obložené chlebícky

Obložené Chlebícky are artful open-faced sandwiches. As our food tour guides Zuzi and Karolina said: the Czech version of fast food. Sorry I can't help with the pronunciation. Below are a caseful of these beauties at a deli in Prague. It's a fuzzy shot, but you get a hint of the variety and creativity available in these little sandwiches.

Cheese Chocolate Chowder

It has been 1 year 7 days and 83 entries since I first posted to this blog. The past year has been full (see Ode to 2013 for a summary of highlights). I want to shout a giant THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all of you that have read, commented, shared words of encouragement.

With that said . . .  I'm still experimenting with the approach for this blog going forward. I'm not ready to close the door, pretty sure this travel bug is chronic and I still LOVE food. So, if you have any requests or suggestions: more pics (about 8,000 still reside on my phone), more stories, more food, more practical stuff --or if you've had enough--I would love to hear from you.

Now for some New Year's Resolutions courtesy of Seattle, WA and sponsored by the letter "C" Done & Done!

Sweets for Christmas

For the record I'm not a lover of cupcakes but when a cupcake is splendifurous I am in love.

The formula for a Perfect Cupcake =not too sugary butter cream frosting (no shortening-esque icing, bleck)+moist crumb+the right cake to frosting ratio+flavors that taste like the advertised flavor

With all locations being at least 2 states away Sprinkles is a day dream (do you hear that Sprinkles, just bring one to Denver already!) BUT, next week I will be in close proximity to my second love: Sweet Tooth Fairy

I'm thankful for passion fruit and coconut

Girl-power day in Denver

I proclaimed Today Girl-Power Day: seeking inspiration and motivation in all my activities to refresh and renew my energies as I doggie paddle through this job-search-thing.

So of course I . . .

1. Got a manicure

2. Devoured a homemade poptart or "popster" at a new bakery (to me): Sugar Bakeshop

3. Was enlightened by a visit to . . . (*see below for details)

4. Perused the shops at Cherry Creek North, store and restaurant lined streets all decked out in the finest fall leaves.

5. Devoured a hamburger at  the Cherry Cricket with BACON--true girl power food.

6. Went halfsies on a Bread Pudding Cupcake at Big Fat Cupcake

7. No girl-power day would be complete without a chocolate or 2.

*but back to  number 3

On Pennsylvania Street in the Capital Hill area of Denver, majestic, historic, brick, stone, victorian, modern, restored and reinvented homes, offices, churches and coffee shops stand side by side shaded by wise leafy trees.

One building, one former residence was the centerpiece for this girl-power day!

From 1894 until her death in1932 the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" lived here. Fun facts I learned on the tour:

• She learned 5 languages as an adult and spoke them fluently
• She worked to create the first juvenile court system in the nation
• She founded one of the first humane societies in the nation, The Denver Dumb Friends League
• No one ever called her Molly.  She went by Maggie and/or Margaret. The newspapers got her name wrong after the sinking of the Titanic and again when reporting her death. But Molly rhymes with more pleasant words than "Maggie" so the error was perpetuated in the musical "the Unsinkable Molly Brown"

Go girl!

The Wild West

First stop Maddox Ranch House in Brigham City, Utah where the beef is raised outback and served in large portions, the parking lot is full and the log cabin interior screams down home cookin'. My mom and I shared a 12 oz New York Strip Steak served with squishy fresh rolls and corn pones (and raspberry butter!), soup or salad or seafood cocktail, your choice of potato (baked please!) and steamed vegetables. I don't like cooked carrots but I could eat bowl after bowl of these. And then a homemade rootbeer. Oh how I could take another one of those RIGHT NOW.

Then rolling rolling rolling, with our extra full tummies, through northern Utah to Idaho

We stopped for the night in Pocatello, Idaho. Oh darn, we missed the entertainment on July 14th: Midget Wrestling, seriously?!

Next Stop: Idaho Falls, Idaho. As my mom and I were getting out of the car a senior citizen dressed in red plaid sporting a gun holster was waving his handgun outside his truck. I threw my arm across my mom and said, "wait, do you see that guy with the gun".

My mom replied, "yes, I think I just heard him ask his wife 'do you think it's ok to take this in the store with me or should I leave it in the car?'" Well, he left it in his car, just laying on the front seat. After reluctantly following him into the store he turned to me with the broadest grandpa grin and a twinkle in his eye saying "did you see that crazy guy out there waving around the gun". Yep folks we're in Idaho. But not even a gun can over shadow the ice cream at Reed's Dairy. Again the cow's are outback. I had a softball sized small of a scoop of chocolate, oreo, marshmallow and peanut butter cup heaven called Mom's something or other. Sorry I can't remember. I would take another scoop right now, right along with the aforementioned root beer!

Then on to Rexburg, Idaho for a trip down memory lane. I spent my first 2 years of college here. So much has changed (see left) and so much has stayed the same.

Last Stop: Twin Falls, Idaho. I've been looking for a potato ricer with zero success, because I refused to pay $40 for the only option available at a certain store. Well at Rudy's they had 3 options--bonus. And my favorite was the most economical $14 option--double bonus.

Twin Falls has a wee bit of shopping and some spectacular scenery. Even in the middle of summer when the water level is low the views of Shoshone falls are breathtaking.

The Gelato Awards

Taking a tour of the gelato museum in Bologna at Carpigiani University I learned that sorbetto is Arab in origin and was used for medicinal purposes. Or as our tour guide said for "eating therapy"!

So let the eating therapy awards begin

CATEGORIES 1 &2

Most Aesthetically Pleasing and The place I most dream of returning to 

WINNER: CREMIA in Parma

FLAVORS: Amarena and something creamy and caramelly 
These girls have turned gelato serving into an art. Perfectly swirled. 

CATEGORY 3

The Best 2 Gelato Day (yes, this happened more than once)

WINNER 1: LA SORBETTERIA in Bologna
Flavors: Michaelangelo and grapefruit

WINNER 2: IL GELATAURO in Bologna

Flavors: Almond and Kiwi

2 gelaterias, 2 friends (having a fabulous time with my new friend Rebeca, she's an exchange student from Canada studying at Bologna University).

CATEGORY 4

Favorite Overall Flavor

WINNER: GELATERIA GIANNI in Bologna
Flavor: 2 Febbraio (chocolate hazelnut gelato with Nutella sauce and hazelnut sauce and cookie pieces)

Closeup of 2 Febbraio (see lower flavor)

 

CATEGORY 5

Best View while Eating Gelato

WINNER: near Basilica di Santa Maria Novella in Firenze

Insert giant round of applause for all the gelato in Italy

My judging qualifications: much experience eating gelato and recent GELATO CLASS attendance. Which I probably should have failed because I put too much water in our Strawberry Sorbetto. 

By the way...pretty pans of gelato should look like this 

As opposed to this 

Team Fraugula left to right:Francois, Celine, me and Marcato our instructor.

La Spezia, Italy

Leaving Bologna I resolved to only eat vegetables and fish for the following week to off-set all the gelato and carb filled meals I enjoyed there. Arriving in La Spezia (the gateway to Cinque Terre), my airbnb.com host recommended a really good budget friendly fish place right on the dock: Dai Pescatori. Perfect. Right in my meal plan, that is until I see everyone ordering Frittura--a plate of fried calamari and prawns. So I can't resist and I'll tell you in a bit why I don't feel one bit guilty.

You may also notice 2 plates and 2 waters. The lady I paid also looked confused when I said it was for one. I needed extra water and I just had to try the other dish, with fish of course, and potatoes and olives and pine nuts.

 I polished off the Frittura. Those prawns were the best I have ever had. The whole prawn (minus the eyes) including legs and shell was sweet with a salty crunchy exterior. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I completely understand why the line out the door is 20 people deep. And just a couple of bites of the other dish was enough. Good, but had to go with the Frittura.

And this is why I don't feel guilty.

I found a little trail and thought I would wander a bit....

Straight up a gazillion flights of stairs.

I had no idea where it was going

but I was enjoying the sunshine and shedding the winter layers one by one.

I passed a few other hikers. One in particular, an Italian woman coming up the stairs. She had a torrent of words for that hike up. I said "non parlo Italiano" and smiled. Then she said a whole lot more, in Italian, pointed down, pointed up, and said "capiche"? Gave several sighs, waved her hands and said "capiche"? I smiled, nodded my head. I knew exactly what she meant. That trail kicked my behind too.

Pretty awesome view. Yep I earned my dinner tonight.

La Spezia has a lovely town center. I love the architecture. And, except for the herd that was expelled from a cruise ship for a couple hours I had a relaxing boardwalk stroll.

Aceto Balsamico

I love good Balsamic vinegar. More than Parmigiano-Reggiano, more than pasta (but not more than gelato).

So to go here, a certified member of the Balsamic Vinegar consortium and to receive a personal tour was my foodie dream come true. The only thing that would have made it better: a bowl of vanilla gelato and sliced strawberries to drizzle the stuff all over. If you have "good" balsamic vinegar, the sweet almost syrupy kind, this is fantastic.

Balsamic vinegar is fairly new to the rest of the world, even other regions in Italy were not aware of its existence until 20-30 years ago. But it has a long history. 

So we climb the stairs to the attic where barrels and barrels are stored. Over 500 here alone some over 100 years old. And the aroma about knocks you over in a good way. Sweet and rich right in the back of your throat. They say its even more powerful in the summer, because all those barrels are open allowing for evaporation. The white cloth on top is covering the opening to protect from insects and dust.

The vinegar is rotated and consolidated as it ages into smaller barrels. So these here are graduated in size.

And the best part...the taste test.

From left to right: White balsamic, White balsamic aged 8 years*, Orange Balsamic with juice from Sicilian oranges, Apple balsamic with juice from Fuji Apples*, Saporosa Balsamic for daily use*

And for the gems in the official bottles: Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena aged 12 years, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena "extra vecchio" aged 25 years.* Balsamic filled chocolates not pictured*

*my favorites.

In retrospect I should have stocked up there because the prices were better. But everything can be ordered online and shipped to the states at www.houseofbalsamic.com.

And as if that's not enough here is a lovely street in Modena town center.

And just a little roadside establishment for the car enhusiasts out there.

Curds and Whey

That's me with my wonderful Italian professor Andrea. Andrea was my tour guide/instructor for 5 days and if you are looking to work on your Italian in Bologna his company offers several fantastic options at Bolognalingua.com (I am not paid for this plug).

Now, between us we are holding 2 what-was-I-thinking-I-have-to-pack-this-with-me-for-how-long kilos of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (approx 4.4 pds). I suppose if I get myself into a bind I can use it to barter.

But this isn't just any Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is the real deal, aged 24 months, certified by the consortium and direct from the producer where it is handmade. I watched them cut it and vacuum-pack it for me here in the town of Sesso. I'm gonna let you lookup the translation of that name.

Here is one of those "official" wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano weighing in at approx 37 kilos or 81 pounds. Notice the distinct markings on the rind. This one is from a different producer.

And I got to see how it's all done. You remember that spot on sesame street where they show you the cow, to milk, to cheese process, it was just like that. ok not just like that, but they were cooking the milk adding whey and enzymes gathering the curds in these ginormous cauldrons. So cool, and the smell changed from room to room. Here with the cauldrons it smelled like a warm can of sweetened condensed milk and it hung in the air like a fog.

No need for a gym membership with this job: plenty of strength training and a daily milk facial to boot.

Each of these vats will produce the cheese for 2 wheels.

Into the mold they go

This thing...that is what "brands" or stamps the cheese to make it official with all the dots, the date and name of the farm on the outside rind.

It smelled more buttery, kinda sour here

They go into a salt bath for a while

Now into the Fort Knox of cheese. Are you singing the "Raiders of the Lost Arc" theme? The one where they are wheeling the Arc of the Covenant into the giant warehouse. I was.

That's a whole lotta cheese. These were created the day of the earthquake, almost 2 years ago, and survived.

Oh and by the way. The aroma was, WOW, I don't know how to describe it. Rich, buttery, that Parmigiano-Reggiano bite (you better not be thinking of the kind in the green can). I recommend you make a trek to your local Italian food store or Whole foods and hold a wedge of the stuff to your nose and inhale. As I stood in the store waiting to buy my slices of gold one little italian gentleman after another came in. Watching them order then carry their bag out the door I couldn't help but feel this is second nature, a ritual, buying "the cheese".

You can find more info and pairing suggestions here www.parmigiano-reggiano.it