Buon Appetito!

Well, our Italian night dinner was a hit! While it wasn't as good as Walter's it was pretty close. The Penne Aurora was almost spot on, I think I used just a touch too much cream as it was a little too sweet. That being said, we ate it all and the kids raved on. While it wasn't the same as Regina's, it was the most authentic pasta we've had since returning to the states.

And the bruschetta tasted nothing like Walter's but it was delicious! I think I used the wrong tomatoes but it was really good....like so good that even Ryan and Logan each ate a piece and those kids HATE tomatoes. It smelled really good and the mozzarella bubbled up nice and they just couldn't refuse.

Having an "I miss Italy" day

Today I am having an ''I miss Italy day." *sigh*

Last night, I had dreamt that I was back in Italy visiting friends. Now I just left six months ago so I'm not sure it's really time for a visit yet but whatev, a dream is a dream.

In it, I went alone and my bestie Amy picked me up at the airport. That dream-hug we shared felt SO real!

In the dream, I stayed at her house and we did all the things we used to. We chatted about life and had a cappuccino, we ate lunch at Regina's, stuffing ourselves on Penne Aurora and Margherita Bruschetta. We went shopping and I picked up pottery, olive oil and we went to the winery where I bought six bottles and joked that I really hoped the airline didn't check my bags. At some point we were in snow, which was a bit weird but I guess just weird enough to remind me it was only a dream.

So I woke up with that ''homesick'' feeling. Missing friends and a place from my past. Then when I looked outside, it was super foggy. I didn't snap a photo but I should have. It was like northern italy foggy. It seemed like most mornings from October-April, every morning it was a blanket of fog.

This is the kind of fog common to Italy this time of year...

So between the dream, then the weather, I just missed Italy today. I woke up immediately craving a cappuccino and a cornello con crema. 

This is a cup of perfection once I add about 3 packets of sugar :)

Instead I had a cup of coffee from my Keurig and hopped on Pinterest. 

It is officially my mission this week to make margherita bruschetta and penne aurora that tastes at least a tiny bit like Walter's. I found a penne aurora recipe that seems sorta similar. It's on a french recipe site but the others I found just didn't seem right.  The problem is I never asked Walter enough times what was in it to finally break him, lol. He always just laughed when we said we needed the recipe. It's a big feat ya'll. I can't seem to find a photo of the pasta (probably because I inhaled it before I thought to take a photo) but this is drool worthy bruschetta. 

What you can't see under that glorious cheese is that the bread is toasted, then lightly brushed with olive oil and a swipe of pesto, then topped with chopped tomatoes that are sprinkled with sea salt and maybe tossed with a little more EVVO, add in a bit of pepper and basil and then melt mozzarella on top. 

Heaven on a piece of bread, in short. 

So today is Ron's last day at home. It's been 11 days since my surgery and my incisions are healing nicely and I can go all day without a nap. I do get tired and I do get sore but overall I have been pleasantly surprised at how smooth this recovery has gone. Well because it's his last day home, I made us go grocery shopping all together. So I could be sure to get what we wanted/needed and he could push the cart and do all the heavy lifting. 

I bought fresh mozzarella. I bought fresh basil. I bought the pricey pesto. I found and purchased campari tomatoes (because they didn't have plum tomatoes and these look most like the ones I commonly saw at IperSimply). I still have 2 bottles left of my garlic infused olive oil from Bonamini (which apparently I never blogged about...say what!? I need to catch up!) and sea salt. I found the toasted type bread. It's not hard like a cracker but it's not soft like American bread.

Tomorrow is the day. (today would have been the day but I already had chicken prepped in the crockpot). Tomorrow is the day where I will attempt what is probably the impossible. On the menu is Penne Aurora and Margherita Bruschetta. Wish me luck!

Today was the day.

There have been moments since returning to Texas that it's hard to believe we cut our time in Italy short. These thoughts came more frequently while B was furloughed. I miss my friends in Italy, terribly. I miss seeing the mountains, I miss the wine and fresh milk, I miss grabbing dinner at Regina's. I miss my ''me'' time on Tuesday's and Thursday's while the kids were all in school. When B was furloughed while it Italy, it presented time to go to Slovenia or Croatia. To spend a day in Asiago eating cheese or wandering around Bassano del Grappa.

While B was furloughed here (which thankfully is over and he will receive back pay) it was worrisome. We just moved, we just bought a house and I think we both had a few ''what were we thinking'' thoughts fly through our heads. We weren't given a ''Furlough Friday'' it was a ''Furlough with no known end in sight''. We couldn't really enjoy the time here because we didn't know when it would end.

But after spending this past weekend with our families, after meeting my nephew for the first time, hugging my grandma who was diagnosed with Parkinson's while we were overseas and celebrating everyone being together, I feel good about our decision. Sure it's a ten hour drive, but it was completely manageable. We left at 6am and we were hugging family by 6pm...the same day, in the same time zone. Now that Ron has returned to a career that he enjoys, the boys are having fun with spirit week at school and I am decorating a house that we own...things feel good. Things feel really good.


The BIG "we did the right thing moment'' came on the walk home from school today. (Sidenote: the fact that the kids are able to WALK to school is ah-mazing. In Italy they rode a bus for close to an hour each way.) While walking home I asked how their day went. Logan told me about painting a cow at art. Ryan shared that he ran FIVE laps at school and when he added on the ''and I didn't even need my inhaler" it just reaffirmed what I already knew....We made the right choice.

We have been in Texas almost three months now. Three months without one of the kids needing a breathing treatment, without albuterol, without a single dose of an oral steroid or a doctor's appointment. Three months without having to run a vaporizer. Three months without taking a daily preventive inhaler. Three months without coughing. Three months of happy, healthy kids who are riding bikes outside, running laps at school and doing it without worry. While there was a downside to living in Italy with four kids, I can't find one for Texas.

Today was the day I realized that this is home. This is where we are meant to be. Where we NEED to be. Texas may not have amazing (and cheap!) Italian wine or views of the mountains but I guess I'll need to get used to sweet tea and views of the gulf. Something tells me it shouldn't be too hard.

It's the final countdown..

Just 3 full days left in Italy. It seems very surreal and explains the lack of posting. The house was completely packed up, we did the walk through with the landlord and B settled the accounts with the utilities. We're shipping the van tomorrow, B is selling the Mini Cooper tomorrow and the dogs get their USDA paperwork clearing them for for travel tomorrow. Busy Monday! Tuesday and Wednesday Ron will be busy at work while I forward the mail, get our medical records, organize the luggage and finish up packing. After the trip here and all that luggage we downsized considerably. 3 suitcases, 2 duffel bags, 2 carry ons and the kids each have their backpacks. Add in the two dogs and we should be busy and have our hands full yet not completely crazy.

As excited as I am to go "home" I am going to miss the amazing people I've met here, the mountains, the days trips and the wine for sure.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Asiago, Italy

A few Saturday's ago, we drove about an hour north to the town of Asiago. You probably recognize the name as this is where Asiago cheese originates from. (Sidenote: The Asiago cheese bagel from Panera is to.die.for...though I have no clue if it's authentic cheese). It is the cutest little town nestled in the foothills of the Dolomites. It has a very Barvarian feel to it, you can hear cowbells ringing and while it was 80 degrees in Vicenza, it was 55 in Asiago. Hence some of the kids wearing jackets. Also, blogger is being a total pain in my ass and won't upload over 1/2 of my photos so hopefully I'll have an ''Asiago part 2" shortly. 

First thing we did was park, then go into this adorable Panifico aka, bakery. 

 The town ''centro'' is adorable. Asiago played a role in World War I and much of the city was demolished and then rebuilt. This square is such an area.

 We made our way down one road, away from the center and found a park with the tallest trees I think my kids had ever seen. There was a memorial for a few Italian soldiers from the war as well as a small chapel with a crypt inside. As all signs were in Italian, I'm not exactly sure whose remains are there but was a very nice memorial.

We spent quite a bit of time in downtown Asiago, ate lunch at the cutest pizzeria and then made our way to the WWI memorial. We used the GPS on my phone to get there and boy was that thing nuts! It had us drive down a WALKING PATH in the middle of a field on a path much to narrow for our van and we actually had to drive around a bench at one point. It was ridiculous but there was no way to back up once we had turned on; it was a blind corner and wasn't worth the risk. We followed the ''map'' and ended up coming out in pedestrian crosswalk :/

 The views from the walk to the memorial were very pretty (a storm was moving in).

 The memorial itself is massive. While I think you can normally go up to the Arc, the day we were there the stairs were blocked off. But you enter through the doors into a small museum set up then it's just halls and halls of names of soldiers from WWI. They had a map of the different paths that the Austrians' and Italian's took through the Alps and Dolomites during the invasion, it was very neat to see but hard to imagine.

 After the memorial, we went to the Cheese Shop/Factory. I don't know if it's blogger or my internet but I can't seem to upload the other photos right now. More next time!

BIG BIG News for our family!

Back in January I posted about the hard time we were having in Italy, medically. The kids have had asthma flare-ups and problems every single month (at least one child/month has been to the clinic for wheezing/coughing).  So since January, Ron has off and on applied for jobs that would get us back to the mid-west or Texas. Texas isn't very close to family but all of the kids did great medically in San Antonio so it was still on our list. We knew it this economy it might not happen, worst comes to worst and we would have to return to San Antonio in December 2014 and he would go back to work at his old office. Not ideal but not horrible either.

In March, he applied for a position at the Space Center in Houston. This position is a pay grade higher than the one in San Antonio and his current position here. It's also not the same job, but rather in a related field. So when April arrived and along with it was a call for a phone interview, we were excited but didn't get our hopes up. In May when we hadn't heard anything back we assumed he wasn't selected. So imagine our surprise when he got the phone call in June saying that he was their selected candidate and if he wanted the position, it was his!

Even though we went back and forth the entire month of May as to whether this was really something we wanted to do: cut our time here short and move to a city we have never even visited, we realized that in the long term this was best for our family.

See, Ron and I had made a decision years ago...I want to be a stay at home mom (and he loves that) but supporting a family of six on one income isn't always easy. I agreed to move as often as needed if it meant accepting a job he was interested in and that paid more...while our kids were young. Once they were old enough to really make friends I wanted to settle down. So we've moved (a lot in the last 7 years) but he's had great opportunities (overseas assignments are rare as a civilian in his field) and now we're ready to put down roots. This job at the Space Center is one he can see himself in for awhile, he loves that he'll be working for NASA and the pay is good.

Even though it cuts our time in Europe short we think it's for the greater good. If we pass on this opportunity and stay in Italy until December 2014 that means returning to San Antonio, to a job that Ron chose to leave to come here. It's less money than what the job in Houston pays as well and as much as people say 'It's not about the money' when you have one income supporting an entire family, it is sometimes about the money. I don't have a college degree (I withdrew from college classes at the beginning of my junior year when I found out I was pregnant with Ryan. A decision that I do not regret. I love being able to stay home and raise my kids! I was majoring in 'early childhood education' and I kinda do that everyday now so it's worth it to me) so it's not like he could take the lesser paying job and I could go to work; I could get a job but it would be minimum wage and not worth the daycare expense.

So yes, we're giving up on some amazing travel opportunities. Yes, Italy has been amazing for educating the kids about how other people live, the history of other countries and the differences. It's awesome that my 2 year old can tell the difference between the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower and knows she has been to both. But let's be honest my kids are 7 years old down to 2 years old...even if we stay another 18 months, they aren't going to remember much about our time here.

And while I didn't get to do everything I had hoped to, I am leaving without regrets. I have matured so much over the last few years. Twenty-one year old Shannon would have never in a million years even considered MOVING overseas. And I did that. And I realize that while I didn't do everything on my list, I did a lot in 18 months while toting along 4 kiddos. This was a list I made back in November 2011:

1. I want to see all the touristy Italian icons: leaning tower of Pisa, the Colosseum in Rome, Venice, the vineyards, Tuscany, Cinque de Terre, I want to see the works of Van Gogh and Di Vinci.
2. Travel to Spain, Germany, France, London, Ireland, Croatia and Greece.
3. Learn how to make authentic Italian foods. Top of the list is lasagna, homemade sauce and real Alfredo...you know, not from a Classico jar.
4. Become mostly fluent in Italian {after 5 years of Spanish in High School, I'm hoping I'll ''get'' it}
5. Learn about, sample and drink the wine!
6. Take the boys to a real soccer futbol game
7. Become friends with as many locals/neighbors as possible; help give Americans a good name :)
8. Ride on a Vespa! Preferably on a cobblestone road
9. Become more open-minded about my food, try new things and encourage the kids to as well.
10. Remember that we will get homesick. I will wonder if we did the right thing. And remember that this opportunity won't last forever, make the most of it and leave with little regrets. 

and what was done...

1. I want to see all the touristy Italian icons: leaning tower of Pisa, the Colosseum in Rome, Venice, the vineyards, Tuscany, Cinque de Terre, I want to see the works of Van Gogh and Di Vinci.
2. Travel to Spain, Germany, France, London, Ireland, Croatia and Greece. Also went to Austria and Slovenia.
3. Learn how to make authentic Italian foods. Top of the list is lasagna, homemade sauce and real Alfredo...you know, not from a Classico jar. *Alfredo doesn't even exist in Italy, ha! And while I haven't learned how to make, I buy the sauces and already made lasagna from the italian grocery...and it is delicious*
4. Become mostly fluent in Italian {after 5 years of Spanish in High School, I'm hoping I'll ''get'' it} *anyone stationed here will ''get'' this one...high expectations! but I definitely know more now than I did 18 months ago*
5. Learn about, sample and drink the wine!
6. Take the boys to a real soccer futbol game
7. Become friends with as many locals/neighbors as possible; help give Americans a good name :) *We don't really have Italian neighbors but I have made friends with Italians, including the owner of the farm that our milk machine is located*
8. Ride on a Vespa! Preferably on a cobblestone road
9. Become more open-minded about my food, try new things and encourage the kids to as well.
10. Remember that we will get homesick. I will wonder if we did the right thing. And remember that this opportunity won't last forever, make the most of it and leave with little regrets. 

In the long run, this is best. I know that. We will be moving in August...yeah, you read that right. We have less than 45 days left but we do plan to make the most of it. We are planning on going to Slovenia and Croatia over the next 4 day weekend. If it doesn't happen, I won't be upset but if it does that would be wonderful!

Whats really wonderful though, in the grand scheme of things: We'll be able to buy a house and settle down, finally! We'll establish roots and give our children a ''hometown''. And we won't be living in Houston, we'll be in a suburb to the south that has an exemplary rated school district. Europe is amazing but this feels like it's going to be pretty amazing too!

{Flashback} Nanaw and Papa visit Italy: Vicenza

Okay so when we last left off, we had all spent the day in Verona. But we were all super on each other's nerves and I needed a break from, well everyone. So the following day I took just my parents downtown to see the sights of Vicenza. It was really nice having a day with just them, made me feel all grown up playing tour-guide to my parents.

We live in a suburb (or ''village'' would really be a better term) of Vicenza. As a city, Vicenza prides itself on it's architecture, most of which was designed by or build by Andrea Palladio. We actually live right down the street from one of his lesser known Villas (it is still a private residence).
So all my photos from this day are all mixed up (no clue why) and because it's been almost a year, I can't really remember what order we did things in but here is what we did...

We went downtown to the Teatro Olimpico. This theater was designed by Andrea Palladio is one of only three Renaissance theaters remaining in existence. To say it is old is an understatement...construction began in 1580 and it is full of history. The "big deal" about the theater is this: it is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence.

  The gardens outside are very pretty as well...I love the ivy growing all over the buildings.

 Inside the Teatro Olimpico...

 The set is painted to look three dimensional when in fact, it isn't at all. There is not a path leading to the distance, it's just a painting. The detail in the theater; from the carvings to the set design to the ceiling is just breathtaking.

 The ceiling:

After visiting the Teatro, we grabbed a quick lunch. Another famous Palladian work is just south of downtown, it's called "La Rotunda''. Taken directly from Wikipedia: 

In 1565 a priest, Paolo Almerico, on his retirement from the Vatican (as referendario apostolico of Pope Pius IV and afterwards Pius V), decided to return to his home town of Vicenza in the Venetian countryside and build a country house. This house, later known as 'La Rotonda', was to be one of Palladio's best-known legacies to the architectural world. Villa Capra may have inspired a thousand subsequent buildings, but the villa was itself inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.

One of the people who were inspired by the Rotunda was Thomas Jefferson. My kids recognize the Rotunda because it "is that building on the back of the nickel." Thomas Jefferson's "Monticello" as well as The Jefferson Memorial, all take inspiration from the Rotunda.

The structure itself is set just south of town, on a small hill that overlooks much of the Veneto countryside.

From the front steps of the Rotunda, you can actually see to Mt. Berico (which is where we ate dinner the night of their arrival).

We had planned our visit on one of the mornings that the Rotunda is actually open. Most days you can pay to be on the grounds, some mornings you can pay an entry fee and see inside.

 Photography was strictly forbidden and only the first floor was open to the public but it was pretty impressive. Every room is covered in floor to ceiling murals. Very ornate.

  A few architectural details that I liked (I love all the unique doors in Europe).

 We ended up back downtown to finish out the day. We ate gelato (twice) and explored the main roads and back alleys. We even found an Asian grocery store and picked Ron up a few goodies. I didn't take my camera or very many photos with my iphone as I have been downtown before.

 And my favorite photo that I feel captures downtown best....

Ponte San Michele, a cobblestone walking bridge that is adorable.

Adventures in an Italian Grocery Store...

One of the things that really surprised me when we first moved here (and I meant to blog about a while ago) was the concept of the Italian grocery store. Now there are a few ''big'' grocery stores that would be similar to say 'discount store' like what we have in the states but no where near the same in size. Or in frequency. Where a town of 50,000 in the U.S. might have a Walmart or two, a Target and a K-Mart...you won't find that here. At all.

There are a handful of "discount'' stores in Vicenza that sell groceries and have a small home-goods section with pots and pans, an area with laundry room/bathroom items, a small electronics section and maybe even a small clothing section. An aisle or two for toys and maybe a corner dedicated to outdoor gardening. Emisfero, Iper Simply, Auchan and EuroSpar would be those stores. And keep in mind Vicenza is a ''large'' city (795,123 was the population of the province in 2004). But rather than getting a vacuum at Emisfero, you would go to MediaWorld for a selection of more than two models. If you needed Tylenol, you're better off going to a Farmacia. They just don't do the ''one stop shopping'' like we're used to, in fact I would almost go so far to say that is the biggest difference between living in the states and living in Italy (aside from culture/history): convenience. There isn't a 24 hour grocery store. There aren't drive thru's (and I mean drive-thru anything...banks, restaurants, quick coffee stops, pharmacy...nothing). There is no such thing as a "Convenience store"...it just doesn't exist.

So while we do shop ''on the economy'' at our local little grocery store, it's about once a week/every 2 weeks. There are certain things we get every time we go: fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, breakfast pastries, hot food {lasagne} from the 'deli', Coca-Cola (made with real sugar, not HFCS), pasta and a few frozen foods/treats. But it isn't very convenient. First off, the parking lot is tiny and driving a minivan means parking a ways out. Secondly, in order to use a cart you have to have a .50cent piece or a €1 coin to get a cart (just like the quarter you need to shop at Aldi) which I seem to have €20 in change when I don't need it and only american change when I do. Third, their hours can be...wonky. They are closed on Tuesday, they are only open until 1:30 on Sunday, some days they aren't open at all and I don't know why. And it seems like every time I go, it's insanely crowded! Long checkout lines but skinny checkout lanes make it an ordeal.

But lastly some of it is just so different than everything we're used to. I went to the store on Saturday morning as I wanted produce but not huge quantities like what we get at the street market. I snapped quite a few photos while there so that years from now we can remember why we never bought eggs in Italy.

Okay, so for example...eggs. In every grocery store in the states, usually in a back corner is the dairy section: milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, cream, etc. Well Italians, they do it different. They don't really "do" fresh milk. Here in the Veneto region, we do have ''milk machines'' (check out my BFF Amy's post on those here) but most places in Italy and most stores, they sell mostly shelf stable milk. UHT milk. In tiny little cartons. Cartons far too tiny for our family of six. So there isn't so much a dairy section as a milk aisle...

And the milk, it isn't horrible. It is different, it leaves a film in your cup. I don't usually drink a glass of milk {unless it's with a sleeve of Oreos} so I can't comment on the direct taste but I use it in cooking/baking and on cereal. I try to keep a few boxes on hand just in case we run out of fresh milk (which we buy 3 or 4 at a time from the milk vending machine). Sissy drinks it straight and doesn't complain. To each their own I guess!

So if there isn't really a dairy section...where are the eggs you wonder? Oh, right here...on the end of aisle 3. Not refrigerated. Not cold. Not even sold in ''dozens'' but in packages of six. I'm all for experiencing Italy while we live here, but I cannot eat warm eggs. I can't.

So the 'dairy' section that there is, I didn't get a great photo of (I already stand out as an American, taking photos isn't earning me any street cred) but it's usually with the produce. 

That narrow picture of the cold milk above? That's the entire cold milk section. Next to it is yogurt and across is cheese. Lots of cheese. Stinky cheese, Philadelphia cream cheese, fresh mozzarella...more cheese than you can imagine.

And again, I couldn't get a photo without looking like a total creeper but when you get produce in Italy (if it's not prepackaged by weight in a bag/plastic carrier) you have to wear gloves. Plastic disposable gloves, as you don't touch the fruit with your hands. If the above photo there is a woman standing near her husband and shopping cart, you might be able to see the glove on her right hand.

So while those are the three biggies that shocked us (small dairy section, hot eggs and protective wear for produce) there are a few more that you just don't think about unless you're there. Like, pasta. Obviously this is Italy, there is going to be pasta. What you don't think of is the fact that there is an aisle and a half, JUST for dry pasta. The photo below, that's just the Barilla pasta section...nothing but pasta spans the entire aisle...

So if you can picture it, imagine that section times four...it's the entire aisle and I am not exaggerating. We always buy our pasta "on the economy'' and never at the commissary. Pasta at Ali is anywhere from €.38-€1 a box, usually with some sort of ''buy one get one free'' special. Way cheaper than the commissary! There is also 1/2 an aisle for sauces/canned tomatoes and another 1/2 aisle for olive oil. Both items we typically buy at Ali.

Okay, this next thing I saw literally over a year ago and never blogged about but I have to, as I never want to forget the opportunity I had but never gave my kids while we lived in Italy....Italian baby food.

 Look closely...there is Beef, Horse, Turkey, Rabbit and Salmon flavors to choose from...

 BLAH! Seriously. Can you imagine opening a jar of "Filet of Salmon'' and feeding it to your kiddo? How about cracking the lid on some Rabbit? I know it's a culture thing but geez does that skeeve me out!

Now that you've got that lovely smell on your mind, lets move on to....Vino!

Three aisles of Vino to be exact, at our tiny little corner grocery store. Go to Emisfero and there is a HUGE section of wines. They range in price from €1.80 (About $2.40 a bottle) and up. It's typically sorted by type "prosecco, frizzante, brut, etc" then by color or region.

But, it's cheaper if you just grab the wine ''to go'' in little self serve vino ''juice boxes''...

My fat thumb is covering up the writing but those little boxes average 11% alcohol by volume! I'll be honest, I've never tried it but at €1.20 for 3 boxes, I'm guessing it's a pretty average table wine. 

So that's this American's take on the Italian grocery store. Just like I have my opinions on Italy, they have their opinions on America. 

I leave you with this frozen pizza that is ''AMERICAN'' Style Supreme...

"Soft, crunchy with mozzarella'' crust topped with pepperoni, ham, peppers, mushrooms, CORN and tomatoes. Can we say 'Yum'?
Ugh,
I've been away from the states for 18 months now but can someone please reassure me that Pizza Hut hasn't added corn as a pizza topping? If that's so, I'll hit up the vino aisle and never leave...