Miei favoriti Piatti

Ohmigoshhhh.... dinner was absolutely fantastic. After a banana and a bite of nutella (straight from the jar, bad girl) I was just hungry enough a few hours later for dinner.

We started with pesto gnocchi- yes, I finished every bite. Fantastico!

Then we had grilled eggplant with a bit of parmesan, and some pomodoro salad. Anche Delizioso!

For dessert, we had more watermelon, and then they brought out HUGE platters of torta and dolci for Professor Laluna's birthday! I had 1/2 a fresh donut, and a few bites of each of the 2 small pieces of cake and torta.

Afterwards, we celebrated by having a drink and then went back home, where I called some friends, and we settled in for the night.

This morning I woke up pretty hungry, so I had some muesli with almond milk, and a coconut yogurt.

During class I snacked on a nectarine, but we decided to go out for lunch for a change- we went to Dante, a nearby restaurant, and they gave me a tasty vegetarian dish- potatoes and peppers sauteed in olive oil. I also had a stuffed pepper. A little much on the oil, but otherwise very satisfying- at least they're healthy oils! We also each had a glass of vino bianco.

My friend Carolyn and I were up for some good exercise, so we decided to walk down and up the KILLER mountain we hiked the other day- we had an awesome time, it felt like no time, talking and laughing, but we walked for almost an hour! We saw the hidden fresco again, some pear trees and plenty of geckos before heading home. Back at home we sat down for a post walk snack- some peanut butter and fresh crusty bread.

Now I'm working on my next Italain project, eating some dolci- fruit torta that Michelangelo's sister gave us. They're so sweet here! Tonight is another one of my favorites... but I will definately be eating less than I did last night!

Cucino Italiano!

No crazy Italian boys or long hikes since I last blogged- just some more great meals, and some more great Italian cooking!
Carolyn and I split a banana and did a bit of browsing at some of the stores in town, before going to Pub Fusion for "Le Strada". We ordered birra and had a nice time watching the movie before dinner. When my primo piatto came, I was SO excited- pesto, mia favorita! This was a HUGE plate, and I ended up eating 3/4 of it, it was sooo good!

The second course was not a favorite of mine- I don't really like eating eggs, but I must say these were some very good l'uova- I ate a few of the pieces, without the dressing. I also had a few small pieces of cheese they had on the table.

Dessert was gelato- 2 in one day! Thats ok, we're in Italia!

After a good night's rest, I did 20 minutes of strength this morning before having some muesli with almond milk and a nectarine.

My snack this morning was a big apple- we went to the fruttivendolo before class, the fruit man is sooo nice! I got a bunch of green grapes, a hot pepper for salads, a big tomato, peaches and nectarines and my apple- and he gave my friend Danielle and I a handful of cherries to snack on, as well as some plums and figs for free!!

After class we went to our next lab- definately the best so far! We cooked with Fifina, the best cook in town! She is so sweet, and taught us how to make 2 sauces and meatballs- one of the sauces was completely vegan- so I am DEFIANTELY making it when I get back to the states!

We had the sauce over pasta- I had 2 medium helpings! Then, because I was a vegetarian and didn't eat the meatballs, Michelangelo's Mamma brought out some fried zucchini flowers for me to try- I ate two of these, a bit of zucchini fritatta and a couple bites of zucchini salad. They kept giving us food! I just sampled (besides the pasta!) because I just couldn't eat any more! It was all fabulous though. For dessert we had delicious fresh figs- they don't get any better than in Calabria!


So today has been fun so far, we have a lot of time to relax this afternoon- I already did all of my homework, so I've got a lot of time to fill! I love Siesta, definately makes my time here much less stressful.

Tonight is 3 of my FAVORITES for dinner- so I'm warning you, I will be pigging out. I'm trying to stay balanced in Italy for sure, but there are definately some times that it is SO worth it for a bit of a splurge!

Eventful Italy

Mamma Mia! So much has been going on here in Calabria!
Yesterday while I was blogging I had a peach, and a handful of nuts before we went off to visit a local church. It was nice, lots of history, beautiful mosaics and frescos. Oh yea, and then we went mountain climbing.
I am NOT kidding when I say running 10 miles did not compare to these steep, steep slippery hills- in FLIP FLOPS nonetheless! Nothing could prepare our group for the intense workout we got during that 30 minute hike! Whew! At least we got to see a very unique fresco at the end of our hike- it's hidden, only seen when splashed with water. As magnificant as it was, the fresco, the view... I was exhausted.


I drank SO much water, and immediately reached for a big piece of soft, spongy bread from the basket at the table when dinner started. The first course was very interesting- Antipasti Tipici per Calabria- typical appetizer plate in Calabria. Mine had some cheese, eggplant, sundried tomato, fried veggies, and cippole- onions. I ate all but a few vegetables and one piece of cheese, the walk gave me a BIG appetite!

So big, I almost finished the secondo piatto- shells with herbed ricotta and green beans. Delicioso! They also served us some caprese salad, which I had 1 piece of.


Dessert was macedonia- fruit salad. It was tasty, but our sweet teeth weren't satisfied yet! We stopped across the street at Bar Centrale to get some gelato (mine was Tiramisu!) for the way home.


On the way home we had a quite interesting experiance when a group of Italian boys began following us down the road! We ran all the way up the stairs to the apartment, and they STILL came to our door asking us to let them in! Obviously we refused- it was both scary and amusing at the same time! Oh, italian boys... hehe

This morning, we were tired from yesterday's intense walk so Carolyn and I decided to do a 20-minute yoga session I downloaded from Yoga Download- it was GREAT! We both felt awake and strengthened after. What an easy way to get a great, calming workout!
After yoga, we ate some breakfast- muesli with a tiny bit of leftover soy milk, and a fruit/coconut yogurt.

I snacked during class- a mini clif bar, and a big apple on the way to our lab. The lab was the best so far- it was a cooking lab at Bar Stilla- they taught us how to make decorations with zucchini, carrots, and cocomelo- watermelon! It was so great, I even made a zucchini flower myself!

They gave us a treat while were there- the best pistachio macaroon I have EVER tasted, fresh out of the oven!

For lunch, we were very hungry so instead of trekking home we stopped at Bar Centrale for Panini- I had my favorite mozzarella/tomato/basil and was satisfied.

This afternoon, after studying for my first quiz tomorrow, Danielle and I were CRAVING gelato, so we said what the heck! Today is a sweet day- it's hot here, so it was a great way to cool down. I'm sitting here with my amarena and nevena, happily blogging and emailing until we watch a movie at the bar and have another great dinner.

I hope all is well in the states, Ciao per oggi!

Calm in Calabria

Yesterday while blogging, we got a sweet european treat from Professor Laluna's mamma- some alpine chocolate! It definatately made my afternoon, and I also snacked on some carrots, and a tiny pear (never got to the nuts) before dinner.


Dinner was fabulous, of course! The first course was another one of my favorites- gnocchi, with a pomodoro sauce and a pepperoncini/olive oil spread that I sprinkled on the top with a bit of parmesean. Spicy and soo chewy- in a great way, these gnocchi were the best I have ever had, hands down!

The second course was a bit tricky. In between I had 1/2 a piece of fluffy bread I shared with my friend Carolyn, and when they brought out the FULL FISH for the rest of the students I had to politely refuse. They don't understand here most vegetarians do not eat fish, so instead they brought me out a huge plate of cheese- my favorite, gorgonzola, and another more mild kind- I had 1/2 of one of the mild pieces, and crumbled 1/2 the gorgonzola into 2 servings of salad (both the size pictured) and had a bit of pepper fritatta on the side as well.

The last course was so exciting- HUGE hunks of juicy pink watermelon, with tiny forchettas- sooo flavorful, I was in cocomelo heaven!

After dinner, Danielle, Carolyn and I stopped at Bar Centrale for a sweet treat- my second gelato of the trip! I had straciatella- the Italian version of chocolate chip, but sooo much better!

After some studying, we went straight to bed- we were so tired from the day.

This morning I woke up with the intention to go for a run, but it seems very odd here. No one in Calabria runs, especially not around our apartment, so I feel a bit as though I'm disturbing the neighbors by running. Not to mention it's extremely dangerous with the ignorant drivers at high speeds down the windy hills, so I'm uncomfortable gonig alone. Carolyn and I are going to try and go a couple times a week, but on days she doesn't want to run I'm going to do what I did today- some sun saltuations and strength exercises on my balcony for about 15 minutes to start my day. I wish I could do more, but the walkinga and strength just seems right for my situation now.

Anyways, after I worked out a bit I had some muesli with about a cup of vanilla soy milk, and an apricot. This held me over surprisingly well, until I had a clif z-bar (and one of danielle's strawberries!) for a snack during class.

We went to the fruttivendolo for some nectarines, bananas, grapes and tomatoes, and the supermercato for some fresh bread- and I found almond milk! I can't consume too much dairy, as much as I'm enjoying the cheese I've been eating, and I just can't drink milk, so this made me realllly happy!

For lunch back a casa, I made a big salad with some romaine, tomato and zucchini drizzled in olive oil, as well as a big carrot, some bread with talleggio and grapes for dessert. A great, balanced meal that left me feeling great!


After studying for a while, I decided to take a break and come here, then we have another long walking tour after before dinner. Should be great exercise, and the scenery will be amazing, no doubt!

**Note- so it turns out posting pictures is becoming harder than I thought it would be. I think I might stick with the descriptions of my meals, and post pictures as soon as I am able to. It might not be for a while, but I'll try!!**

Pasta and Pizza!

Another day in Calabria, wonderful as usual! Yesterday as I was at the Derada center finishing up my blog, I got hungry so I decided to have the clif z-bar I had packed in my bag. A few minutes later, still a little hungry- Professor LaLuna comes in the room, snacks in hand because he knew we were hungry! We tried these yummy Italin buiscuits- they remind me of a mix between a pretzel and an herbed cracker. Along with a tiny cup of aranciata (sparkling orange juice), I was satisfied after this little kind Italian snack.


However, we have been eating dinner VERY late and I hadn’t prepared myself for another 4 hours without eating- we went on a tour of the church in San Demetrio Corone, as well as a beautiful but incredibly tiring through the hills of the old part of town. I’ll try and post some pictures, the view from the top of S.Demetrio is truly breataking!

Needless to say although the walk was a cultural and beautiful experience, I was literally starving by the time we got to dinner. Unfortunately, a few late classmates made dinner even LATER- so we didn’t end up eating until 8:40. Luckily the fantastic food once again made it worth the wait. We started with fresh pasta in a pomodoro sauce, this time with a sprinkle of parmesan and a bit of green hot pepper- definitely spicier than the day before!! I cleared my plate I was so hungry! In between the courses they brought out fresh bread, small slices of asiago and parmesan, and some lettuce- I had ½ a piece of bread, a couple pieces of cheese and a bit of lettuce. My vegetarian course was my favorite of the trip so far! Pepper stuffed with a delicious herbed rice stuffing- it was so creamy it was almost a risotto! I could only finish one pepper, and ½ of the potatoes they served along with it. I wanted to finish all of it, but I was at my stomach’s limit!


Ok, maybe there was room for something else… my first gelato in Italia! A creamy mix of cacao, vanille e amaretto- it was absolutely fabulous, but what else would it be??

After a quick ride around town in a vintage Mini Cooper with our new friend Luigi, we got home and settled into bed to rest before our first night of classes.

I got up early this morning to go for a run, but running on these hills in this heat, on such dangerous roads has proved to be quite the hassle. I ran another 10 minutes, and felt good but not good enough to continue- I almost got hit by speeding Smartcars, and a BUS- so I decided the rest of the day would be spent walking, so I ran up the stairs instead. I feel as though a short run in the morning, plus the intense hill climbing during the days, and the bit of yoga I’ve been doing on my balcony in the mornings should be enough to keep me fit for the month. I don’t want to tire myself out too much, but I do want to stay healthy- and I feel as though I will.

Speaking of healthy, for breakfast I had my own Italian creation of pineapple yogurt (literally, pineapple in yogurt- no yucky additives of hfcs like here in the US!) with some museli (about ½ cup) and an apple, which held me quite well for the morning.


Class was good- long, but good. I think I’ll learn a lot, which is my goal of course! I had a cherry pie larabar halfway through. (Not pictured, sorry!)
After class we had our first “cooking” lab- this time it was just a review of some of the cooking utensils and basic kitchen items, but I had an amazing time nonetheless, with my love of all things cooking! It was great to see the real kinds of ingredients they use in Italian kitchens. The cook was great- she’s beautiful, her name is Rosa and I really hope I can cook with her at some point!

After the lab, we were all hungry so we decided Margherita Pizza sounded perfect for lunch! Four of us stopped by a small pizzeria up the street, and got a HUGE fresh pizza for only 4 euro.The owner was so sweet to us- she gave us more of our favorite biscuits, I had one while waiting for the pizza to cook, and she gave us a baggie to take home! They were even better today, fresh and doughy.

Finally, the pizza arrived. Oh. My. Gosh. This was absolutely the BEST pizza I have ever tasted!!! I had two huge pieces, and you know what? I feel good. Nope, I’m not kidding you. I feel good, and I do not feel that yucky feeling I always feel in the states after eating a couple huge slices of pizza. It must be Italy.

Everything is so fresh, it’s incredible. I am so lucky to be here, truly. I’m off to go study for a while before dinner, Arrivederci!

Calabrese Paradise

I'm back at the Derada center, after another wonderful day and a half here in Calabria! I can't even describe how amazing it is here. I feel more and more at home every day, it's only been three days and I already know a month won't be enough. I won't want to leave!

Yesterday after we left the Derada center, we went back to the apartment to relax for a bit, I read some, and had a snack- I had a luna bar, and Danielle was eating some bread and nutella, so I decided to put a bit of nutella on my luna bar for a little italian treat! I also had a small cup of real blood orange juice- I told you I can't get enough!


After our siesta, we went back to the center for orientation, and to take a tour of the town. On our tour, we stopped at the Fruttivendolo, and picked up some fruit- here's a pic of my friend Carolyn outside, we shared this banana on the walk!

Dinner was indescribable. One of the best meals of my life. I ate SO much, I was incredibly stuffed afterwards, but honestly I did not care- it was absolutely worth it in every way. We started with some of the best spaghetti in a pomodoro sauce with basil, and we each put a few little pieces of hot pepper on it for a little kick! It definately made the dish even better!

The secondo piatto for me was a big plate of the most delicious potatoes I have ever eaten. They were soft, but slightly crispy around the edges- I'm guessing boiled, and then lightly sauteed in olive oil. I tasted oregano, thyme and pepper- delicioso! I shared this portion with my friend, I probably ate half. There was also some caprese salad (mozzarella and tomato in olive oil) on the table, that I had a bit of as well.


The third course was a special the chef prepared for me because I'm a vegetarian (everyone else had vitello- veal), a panino with arugula and fontina cheese. Incredible, again- but I was so stuffed at this point I only ate 1/3 of it.

Dessert was a special surprise- peaches (I ate 1/2 of one), and pineapple- with sparkling champagne, as a welcome gift! The champagne was IN the shell of the pineapple, and there were sparklers on it when it came to the table! I had a few pieces of pineapple as well.


Just when I thought I couldn't fit another bite in my mouth, they brought out the cake! They made us a special welcome cake, and I had decided to have just a bite... but after taking that one bite, there was no going back. I've never tasted a cake like that before. Spongey cake, hazelnut chocolate mousse, a lime creme top. Nothing better.

We were stuffed to the brim, so we sat around and talked for a bit before deciding to head home and pop open our bottle of wine to celebrate our first Saturday night in Italy!
Just as we popped open the wine, we had a knock on our door- it was Luigi, our neighbor Nella's son- welcoming us to Italia, with a BOTTLE OF WHITE WINE! And some fresh figs! I had 2, they were so sweet and delicious! We had already poured our other glasses, so we each ended up having a glass of both red and white wine to celebrate! I'm lucky alcohol doesn't have a strong effect on me, but I definately fell asleep easy! We hung around for hours and hours with Luigi and his friend Orlando, talking and laughing in Italian and English, sharing tastes in music and talking about beautiful Italia. It was truly wonderful!

This morning I got up to go for a run with Carolyn, but it proved to be a little hard in the very hilly area we were in. We ran for just about 10 minutes, before hiking back up three floors into our apartment, where I did some strength training before sitting down and having a peach while waiting for everyone else to awaken. The peach was the BEST peach I have ever eaten in my entire life, hands down. Juicy, succulent and pure- the taste was sweet in every way, I now truly believe you have never tasted a peach until you have one fresh from a tree in Calabria!

A couple hours later everyone was ready for breakfast, so we headed to the other breakfast option, hoping for something more filing for breakfast- but we found out pastries were basically the only option here for breakfast. So I ended up drinking 3/4 of another cappuccino, and having a berry filled croissant. As delicious as croissants are, honestly I'd rather have them for dessert. I'd definately prefer a more hearty, healthy breakfast!


So, after breakfast we took another trip to the fruittivendolo for some produce- romaine, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, bananas, apricots, white plums and apples. Then we hit the Supermercato, where we picked up some yogurt to go with the muesli, some fresh talleggio cheese and some other items for the apartment.

We headed back to the apartment to hang out again, It's sunday so we don't have anything specific going on during the day- I had a white plum when I got back to the apartment, and wrote a little in my journal, and had a good converasation with the girls downstairs. After they left we made some lunch- big salads with our fresh produce, drizzled with olive oil we had baasil soaking in, and fresh bread with taleggio! I also had one more small pieces of bread (not pictured) drizzled in olive oil. Danielle, Carolyn and I sat around and talked for a couple hours, laughing and loving the moment. We had bananas before we headed up to the center, and here I am- happily blogging before our next big Calabrian adventure!

I hope everyone is having as wonderful a summer as I have been having! Ciao for now!

**The rest of the pics will be posted soon, the laptop is being slow!**