Thursday, August 22, 2013

Watermelon Refresher


   Lately I have been obsessed with yellow watermelon. I stumbled upon it at the market a few weeks ago and been lovin' on it so much that I have eaten 4 in the past two weeks. Have you ever had yellow watermelon? If you haven't, do it!

 So...The other day my friend at Pepper Design posted a delicious recipe (and inticing photos) for a Cantaloupe + Basil Summer Blend.  I laid in bed dreaming of drinking pitchers of it. My mind started twirling and I thought hmmmmm, I have some watermelon in the fridge. Maybe I could make a summer drink with that?

Today, I did just that.

Watermelon Refresher 

2 cups watermelon
8 ice cubes
1 sprig of mint, 7-10 leaves 

Blend that baby up and Voila! As quick as that, I am sipping a glass of watermelon juice on this lovely summer day.  

  






Here's a peek into what yellow
watermelon looks like. Now go buy one!



Cheers,
Belle

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Italian Eats

Ciao!  

     I have been on another hiatus due to busy schedules at work aaaaaaaaand I just returned from a 3 week adventure in Italy with my best bud.  Wow, I could write an entire blog about Italy. Oh wait, we did! (Private blog for family & friends...FYI, a great way to document travels). We began our travels in Venice and over to the Ligurian coast, down to Florence, through Tuscany & Umbrian and, down to the beautiful beach town of Positano and ended our adventures in Rome.
     But today I want to give you a quick glimpse of my travels through the lens of food (and my iPhone). Aaah yes, the food. The way the cappuccinos became your first desire in the morning, the pizza each having its own distinguishing features, pastas with the most delightful combinations of flavors, wine going down so smooth and the gelato. Wow, the gelato. I tried 21 different flavors! I am no food photographer, so be forewarned about the amateur shots. But enough talking, let me show you how delicious Italy is.

Venezia: a style of its own, thin crust pizza, pasticcerias, the introduction of the "spritz" and cicchetti e apertif

          
un litro di vino & pizze diavola (spicy salame) 
 
 
 Giant cake/brownie like Venetian cookies: Pan dei dogi cioccolata
 
Prosecco apertif & cicchetti (small bites in Venice) 
 
Aperol & Campari "Spritz"
 
Sandwiches a gratis? Sure!
 Agnolotti alla Bolognese 
(stuffed half moons with spinach & ricotta...mmm)

Cinque Terre:  Ligurian pesto, fresh seafood, sunny day treats and a dessert wine that will warm you from your earlobes to your tippy toes

 Cozze Ripiene
 Linguine alla'Lampara: Swordfish Linguine
 Sciacchetra & Biscotti
 
Ricotta e fichi (fig) & Bacio gelato  
Green Olive Focaccia
 
And when exhausted from a day of travel, 
we could count on a meal of local salami, pecorino and pane for under 10 euros.

 Florence: rich with flavor, small markets, simplicity, macellerias and fresh homemade pasta

 
 Colazione tipica: a typical breakfast of cafe, cheese & a roll, jelly and yogurt
 
 Pecorino on a rainy day
At least 1 macelleria (butcher shop) on every block
 
Always fresh ingredients... 
We made that!
Stuffed pork panini followed by Noce e Cioccolata (Walnut & Chocolate)...delizioso!
Best panini of my life: Proscuitto, truffle spread, pecorino spread, arugula & fresh pane
ooh, yes..wine always accompanied eats 

Tuscan & Umbrian hill towns: wild boar, cheese, lots of local wine and the best cappuccino stop ever

 Cinghiale (boar salame), herb pecorino, mandorla (almonds) & a bottle of San Gimignano Vernaccia

Positano: primi & secondi, sicilian olives, seafood, pizze napoletana & fresh fruits!!

 Pillowy, billowy gnocchi
Calamari alla griglia (grilled squid)
Linguine alla Scampi
 
Pizze vegetale
 
Daily Positano breakfast with <squeal>...Fruit!

Roma:  fresh mozzarella, greens and radicchio, meat & seafood cravings, 
                                                                           and everything under the roman sun

Proscuitto, radicchio fusilli, pomodoro e mozarella....and a few glasses of vino bianco
Bresaola e verde oliva panini
Beef shank ravioli...As American as that sounds, it was incredible!
Gelato al Caramello Salato (right)
Ultimo gelato: Pistacchio, Mandorola e Cardamom & Thumbelina 
(Pistachio, Almonds with Cardamom and Rose Petals & Lavender with Walnuts)
 
Apertivo tipico: Spritz, mini bites, potato chips, pretzels & peanuts
             
The final meal:  Bresaola & melt-in-your-mouth Mozzarella
Linguine pesce spada & Spaghetti all'amatriciana
E tutto! That's all folks!

Until next time Italy...

Cin cin, 
Belle