Ndtnr09nEVmJaYSoOSWf9jt-3PMlVzzFutfqnwhBb39GMx2yPD1rvcLqPY3aC98LTuG98bi-6AEZUC1ey-S3I0-lPK8V/s1600/IMG_1968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-bkKL94zbSA8G_NmUanXx0C9q4L6lXnULRNIm_jO3gfi54Q-Ndtnr09nEVmJaYSoOSWf9jt-3PMlVzzFutfqnwhBb39GMx2yPD1rvcLqPY3aC98LTuG98bi-6AEZUC1ey-S3I0-lPK8V/s320/IMG_1968.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was lacking in the protein department, and was seriously screaming for some avocado, but it was really fresh and tasty. The cilantro made ALL the difference, and I was really impressed that it was even there! When I think of airports and herbs together, I see a flight attendant asking me if salt counts. Go OHare and cilantro!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Got to Austin and eventually found the other 3 Peer Mentors who were with me - we were on the same flight the whole time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm just going to say it now: I have never, EVER in my life experiences humidity like I did in Texas. It was what I think rain forests and green houses are like. It was intense and inescapable. But I actually kind of liked it - the air conditioning never felt too cold! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Despite all the heat, we still saw plenty of runners and bikers and strollers out and about, sweaty and smiling. It was impressive. Insane, but impressive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After getting to the hotel, my roommate Gab and I chilled in the room and literally talked for 2.5 hours straight. She had studied with the <a href="http://academicintl.com/city.php?country_id=5&city_id=12&country_image_id=5&city_image_id=31&content_id=172">API Toscania program</a>, and it was absolutely incredible to share our mutual Italy experience/adventures. In fact, the entire time in Austin was like the best therapy I could have asked for in the transition back to home life. I loved hearing about everyone else's experiences and even though we all went to different places, we all had the common ground of loving every minute of it and it was amazing to connect with that. It was just the coolest group of people. I kinda wish we got to work together more as Peer Mentors. But before I get too wish-washy...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On to the FOOD. We definitely ate well in Austin. The first night, we went to a <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.serranos.com%2F&ei=vCx0TMOBOsGqlAet8YTICA&usg=AFQjCNElCNAExGIHgVE-6aZz14BfWDsQhQ&sig2=mO4TBqVPtfR2g2lyMw4A3Q">Tex-Mex place</a>. As we should have.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJTVRCvNcqOoljcFJ2jDYxjd5g7ofbDIkDGrjunGhxgxQX9UgkiuYVCu0ZZRma-FsKKFgfDiDluUK4CmQB3DlCHa0F1WO9btTTUDJ5W2gwS9vhtwdWEcfEnowNAGG1ArdI2oHH5hcI7m_/s1600/IMG_1972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJTVRCvNcqOoljcFJ2jDYxjd5g7ofbDIkDGrjunGhxgxQX9UgkiuYVCu0ZZRma-FsKKFgfDiDluUK4CmQB3DlCHa0F1WO9btTTUDJ5W2gwS9vhtwdWEcfEnowNAGG1ArdI2oHH5hcI7m_/s320/IMG_1972.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoKzH6Ig0qUZE7qeg0ZKOHliTnA52KidJeWHOYMfMXEngxVqIIiRyMiJ91bS8LDf-9-4NWW7aph0e0t8m3-_NV6ez5L9xW3zpTLm2aSCUsvMGhBe8FPWHsNb_8tNDqDBOSQMzEF1EBYEa/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoKzH6Ig0qUZE7qeg0ZKOHliTnA52KidJeWHOYMfMXEngxVqIIiRyMiJ91bS8LDf-9-4NWW7aph0e0t8m3-_NV6ez5L9xW3zpTLm2aSCUsvMGhBe8FPWHsNb_8tNDqDBOSQMzEF1EBYEa/s320/IMG_1973.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[Insert here bowls of some seriously delicious salsa, guacamole, and queso. I always thought <i>queso</i> was just glorified melted Veleveeta cheese....I was wrong. It's amazing.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VvbtkdoWdZX6hBfQghuTxyGl0HYttTec93gxUt1eLg6yxFw0bkr24NhlrxA6gIE45LWWagDaOjvVIKGVV4K8z25ID5LxG7AxbuZQlLKNLjuCSVr_inTjRHE22CUqR7KZ6Qkg9jC5Fepo/s1600/IMG_1974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VvbtkdoWdZX6hBfQghuTxyGl0HYttTec93gxUt1eLg6yxFw0bkr24NhlrxA6gIE45LWWagDaOjvVIKGVV4K8z25ID5LxG7AxbuZQlLKNLjuCSVr_inTjRHE22CUqR7KZ6Qkg9jC5Fepo/s320/IMG_1974.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I went with the fish tacos for my entree. It was a tough choice, but I've always wanted to try them, and I do love me some grilled tilapia. It was a good choice :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2lPKcXvgXei1ObvHaX0ZlkBDO9V_Tug21jqsgDUPU0oyODCcYhy4uVpsT7wljOop3qiNIBd8Xkv6OgFE0tq3Wj9LttrZSkbtMgqCVILEwNu-ZhlMH4OLtN0B5eg9nM-h1gNp3cSA-ko8/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2lPKcXvgXei1ObvHaX0ZlkBDO9V_Tug21jqsgDUPU0oyODCcYhy4uVpsT7wljOop3qiNIBd8Xkv6OgFE0tq3Wj9LttrZSkbtMgqCVILEwNu-ZhlMH4OLtN0B5eg9nM-h1gNp3cSA-ko8/s320/IMG_1975.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The corn tortillas were soft (my fave!) and tasted homemade, and I never thought I would say this, but the best part of the dish was the Chipotle Ranch dressing drizzled on top. I usually opt for no dressing, because the plate typically arrives drowning under a cloying, bland, cheap-tasting white goo. But this was unlike no other ranch I've ever tasted. It was light but wonderfully creamy, well-spiced but not too hot, and accented the dish without taking any other flavor away. Basically, exactly what a sauce should be. One of the best tex-mex experiences I've ever had. (The only one that was better was a seafood enchilada in downtown Boston when I was around 9. It remains in my head as one of the tastiest seafood dishes yet to reach my mouth. I could eat one right now.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After dinner, the group of us wandered around downtown Austin (ha! that rhymes with Boston!...maybe I need to get out more.). Austin is such a cool city! It reminded me a lot of Charlotte, North Carolina which I was totally not expecting. Most of our group ended up doing a bit of bar-hopping on the [in]famous 6th street, but my 20-year-old status and very tired self prevented me from doing the same. Luckily, my roommate and one other girl were also still 20, so I wasn't alone. Yay for the youngin's!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6che3cMtylPgi0SJSHfm8QOqhyphenhyphensELglpUAGnwxNqUCQTMOeZ8rdEj5U3RY-rHv6Hw1zvBZQslYtzvRJCR0G6w5R1NI0VwgszwH7AYOKbk7v6JDgSO0Yy-w-gkPd6o2wUA6fC5jBwMvz1N/s1600/IMG_1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6che3cMtylPgi0SJSHfm8QOqhyphenhyphensELglpUAGnwxNqUCQTMOeZ8rdEj5U3RY-rHv6Hw1zvBZQslYtzvRJCR0G6w5R1NI0VwgszwH7AYOKbk7v6JDgSO0Yy-w-gkPd6o2wUA6fC5jBwMvz1N/s320/IMG_1978.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKhv1fP5HWrnlxIAQ8UrJYdIl3s17Tl0S8Ye-unY35Qx6Q9hrgEruWM4JSgGyb6zQ-mtDJgkcd0YUQr0I1NiOi1x1pBrBPyKtqzHZWQTPQIhUGqYoAT22VV-mFyCWl63gjcKlKMdXfS8J/s1600/IMG_1981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKhv1fP5HWrnlxIAQ8UrJYdIl3s17Tl0S8Ye-unY35Qx6Q9hrgEruWM4JSgGyb6zQ-mtDJgkcd0YUQr0I1NiOi1x1pBrBPyKtqzHZWQTPQIhUGqYoAT22VV-mFyCWl63gjcKlKMdXfS8J/s320/IMG_1981.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilI4FYJZWH6OqOgYrOG1cb7TaCXKZTYKSojzCu8-EqGLrzwUmGrcw0WU67H3fyOSYnurE4ycb8HxSxgFx01y0cQOyRnyUi0IIdMkXC_vZDITiNQnAv3kqAYf0jeJgyb0S9oicgIR2kPJ3r/s1600/IMG_1985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilI4FYJZWH6OqOgYrOG1cb7TaCXKZTYKSojzCu8-EqGLrzwUmGrcw0WU67H3fyOSYnurE4ycb8HxSxgFx01y0cQOyRnyUi0IIdMkXC_vZDITiNQnAv3kqAYf0jeJgyb0S9oicgIR2kPJ3r/s320/IMG_1985.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-XMGoEAkWubQVu96XB3jJX3o1XfHYFfHQEwZ6PpfEDqyoXH_ml4-1LJN47tqQAqC8zenLgSMp9EQTLoMdMwryvkUzau-SF9T0mGlXK8igyLu09qCxJ_crCLz11AYharwjBuo28QUzBAY/s1600/IMG_1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-XMGoEAkWubQVu96XB3jJX3o1XfHYFfHQEwZ6PpfEDqyoXH_ml4-1LJN47tqQAqC8zenLgSMp9EQTLoMdMwryvkUzau-SF9T0mGlXK8igyLu09qCxJ_crCLz11AYharwjBuo28QUzBAY/s320/IMG_1986.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After a none-too-restful night, I awoke groggy but excited to get started. It was so great to actually meet the people I had emailed obsessively and see the building where that rather hefty check was sent to. The API Staff is just awesome. And a lot of them are Gillianasana readers, which just makes me grin like an idiot to know. [Hi everyone!!!] And the office decor is SO cool. The creative director Mark is, well, <b>creative</b>. It's really colorful and fun, and I have plans to decorate my future apartment a la API. You're all invited to my housewarming party. Bring chocolate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We went out to lunch & I had my first one of these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1WLDFPKOdOaxP4BZTbKg9BFsw3aRO3VzhzizO3oGp5w0yfaDGxW1DE8sQwF5l3TJC7zdeK4PKmnPSX79UvgPv97XVKFk11IU0czU03RTTB7OIJ-hIFNFSMpBGQQJwxhOyBgmBkJTRTH8/s1600/IMG_1991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1WLDFPKOdOaxP4BZTbKg9BFsw3aRO3VzhzizO3oGp5w0yfaDGxW1DE8sQwF5l3TJC7zdeK4PKmnPSX79UvgPv97XVKFk11IU0czU03RTTB7OIJ-hIFNFSMpBGQQJwxhOyBgmBkJTRTH8/s320/IMG_1991.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A fried pickle! And the consensus was that it tastes like...um, a fried pickle. Yep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dinner was really exciting. Like, really really exciting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaelHYHvcwytXQp19BoKNFHXUVoBgaagzCFGsizVjVtJ5xRfbYslpKbSAUKhz7XWOk98n9rPw-KzC7IlOO2toUI0KVN8KRIyGncschUG1KszMLs0LYqi-ANDnZH6lnGOhYeGJBT9_iT9VQ/s1600/IMG_1993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaelHYHvcwytXQp19BoKNFHXUVoBgaagzCFGsizVjVtJ5xRfbYslpKbSAUKhz7XWOk98n9rPw-KzC7IlOO2toUI0KVN8KRIyGncschUG1KszMLs0LYqi-ANDnZH6lnGOhYeGJBT9_iT9VQ/s320/IMG_1993.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Italian!</b> What else would get me so excited?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBNYI90Xf65o9d2WRyc_V7jbVcR5AcVzLwqr0X3hGHGy0mYV2btGLr1fmWnQ3xOioXMeNmSB84ggAd0zzIb-9ikq9fOwAUXfSYoa-xagGOteoKEEzROFgc1ZP806NrdYzYe7X5w33tBor/s1600/IMG_1995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBNYI90Xf65o9d2WRyc_V7jbVcR5AcVzLwqr0X3hGHGy0mYV2btGLr1fmWnQ3xOioXMeNmSB84ggAd0zzIb-9ikq9fOwAUXfSYoa-xagGOteoKEEzROFgc1ZP806NrdYzYe7X5w33tBor/s320/IMG_1995.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsl2Key7gR6Ww0fp4NJPoEGCluP9vFq7zjFPNxJxnmlSVBJH1SNrtKlzkjb5uk5DyGk5AEYpW1dWSMduuSVLv64FZ3lNXORJ1fP9Kdi_LGx-ip0Vm0ECpSvD86uKwPMIIacAvk5l9-6u1/s1600/IMG_1996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsl2Key7gR6Ww0fp4NJPoEGCluP9vFq7zjFPNxJxnmlSVBJH1SNrtKlzkjb5uk5DyGk5AEYpW1dWSMduuSVLv64FZ3lNXORJ1fP9Kdi_LGx-ip0Vm0ECpSvD86uKwPMIIacAvk5l9-6u1/s320/IMG_1996.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFaoc4W3PcYF_IsPNb53OwKut-1I6cYeW11QwY43nqQzlyAH1cJE5BSZ9GkpEmrXauxhhqNVKO-w_hTTK0Qq6HzvHQSiOEGcTBMmQFGAGtf3W14LrGHcKFdwpelX0nDnIpPjG0-FxyOis/s1600/IMG_1997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFaoc4W3PcYF_IsPNb53OwKut-1I6cYeW11QwY43nqQzlyAH1cJE5BSZ9GkpEmrXauxhhqNVKO-w_hTTK0Qq6HzvHQSiOEGcTBMmQFGAGtf3W14LrGHcKFdwpelX0nDnIpPjG0-FxyOis/s320/IMG_1997.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YOR__XOIwtzfkumil9-9lwL8gAGJl8S5tCyHpMTGn9NwmdJnCB_u0oMASvKzbf7qeTSPK4Gn8rDi9sLRwKMOHV73adouExuEvI_LlosM0_lhr3jJ5lKQkx25fLcYWoF2Z9E3o4jn5AaT/s1600/IMG_1999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YOR__XOIwtzfkumil9-9lwL8gAGJl8S5tCyHpMTGn9NwmdJnCB_u0oMASvKzbf7qeTSPK4Gn8rDi9sLRwKMOHV73adouExuEvI_LlosM0_lhr3jJ5lKQkx25fLcYWoF2Z9E3o4jn5AaT/s320/IMG_1999.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[That was some delicious focaccia. Nothing like the focaccia I had in Italy...but delicious nevertheless. Crispy, cheesy, chewy. God I love bread.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Remember my <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1042569269">first </a><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1042569269">garganelli</a></i><a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/03/one-girls-food-is-another-girls-shoes.html"> experience</a>? I loved the shape, and when I saw it on the menu simply done with a tomato & basil sauce, my mind was made up quite quickly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcyUL7T2HmAz978bDOVboiVLqdiu1YrQSju8mjExHrILhYXpN9Gob-oF0JQaODlyS6JmM3pqjWitDgmHgG-RAxMjreMb8I1RZfElb0D-F0LlYwR2868RCUt8FpHqkJMFBCAaxzIfrKQXF/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcyUL7T2HmAz978bDOVboiVLqdiu1YrQSju8mjExHrILhYXpN9Gob-oF0JQaODlyS6JmM3pqjWitDgmHgG-RAxMjreMb8I1RZfElb0D-F0LlYwR2868RCUt8FpHqkJMFBCAaxzIfrKQXF/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Simple is always a good way to go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dining experience in Austin was really fun. Great food + great conversation. It was, well, great!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And lo and behold, what was across the street from this Italian restaurant but a frozen yogurt shop. I was all over that like white on rice.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYiCQge4W5Tk7xfJcnNGccoVY65YSoY0hpI91dvZCLwIVQt92Bcroh5nb-AcMntcxAJjzu_yU3P6fBht2ocFIUAGbf0TsNDqYdcbaMiznHaza8ieC-Qx3BMfaIusx6GowEy-W-LXlJKIw/s1600/IMG_2005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYiCQge4W5Tk7xfJcnNGccoVY65YSoY0hpI91dvZCLwIVQt92Bcroh5nb-AcMntcxAJjzu_yU3P6fBht2ocFIUAGbf0TsNDqYdcbaMiznHaza8ieC-Qx3BMfaIusx6GowEy-W-LXlJKIw/s320/IMG_2005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was my first experience with pay-per-ounce fro yo, and I must say, I am jealous of those of you who have one nearby. Although my wallet sure is happy without them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But who can say no to this??</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PcJXwbxhxss3fbJt1sxNcAcWKRxidj5XpoLRN2ywD77mhRam1eoBn-mlr5aslXT41wJztQwnEY7Gx3dGw9XWida1OeZETmAMpt_YtfWzlQZizrKIES6jt7W5E7Qt4d5ieVoUH1k9oDn1/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PcJXwbxhxss3fbJt1sxNcAcWKRxidj5XpoLRN2ywD77mhRam1eoBn-mlr5aslXT41wJztQwnEY7Gx3dGw9XWida1OeZETmAMpt_YtfWzlQZizrKIES6jt7W5E7Qt4d5ieVoUH1k9oDn1/s320/IMG_2006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not I. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V4SsRVI429bJpEzr7AXTDR_fv_q2SRKwjQ97n_r8iVMZVmgtZuo8mJ5JXdVk2zwtwYXWGdR4G6j7VEF9Hrgsno9Po_ZvCGID3cl5g9PC7LU7TWth_R8APKBD9aaR6JQllPVS6YlSiCYn/s1600/IMG_2007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5V4SsRVI429bJpEzr7AXTDR_fv_q2SRKwjQ97n_r8iVMZVmgtZuo8mJ5JXdVk2zwtwYXWGdR4G6j7VEF9Hrgsno9Po_ZvCGID3cl5g9PC7LU7TWth_R8APKBD9aaR6JQllPVS6YlSiCYn/s320/IMG_2007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I went the next night too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next and final day, we all gave our presentations about our personal study abroad experiences. It was so much fun to hear everyone's, and made me want to go back. And then go everywhere they went. Global tour, anyone?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Earlier, we met with our program managers, aka the person I stalked via email for 3 months when I was dealing with the massive amount of paperwork involved. [Note to all those study-abroad hopefuls I just scared: most of it is now done online. I am jealous.]. Mine was absolutely awesome, despite the fact that I emailed her 3 times in a row in a period of 10 minutes, and it was so cool to meet her (and see a pic of her adorable son!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another highlight was lunch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7S-cMAFDfR5tD1TUj3y-q6zgf7238qmQaujd-Xp56MOebaR0nO_uNJ_BzFX4GZFd_llszCf7XD8UGluMTvIOg-yRFgL2E1JtUIYOdyXjRNg-dsCo92cVunOl28dnJ-ovkVi_Zm_wGqd53/s1600/IMG_2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7S-cMAFDfR5tD1TUj3y-q6zgf7238qmQaujd-Xp56MOebaR0nO_uNJ_BzFX4GZFd_llszCf7XD8UGluMTvIOg-yRFgL2E1JtUIYOdyXjRNg-dsCo92cVunOl28dnJ-ovkVi_Zm_wGqd53/s320/IMG_2017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Turkey+sprouts+lettuce+tomato+mustard+"avocado". Apparently in Texas, when you see avocado on a menu, it means guacamole. Only one more reason I love Austin. More places should adopt that principle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But dessert basically eclipsed everything else. There is a "cookie delivery service" nearby that the office orders from often, understandably. But the kicker? The cookes are delivered <b><i>fresh from the oven</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPBuy0MLfeZFx6YuEJ1FeBz0IzITkqZ9qEJX-tyOv3W-OSswhuJ1lcJTWFhRnoDJHw1kBADZvAVnDU6mnuP8ktlVviHbpod_ubxLTapth-cqxSHpJrV4opY3DBW1sUpX4lfohqCAycVtS/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPBuy0MLfeZFx6YuEJ1FeBz0IzITkqZ9qEJX-tyOv3W-OSswhuJ1lcJTWFhRnoDJHw1kBADZvAVnDU6mnuP8ktlVviHbpod_ubxLTapth-cqxSHpJrV4opY3DBW1sUpX4lfohqCAycVtS/s320/IMG_2018.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">In one word? GENIUS.</span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkr8mu5WoENFH9oVgbZvJE-Frv2ovGxJ0cyXkHLMuaJgupmj-84Isqj8R4Febu_nFcAFgMvk2BViuA9TnaEUCMLD9kEqDNXd7UgmdFuMGy5htuFzIdgiwjkL4hcZaijZItswHNSMVgPPLP/s1600/IMG_2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkr8mu5WoENFH9oVgbZvJE-Frv2ovGxJ0cyXkHLMuaJgupmj-84Isqj8R4Febu_nFcAFgMvk2BViuA9TnaEUCMLD9kEqDNXd7UgmdFuMGy5htuFzIdgiwjkL4hcZaijZItswHNSMVgPPLP/s320/IMG_2019.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That was hands-down the best M&M cookie I've ever had. It was all gooey and melty and warm and if I didn't have enough reasons to up and move to Austin, this would do it. I want to open a fresh-from-the-oven cookie delivery service. Seriously. Possibly one of the best business strategies I've ever heard of.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After our training was all over (*tear*), a small group of us decided to check out Barton Springs Pool, which is a public outdoor swimming area with natural water. (I don't know how else to describe it; by "natural," I mean not chlorinated. So before you start giggling about the concept of "unnatural water"...shutup.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Ffyf0JYhLqSzqQmzHo5Y0rHGy6c4lNRS_VblIvqJrj8v1Km41kperF5vNzc3Jqo-oq1UBbAXyc7uymyq_FZnuIh78mJS8UntWOZa5zsfh_dERYmAlftiED-4_d2wUSnglHWX_Xy-qvA/s1600/IMG_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Ffyf0JYhLqSzqQmzHo5Y0rHGy6c4lNRS_VblIvqJrj8v1Km41kperF5vNzc3Jqo-oq1UBbAXyc7uymyq_FZnuIh78mJS8UntWOZa5zsfh_dERYmAlftiED-4_d2wUSnglHWX_Xy-qvA/s320/IMG_2022.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Ffyf0JYhLqSzqQmzHo5Y0rHGy6c4lNRS_VblIvqJrj8v1Km41kperF5vNzc3Jqo-oq1UBbAXyc7uymyq_FZnuIh78mJS8UntWOZa5zsfh_dERYmAlftiED-4_d2wUSnglHWX_Xy-qvA/s1600/IMG_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cfW9yeBtkehViSyWX2JpygZFmEu0p9VrtRhMVMkL6R20KXQGSvSaQ2-TBOgUS_SYsNE6p0AcBr2ERf7GM0RVFLZuxmqFl5P6o9Plg9ZdKU7zrkSKNP7Iw3dC7BY4W_R9OtU67kearJNF/s1600/IMG_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cfW9yeBtkehViSyWX2JpygZFmEu0p9VrtRhMVMkL6R20KXQGSvSaQ2-TBOgUS_SYsNE6p0AcBr2ERf7GM0RVFLZuxmqFl5P6o9Plg9ZdKU7zrkSKNP7Iw3dC7BY4W_R9OtU67kearJNF/s320/IMG_2026.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cfW9yeBtkehViSyWX2JpygZFmEu0p9VrtRhMVMkL6R20KXQGSvSaQ2-TBOgUS_SYsNE6p0AcBr2ERf7GM0RVFLZuxmqFl5P6o9Plg9ZdKU7zrkSKNP7Iw3dC7BY4W_R9OtU67kearJNF/s1600/IMG_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ju9ohrP3z4dZE9Dn-JNl4dx9rnGUlzu0DOOAzDK2-9yigx6whrIKK67_clGCGzHQHAzKAyf3qVmT7zj0RYw78FixvJTbvc4PvG6xzrr9UpDc8OLOLkVaWImZ20sOykAMStCgRPkfoSUC/s1600/IMG_2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ju9ohrP3z4dZE9Dn-JNl4dx9rnGUlzu0DOOAzDK2-9yigx6whrIKK67_clGCGzHQHAzKAyf3qVmT7zj0RYw78FixvJTbvc4PvG6xzrr9UpDc8OLOLkVaWImZ20sOykAMStCgRPkfoSUC/s320/IMG_2029.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ju9ohrP3z4dZE9Dn-JNl4dx9rnGUlzu0DOOAzDK2-9yigx6whrIKK67_clGCGzHQHAzKAyf3qVmT7zj0RYw78FixvJTbvc4PvG6xzrr9UpDc8OLOLkVaWImZ20sOykAMStCgRPkfoSUC/s1600/IMG_2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBm2xnq3CWIljOJoMbupVJa_RZ6c6P79D-MuqyxinaWWGj4IPPuF9VDohL58-t2Sbfl6ek5XUICSsY3_bqcoECtpZzx7Lbj4RlS3GC-PkIbsipldDC9bub6PaCWnWyprqb3tG_U7VFPAQ/s1600/IMG_2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBm2xnq3CWIljOJoMbupVJa_RZ6c6P79D-MuqyxinaWWGj4IPPuF9VDohL58-t2Sbfl6ek5XUICSsY3_bqcoECtpZzx7Lbj4RlS3GC-PkIbsipldDC9bub6PaCWnWyprqb3tG_U7VFPAQ/s320/IMG_2028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBm2xnq3CWIljOJoMbupVJa_RZ6c6P79D-MuqyxinaWWGj4IPPuF9VDohL58-t2Sbfl6ek5XUICSsY3_bqcoECtpZzx7Lbj4RlS3GC-PkIbsipldDC9bub6PaCWnWyprqb3tG_U7VFPAQ/s1600/IMG_2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaI1GazH7WdX6u5M0UNcqBHzQf-gcFxLngBUvJ9suDcodHeca5xoNjG25XQTdc2ZfQW9ALuwL4fomA9xd0QVn_dklYcgQ9gM9ajGMr07uuhTrFiw5bwd8tbuN1-H7Rt29LgC5IIgnvBuSx/s1600/IMG_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaI1GazH7WdX6u5M0UNcqBHzQf-gcFxLngBUvJ9suDcodHeca5xoNjG25XQTdc2ZfQW9ALuwL4fomA9xd0QVn_dklYcgQ9gM9ajGMr07uuhTrFiw5bwd8tbuN1-H7Rt29LgC5IIgnvBuSx/s320/IMG_2044.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaI1GazH7WdX6u5M0UNcqBHzQf-gcFxLngBUvJ9suDcodHeca5xoNjG25XQTdc2ZfQW9ALuwL4fomA9xd0QVn_dklYcgQ9gM9ajGMr07uuhTrFiw5bwd8tbuN1-H7Rt29LgC5IIgnvBuSx/s1600/IMG_2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAUwCx_bfIFgGqTBfN6tFtSMOw_dhL888qrJUgohmWwC2xXF1crWcP5CodV-WIPK-dl63hGRTE9-T289oR4GYYTUxYMhvowN5nEPXU2JZuQfQcux6bZXTcxac7uAcWDqrC62c8VRc7neI/s1600/IMG_2045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAUwCx_bfIFgGqTBfN6tFtSMOw_dhL888qrJUgohmWwC2xXF1crWcP5CodV-WIPK-dl63hGRTE9-T289oR4GYYTUxYMhvowN5nEPXU2JZuQfQcux6bZXTcxac7uAcWDqrC62c8VRc7neI/s320/IMG_2045.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[I love that there is an award for "Best Swimming Hole."]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We ran back to the hotel and I fought with the hotel printer, and before I knew it, it was dinner time! We met at a tapas bar (we were going for barbecue, but the was an hour-long wait, and it was already 8 o'clock. Not happening.).One of the group studied in Barcelona, so needless to say, we asked him for recommendations. I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">went vegetarian.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjn6cjJ8F9AAp8rJThEOxOvBKbk6f4QXyHXxhEDfUA2m-aAaHILvdt8GzyabjbNkqlmoBmRBfQteVpcJmL9tW8PzHmxzS8RZ-iJSebdkEmEmSMZ-sWENFLyMhL0iyFYQ4PAMPCu8V_dgV/s1600/IMG_2048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjn6cjJ8F9AAp8rJThEOxOvBKbk6f4QXyHXxhEDfUA2m-aAaHILvdt8GzyabjbNkqlmoBmRBfQteVpcJmL9tW8PzHmxzS8RZ-iJSebdkEmEmSMZ-sWENFLyMhL0iyFYQ4PAMPCu8V_dgV/s320/IMG_2048.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was some fresh bread with some of the best grilled veggies I've had - and I have had <i>a lot</i>! It was leeks, artichokes, and asparagus in smoked olive oil + sea salt. The leeks literally <b>melted in my mouth<i>. </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">That romesco sauce on the side was none too shabby, either. I wanted to partake in the bottle of wine, but that pesky age limit and my conscience stopped me. Oh, to be in Italy again.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was really a great trip. Even better than I expected, and I was pretty excited to begin with! The job will be a lot of work, but studying abroad is something I'm pretty passionate about & I think it will really be fun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That wasn't the only surprise; the trip seemed to trigger a bit if reverse culture shock. Perhaps it was all the talking about living in our respective countries and how much we loved and grew from it, but either way, I came home happy but a little hurtin'. But what it really did was remind me of what a crazy, confusing, beautiful experience studying abroad is and, for me, was. And I'd do it all over again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
Thanks, Austin!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK5x3eHXBDjMDZFbf6fsNEDkQPiVrFgs7at1TAAJUEiIb-sJ1AhzMPDr6cL4RWF0HY_fVu8sRHU4Qz8ILHnii8AXytO86zWkO_rA4z_8TZAP-gUTX8cGtZKy06VJ9lZ8F3L4AIDUpV0J3/s1600/IMG_2046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK5x3eHXBDjMDZFbf6fsNEDkQPiVrFgs7at1TAAJUEiIb-sJ1AhzMPDr6cL4RWF0HY_fVu8sRHU4Qz8ILHnii8AXytO86zWkO_rA4z_8TZAP-gUTX8cGtZKy06VJ9lZ8F3L4AIDUpV0J3/s1600/IMG_2046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK5x3eHXBDjMDZFbf6fsNEDkQPiVrFgs7at1TAAJUEiIb-sJ1AhzMPDr6cL4RWF0HY_fVu8sRHU4Qz8ILHnii8AXytO86zWkO_rA4z_8TZAP-gUTX8cGtZKy06VJ9lZ8F3L4AIDUpV0J3/s320/IMG_2046.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think I'll be back ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[P.S. - if anyone read this earlier, my mouse clicked the "Publish" button of its own volition when I was halfway through writing it. Hate it when that happens.]</div></div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-69955957886775847962010-08-24T05:53:00.000+02:002010-08-24T05:53:33.053+02:00Spiced Up:...with Laundry?<div style="text-align: center;">Whoa. The past 2 weeks have been a blur of conferences, information, new people, endless to dos, and some pretty kickass food. All of which are soon to be covered on this blog.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...as soon as I dig my computer out from under the pile of laundry that needs to be packed along with the rest of my life by Wednesday when my mother and I begin the drive down to move me in. For my senior year of college.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Yup. Blur is definitely the right word.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Namaste</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-78083934172212900992010-08-23T04:41:00.000+02:002010-08-23T04:41:01.697+02:00The Healthy Choice<div style="text-align: center;">Have you ever taken a bite of something and suddenly understood what is meant by "the flavor exploded on the tongue"?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I did tonight.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It wasn't an apple picked from a local orchard. It wasn't basil from my backyard. It wasn't a tomato from the farmer's market or bread fresh from the oven.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">No, I'm talking about pizza.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/i/recipes/sl/03142008/pepperoni-pizza-sl-1599569-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/i/recipes/sl/03142008/pepperoni-pizza-sl-1599569-l.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/gallery/print/0,32179,1827898,00.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hot, greasy pizza from the local pizza house. The crust is oddly chewy with crispy edges, the cheese is questionably thick, and pools of oil collect in the dip of the pepperoni slices. But that first bite, when the melty, sweet-salty mozzarella combines with the yeasty crust and sweet tomato sauce is an irreplaceable moment of bliss.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Why, you may ask, am I writing about cheap pizza? Because it is moments of total tastebud heaven such as this that explains my passion for food and appreciation of its power and presence in daily life. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It wasn't the healthiest choice. In fact, I had just finished a lovely dinner of tempeh + <a href="http://peasandthankyou.com/2010/08/16/cue-the-waterworks/">BBQ kale chips</a> when I met that slice of [heart]burnin' love. But after that first taste, it simply had to be done. And that decision, ignoring every fiber that told me to deprive myself, was in fact one of the healthiest things I've done today.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I enjoyed every. single. bite.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-43374318545245156012010-08-19T19:26:00.000+02:002010-08-19T19:26:15.872+02:00Another Challenge<div style="text-align: center;">What? Another challenge?? But it's not Wednesday!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I know. I am referring to the <a href="http://realfoodchallenge.org/">Real Food Challenge</a>, a conference being held just 20 minutes away from me in Stoughton, MA! It's the <a href="http://realfoodchallenge.org/netraining82010">Northeast Summer Leadership Training</a> for for college students. I'm going to learn all about corporate food policy, food justice, and all that good stuff - and hopefully make some changes on my own lovely campus. My head exploded with excitement when my<a href="http://alwayssnacking.tumblr.com/"> new friend Nicole</a> told me about this when we met in Austin - I have been whining nonstop for the past 3 years about the food on my campus and how frustrated I am with it. I really don't feel like it is supportive for anyone with food allergies or preferences like vegetarian/vegans, and even just trying to promote healthy eating overall. More often than not, the salad bar is only half full - but the dessert table is <i>loaded</i>. They veg options for protein are often seriously lacking as well, and I have often felt like screaming "iceberg lettuce is NOT a protein!!!!" And the local/seasonal food issue is no different. We have canteloupe & honeydew melon year round - don't try to tell me we picked those up from the farm down the road in mid-January. My problem was, I honestly have no idea where to begin trying to make changes, and that is where this training comes in. I'm crazyyyy excited to learn more about food policy and how I can help make changes for the better. And Lulu the camera is comin' with, of course. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[Just as a disclaimer, I <i>love</i> my school dearly and wouldn't ever have gone anywhere else. This problem is common to many, if not most, schools around the country - hence this conference exists!]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wow, I don't think I've ever written a post so fast - but like I said, mere minutes! Can't wait to tell yall all about it :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-44474934807033845072010-08-19T05:50:00.000+02:002010-08-19T05:50:58.549+02:00Over-The-Humpday Challenge: An Unintentional Two<div style="text-align: center;">I had to work the opening shift at the coffee house, 6 am - noon. Because of this, I had to wake up at the unconscionable hour of 5:30. I've always secretly wanted to be one of those people who wakes up at insane hours to exercise, so I decided that today OTHd Challenge would be to actually <i>do</i> that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I did. Alarm went off at 5 and 5:30, I popped up & got dressed, had a temper tantrum when I couldn't find my iPod, and rushed out the door for a calming walk to work. (I don't always trust myself to drive that early. Telephone poles tend to move to the middle of the street. I swear.)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It was a great walk, and I worked off some frustration, but it also gave me some serious thinking time. Remember the<a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/08/thoughtfull.html"> marathon-running thoughts</a>? Well, today they all crossed the finish line at the same time in a big, tangled, confused mass. But, if there's anything I'm good at, it's sorting. Yeah, I was the kid whose favorite game was to sort and re-sort her Beanie Babies into various different categories....hey, it kept me happy. Sshhh.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lately, I have been feeling a bit out of sorts. I had a GREAT time in Austin at the API Office (don't worry - that post is coming tomorrow!), and it was SO much fun to hear about everyone's study abroad experiences and exchange stories. But it also reminded me about every wonderful minute of my spring in Florence, and it seemed to have trigger something I thought maybe I had escaped. Reverse culture shock.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We were all warned about culture shock - you get to a new country, it scares the crap out of you at first, then you love every single inch of it...but eventually, it starts going sour, and you just want to go home. I'll will be completely, totally, 100% honest - I didn't experience it. I definitely had "I wanna go home" moments, but they had nothing to do with Italian culture. In fact, the biggest shock was how quickly Florence became my home & how comfortable I was! But I expected reverse culture shock. I knew it would be hard to go from living this incredible life in my favorite place in the world to right back home in a small town where the only Italian people know is <i>latte</i>. It didn't really ever hit me hard, though - I definitely slept a LOT when I got home, but I felt like I slipped back into home-for-the-summer life pretty easily. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Until now. It is all of a sudden SO hard to be here. And at home, there really isn't anyone to talk to about who seems to 'get it'. That was what was so great about meeting all the Peer Mentors - our experiences were different, but we all had the experience itself in common!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What is hard is the reaction I know I will get. I'm sure there are plenty who say, "Oh please. You didn't <i>live</i> like an Italian, almost broke and trying to find an apartment in one of the most unorganized countries in the world. You lived like an American in Italy - <b>spoiled</b>." Ok, yes, I was spoiled. I <b>know</b> that, and I'm offended by people who think I live in a dreamworld where every Italian owns a prepaid apartment in the middle of Florence and the hardest decision of the day is what kind of bread to buy. (There are over 250 kinds; it's not an easy decision. ;)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">No, I am perfectly realistic about that. What I miss is the <b>way</b> of life. People just seem more content with life, naturally happy. Life is hard, but that's life - roll with it. Here, it feels like everyone<i> </i><b>refuses to be happy</b> until they lose another 10 pounds or make another 10 thousand dollars. We have Starbucks with drive-thru lines tossing out massive paper cups filled with nonfat cappuccinos. In Italy, you go to a bar, you sip your 4 oz or so cup of cappuccino - made with whole milk, thankyouverymuch - and *god forbid* <i>talk</i> to the person who made it and the people around you. What?? <i>Stopping </i>for coffee? No no, that's why I bought the SUV with extra cupholders! ....Oy. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now please don't get me wrong - American culture is just as beautiful & interesting as any other in its own unique ways - another post for another time, I promise. But I'm not sure I've ever felt more comfortable in a place before Florence. It just felt <b>right</b>, and perhaps it's because all of a sudden I'm understanding that I'm not going back tomorrow and I have to readjust to a place I love just a little less that these feelings are coming up. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And of course, all this thinking has lead to yet another very painful realization - I'm ready to leave my house. The only one I've ever known. And it feels like one of my limbs is longer than its opposite. Off balance. I think this is what they call growing up?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So, today's OTHd Challenge was two-fold. Get up early to exercise before work? Check. Deal with reverse culture shock?....This one might be a work in progress. But, <b>I am</b> a work in progress. And that's okay with me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGyj_JT-C6fpvvoOGmoC10M4Jkfg0_9kQcCxFsh474mol66V8SCoEHCLJ7Q6ScsU8xePdVDWB1BwT1Qsyf2qHtIHHHYlClO8pdUjke84ta_0Mk2-ne_D_t-zMHofLWvLAG1w_aG9wn34S/s1600/arno+from+oltrarno.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGyj_JT-C6fpvvoOGmoC10M4Jkfg0_9kQcCxFsh474mol66V8SCoEHCLJ7Q6ScsU8xePdVDWB1BwT1Qsyf2qHtIHHHYlClO8pdUjke84ta_0Mk2-ne_D_t-zMHofLWvLAG1w_aG9wn34S/s400/arno+from+oltrarno.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ouch.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-10566966317058337752010-08-17T05:42:00.000+02:002010-08-17T05:42:13.404+02:00ThoughtFULL<div style="text-align: center;">So.many.thoughts. It's like they laced up their Nikes and are running super-marathons through my brain like a Kenyan in the Boston Marathon. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">[For the record, yes, I am aware that the past 2 Mondays have not been Spiced Up, for which I do apologize. Blame the Kenyan thoughts.]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Where to begin. Austin is the COOLEST city. API is the COOLEST company. I love study-abroad. I miss Florence. More on this later.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">While I am waiting for the race to finish and for my thoughts to round themselves up in a nice, neat list (or Excel spreadsheet), I've decided to focus on one such thought for now: <b>body-image</b>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After reading the lovely <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/">Angela</a>'s post about "<a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2010/08/06/operation-beautiful-virtual-book-tour/">happy weights</a>" during Change-The-Way-You-See, Not-The-Way-You-Look Week, the concept has been on my mind. It's an interesting one, because the definition of happy weight is completely subjective to the definer. So I was faced with the question, what is my happy weight? Is it a number, or a feeling? I <i>think</i> I've been at it before, although it didn't last long.</div><div style="text-align: center;">My personal happy weight has nothing to do with a scale. In fact, I haven't weighed myself since I don't know when and do not intend to. When I did weight myself, the number I saw dictated my mood for the rest of the day, and that was not just healthy for me. I just don't feel like a silly little 3-digit combination should have such control over me. So, in thinking about my happy weight, I thought about when I have been, well, <b>happy</b>. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Before Italy, the only time I could think of was my trip to India. I didn't give a second thought (even if I gave a first) to calories, exercise, or "fat" when I was there; I was so determined to live in every single moment, and I did. The result? I was simply happy. No little voice in my head telling me I'm fat or I shouldn't eat that. But, I came home and those old habits started creeping back subtly but surely.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fast forward to this spring in Florence. Apparently, there is something about me in a different country that puts me on top of the world. Even on my bad days - and I did have them - I would take a walk, grab a cappuccino or gelato, and always found myself smiling again. A big part of it I know was <i>gratitude. </i>I was and am still so unspeakably grateful to the forces of the universe that allowed me to live in the best city in the world - my parents, API, even myself. When I think of my "happy place", I go back to the bench in Piazza Santa Croce or a table inside Sergio's for lunch and I get the most complex mix of emotions - nostalgia, bliss, longing. I was happier than I had been in a long time, and that happiness translated over to my body image. I was beginning to feel very comfortable in my skin. It was...new, to say the least.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Austin has this awesome public swimming area, Barton Springs. It's a natural pool, like a lake or...um, a spring. Sssh, I'm tired. I'm not big on swimming and didn't plan on going, but a group of others were going and my new Italian self was not about to miss out on a fun experience, so off I went. And as I was sitting there, clicking pictures and thoughtfully munching on a granola bar, I thought about my ever-present self-consciousness about wearing a bikini. Now, when I lost my first 30, I remember the feeling of buying & wearing my first bikini ever - it was pretty sweet. But since then, with who knows how many pounds lost and gained, I've kinda lost that confidence. And these were probably the main reason why.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzNu0tMqfzERXlEQ_1iHXmtBGqjQ_j2t_BmeKDxXCwR91fjDWD4pFEVSkVAV31YA-HqoO-S_KxDEPKsN9ZS7B_jAmPxl1WZSDrlPeHhDUVUAY9O6fnJL-rEVTxmhkBLk_8Sh2h6Z8NU0z/s1600/stretch+marks+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzNu0tMqfzERXlEQ_1iHXmtBGqjQ_j2t_BmeKDxXCwR91fjDWD4pFEVSkVAV31YA-HqoO-S_KxDEPKsN9ZS7B_jAmPxl1WZSDrlPeHhDUVUAY9O6fnJL-rEVTxmhkBLk_8Sh2h6Z8NU0z/s320/stretch+marks+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Those are my stretch-marks. Mine. And I've had them since middle school. I hated them. I thought pregnant women were the only ones who had them. Then, I learned that models often get them as well because of binge dieting and stretching skin back and forth. It was a little comforting...but they have airbrushing. Us mortals, not so much.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Why, you may ask, am I showing off one of my so-called flaws on the world wide web? To oppose the idea that they are flaws. I only have love, and lots of it, for every inch of me, stretch marks included. It is beyond frustrating to me that 10-year-old me was already hating my body because it wasn't rivaling what I saw in movies & magazines. I don't really care how many times I've talked about this already or how cliche it may be; it hasn't ended yet, so there's still a need to discuss it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It may be a struggle, but I am determined to find my happy weight again - even if I can't go back to Italy right now (unless anyone has a free ticket lying around....anyone?????), I will bring what I learned and what I gained there back with me. I <b>will</b> return to my happy weight. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How do you define your "happy weight"? Do you have a part of your body you would like to stop feeling insecure about?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>~~~</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, there's one big ole thought down....a gajillion more to go. Sweet dreams!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-84543252275325599292010-08-11T03:13:00.000+02:002010-08-11T03:13:40.800+02:00When In _______, Eat Like the _______-ans.<div style="text-align: center;">Due to my impending trip to my study abroad program's offices to be trained in all things Peer Mentor-y, I've had my time in Florence on the brain quite a bit lately.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8uEwd2q1bilv6255uTpIWqZhgTtPKUB8npJCbcaA-BOzcT-eKzu4_Xk6fuIXXjli5mYD61_r-zycRVBjjp74H9AFcIqHLqzIkbbDzo0Gw8k_WIC4_cDykory95eYn1LZI5jJpDAev-Dt/s1600/sunset+duomo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8uEwd2q1bilv6255uTpIWqZhgTtPKUB8npJCbcaA-BOzcT-eKzu4_Xk6fuIXXjli5mYD61_r-zycRVBjjp74H9AFcIqHLqzIkbbDzo0Gw8k_WIC4_cDykory95eYn1LZI5jJpDAev-Dt/s320/sunset+duomo2.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ok, that's a lie, I think about my 3.5 months on the greatest city on earth on a <s>hourly</s> daily basis. But roll with me on this one.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I thought I would compile a definitive list - according to me, at least - of the absolute must-dos while abroad...and the other stuff that if you somehow fail to fit in to your packed, globe-trekking schedule, you won't be in tears about once you're home. And then I started typing the first item on my list....and it became a post in and of itself. If you haven't guessed already, it's about food.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">You <i>had </i>to have seen that one coming. Yes, number one for me is *drum roll*...<b>food</b>. I know you're sitting there saying "well duh, this coming from the food writer wannabe/culinary-school-student-to-be." But hear me out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0uvg7ZwdXwzL4pXNiyIijYyc0VLWBTpO9jKGZ9o7kN68d-sClZ8WSV6M-8Vyu112cFPHCLJvy0qReWDLqDe0K5cV8v-c8UBcRDJJLn0ibVQlSi6wE_w8_Ny8C5MJflrYHzD7V_NXd31L/s1600/sergios+-+melanzane+alla+parmigiana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0uvg7ZwdXwzL4pXNiyIijYyc0VLWBTpO9jKGZ9o7kN68d-sClZ8WSV6M-8Vyu112cFPHCLJvy0qReWDLqDe0K5cV8v-c8UBcRDJJLn0ibVQlSi6wE_w8_Ny8C5MJflrYHzD7V_NXd31L/s320/sergios+-+melanzane+alla+parmigiana.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, wipe that drool off the keyboard and <i>then</i> hear me out.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Food is a pretty important part of experiencing a culture. And by pretty important, I'm talking in the Top 3.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It usually goes by unnoticed, and perhaps that's as it should be, but the <i>way</i> one goes about eating has a lot to do with his/her culture. Why, for example, are there millions of take-out & delivery services available from restaurants in the U.S.? Because we the people keep up a go-go-go lifestyle, and convenience is often a top priority. We may enjoy a PB&J sandwich, but it's probably while also replying to 50 emails, holding a conference call, and/or making plans with friends concerning what to play during recess in a couple minutes. Further more, the ubiquitous PB&J - arguably a truly 'American' recipe - is ideal because it's cheap & quick to prepare.</div><div style="text-align: center;">On the other hand, we have <i>bella Italia,</i> where places to dine specifically and exclusively for lunch abound. Their hours are usually somewhere between 11 & 2, give or take, but this is not to cater to a wide variety of schedules - it is so for people to enjoy a 2 hour lunch. Unlike the U.S.of A., where food accompanies conversation - and the quicker, the better - the conversation accompanies the <b>food</b> in Italy, which is afforded several reverent hours. The pace of life is slower, the meal times truly appreciated. Yes, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=188295083000&ref=ts">sandwich shops exist</a> where you can drop in and get a quick bite to go - but you will usually find such establishments double as a wine bar, where as early as 11 AM little old men are enjoying a deep red glass of Chianti and chatting with the owner behind the counter. Merely by stepping into such a place, you are observing - and partaking in! - the culture. And I haven't even started on the food itself yet. </div><div style="text-align: center;">This part is somewhat obvious - what people eat is, of course, part of who they are. And their culture is also [duh] an important part of who they are, so it's a double dose of cultural immersion. But, let's face it, the <i>real</i> fun is on the menu. While back home, your younger brother is chowing down on turkey & swiss on rye, you are about to dig your fork in to a hearty plate of fresh pasta, doused artfully with homemade tomato sauce and crowned with real <i>parmeggiano-reggiano</i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4HxESz-nrEkU-zMj4Fs3wdzgfPS-yEskEQimJ4hp-6gPHNW38RozSz42MUnDvQFcQKkoCwmivC7vZ-Fsh7WLw0BAzaFJ5uyyRfJOiJmEaNTZE0nqLS-Jyi_MsxeTx3R4FJuDQ1hyphenhyphenLNei/s1600/Sergio+-+spaghetti+freschi+alla+carrettiera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4HxESz-nrEkU-zMj4Fs3wdzgfPS-yEskEQimJ4hp-6gPHNW38RozSz42MUnDvQFcQKkoCwmivC7vZ-Fsh7WLw0BAzaFJ5uyyRfJOiJmEaNTZE0nqLS-Jyi_MsxeTx3R4FJuDQ1hyphenhyphenLNei/s320/Sergio+-+spaghetti+freschi+alla+carrettiera.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And don't forget the bread on the side! Or maybe it's a big steaming bowl of my very favorite <i><a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/03/happy-omega-3-awareness-day.html">ribollita</a></i> (the presence of bread goes without saying). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGctFFj_rCytz2-DCYEvRBDAlrFIkSJAEnHnCq9LLYHmETZ3agAzPL2xFxK77fk9Y9yaKXlR1iMeRXV_r-dOezgR-bMVduw56JFFoiO6KDQkHkYzuJDFl4I4AemIeCD2F9r1cRRDYP-odc/s1600/Sergio+ribollita.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGctFFj_rCytz2-DCYEvRBDAlrFIkSJAEnHnCq9LLYHmETZ3agAzPL2xFxK77fk9Y9yaKXlR1iMeRXV_r-dOezgR-bMVduw56JFFoiO6KDQkHkYzuJDFl4I4AemIeCD2F9r1cRRDYP-odc/s320/Sergio+ribollita.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Either way, a far cry from that little Wonderbread-clad sandwich on the other side of the Atlantic.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Call it a bunch of rambling, but all of this is to prove a point. Yes, eating in a new place can be scary. (<i><a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/04/livorno-for-lunch-take-2.html">Cacciucco</a>, </i>anyone?) But it's an important part of getting to know that new place so everything else in it can be, well, less new & scary! I learned a lot more than just what the best kind of cheese is when I ate in Italy. (It's fresh <i>pecorino</i>, by the way. At least I think so.) So <b>please</b>, before you throw up your hands and spend whatever precious little time you have abroad consuming a steady diet of ham & cheese sandwiches (don't get me wrong, they have their place - just not 24/7!) - try something new. Even if you have no idea what you just ordered. Even if the waiter tries to translate and you think it might be something with a a beak, 3 legs and a dorsal fin. You might discover a new favorite I-must-eat-this-every-day food! You might also discover a new I-will-never-touch-that-foodlike-thing-ever-again food, but that's okay too. What I can guarantee is that you won't regret your choice of going out on a limb and trying something brand new. I do recommend bringing a friend - for fun photo ops and, if that second scenario turns out to be the case, to share her inevitably delicious plate of whatever-it-is. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now, I've given a great deal of time to explaining all this. And yes, it is because I love nothing more than talking about food and Florence, but it is also because I've been there, too afraid of new food to enjoy the whole cultural experience of dining. The regret I had about my first trip to Italy - spent hungry - was tangibly painful, and this time around, I was <i>not</i> depriving myself of that again. I learned a lot the second time around, but I'm lucky I got a second time! Heed these words, and you won't regret a single minute of your trip. You'll just <b>live</b> each and every one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHUwVpGXE9MrzF2M6WsMel1y6cyK94xsNYWSQ7aPLBYtvEwXxHK69K-6NzJ27lKHMk_4UO312GBnvz6Dn6fNhP5YrFzQpFyumneS9nLX431WbW2isti9cuzpcQb42eElNTV4jYwIjEfr5/s1600/vestri+goodness.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHUwVpGXE9MrzF2M6WsMel1y6cyK94xsNYWSQ7aPLBYtvEwXxHK69K-6NzJ27lKHMk_4UO312GBnvz6Dn6fNhP5YrFzQpFyumneS9nLX431WbW2isti9cuzpcQb42eElNTV4jYwIjEfr5/s320/vestri+goodness.JPG" /></a></div>Buon Appetito.<br />
<br />
~Namaste~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
P.S. - See you in Austin!!!</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-25755921945421311472010-08-10T06:08:00.000+02:002010-08-10T06:08:08.454+02:00The Strength of Smell<div style="text-align: center;">The human olfactory sense is known to be the strongest of the 5. And I must say, my nose and I are inclined to agree.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Something about scent, no matter how faint, has the ability to transport me right back to a very specific moment in time. It's a pretty powerful thing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My obsession with melon of all kinds leads to 2 things: 1) a component of my breakfast that I bound out of bed for, and 2) a vast build-up of melon rinds in the trash can which, a day or two later, creates an odor so nastily nauseous that I am forced to tie up the trash bag and drag it out to the outdoor trash, all while taking great pains to breathe solely through my mouth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Upon stepping outside on this 90+ degree day in August, something happens. I'm free to open my nose after the offending bag is safely stowed in the huge gray bin that lives for every other Monday when the trash pick-up truck arrives. I breathe in, blink, and find myself standing on my grandparents' cement driveway in a late summer Atlanta suburb. Standing in my swimsuit, impatiently waiting for my brother and cousins to put their shoes on and for my grandmother to pee one final time, I'm completely unaware that my memory is taking marked notice of the smell of sun-soaked stone and dirt, with the rare sweet breeze blowing by every so often. I can almost smell the heavily chlorinated pool with its blissfully cool water awaiting me. I can feel the slap of my sandals against my feet as I race with others on the steamy blacktop, and the rough, rutted surface of the white diving board.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And then I blink again, and I'm back on my own stone patio, in a Massachusetts suburb, in August. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Have you ever felt the "strength of smell"?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">I know this is a little different than what I usually write; I've been reading MFK Fisher nonstop and it seems to be rubbing off on me, for better or worse. More on that later.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In other news...I'm going to Austin, Texas on Wednesday! It's to train for my job as Peer Mentor with my study abroad program, API. I'm really excited - about the job and the travel. I've never been to Texas! I'll update tomorrow, but I do intend to bring my laptop & Lulu with me. New places means new food! (And less lofty writing ;)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-56737479143357787542010-08-06T05:10:00.000+02:002010-08-06T05:10:52.932+02:00The Maine Thing<div style="text-align: center;">Um, yeah, remember a few weekends ago when I went to Maine? Well, remember how I <i>promised</i> to return with pictures? Yeah, blogger fail. Better late then never, though!<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Family friends/former neighbors of ours bought a little cottage just a couple hours out of Mass. around Ogunquitt, Maine. The cottage was super cute - small, but cozy rather than claustrophia-inducing, with lots of light and they've decorated beautifully. Look how cute!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw5pnD4Izc26wDWhDsfqXl84qmB7g36pUe91i7AXSnCqf4PjaJ0K_o9yOGx_GKuBDRyQL95VkeIBz1K9ur3A4jaWuljzlHWNHrWDorBCmbvfFOVFgK0tTsMFEywn9dr5r51zsBy6VcuU/s1600/maine+wknd+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw5pnD4Izc26wDWhDsfqXl84qmB7g36pUe91i7AXSnCqf4PjaJ0K_o9yOGx_GKuBDRyQL95VkeIBz1K9ur3A4jaWuljzlHWNHrWDorBCmbvfFOVFgK0tTsMFEywn9dr5r51zsBy6VcuU/s320/maine+wknd+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdKgmVplkFB_Lhysn9NF5XChedLxF1jX075dknmnV0h3-5R0Y4U-iAtR_m8gUnW-sH35Zz3ewX7OF5cNeojXA3b3ybCLeVwpB3Wxqoqyc3blZ4Ht1I2PwTKlXw6nw54iz7jaHrnYd-yk/s1600/maine+wknd+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdKgmVplkFB_Lhysn9NF5XChedLxF1jX075dknmnV0h3-5R0Y4U-iAtR_m8gUnW-sH35Zz3ewX7OF5cNeojXA3b3ybCLeVwpB3Wxqoqyc3blZ4Ht1I2PwTKlXw6nw54iz7jaHrnYd-yk/s320/maine+wknd+(2).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our hostess called this her "Martha Stewart moment." Love it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We arrived just in time for lunch - and a lovely lunch it was!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-WJ1kmiWiv6e0crjwshkAVSpWQpG-B0nc6MVlOFZtLU6seAL5ZafmcD5biL8SZPDuPFR2ounUj-ifyKetSANz5DQZn_pz-5m2UrH8jWXnm9OGxKphCHMlZqHCmS1AdIpGC7FA4syQak/s1600/maine+Silver+Palate+pasta+salad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-WJ1kmiWiv6e0crjwshkAVSpWQpG-B0nc6MVlOFZtLU6seAL5ZafmcD5biL8SZPDuPFR2ounUj-ifyKetSANz5DQZn_pz-5m2UrH8jWXnm9OGxKphCHMlZqHCmS1AdIpGC7FA4syQak/s320/maine+Silver+Palate+pasta+salad.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pasta salad, FULL of veggies. This was absolutely delicious! It is originally from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Palate-Cookbook-25th-Anniversary/dp/0761145974/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281062492&sr=8-1">Silver Palate</a> cookbook; I am planning on making it again (and again, and again....) and probably tweaking it here and there. I do love me a good pasta salad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And fruit! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicunTllckrIgA8Y0cQQc1isAQxO2DBsY-xha1UpYNvHY3JLYUKyRDLjWgpqocKnHrdZyeNx1ZhI8QLNOwfh3BhA9vfFdhDl7Bra7ZpO7u-amSAjBbgJF9N038GmHv3PqqJbdrLGWRjpQw/s1600/maine+local+fruits+salad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicunTllckrIgA8Y0cQQc1isAQxO2DBsY-xha1UpYNvHY3JLYUKyRDLjWgpqocKnHrdZyeNx1ZhI8QLNOwfh3BhA9vfFdhDl7Bra7ZpO7u-amSAjBbgJF9N038GmHv3PqqJbdrLGWRjpQw/s320/maine+local+fruits+salad.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Including these gorgeous local raspberries:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6h1pFkXph9vZkvh07ruThfVJJTurRDs4ucFNFhkCpYQ-fcVe5fETXv88Du-UshH2MxDilzS1ggA1siWQwf3SlCmV5zf6p0SxUaGnaKZ0mU8O4IBOTH8CCtd7jmNGwUgy89ctD2Ytc7k/s1600/maine+lampone+locale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6h1pFkXph9vZkvh07ruThfVJJTurRDs4ucFNFhkCpYQ-fcVe5fETXv88Du-UshH2MxDilzS1ggA1siWQwf3SlCmV5zf6p0SxUaGnaKZ0mU8O4IBOTH8CCtd7jmNGwUgy89ctD2Ytc7k/s320/maine+lampone+locale.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even better than they look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now, why on earth would anyone go to Maine in July? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjexxj4ULCrXPYJDquFgrXnWcNS61kHVpNV_yb0QCcuCMgAM9H7RhNgJfhEkuG5GJYihwDgqjx8fLG9qR5buhWWYYc-eITRZGZCBJM8ySUiNoKqlg-FgYLc6hrgtm3pIxqD9evQYFGzyE/s1600/maine+wknd+(62).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjexxj4ULCrXPYJDquFgrXnWcNS61kHVpNV_yb0QCcuCMgAM9H7RhNgJfhEkuG5GJYihwDgqjx8fLG9qR5buhWWYYc-eITRZGZCBJM8ySUiNoKqlg-FgYLc6hrgtm3pIxqD9evQYFGzyE/s320/maine+wknd+(62).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The<b> BEACH, </b>of course!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a perfect beach day. Just look at this sky:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXlq-hkI0Cjwk-U1mj1ocIcxxRMfqEbWLtg08waeWjWib7TLltJw5piKWWEfByEBg9_zAJnI3U3nP9CESftznKMLJnN9kyF1fe79emyq4YSeWrCvxjTOsU6Safm2Vaj1jOempC-UUEE6C/s1600/maine+wknd+(36).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXlq-hkI0Cjwk-U1mj1ocIcxxRMfqEbWLtg08waeWjWib7TLltJw5piKWWEfByEBg9_zAJnI3U3nP9CESftznKMLJnN9kyF1fe79emyq4YSeWrCvxjTOsU6Safm2Vaj1jOempC-UUEE6C/s320/maine+wknd+(36).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To get to the beach, you have to walk over some beautiful marshland. It made LuLu very happy - she is a much more cooperative camera when there is beauty to be documented!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvkvujXTAdkm-2O_3wmB5lPqM1TcxJI8F2E7IHBnW-_Ytr8ingVbEwK3ldWaHGRK0h4_SzKnQzWfPDb4yjO4ewqaXeunGT87nREcvh8I1WSUvg9nuETWsZVHsTc3235jmLs8g1HFOU-E/s1600/maine+wknd+(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvkvujXTAdkm-2O_3wmB5lPqM1TcxJI8F2E7IHBnW-_Ytr8ingVbEwK3ldWaHGRK0h4_SzKnQzWfPDb4yjO4ewqaXeunGT87nREcvh8I1WSUvg9nuETWsZVHsTc3235jmLs8g1HFOU-E/s400/maine+wknd+(8).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hPAevWidBrk3oM7hZl4rDr3ulY8GlAj2PWPwns2Kk4DQ_uQ_t9P9KLW4tRIuFhykj-MXhgi2rM-JpQWWYipdYRvrlWNJTSlt_jpcHLvmntF484xE35Z0IYWY9cmR55c36p7QdnwJbqI/s1600/maine+wknd+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hPAevWidBrk3oM7hZl4rDr3ulY8GlAj2PWPwns2Kk4DQ_uQ_t9P9KLW4tRIuFhykj-MXhgi2rM-JpQWWYipdYRvrlWNJTSlt_jpcHLvmntF484xE35Z0IYWY9cmR55c36p7QdnwJbqI/s400/maine+wknd+(11).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpxIe7fjBA6mz1f9AeqgrcTj7_KCpGu4-D3YWKNnYn7ftTf0l4atWI5vL-U_l8cxrelgs22wYkEhNiWCnhHSwEjBxZz0DCSLfnyZr-3ydA_pTZlsPsAaEQuXUeMIPDVnEMeSMa7j-8NU/s1600/maine+wknd+(20).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpxIe7fjBA6mz1f9AeqgrcTj7_KCpGu4-D3YWKNnYn7ftTf0l4atWI5vL-U_l8cxrelgs22wYkEhNiWCnhHSwEjBxZz0DCSLfnyZr-3ydA_pTZlsPsAaEQuXUeMIPDVnEMeSMa7j-8NU/s400/maine+wknd+(20).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtpFRC0WI-ynPsUri-Rox2ZjglnpZZGp5WJnAir9qflcl_jnH8L2kgq34YcwtvG7G1zzpYCGq00Gk6nmTjYYmS0Y0vVIlAJAFXqraZDy1so7TvoX6Q2s9rU3iXYpXhzV7RFy9bhYHcU4/s1600/maine+wknd+(23).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtpFRC0WI-ynPsUri-Rox2ZjglnpZZGp5WJnAir9qflcl_jnH8L2kgq34YcwtvG7G1zzpYCGq00Gk6nmTjYYmS0Y0vVIlAJAFXqraZDy1so7TvoX6Q2s9rU3iXYpXhzV7RFy9bhYHcU4/s400/maine+wknd+(23).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdkd8IfrjjxXTbr65Xg3h-u46Bsk_MaJ8f9yUUHAbG_5_n1GWBSJvmMnRHr9oOky-x9n3TjhWsh47bB3amw9bHMPxoG-A1e8yndrcqmSwFuNIe4tP0Dnxr_6cGhUnxwLIOyzz62AxR10/s1600/maine+wknd+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdkd8IfrjjxXTbr65Xg3h-u46Bsk_MaJ8f9yUUHAbG_5_n1GWBSJvmMnRHr9oOky-x9n3TjhWsh47bB3amw9bHMPxoG-A1e8yndrcqmSwFuNIe4tP0Dnxr_6cGhUnxwLIOyzz62AxR10/s400/maine+wknd+(13).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdkd8IfrjjxXTbr65Xg3h-u46Bsk_MaJ8f9yUUHAbG_5_n1GWBSJvmMnRHr9oOky-x9n3TjhWsh47bB3amw9bHMPxoG-A1e8yndrcqmSwFuNIe4tP0Dnxr_6cGhUnxwLIOyzz62AxR10/s1600/maine+wknd+(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQiR7lWpTigAcveg7_5U6H-Z-9YaQ-QlBLcEul-Ria3QkuSXkqvabYsZ_FjAikG25jfz5n4SPx7es24-m05YJC27wVpfpdeED3B_zDUn0kSY05GUzvDknj3LB9TWYX3PyFM_6c-OVaMk/s1600/maine+wknd+(29).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQiR7lWpTigAcveg7_5U6H-Z-9YaQ-QlBLcEul-Ria3QkuSXkqvabYsZ_FjAikG25jfz5n4SPx7es24-m05YJC27wVpfpdeED3B_zDUn0kSY05GUzvDknj3LB9TWYX3PyFM_6c-OVaMk/s400/maine+wknd+(29).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczZH8JeF1M6m3WwE8TN2QnMatmA-L2JMMoMl5qw1LYoNl6OUv0ViVMBUBB58_bvbQ3E81Ho7pioA5nM4npJLFp5L7Zilm1uUgcU4J1UnJ0_zwOMKmL7I47W2aAzzHIuEeoUskemEcPvU/s1600/maine+wknd+(32).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczZH8JeF1M6m3WwE8TN2QnMatmA-L2JMMoMl5qw1LYoNl6OUv0ViVMBUBB58_bvbQ3E81Ho7pioA5nM4npJLFp5L7Zilm1uUgcU4J1UnJ0_zwOMKmL7I47W2aAzzHIuEeoUskemEcPvU/s400/maine+wknd+(32).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-vk6FVubhuaaNIFd-N6KYJcy9DrtAc621kuibta7kX9H8_5NE1DrdEgvJrJ4dQwwO2pJsekh52bkvq9PAVnZDmrak4nq_aIhuVJ5uw2kmQ8vVlEVFdpxMTUzXOplye1ERNHXviKJyZA/s1600/maine+wknd+(34).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-vk6FVubhuaaNIFd-N6KYJcy9DrtAc621kuibta7kX9H8_5NE1DrdEgvJrJ4dQwwO2pJsekh52bkvq9PAVnZDmrak4nq_aIhuVJ5uw2kmQ8vVlEVFdpxMTUzXOplye1ERNHXviKJyZA/s320/maine+wknd+(34).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-vk6FVubhuaaNIFd-N6KYJcy9DrtAc621kuibta7kX9H8_5NE1DrdEgvJrJ4dQwwO2pJsekh52bkvq9PAVnZDmrak4nq_aIhuVJ5uw2kmQ8vVlEVFdpxMTUzXOplye1ERNHXviKJyZA/s1600/maine+wknd+(34).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst2-5keEXVDPgeCQbASDSy3NkCX0azxWp-070lXEyJCovUK524qjPAS-YMrb4cmcS_zQgd24hd7itM-D_dlC0R4z4CEiPpOSrlXGpgyCuk_MkLo-NscHU9l676MqkoaCeUE-OjRcutOM/s1600/maine+wknd+(35).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst2-5keEXVDPgeCQbASDSy3NkCX0azxWp-070lXEyJCovUK524qjPAS-YMrb4cmcS_zQgd24hd7itM-D_dlC0R4z4CEiPpOSrlXGpgyCuk_MkLo-NscHU9l676MqkoaCeUE-OjRcutOM/s320/maine+wknd+(35).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Chillin :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjst2-5keEXVDPgeCQbASDSy3NkCX0azxWp-070lXEyJCovUK524qjPAS-YMrb4cmcS_zQgd24hd7itM-D_dlC0R4z4CEiPpOSrlXGpgyCuk_MkLo-NscHU9l676MqkoaCeUE-OjRcutOM/s1600/maine+wknd+(35).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZuCKvAbEpyJXp26ovOVGjPe5Yk1SE70QxrepvzmKu0EtbR1DJBnGvOfz_hbzksTJOawpdHp_CVZr-wgBHz5UFwf4wxVoBTLNIJZmpYU5vXRfpENi88QVMroY1x-v3Zt-hQ3w1OM6UXo/s1600/maine+wknd+(41).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZuCKvAbEpyJXp26ovOVGjPe5Yk1SE70QxrepvzmKu0EtbR1DJBnGvOfz_hbzksTJOawpdHp_CVZr-wgBHz5UFwf4wxVoBTLNIJZmpYU5vXRfpENi88QVMroY1x-v3Zt-hQ3w1OM6UXo/s400/maine+wknd+(41).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZuCKvAbEpyJXp26ovOVGjPe5Yk1SE70QxrepvzmKu0EtbR1DJBnGvOfz_hbzksTJOawpdHp_CVZr-wgBHz5UFwf4wxVoBTLNIJZmpYU5vXRfpENi88QVMroY1x-v3Zt-hQ3w1OM6UXo/s1600/maine+wknd+(41).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqqyUyzqr5R2aNLuiF2McCq55fbZPrxtCUsm0aZ1RoXRf4Ah0XywIqv4odyhEXSntQOqbUXTlIxkbfznSFSHBbak143bBSveh1Lxt7i3qKqkCUVgmWGOtwMUT2vG1LxLIwbMb_fi5PYs/s1600/maine+wknd+(46).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqqyUyzqr5R2aNLuiF2McCq55fbZPrxtCUsm0aZ1RoXRf4Ah0XywIqv4odyhEXSntQOqbUXTlIxkbfznSFSHBbak143bBSveh1Lxt7i3qKqkCUVgmWGOtwMUT2vG1LxLIwbMb_fi5PYs/s400/maine+wknd+(46).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">See the sailboat?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqqyUyzqr5R2aNLuiF2McCq55fbZPrxtCUsm0aZ1RoXRf4Ah0XywIqv4odyhEXSntQOqbUXTlIxkbfznSFSHBbak143bBSveh1Lxt7i3qKqkCUVgmWGOtwMUT2vG1LxLIwbMb_fi5PYs/s1600/maine+wknd+(46).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHAZ1x9xB0UQMLlMXjHPKSvEQ9LxKmVVrNiQhUE17F1ZXSKxjP7M0CbCNk_3W9t0FOagPetNNmgRSpNg85r3mMxuL_-zr2tifzeYVOH97OfW2Qb9wfhCfvTRiCaHOM8WA9PSjngvHVHw/s1600/maine+wknd+(49).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHAZ1x9xB0UQMLlMXjHPKSvEQ9LxKmVVrNiQhUE17F1ZXSKxjP7M0CbCNk_3W9t0FOagPetNNmgRSpNg85r3mMxuL_-zr2tifzeYVOH97OfW2Qb9wfhCfvTRiCaHOM8WA9PSjngvHVHw/s400/maine+wknd+(49).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This struck me as very....biblical. The light, the tree...I don't know. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHAZ1x9xB0UQMLlMXjHPKSvEQ9LxKmVVrNiQhUE17F1ZXSKxjP7M0CbCNk_3W9t0FOagPetNNmgRSpNg85r3mMxuL_-zr2tifzeYVOH97OfW2Qb9wfhCfvTRiCaHOM8WA9PSjngvHVHw/s1600/maine+wknd+(49).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vacvDDonwN9Fj25WyOf4nMV6LPXsoftd9WJyu9m9CPfPIl_L6mrHQxzZmqm9zBSw8RyDKMU7CcZi7KxKW-RhSgE8nv9DzvyBn73uk4nWuGH202sv4QvAD_fZhCtSRATq2BXNdmmN3Tk/s1600/maine+wknd+(51).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vacvDDonwN9Fj25WyOf4nMV6LPXsoftd9WJyu9m9CPfPIl_L6mrHQxzZmqm9zBSw8RyDKMU7CcZi7KxKW-RhSgE8nv9DzvyBn73uk4nWuGH202sv4QvAD_fZhCtSRATq2BXNdmmN3Tk/s400/maine+wknd+(51).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vacvDDonwN9Fj25WyOf4nMV6LPXsoftd9WJyu9m9CPfPIl_L6mrHQxzZmqm9zBSw8RyDKMU7CcZi7KxKW-RhSgE8nv9DzvyBn73uk4nWuGH202sv4QvAD_fZhCtSRATq2BXNdmmN3Tk/s1600/maine+wknd+(51).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mvf9yz3KASk89ZDSufqXQ4wPEIEWcr4ZLCmqnhyqb3QDYR4SqwhSlvZ46rZzqG9yyVk2RuFFV8u-XNbPMyATktZzkMynmA6RHo6IpO41oiF_ewXnxix6gz7qEQiTvMpAc1iv7_osoAM/s1600/maine+wknd+(55).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mvf9yz3KASk89ZDSufqXQ4wPEIEWcr4ZLCmqnhyqb3QDYR4SqwhSlvZ46rZzqG9yyVk2RuFFV8u-XNbPMyATktZzkMynmA6RHo6IpO41oiF_ewXnxix6gz7qEQiTvMpAc1iv7_osoAM/s400/maine+wknd+(55).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mvf9yz3KASk89ZDSufqXQ4wPEIEWcr4ZLCmqnhyqb3QDYR4SqwhSlvZ46rZzqG9yyVk2RuFFV8u-XNbPMyATktZzkMynmA6RHo6IpO41oiF_ewXnxix6gz7qEQiTvMpAc1iv7_osoAM/s1600/maine+wknd+(55).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4_Fnmgdc9FUnD8r_KpbyIlxQ2uC_qaqoa4gJSI2pCDW9ApsguDqePQAwzp62ap7MopbH-ZrDcigebWS_92HpjMxUjbtGNy7CaJt7lyCJTVdKAlxw7uGl-A5LE0r0NE2DgZTja037gH4/s1600/maine+wknd+(60).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4_Fnmgdc9FUnD8r_KpbyIlxQ2uC_qaqoa4gJSI2pCDW9ApsguDqePQAwzp62ap7MopbH-ZrDcigebWS_92HpjMxUjbtGNy7CaJt7lyCJTVdKAlxw7uGl-A5LE0r0NE2DgZTja037gH4/s400/maine+wknd+(60).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4_Fnmgdc9FUnD8r_KpbyIlxQ2uC_qaqoa4gJSI2pCDW9ApsguDqePQAwzp62ap7MopbH-ZrDcigebWS_92HpjMxUjbtGNy7CaJt7lyCJTVdKAlxw7uGl-A5LE0r0NE2DgZTja037gH4/s1600/maine+wknd+(60).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoer3zU-_FGEOm47-aeDyriLN05a-J10Kq9HEVRtg6sf-Y4UMclHS0Cke5_wQmKuqBudrNtJrbX5C7zMcJYf1_-9BUXBfW3_7mfCPZUgoqktxRbfXibw0sbCAVe6Qh6eQWbHAdGcEdVC0/s1600/maine+wknd+(64).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoer3zU-_FGEOm47-aeDyriLN05a-J10Kq9HEVRtg6sf-Y4UMclHS0Cke5_wQmKuqBudrNtJrbX5C7zMcJYf1_-9BUXBfW3_7mfCPZUgoqktxRbfXibw0sbCAVe6Qh6eQWbHAdGcEdVC0/s400/maine+wknd+(64).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoer3zU-_FGEOm47-aeDyriLN05a-J10Kq9HEVRtg6sf-Y4UMclHS0Cke5_wQmKuqBudrNtJrbX5C7zMcJYf1_-9BUXBfW3_7mfCPZUgoqktxRbfXibw0sbCAVe6Qh6eQWbHAdGcEdVC0/s1600/maine+wknd+(64).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwZvcDvaoGxaevQ2U8hKCFNWsCVIyaQsZBcnz0dfYfSx9ZA7nnIEx_m4Nte_9JlbbUlJ0vXTqT3RT8nTIUzm7YK6DPm4YScqcl2NIc7d8rDfvlTKQyjupGqsL8AT3e_hpfmwSQb4x_YU/s1600/maine+wknd+(69).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwZvcDvaoGxaevQ2U8hKCFNWsCVIyaQsZBcnz0dfYfSx9ZA7nnIEx_m4Nte_9JlbbUlJ0vXTqT3RT8nTIUzm7YK6DPm4YScqcl2NIc7d8rDfvlTKQyjupGqsL8AT3e_hpfmwSQb4x_YU/s400/maine+wknd+(69).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After lazing in the sun, we took a quick drive to Perkin's Cove, a.k.a, the tourist haven. But it sure is perty!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwZvcDvaoGxaevQ2U8hKCFNWsCVIyaQsZBcnz0dfYfSx9ZA7nnIEx_m4Nte_9JlbbUlJ0vXTqT3RT8nTIUzm7YK6DPm4YScqcl2NIc7d8rDfvlTKQyjupGqsL8AT3e_hpfmwSQb4x_YU/s1600/maine+wknd+(69).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjjyXyx0aNjfjOrDCRAsGlWP1gvTBi_XVUZg7dSchwbx8BAGaFnRtMdlgavv1W7myNApdW7OLC2SVIaIVG5_G1uR9pLxqeB1E9kl3kPWFxMzSsc-0CG4Zym-0HyEPL0i7lAP8IjUm_MQ/s1600/maine+wknd+(71).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjjyXyx0aNjfjOrDCRAsGlWP1gvTBi_XVUZg7dSchwbx8BAGaFnRtMdlgavv1W7myNApdW7OLC2SVIaIVG5_G1uR9pLxqeB1E9kl3kPWFxMzSsc-0CG4Zym-0HyEPL0i7lAP8IjUm_MQ/s400/maine+wknd+(71).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjjyXyx0aNjfjOrDCRAsGlWP1gvTBi_XVUZg7dSchwbx8BAGaFnRtMdlgavv1W7myNApdW7OLC2SVIaIVG5_G1uR9pLxqeB1E9kl3kPWFxMzSsc-0CG4Zym-0HyEPL0i7lAP8IjUm_MQ/s1600/maine+wknd+(71).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_sRF0Jli079KT4qnWjCrRWIFB21LLT0omyChX_fbMKAUTXafh1rGM1KE__vjauNyrc7rief2Zjf9B0KLvQqXOX-d8_BVoqWZjqAJQ0nUOBBkTFM-M_vyDRsD6W0O2prGZ1grI1uUBq4/s1600/maine+wknd+(76).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_sRF0Jli079KT4qnWjCrRWIFB21LLT0omyChX_fbMKAUTXafh1rGM1KE__vjauNyrc7rief2Zjf9B0KLvQqXOX-d8_BVoqWZjqAJQ0nUOBBkTFM-M_vyDRsD6W0O2prGZ1grI1uUBq4/s400/maine+wknd+(76).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_sRF0Jli079KT4qnWjCrRWIFB21LLT0omyChX_fbMKAUTXafh1rGM1KE__vjauNyrc7rief2Zjf9B0KLvQqXOX-d8_BVoqWZjqAJQ0nUOBBkTFM-M_vyDRsD6W0O2prGZ1grI1uUBq4/s1600/maine+wknd+(76).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyWsI3vbjfSEdelc6MKjW-W6blowCPlpx45MKXDGm4zId59zDaTxsOkKmnmlnv2H467POyNc6K0BFrPgjs8l1Y4l9vgLu9doDP-6Wiy0phtwfFL32wFnu-0vJH3m3rWij2Lihk4heTB4/s1600/maine+wknd+(77).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyWsI3vbjfSEdelc6MKjW-W6blowCPlpx45MKXDGm4zId59zDaTxsOkKmnmlnv2H467POyNc6K0BFrPgjs8l1Y4l9vgLu9doDP-6Wiy0phtwfFL32wFnu-0vJH3m3rWij2Lihk4heTB4/s400/maine+wknd+(77).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeW_HCUEldW94rqLEL1Cro52wW4K-7LCeyQlg9s0E46cEH7xI2bEy5EfLa7qOQtfu5bIY210jToS8jM6q6aGmtbwDINq0OQE54qgxlnsYTO4frcKLAtvbOgGyPOssecNpb8MfXIV7lKo/s1600/maine+wknd+(80).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeW_HCUEldW94rqLEL1Cro52wW4K-7LCeyQlg9s0E46cEH7xI2bEy5EfLa7qOQtfu5bIY210jToS8jM6q6aGmtbwDINq0OQE54qgxlnsYTO4frcKLAtvbOgGyPOssecNpb8MfXIV7lKo/s400/maine+wknd+(80).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvED8SwTIFrZmMTQkglT0OzLZG0vcnFrxTcxdKaq0HGM7sAwPqZ50hYW9rsEKznY1m8UspJW_HI-kGymyBDwxRbC0la-g19mwA7Mf9TV57SnQTPX3SSQq2P5PaJ9_M9u0xZPQqKKaNTo/s1600/maine+wknd+(81).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvED8SwTIFrZmMTQkglT0OzLZG0vcnFrxTcxdKaq0HGM7sAwPqZ50hYW9rsEKznY1m8UspJW_HI-kGymyBDwxRbC0la-g19mwA7Mf9TV57SnQTPX3SSQq2P5PaJ9_M9u0xZPQqKKaNTo/s400/maine+wknd+(81).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvED8SwTIFrZmMTQkglT0OzLZG0vcnFrxTcxdKaq0HGM7sAwPqZ50hYW9rsEKznY1m8UspJW_HI-kGymyBDwxRbC0la-g19mwA7Mf9TV57SnQTPX3SSQq2P5PaJ9_M9u0xZPQqKKaNTo/s1600/maine+wknd+(81).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wprjz_Wjs9fKmZaZODHigujeRZe7Cth4uKYTb_iaywFv6wJPYxm0ePIr26NYFgOFrqXH7-SHvxD9N_NYEClW5Lbdmu64781svXVLNm8Sv76YbmZIRfYXWoaVBrFaqEd4V9JQkDx5x5I/s1600/maine+wknd+(85).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wprjz_Wjs9fKmZaZODHigujeRZe7Cth4uKYTb_iaywFv6wJPYxm0ePIr26NYFgOFrqXH7-SHvxD9N_NYEClW5Lbdmu64781svXVLNm8Sv76YbmZIRfYXWoaVBrFaqEd4V9JQkDx5x5I/s400/maine+wknd+(85).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wprjz_Wjs9fKmZaZODHigujeRZe7Cth4uKYTb_iaywFv6wJPYxm0ePIr26NYFgOFrqXH7-SHvxD9N_NYEClW5Lbdmu64781svXVLNm8Sv76YbmZIRfYXWoaVBrFaqEd4V9JQkDx5x5I/s1600/maine+wknd+(85).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdt5DtjzJPLZU-32kMI7kLD6uDmx9yPMWIwXoytbGdmNpJkC67gQDqp-28-jQbawmwLiSlzL_k43cdNCfzA0apVHvIFoVcP6tdb-pqRsIdQ-rglJBgNGMkJLfr2z9P3CnFvsB4KtYR2nO/s1600/maine+wknd+(84).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdt5DtjzJPLZU-32kMI7kLD6uDmx9yPMWIwXoytbGdmNpJkC67gQDqp-28-jQbawmwLiSlzL_k43cdNCfzA0apVHvIFoVcP6tdb-pqRsIdQ-rglJBgNGMkJLfr2z9P3CnFvsB4KtYR2nO/s400/maine+wknd+(84).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I could not get over the <b>restaurants </b>there. I wanted to go to so many! We passed a French bistro located inside an adorable little cottage that could have easily been a B&B...or Snow White's house. Forget eating there, can I <b>work</b> there????</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We went to a really wonderful place for breakfast, <a href="http://www.roostcafeandbistro.com/">Roost Cafe</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9J3QhwAW3AKSP4QEZ6vYYmDvNOPygDHNpYsMKX-EA_J9F06w9tTyIdds76M21V3JdUd3bUKCSnDVj4-H5u1T7PMNxSHepzxZnaz9Rpz3E8yTEd31bjoDUIzKtRCnZp_94FVe6O5S2g0W/s1600/maine+wknd+(91).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN9J3QhwAW3AKSP4QEZ6vYYmDvNOPygDHNpYsMKX-EA_J9F06w9tTyIdds76M21V3JdUd3bUKCSnDVj4-H5u1T7PMNxSHepzxZnaz9Rpz3E8yTEd31bjoDUIzKtRCnZp_94FVe6O5S2g0W/s320/maine+wknd+(91).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In an old barn, they created a quirky, fun ambience!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPRaXtFJ5Vmy5MtI64x_tTyL3rg8j72wmytfSYFQI1p3zBzo4Qv_5W1fgnkJiGqifYiv6gNNgB86FYhVLQ5heRRpAhvgAcjbvg8E0K6Uc61YNX9vwYbQX5Dqo4x8WoZCpGB91Xs4wiOU/s1600/maine+-+roost.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPRaXtFJ5Vmy5MtI64x_tTyL3rg8j72wmytfSYFQI1p3zBzo4Qv_5W1fgnkJiGqifYiv6gNNgB86FYhVLQ5heRRpAhvgAcjbvg8E0K6Uc61YNX9vwYbQX5Dqo4x8WoZCpGB91Xs4wiOU/s320/maine+-+roost.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsfN9e2-09ptBB31hc2FNXy2tRqRle4ACv2p2wvvm8-c0CJTrOMPzbZxK-VLBKfS6uSH8HCIW9yprWk-WcD0vdj4QPYRUi3FXxBEYHa2Ynj6A7IZx_gWLJJCUmj63AcYEsFewAM8ldA4/s1600/maine+root+pane+fresche.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsfN9e2-09ptBB31hc2FNXy2tRqRle4ACv2p2wvvm8-c0CJTrOMPzbZxK-VLBKfS6uSH8HCIW9yprWk-WcD0vdj4QPYRUi3FXxBEYHa2Ynj6A7IZx_gWLJJCUmj63AcYEsFewAM8ldA4/s320/maine+root+pane+fresche.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">They even bake their own bread & pastries! I must have seen this bread basket get changed 3 times or so as we ate. And if I wasn't in love already...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxtDbh9gDr2lx2XHR4mOr5ZTvtY9gpIUK7RP6pMPqTk4QNa-YDnzqE533lYBvgmLnPTiZtybrVuG9G756KVgU2zRScQQTj8F_HF4D9kpM0jai0AjH6KUXAjo9nTXUSj8oiwM-sc8fAh_x/s1600/maine+wknd+(122).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxtDbh9gDr2lx2XHR4mOr5ZTvtY9gpIUK7RP6pMPqTk4QNa-YDnzqE533lYBvgmLnPTiZtybrVuG9G756KVgU2zRScQQTj8F_HF4D9kpM0jai0AjH6KUXAjo9nTXUSj8oiwM-sc8fAh_x/s320/maine+wknd+(122).JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXztr5tBFPnMdrmJsgdBAN0PThnMYDSbgF46Sur4okWG1q3BLBWFBhRWJPjDBcuoK_TJP00Gv8vGnhoeQ2kqgirhW5srnCv7ytJwTvaG7yiFebSAEgX8Ba6aoH579bV6Yu8U2viVqyp9Q/s1600/maine+wknd+(124).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXztr5tBFPnMdrmJsgdBAN0PThnMYDSbgF46Sur4okWG1q3BLBWFBhRWJPjDBcuoK_TJP00Gv8vGnhoeQ2kqgirhW5srnCv7ytJwTvaG7yiFebSAEgX8Ba6aoH579bV6Yu8U2viVqyp9Q/s320/maine+wknd+(124).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXztr5tBFPnMdrmJsgdBAN0PThnMYDSbgF46Sur4okWG1q3BLBWFBhRWJPjDBcuoK_TJP00Gv8vGnhoeQ2kqgirhW5srnCv7ytJwTvaG7yiFebSAEgX8Ba6aoH579bV6Yu8U2viVqyp9Q/s1600/maine+wknd+(124).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUw8fHXE8Yyv3gob_hFinkz9csOkHyiRRlCV1_StvNk7Lp5PTKZV_Y-bq5Jwosp2_GK1sqlKc8l470En2Pz1_nQcIM2znym5WJ3_qMO8mHubQt45rv9t4LdUpdpp_kCNODLZ4Tr1Qcdhyphenhyphens/s1600/maine+wknd+(123).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUw8fHXE8Yyv3gob_hFinkz9csOkHyiRRlCV1_StvNk7Lp5PTKZV_Y-bq5Jwosp2_GK1sqlKc8l470En2Pz1_nQcIM2znym5WJ3_qMO8mHubQt45rv9t4LdUpdpp_kCNODLZ4Tr1Qcdhyphenhyphens/s320/maine+wknd+(123).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Check the menu.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDscHpb88PkLqKgyv9eOduoRMJNndvPhV1FKgNQ-_C2tOfcJmyR-MoWQFFBXFMH7KtB26zKjfXCwk89XN3OEnUmGK2Kx8FNsLC27I-w3TU4i9BBDAeoewJG9YkLTrsuAHp27QxQA1KFxeQ/s1600/maine+wknd+(121).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmtsOyqgMFPKLgrIGnyba_BwfKmwXJ8VaN5aVMEGux4IDOsnCulaCnUm2r2Oa-pZDIwt0PZQHauB4yOxHOUvhIxiMjOassIK_1J85fIUGIAWiVB2mJI4_f0r8l_x8wpaXgSTc20WuZSMG/s1600/maine+roost+granola.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmtsOyqgMFPKLgrIGnyba_BwfKmwXJ8VaN5aVMEGux4IDOsnCulaCnUm2r2Oa-pZDIwt0PZQHauB4yOxHOUvhIxiMjOassIK_1J85fIUGIAWiVB2mJI4_f0r8l_x8wpaXgSTc20WuZSMG/s320/maine+roost+granola.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Honey lavender granola????</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then, I saw the pancakes...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmtsOyqgMFPKLgrIGnyba_BwfKmwXJ8VaN5aVMEGux4IDOsnCulaCnUm2r2Oa-pZDIwt0PZQHauB4yOxHOUvhIxiMjOassIK_1J85fIUGIAWiVB2mJI4_f0r8l_x8wpaXgSTc20WuZSMG/s1600/maine+roost+granola.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgpU0H4kDq4bt14sQ5CYAcdT3umpseIV4S_C-1ghyphenhyphennub3yn6nGnOcdC14NlFeCgnZPYPiyCNAiImR6qMG0MtGWFBKWZdLDAyrhYFqM9Q_UDq9cPSXc4NG1pHYeL8SA7Ok9yTSjrDljmE/s1600/maine+roost+menu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgpU0H4kDq4bt14sQ5CYAcdT3umpseIV4S_C-1ghyphenhyphennub3yn6nGnOcdC14NlFeCgnZPYPiyCNAiImR6qMG0MtGWFBKWZdLDAyrhYFqM9Q_UDq9cPSXc4NG1pHYeL8SA7Ok9yTSjrDljmE/s320/maine+roost+menu.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was over. One order of the <b>blue corn pancakes with Maine blueberry compote</b>, comin up!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraoIigkm1FLDkdWMLmSBWGc2oI09nAdDzxIyftnZEBlR-wMsum50eUX1KMLOO22E1qGWBKogOKWRQ3SQEVWCeQEuU0zHnEtfLAL6eevKUO2vO_4pnf6DuKhr5eRnyIopZPie2Olt4R68/s1600/maine+-+roost+blue+corn+pcakes+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraoIigkm1FLDkdWMLmSBWGc2oI09nAdDzxIyftnZEBlR-wMsum50eUX1KMLOO22E1qGWBKogOKWRQ3SQEVWCeQEuU0zHnEtfLAL6eevKUO2vO_4pnf6DuKhr5eRnyIopZPie2Olt4R68/s320/maine+-+roost+blue+corn+pcakes+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraoIigkm1FLDkdWMLmSBWGc2oI09nAdDzxIyftnZEBlR-wMsum50eUX1KMLOO22E1qGWBKogOKWRQ3SQEVWCeQEuU0zHnEtfLAL6eevKUO2vO_4pnf6DuKhr5eRnyIopZPie2Olt4R68/s1600/maine+-+roost+blue+corn+pcakes+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYQ86KCwX0yyfEEe_WduqSm7OlV2MX7SGpDXHdXT6bdyXyp8-EvORtvuLHi053JEFFnrX4MkofseeOCt8GkZA6AhvAzjLJQA6JKqAAI0RR5Nxk1sHksrPi554t4tYMb4UFTKytJeTBY4/s1600/maine+-+roost+blue+corn+pcakes+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYQ86KCwX0yyfEEe_WduqSm7OlV2MX7SGpDXHdXT6bdyXyp8-EvORtvuLHi053JEFFnrX4MkofseeOCt8GkZA6AhvAzjLJQA6JKqAAI0RR5Nxk1sHksrPi554t4tYMb4UFTKytJeTBY4/s320/maine+-+roost+blue+corn+pcakes+(2).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">They were SO tasty and unique. Delicately crispy, and the corn meal gave it a great mouth feel and rich flavor. Actually, the chef came out and asked me how they were - the high humidity was apparently really messing with the pancakes' rising. It took all of my composure to not follow him back into the kitchen and learn more. I was fascinated. I wanted to ask for a job. They have a great location, it's a super fun space, they make their own bread and have amazing pancakes. After I graduate from culinary school, can I call you? </div><div style="text-align: center;">Should you ever find yourself in the York area on US Route 1, you MUST stop. It was a great dining experience.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Brunch (it was around noon when we left) was followed by some serious antique shopping. In 90 degree weather. With humidity. But there was some cute stuff!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYQ86KCwX0yyfEEe_WduqSm7OlV2MX7SGpDXHdXT6bdyXyp8-EvORtvuLHi053JEFFnrX4MkofseeOCt8GkZA6AhvAzjLJQA6JKqAAI0RR5Nxk1sHksrPi554t4tYMb4UFTKytJeTBY4/s1600/maine+-+roost+blue+corn+pcakes+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4bOUQP6COwX5eyt41jM_bO5oJyOqIeIIZErHF27B1GfUio-XzZZnPlnGEWbRYHAynnWvbgM7D7iiY65-RWg57PhA8GF0-NnpU5d3zGkSFHKz7pKQ6aVOBNNqDZdiunMCGelEWVQJi8MZ/s1600/maine+wknd+(99).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4bOUQP6COwX5eyt41jM_bO5oJyOqIeIIZErHF27B1GfUio-XzZZnPlnGEWbRYHAynnWvbgM7D7iiY65-RWg57PhA8GF0-NnpU5d3zGkSFHKz7pKQ6aVOBNNqDZdiunMCGelEWVQJi8MZ/s400/maine+wknd+(99).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4bOUQP6COwX5eyt41jM_bO5oJyOqIeIIZErHF27B1GfUio-XzZZnPlnGEWbRYHAynnWvbgM7D7iiY65-RWg57PhA8GF0-NnpU5d3zGkSFHKz7pKQ6aVOBNNqDZdiunMCGelEWVQJi8MZ/s1600/maine+wknd+(99).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWnjEXFOdFmH9FUVyc1bMjQQaGz1VkhXbAzPfoBf2qyTWQwWIs1FUxixHk5D-dL1aXW8ZFKNtrnjsVjhNww4prGgmOrxbibLopdooDAJQxrDMgJIqgybi5aOIdrlFEAo2ymx2fbPNAs-k/s1600/maine+wknd+(100).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWnjEXFOdFmH9FUVyc1bMjQQaGz1VkhXbAzPfoBf2qyTWQwWIs1FUxixHk5D-dL1aXW8ZFKNtrnjsVjhNww4prGgmOrxbibLopdooDAJQxrDMgJIqgybi5aOIdrlFEAo2ymx2fbPNAs-k/s400/maine+wknd+(100).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWnjEXFOdFmH9FUVyc1bMjQQaGz1VkhXbAzPfoBf2qyTWQwWIs1FUxixHk5D-dL1aXW8ZFKNtrnjsVjhNww4prGgmOrxbibLopdooDAJQxrDMgJIqgybi5aOIdrlFEAo2ymx2fbPNAs-k/s1600/maine+wknd+(100).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMsTEq1-m1bPboGe0mhyphenhyphenwRTpW68Zw3SfFt2QyDtz_yXU7nM7Bn5eH1-CtWwypTrNKIajV_wnGXSvGHyZnfu7e6JenNyeExSieoPmkI99ou-ltJflXHezctaNcFJmPbhNz3q4Y6PkKR8qZ/s1600/maine+wknd+(102).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMsTEq1-m1bPboGe0mhyphenhyphenwRTpW68Zw3SfFt2QyDtz_yXU7nM7Bn5eH1-CtWwypTrNKIajV_wnGXSvGHyZnfu7e6JenNyeExSieoPmkI99ou-ltJflXHezctaNcFJmPbhNz3q4Y6PkKR8qZ/s400/maine+wknd+(102).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd39P3JhH9AEjgFAF_v5NPHwqNvGoiZM8SvHgW6p-nLJItXUH5694kPzgBeXhBRs3Gu3vVm6hB5ti9HQ5rZhSiMtGQZ_V-nHygJto5SKODkLS1BgyoiQma5mYRsc0NLlVrlCYddU_ocS3Z/s1600/maine+wknd+(104).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8t9CszHRUS2NZAd8px_aCIr_MtRn9GcDjxCc11LYLyh6n-9Z1gR9Ain5x612qXlDAyrqkK-sOKvfw49fUluBUnApwt8UJpDMYb4eL7F1DQmV9vk9BFgMMJwjWw_A7K0Z8pyt_I8cNh2f/s1600/maine+wknd+(105).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8t9CszHRUS2NZAd8px_aCIr_MtRn9GcDjxCc11LYLyh6n-9Z1gR9Ain5x612qXlDAyrqkK-sOKvfw49fUluBUnApwt8UJpDMYb4eL7F1DQmV9vk9BFgMMJwjWw_A7K0Z8pyt_I8cNh2f/s400/maine+wknd+(105).JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8t9CszHRUS2NZAd8px_aCIr_MtRn9GcDjxCc11LYLyh6n-9Z1gR9Ain5x612qXlDAyrqkK-sOKvfw49fUluBUnApwt8UJpDMYb4eL7F1DQmV9vk9BFgMMJwjWw_A7K0Z8pyt_I8cNh2f/s1600/maine+wknd+(105).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsB_5QEaHhC-le6Ny9FrUQ7EemMajvvdoQ3Rivj7jFqCKQtThYL5PnfTYyQnYxc7eQR1M1Zw8tHn2FcLvo8qltm239Q-7n5VLClmljm5-ovK6BEUnAcDy12oDraLrWwLwIRghWwBkncwYS/s1600/maine+wknd+(107).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsB_5QEaHhC-le6Ny9FrUQ7EemMajvvdoQ3Rivj7jFqCKQtThYL5PnfTYyQnYxc7eQR1M1Zw8tHn2FcLvo8qltm239Q-7n5VLClmljm5-ovK6BEUnAcDy12oDraLrWwLwIRghWwBkncwYS/s320/maine+wknd+(107).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsB_5QEaHhC-le6Ny9FrUQ7EemMajvvdoQ3Rivj7jFqCKQtThYL5PnfTYyQnYxc7eQR1M1Zw8tHn2FcLvo8qltm239Q-7n5VLClmljm5-ovK6BEUnAcDy12oDraLrWwLwIRghWwBkncwYS/s1600/maine+wknd+(107).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii6MvJMsDyqpTpZN_eC_BsAKeRA8il0ByJiKP71cYlQp3dmgpYXW9hU5ZgTINLPCEqjIlJQolJhZw53zi5CqqpJ-hEnZ7t7wDVUW1axeffaplWtDkdVJOJWsB7It6rX_dhglHgmZqkd9s/s1600/maine+wknd+(112).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii6MvJMsDyqpTpZN_eC_BsAKeRA8il0ByJiKP71cYlQp3dmgpYXW9hU5ZgTINLPCEqjIlJQolJhZw53zi5CqqpJ-hEnZ7t7wDVUW1axeffaplWtDkdVJOJWsB7It6rX_dhglHgmZqkd9s/s400/maine+wknd+(112).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii6MvJMsDyqpTpZN_eC_BsAKeRA8il0ByJiKP71cYlQp3dmgpYXW9hU5ZgTINLPCEqjIlJQolJhZw53zi5CqqpJ-hEnZ7t7wDVUW1axeffaplWtDkdVJOJWsB7It6rX_dhglHgmZqkd9s/s1600/maine+wknd+(112).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yH_cwJmU-xFaVU6F1skWdpcB20nH-IDLdU8YXwsJrVDeYKEjvNyHnxwsjeTsEHXHRGQ8JOkmcK84xdH3DPETo1I4XN-A4ZlRdg2_sDsU81ZXcNCyGMkxfqaP1IXBvVCe8KEpkUov83xu/s1600/maine+wknd+(109).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yH_cwJmU-xFaVU6F1skWdpcB20nH-IDLdU8YXwsJrVDeYKEjvNyHnxwsjeTsEHXHRGQ8JOkmcK84xdH3DPETo1I4XN-A4ZlRdg2_sDsU81ZXcNCyGMkxfqaP1IXBvVCe8KEpkUov83xu/s400/maine+wknd+(109).JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our visit ended in the best way possible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZgH0ypvdfrSk4dPh4wUdMbOKZsAmSOkQeTM_pQY46x-U6MGw8p7XvFNiBc0TARsVUhAkZGvcAJKDebCrDgmSfJFMwrBniOpwZpFYnFJDHL1DfY3F8A-VbV8qFsIHBOgPoz3smYTArp7I/s1600/maine+-+peppermint+soft+serve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZgH0ypvdfrSk4dPh4wUdMbOKZsAmSOkQeTM_pQY46x-U6MGw8p7XvFNiBc0TARsVUhAkZGvcAJKDebCrDgmSfJFMwrBniOpwZpFYnFJDHL1DfY3F8A-VbV8qFsIHBOgPoz3smYTArp7I/s320/maine+-+peppermint+soft+serve.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Peppermint soft-serve ice cream - with the necessary chocolate jimmies.<br />
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And I didn't even mention the lobster we had for dinner....oh yes. We lived well in Maine.<br />
<br />
~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-20543912142844207422010-08-05T06:00:00.000+02:002010-08-05T06:00:24.445+02:00Over-The-Humpday Challenge: Oh, Calories<div style="text-align: center;">Today's OTHd Challenge is a little different: I decided to try to NOT count calories at all.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There is a method to my madness.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'll be honest, I'm good at counting. Back when I did Weight Watchers, I was a Points-counting <b>machine<i>. </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">And even when I went off it - for the better - I still couldn't help but count <i>something</i>. It gives me a feeling of control, a feeling damn near irresistible when it comes to my own eating habits. Combine that with my obsessive perfectionism and, well, it's a recipe for totally irrational, anti-intuitive habits. </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Recently, my appetite has been out of control. I'm 99% sure it has to do with the fact that it is a very particular time of the month for me, a time during which I have the inexplicable desire to eat until I feel like a balloon. I'm also very mean and some days in a LOT of pain. God bless the pill.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">This insatiable appetite has given me cause to ponder the calorie-counting phenomena. Yes, it does give me the comfort of control that I crave, but at the same time, I think it actually screws me over. When I count, I know how much more I "should" eat, which translates in my brain into "you must eat that much and NO more." Which consequently leads to over-eating, because I "bargain" in my head: "oh, I can have another hundred."</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">I have a lot of problems with this mentality of mine. First and foremost, it doesn't make me think about what I really <i>need</i>. Am I actually hungry? Would that make me feel better or worse? These questions are not factors. Second, it takes away the pleasure of eating. I'm too busy figuring out how many kcal I've consumed to even <i>taste</i> what's in my mouth, and that just pisses me off - I like food WAY to much to <b>ignore it!</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">I've tried not counting before, and I know I feel lightyears better when I focus on <b>listening</b> to my body rather than a <b>stupid number</b>. In fact, in Italy I barely counted at all, and even if I did, I never let it dictate what I ate. If I wanted that <i>trofie al pesto</i>, then damn it, I would have it. And it would taste amazing, because I savored every.single.bite. And to top it off, I lost weight in Italy, and maintained it pretty easily. Hmm......</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Since I have come home, my weight has been fluctuating like whoa. I refuse to let myself on a scale - it just screws with my head and it infuriates me that something as simple as a number can throw me into a depression.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Don't get me wrong, I've learned a lot since coming out of my battle with anorexia 3 years ago, and if I'm hungry, I KNOW to eat. And I don't deprive myself - chocolate, for one, is a pretty much daily consumption. It keeps me sane. And happy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">With all the awesome <a href="http://operationbeautiful.com/">Operation Beautiful</a> buzz this week (love!), it seemed like the perfect time for this particular challenge. So onward I charged, not to be undone by silly little numbers!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The result? It was <b><i>hard</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">. I found myself counting without even realizing what I was doing. It was actually really interesting to see how completely ingrained in me it's become. I found when I was hungry, I actually started counting to see if I "really <i>should</i> be hungry" or what kind of snack to make. Tell me that is not ridiculous. It was a huge and welcome slap in the face, and it made it clearer than ever that I need to get back in touch with my body. Because I love my body, and I would really like the feeling to be mutual.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I'm going to make this a week-long challenge. And then a month-long challenge. And then...um, you get the picture. I'm pretty sure I just heard every cell in my body say "it's ABOUT TIME!"</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I read somewhere to make every day count - there will never be another one like it. It resonated really strongly with me. And that is the only counting I will be doing for a while.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Another challenge met. See y'all tomorrow - with pictures!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIyiEhaZQ5WPNk859504u_rC_owm_XUzTDstxWmJtcdhnOH_T42YIq7xPV9MODNcO8ylhN6-tMyocVdbrJ06DHwZIg4ouOD2QO2B74otaKAVIdFJB0V4bFHmJlwhPLm7S6H8FYUogbGl6/s1600/maine+wknd+(86).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIyiEhaZQ5WPNk859504u_rC_owm_XUzTDstxWmJtcdhnOH_T42YIq7xPV9MODNcO8ylhN6-tMyocVdbrJ06DHwZIg4ouOD2QO2B74otaKAVIdFJB0V4bFHmJlwhPLm7S6H8FYUogbGl6/s320/maine+wknd+(86).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">~Namaste~</span></b></div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-82207081877334372122010-08-03T06:02:00.000+02:002010-08-03T06:02:08.772+02:00Spiced Up: Operation Beautiful<div style="text-align: center;">Yes, you read that right. And no, I am not making up my own spice names. I am spicing up this lovely August Monday with <a href="http://operationbeautiful.com/">Operation Beautiful</a>, a project by the lovely Caitlin, author of <a href="http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/">Healthy Tipping Point</a>. She started the OB website with a mission: STOP negative self-talk. You know, that evil little voice that tells you how stupid you are when you don't do something perfectly or how fat you are when you look in the mirror. How, you may ask, did she set out to accomplish this? With Post-Its! She began writing positive messages on post-it notes and putting them in public places, like the library bulletin board and the mirror in public restrooms. Pretty genius, right? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">She went on to write a book about the movement and it officially drops onto shelves everywhere <b>tomorrow, August 3rd</b> - go check it out! In honor of the book, she has deemed this week "Change the way you see, not the way you <b>look" </b>week and bloggers everywhere are posting about it...and I simply had to join in. If there was ever a cause dearer to my heart, it is this. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://operationbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ob_5_large21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://operationbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ob_5_large21.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">A couple days ago, one of our regulars walked into the coffeehouse I work at. I've known her long enough to understand that, well, all the wires aren't totally connected with her, but she means well and has a good heart. She chats with us baristas and the topic of eating came up. When asked if I "watched what I eat," I paused. I said, "well, somewhat, but I <b>don't </b>diet." She seemed rather shocked at that, and asked why. I began to launch into my tirade of how psychologically damaging "dieting" can be before I realized that I was about to release a good bit of personal information that she probably didn't truly need nor wish to hear. But it did get me thinking. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't remember when I started becoming aware of the voice in my head, constantly telling me how fat and ugly I was. When I started "dieting", it was completely self-motivated and with basically no outside help. I stopped buttering bread and eating that cookie just because it was there, but when my friends and I went out for burgers & fries or an epic 12-scoop sundae from Friendlys', I was happy to indulge right along with them. My motivation to keep on keepin' on with the new healthy lifestyle was a glance in the mirror at my progress - slowly but surely, I was looking & feeling better than ever. And then I went on a "diet." 60 pounds later, I only saw the "fat girl" in the mirror, even though people would ask how I was doing after hugging me, feeling how bony I had become. I remember one day, my freshman year in college, I was in a practice room (I'm a voice minor) and I noticed that my collar bone was protruding more than ever - and I liked it. And something about that moment, looking at my frail self in the mirror and still feeling "close, but not good enough" - I could tell something had gone horribly, horribly wrong. I started reading blogs and seeing what other people leading incredibly healthy lifestyles were eating and doing, and little by little, I started to heal. There were, of course, some ups, downs, and BIG ditches in the road, but I keep going. And I like to think I'm doing Ok.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My aunt once told me "you can choose to be anything. You can <i>choose </i>to be happy." That resonated with me so strongly, because it's true: you can <b>choose</b> to see the world however you want to. It's become a kind of mantra for me.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm finally at a place where I can hear that voice whispering in my ear about how fat I look and why I should starve myself for a week to make up for that cupcake - and I can tell it to stick it where the sun don't shine. I love my body, for allowing me to do everything from knead bread to hold Warrior III pose to simply inhaling and exhaling. It's a powerful feeling, trusting your body. And I know there are tons of women out there who fear that cookie or going a day without exercise. I am afraid of sounding like a know-it-all or preachy, but at the same time, I would like to scream from the rooftops to JUST LIVE.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This was a long, none-too-eloquent post to say such a simple message. But that's ok; that's how I roll.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Today, I look in the mirror and <b>choose</b> to see a beautiful, happy, all-around rockin' woman. </div><div style="text-align: center;">What do you see?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-70194422937561556032010-07-30T23:58:00.000+02:002010-07-30T23:58:18.070+02:00Friday Thoughts<div style="text-align: center;">I think I want to be a writer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Never mind that think part. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I want to be a writer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ok, maybe that sounds stupid - I mean, I write this blog, right? But there is a reason for this random declaration. I've never really thought of myself as a writer. In school writing has a always been an academic strength for me, and I am the first to say that emailing me is <i>always</i> better; I abhor talking on the phone and there is something about the written word that lets me say exactly what I want to, in the way I want to. And I've always loved making up stories. But I couldn't be a <i>writer</i>. Aren't all writers broke and living in dingy apartments in the sketchy part of a city, living off stale coffee & Snickers bars? That is <i>not</i> me. And for a long time, I figured that meant I was not nor could I be a writer. And left it at that.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And then I went to Italy. Ha, I can't tell you how often I have used that sentence when talking about what about me has changed recently. [More on that later.] I got on that plane a half-broken person. I returned strong, confident, and more self-assured than I thought was possible for me. It's pretty cool. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I've been thinking a lot about that M.F.K. Fisher quote, why she writes about food. Because it's a basic, everyday thing with millions of different meanings and symbols that most of time are not given a second thought to. I'd really like to be a travel writer with a focus on food, because I think when you travel and get away from the norm, you naturally just start seeing things differently, in a broader scope, and it's fun to write about those new discoveries. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know why I wrote all this. It's certainly nothing I haven't written several times before. But maybe if I declare it, "out loud" in a sense, it'll happen?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Huh. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm a writer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-65198847964054364832010-07-29T06:40:00.000+02:002010-07-29T06:40:38.841+02:00Over-The-Humpday Challenge: Noodleless Lasagna<div style="text-align: center;">Remember <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/02/supersize-this.html">that time</a> I tried to make an all-veggie lasagna using eggplant & zucchini as the noodles? You know, back when I <i>lived in Florence, Italy.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">It is unspeakably entertaining to be able to say that I have actually lived in Florence. I'm thinking of printing onto my business cards. Too much?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...I digress.</div><div style="text-align: center;">That particular attempt ended up as more of an Italian vegetable pie than a lasagna, although that's not to say it wasn't tasty. So, when our neighbor brought over a huge yellow squash fresh from a coworker's garden, the image of my first good-yet-completely-unlasagnalike try popped into my head:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIz2SkZ099frfMSCgsVQRjh9sm0Bv3PbE_fngJrItUO7HPUhn-Tn1pzOL2d8XS8MUrCuwWZG1jLIA24ZVNelHtbNjO7NJ4vnVhhcIeHJo3OCQBMB3xQPOzYmwm8DeIA9zDEyp8Gbq87s/s1600/my+Italian+pie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIz2SkZ099frfMSCgsVQRjh9sm0Bv3PbE_fngJrItUO7HPUhn-Tn1pzOL2d8XS8MUrCuwWZG1jLIA24ZVNelHtbNjO7NJ4vnVhhcIeHJo3OCQBMB3xQPOzYmwm8DeIA9zDEyp8Gbq87s/s320/my+Italian+pie.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And the next OTHd Challenge was born.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">First, take a pan - I opted for the long shallow pan versus the 8X8, do whatever feels right to you - and spritz with some cooking spray. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Preheat your oven to 375 (you may end up turning it up to get it to cook faster should you be like me and horribly impatient/very hungry).</div><div style="text-align: center;">This squash was a big mofo, and was almost too much - probably about 3 medium-sized gourds would do it. I also recommend getting smaller squishes because the larger they grow, the tougher their skin becomes. And the bigger a pain in the butt it is to slice it into nice, even, lasagna-noodle-like slices. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I forged on with the slicing, undeterred by the dozen times I almost sliced my fingers off and by the unaesthetically appealing uneveness of the slices. This is why I love cooking; caution is thrown to the wind and I just wait and see what happens. I know, I know - I'm livin on the edge.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Next, I threw the many unwieldy squash slices into a big ole Ziploc with 2 T olive oil + 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar + 2 minced garlic cloves + fresh parsley-rosemary-oregano + S+P. Let it all mingle together for about an hour or so.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Did you wait the whole hour? <b>Promise</b>? Ok. Now, you know that oven I told you to preheat? Take your marinated squash slices and throw them on a pan and let them cook for about 5-8 minutes on each side (less time for smaller slices!). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">While your squish is softening up preemptively in the oven, let's work on the filling. I must say, I'm a little proud of this filling that I pulled out of nowhere.</div><div style="text-align: center;">All I did was take 3/4 c. of ricotta (I used fat free because it was all I had, use whatever your heart desires!) and mix in some sea salt, pepper, and a bit of lemon zest, about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp. I also pan roasted a clove of garlic I sliced and threw that in, although I might do another clove, I couldn't taste it very well.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you flipped your squash? Okey dokey, let's make lasagna. Make a layer or two of the squash. Then, on top of that add your ricotta filling, then 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. After that I made a layer of baby spinach, which I liked a lot, but if you don't have it, don't stress. After the second (and last) layer of squash, pour a can of Italian-spiced diced tomatoes over the top - you know, the ones with garlic/oregano/basil? I promise they are in your supermarket.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sprinkle some more parmesan on top (~1/4 c.) and bake away. I just baked until it started bubbling, probably about 25-30 min, and I did end up turning the heat up to 400. Take it out & slice away!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB7mVDG2EcrIfjERD5MM8yx8NtNZRoohDacH9GnjHmDwlrHRT__wEGh9Bu0XXAC32ifQNCDvDhN_rVsqcQP7Z3tdKH5mXMSz1xMY2lZtpFuDl4IvmgCuck74a5krimGwcemdOlTUEMwA/s1600/noodleless+lasagna+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXB7mVDG2EcrIfjERD5MM8yx8NtNZRoohDacH9GnjHmDwlrHRT__wEGh9Bu0XXAC32ifQNCDvDhN_rVsqcQP7Z3tdKH5mXMSz1xMY2lZtpFuDl4IvmgCuck74a5krimGwcemdOlTUEMwA/s320/noodleless+lasagna+(2).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMVnr4SHn_iO7PTTNeuxTYONx7Hur0yfSnx6lyx0I9Us1mUaPipIuR5j8_iLAejHBPIWrSbcPqGWGhLKnCYy06tVpFd2K8mqejDjpjfEny30GPZQAyZXI48RAazkJN0NZizkx13AyHFU/s1600/noodleless+lasagna+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMVnr4SHn_iO7PTTNeuxTYONx7Hur0yfSnx6lyx0I9Us1mUaPipIuR5j8_iLAejHBPIWrSbcPqGWGhLKnCYy06tVpFd2K8mqejDjpjfEny30GPZQAyZXI48RAazkJN0NZizkx13AyHFU/s320/noodleless+lasagna+(3).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next time I would like to add some cannellini beans to it. You could also play around with the veggies - I plan on using eggplant and/or zucchini the next time around! I think basil would be a fantastic addition as well. But this was pretty good all on its own! Rave reviews from both of my parents - who, I will tell you, do not lie to me about my cooking. The lemon in the ricotta really made it, too - very light and summery. I will most certainly be making this again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another humpday, another challenge met and won. All in a day's work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLoapKD0hFU9DEjFznuCVJPBXPFLmiTwUsAe0WF7T9rpVD9-LQ3DrTqUyT8wxEfnKdbSjB5T8x8IDS_Ux_qU8i4f9XosiO1nZVwnJuuOrlI0D-egvd4BOu7W0HdtJlHqmlHDedZhxcCo/s1600/noodleless+lasagna+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLoapKD0hFU9DEjFznuCVJPBXPFLmiTwUsAe0WF7T9rpVD9-LQ3DrTqUyT8wxEfnKdbSjB5T8x8IDS_Ux_qU8i4f9XosiO1nZVwnJuuOrlI0D-egvd4BOu7W0HdtJlHqmlHDedZhxcCo/s320/noodleless+lasagna+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-61601397850110971822010-07-28T06:51:00.000+02:002010-07-28T06:51:25.636+02:00All the Rage<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh, bloggies, do I have some things to share. It is high time I introduce the latest obsessions of the Gillianasana kitchen. Hold on to your food processors, people!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1. Xantham Gum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8-70swiNcOBZdhyphenhyphen_PP8ZVuONTfT4y38qcRT91pzWQGzkGP3Llz9TuT3L_ImlcpQnfS26NA-Yz3BH3SG2D6nxi39GJEhzwSfEi5ErWkXbu4Hj1gElu5tIcZouZr-_BbTa01yMgPcj9T8/s1600/instant+ice+cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8-70swiNcOBZdhyphenhyphen_PP8ZVuONTfT4y38qcRT91pzWQGzkGP3Llz9TuT3L_ImlcpQnfS26NA-Yz3BH3SG2D6nxi39GJEhzwSfEi5ErWkXbu4Hj1gElu5tIcZouZr-_BbTa01yMgPcj9T8/s320/instant+ice+cream.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I finally bit the grit after seeing countless images of <a href="http://pbandjenny.com/2010/07/07/3002/">protein ice cream</a> and <a href="http://nutritiousisdelicious.blogspot.com/2010/06/before-you-leave-for-work-today.html">banana soft serve</a> and ponied up the 13 buckaroons for this little bag of magic. Considering I use 1/4 tsp. at most at a time, it was a very worthy investment. Worthy and delicious. Not only can I create fruitylicious ice cream with a light-as-air texture on a whim, in any shade of the rainbow...</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR72vqvJV-sCOiw0H-5tERoy0PYUmnSqYJt_18umMgIQUirLSkos4xV3UF9SuK02a8xU5pG0EOpWev67kez4ILiddLGnEHyMdqAYweTZ0KJT5J7b75Pz5cr4wCePRYexyVdgpg8aQXFA/s1600/greenscream1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR72vqvJV-sCOiw0H-5tERoy0PYUmnSqYJt_18umMgIQUirLSkos4xV3UF9SuK02a8xU5pG0EOpWev67kez4ILiddLGnEHyMdqAYweTZ0KJT5J7b75Pz5cr4wCePRYexyVdgpg8aQXFA/s320/greenscream1.JPG" /></a><br />
Oh yes. Green Monster ice cream. Don't be jealous - go make your own!<br />
<br />
...but I have also created what may be one of my favorite oaty creations ever. Which leads me to obsession #2: Ice cream for breakfast, anyone?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNlioAAYE94Xu-NstMFFbQgnwl9ES66RpyjBdIG4jDQMXgCIXLvrYJyQQ8TJ212anMtIW_8EO5sjgKERkW-TpuLECxCr75_QAU7puH0G9n9clOAcVwBfBUA9vE-puYH0bMMKsUybA0xk/s1600/soft+serve+grains.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNlioAAYE94Xu-NstMFFbQgnwl9ES66RpyjBdIG4jDQMXgCIXLvrYJyQQ8TJ212anMtIW_8EO5sjgKERkW-TpuLECxCr75_QAU7puH0G9n9clOAcVwBfBUA9vE-puYH0bMMKsUybA0xk/s320/soft+serve+grains.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Whip up your fave hot cereal & top with a fresh batch of ice cream. It will change your breakfast-lovin life. Seriously. It has that fun hot-cold thing going on, and it's sooo much better than just throwing fruit in the bowl (which, don't get me wrong, has it's place - on a pedestal lower than this.) Carby, creamy, fruity, fluffy...this has it all. Next stop: as a pancake topper. Stay tuned.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>#3: PB & Co.'s White Chocolate Wonderful<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR72vqvJV-sCOiw0H-5tERoy0PYUmnSqYJt_18umMgIQUirLSkos4xV3UF9SuK02a8xU5pG0EOpWev67kez4ILiddLGnEHyMdqAYweTZ0KJT5J7b75Pz5cr4wCePRYexyVdgpg8aQXFA/s1600/greenscream1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5itw8y-PxeapZLmhF7uhnZPd0lH6kIHLgRQjsPRaKWTxZto_zEDi2x0mWZZLoPg8_NP-_X-HWzzJz5Sl0IBNdEgVDawbD9eUlzx0703XQI4JySCIpUew7x-6KTZa4LaonAOD3Q2Fsj2o/s1600/PB&Co+WCW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5itw8y-PxeapZLmhF7uhnZPd0lH6kIHLgRQjsPRaKWTxZto_zEDi2x0mWZZLoPg8_NP-_X-HWzzJz5Sl0IBNdEgVDawbD9eUlzx0703XQI4JySCIpUew7x-6KTZa4LaonAOD3Q2Fsj2o/s320/PB&Co+WCW.JPG" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh. My. God. I don't even <i>like</i> white chocolate. But apparently when combined with peanut butter, it's a horse of a different color. A really, really, amazingly yummy & addictive horse.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[P.S. - I can't speak for the company, but I'm pretty sure no horses were/are harmed during the production process.]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Seriously, I cannot decide if I like this better than Dark Chocolate Dreams, and I'm a dark choc fiend. It's sweet, it's salty, and it's good on anything - but my personal preference is a spoon. I have no words left. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#4: Avocado</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5itw8y-PxeapZLmhF7uhnZPd0lH6kIHLgRQjsPRaKWTxZto_zEDi2x0mWZZLoPg8_NP-_X-HWzzJz5Sl0IBNdEgVDawbD9eUlzx0703XQI4JySCIpUew7x-6KTZa4LaonAOD3Q2Fsj2o/s1600/PB&Co+WCW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIzc0MgD0CcKrZbFXMiJEa-vTY8LHFxrAjZrhDOSpxwKxoXDttm28Eyfs8syznsv3gfSltCDUGWcDTHU2v3WLllk5hSohir2wIcKArw6LwHzKHSpLr44QlSjqL8dkwp96F3oWtD_SuhE/s1600/Gena's+Dilly+Avocado+dip+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIzc0MgD0CcKrZbFXMiJEa-vTY8LHFxrAjZrhDOSpxwKxoXDttm28Eyfs8syznsv3gfSltCDUGWcDTHU2v3WLllk5hSohir2wIcKArw6LwHzKHSpLr44QlSjqL8dkwp96F3oWtD_SuhE/s320/Gena's+Dilly+Avocado+dip+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More specifically, Gena from <a href="http://www.choosingraw.com/">Choosing Raw</a>'s <a href="http://www.choosingraw.com/dilly-carrot-avocado-spread/">Dilly Carrot Avocado Spread</a>. I made this to bring up with us to Maine (I promise that post is coming!) and it was a HUGE hit. I have a history of not being much of a fan of this particular brand of produce - and it still bothers me in salads when it gets a slimy and odd (same issue with bananas...well, not so much in salads....you know what I mean) - but I have recently discovered a new love for this green goodness when smashed into other things. Sounds violent, tastes delicious. I have many future plans involving this little guy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#6: Eat a cupcake - Save the world.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIzc0MgD0CcKrZbFXMiJEa-vTY8LHFxrAjZrhDOSpxwKxoXDttm28Eyfs8syznsv3gfSltCDUGWcDTHU2v3WLllk5hSohir2wIcKArw6LwHzKHSpLr44QlSjqL8dkwp96F3oWtD_SuhE/s1600/Gena's+Dilly+Avocado+dip+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgi7hBDSsZfGEongsq-26eNH99FMUhdEeimfZoU2mIXaWU0kvJ1uOJynRLdzCit-W-avb3WW7_S5qv1cIrHVz29TlX4U3UNdIUlOat3PKXemGd-WAz6qxhfMujKw0tZ3QrqY9nd0tlyY/s1600/Sugar+cupcake+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgi7hBDSsZfGEongsq-26eNH99FMUhdEeimfZoU2mIXaWU0kvJ1uOJynRLdzCit-W-avb3WW7_S5qv1cIrHVz29TlX4U3UNdIUlOat3PKXemGd-WAz6qxhfMujKw0tZ3QrqY9nd0tlyY/s320/Sugar+cupcake+(2).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok, maybe the world won't be saved. But there is something so comforting, so restorative, so <i>blissful</i> about stopping into a <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sugarbakery.net%2F&ei=X7BPTPH_E8GB8gbGg5zjDQ&usg=AFQjCNFX1EXzrYhV8oNvCRellPK5Czc-Lg&sig2=rfiJPwc2KcFOAWbesC2Q3w">local bakery</a> and treating yourself to a little buttercream bliss . And really, if you think about it, wouldn't the world be a happier place if all the haters just stopped for a cupcake break every now and then? I think yes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(I haven't been eating a cupcake on a daily basis - that would take away its specialness - so this is less of an obsession, more of a discovery. Potay-to, potah-to.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">#7: M. F. K. Fisher</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgi7hBDSsZfGEongsq-26eNH99FMUhdEeimfZoU2mIXaWU0kvJ1uOJynRLdzCit-W-avb3WW7_S5qv1cIrHVz29TlX4U3UNdIUlOat3PKXemGd-WAz6qxhfMujKw0tZ3QrqY9nd0tlyY/s1600/Sugar+cupcake+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIq1jtsCJH7Je3dLtwu7iWRZ5PkOCAQXIhqUMUb8ywLze40SnFqpwb6Ld7PTxNUzQcKFrmmBDN0Uo2L5c33HKMlL36OZPdJoM2tMexQT6oZgQddUngMGjCC1fYQRBgZKe4tasOwQQQfs/s1600/thesis+bible.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIq1jtsCJH7Je3dLtwu7iWRZ5PkOCAQXIhqUMUb8ywLze40SnFqpwb6Ld7PTxNUzQcKFrmmBDN0Uo2L5c33HKMlL36OZPdJoM2tMexQT6oZgQddUngMGjCC1fYQRBgZKe4tasOwQQQfs/s320/thesis+bible.JPG" /></a></div>Dear Mrs. Fisher,<br />
Can I please be you when I grow up? And also, could we do gastronomical tour of France together? Call me. Hope all is well in the afterlife. Thanks,<br />
Gillian.<br />
<br />
I'm making friends with this book, a collection of her best work, as I chose her as the topic of my senior thesis (of course). The way she writes and weaves food into her stories, it's so...<i>delicious</i> to read.<br />
"People ask me: Why do you write about food, and eating and drinking? Why don't you write about the struggle for power and security, and about love, the way others do?...The easiest answer is to say that, like most other humans, I am hungry."<br />
<br />
P.S. - expect the quotes to keep coming. I have to write a small book about this woman and her writing...I'm gonna have some stuff committed to memory, methinks.<br />
<br />
And finally, no list would be complete with chocolate.<br />
#8: Stonyfield's Organic Minty Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6qnNJTsb77WzmB4_DeuSmqbG1AEvXPTntFJarijhI8Hye2zoQX8alZtetikpbX0yut-O3nt8RD7a0iBOg2s05lX2p1jMcjZ7BTClwbUUfxFnziKvUggF4J7BX0J6kbeJ3cxoSjg-Kbk/s1600/IMG_1892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6qnNJTsb77WzmB4_DeuSmqbG1AEvXPTntFJarijhI8Hye2zoQX8alZtetikpbX0yut-O3nt8RD7a0iBOg2s05lX2p1jMcjZ7BTClwbUUfxFnziKvUggF4J7BX0J6kbeJ3cxoSjg-Kbk/s320/IMG_1892.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I knew this would more than likely be good. But it is SO much more. It just epitomizes that perfect combo of mint + dark chocolate. I'm amazed and impressed with my own restraint that three days after bringing this pint home, it still resides in the freezer not completely empty. YUM with a capital Y.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tomorrow brings a new Over-the-Humpday Challenge...bring it on!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div><br />
</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1192166219317922732.post-1174699183804207442010-07-27T05:34:00.000+02:002010-07-27T05:34:20.909+02:00Spiced Up Monday: Cumin<div style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1882000163"></span><a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/07/spiced-up-cinnamon.html">Cinnamon</a><span id="goog_1882000164"></span>, <a href="http://gillianasana.blogspot.com/2010/07/spiced-up-monday-cardamom.html">cardamom</a>....I decided to keep the 'c' thing going, so this week's Spiced Up is all about <b>cumin</b>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4484/cuminet9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/4484/cuminet9.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://odyb.net/food-cooking/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-seasoning-uses-of-these-53-different-spices/">[photo source]</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was very surprised to learn that cumin seed is actually a member of the <b>parsley family </b>- with its smoky, spicy flavor, I guess it just goes to show how different families can be (and that is meant in all senses ;).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cumin orginates in ancient Egypt where it was used not only in cooking, but in mummification. You know, in case the dead pharaoh got a sudden afterlife craving for chili con carne. Obviously.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was also mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible as a seasoning and form of currency. It was pretty popular in the kitchens of ancient Greece & Rome, especially since its spiciness made it a much cheaper substitute for the pricier black pepper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cumin, when applied to the skin, causes the skin to pale. Students were all over this one of course and used it to convince their professors that they had pulled an all-nighter studying. Once a college kid, always a college kid. Love it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a staple in medieval-age cuisine and also at that time became a symbol of love and fidelity. It was put in pockets when going to a wedding, and soldiers were sent off to war with a loaf of cumin bread baked by their wives. Of course, anything thrown on top of some fresh-baked carbs says love to me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In terms of nutritional qualities, it's pretty high in iron and manganese, and it is also a digestive aid. The mere scent of cumin comes from <i>cuminaldehyde</i> (say <i>that</i> 10 times fast...no really - GO!), a compound that makes up most of cumin's essential oil, and that scent activates the salivary gland, and the saliva created helps the digestion of food. Mouth-watering - <b>literally! </b>You can even mix it with hot water to help a stomach ache...although I don't know about you, but sipping on peppermint tea sounds a tad more appealing than a hot cup of cumin-infused water. Should the pantry be bare of peppermint tea however, that sounds like an easy enough sub.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When you think of cumin, you probably either conjure up images of a big ole plate of tamales a la Mexico or a lovely bowl of lentil dahl fresh from India. Its unmistakable flavor is often found in both of those regional cuisines. I would like to say I go against the grain and enjoy my cumin wrapped around a lamb chop or in oats (...ew?), but that would be a lie. And that is simply not the Gillianasana way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No, one of my absolute favorite recipes involving cumin has to be <i>aloo gobhi</i>, a traditional Indian dish of cooked cauliflower and potatoes. I discovered it during my visit to India a couple years ago and now I find it difficult to order anything else at Indian restaurants anywhere else. It is just.so.GOOD. Trust me - seek out the nearest Indian restaurant and it will probably be on the menu. Order it. Or be daring and attempt it yourself: <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/gobi-aloo-indian-style-cauliflower-with-potatoes/Detail.aspx">http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/gobi-aloo-indian-style-cauliflower-with-potatoes/Detail.aspx</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PrAvgW_UQiM/R7oxMOK-KbI/AAAAAAAABvA/_CGNw64IAwo/s1600/aloo_gobi2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_PrAvgW_UQiM/R7oxMOK-KbI/AAAAAAAABvA/_CGNw64IAwo/s320/aloo_gobi2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">[photo source]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mmmm. Could go for some of that right about now...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Don't believe me? See for yourself! My sources:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91">http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=91</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.culinarycafe.com/spices_herbs/cumin.html">http://www.culinarycafe.com/spices_herbs/cumin.html</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-cumin.html">http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-cumin.html</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There you have it - cumin in a nut shell. Or, at least, a blog post. Close enough, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">~Namaste~</div>Gillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12864861732088594821noreply@blogger.com0