What happened after the first Thanksgiving is perhaps what makes it one of the most ironic holidays ever. I mean, it's a day when we're supposed to sit down with our friends and loved ones, reflecting on what it is we're grateful for. Meanwhile, back in the 1600s when the Europeans started coming here and Thanksgiving began, almost an entire indigienous people were trampled on and their land was eventually taken over. Not exactly nice.
But even though history isn't the most glowing, the spirit of the day is nice. For a visual representation of this festive feeling, I recommend tuning into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But for many, today is about three things: food, family and friends. And for some, football.
Little known fact: Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be the turkey rather than the bald eagle.
Little known fact about turkeys: if they look up towards the sky while it's raining, their brains think they are actually out in a body of water and they can drown. Seriously.
Fact about cooking turkeys for this excellent autumnal holiday: Butterball has a hotline :o)
No matter where you are celebrating or who you are celebrating with, here's wishing you a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Day #7982 - Love All. Serve All. Save the Planet.
Happy New Month! Sometimes I think that January gets all the new month glory just because it's a new year. So here's to you, July! Live it up until the 4th and then live it up some more!
Today was my cousin's wedding in Gatlinburg. Or maybe it was Pigeon Forge. I'm not quite sure. Anyway, she looked beautiful and happy - a very quaint ceremony. It's been nice the last couple of days getting to see family that I haven't seen in a few years.
So the ceremony was at 2, then there was a short reception and we were back to our hotel by 5:30ish. I got to break in my brand new journal (old school writing felt so good!) before Mom and I headed back into town for dinner. She correctly predicted where I'd want to eat - the Hard Rock Cafe. Hard Rock is kind of my thing - any time I am traveling and find out that there is one nearby, I have to visit (the only exceptions being Rome and Venice because I was studying abroad in Italy and wanted to eat as much Italian food as possible). Even when I went to St. Louis for spring break with my friend Gail, we had dinner at HRC. I love looking at the old memorabilia from rockers past and re-reading the story about the original London restaurant where the collecting all started. It was nice being out with my mom. Then we came back to the hotel, hung out with my mom's aunt and uncle who came for the wedding, and now I'm just chilling in bed watching 27 Dresses on tv. All in all, a pretty good day I'd say.
So that's all from my corner of the universe :o)
Today was my cousin's wedding in Gatlinburg. Or maybe it was Pigeon Forge. I'm not quite sure. Anyway, she looked beautiful and happy - a very quaint ceremony. It's been nice the last couple of days getting to see family that I haven't seen in a few years.
So the ceremony was at 2, then there was a short reception and we were back to our hotel by 5:30ish. I got to break in my brand new journal (old school writing felt so good!) before Mom and I headed back into town for dinner. She correctly predicted where I'd want to eat - the Hard Rock Cafe. Hard Rock is kind of my thing - any time I am traveling and find out that there is one nearby, I have to visit (the only exceptions being Rome and Venice because I was studying abroad in Italy and wanted to eat as much Italian food as possible). Even when I went to St. Louis for spring break with my friend Gail, we had dinner at HRC. I love looking at the old memorabilia from rockers past and re-reading the story about the original London restaurant where the collecting all started. It was nice being out with my mom. Then we came back to the hotel, hung out with my mom's aunt and uncle who came for the wedding, and now I'm just chilling in bed watching 27 Dresses on tv. All in all, a pretty good day I'd say.
So that's all from my corner of the universe :o)
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Day #7232 - Buon Appetit!
Yesterday started out pretty ordinary, all things considered. After passing out incredibly early on Monday night (I think I may be in the early stages of a cold - my throat is constantly sore), I woke up, finished my homework, and went to Italian class. Since the weather was warm (low to mid 80s) I did a load of laundry and my homework, and hung it out on the line to dry before heading out to Piazza Bra. I had over an hour of good reading time sitting on the statue of the man on the horse and I have a feeling that I'll finish Persuasion by the end of the week. Because it was so warm out and I've been in a bit of slump since getting back from Rome, I decided to go crazy and treat myself to a 2 euro gelato haha. I got a 2-scoop cone of chocolate and strawberry - yum! At this point, it was still very much an ordinary day.
At night was cooking class. Since it was all the way on the other side of town and across the river, I walked over there with Kim and Megan. Thank goodness I brought my umbrella because it started to rain. It was some of the weirdest rain I've ever seen though - there weren't necessarily a lot of drops, but they were huge! Anyway, we got inside and got right to it. We made the tiramisu first (because it had to sit in the fridge and cool the longest while we made/ate everything else). Most of the class was just watching Signoria Anna do stuff, but we got to help with the smaller things like mixing, stirring, cutting, and using the poundy-thing to tenderize the meat. I guess when I put it like that though, we really were helping out quite a bit haha. Our appetizer was a Sicilian salad made with fennel (which I normally don't like, but was good how we prepared it) and topped with oranges, homemade croutons, and a sauce of olive oil, dijon mustard, paremesean cheese, and olives. The first course was spaghetti carbonara (with eggs and sausage), the second course was veel topped with tomatoes, and fresh mozerella cheese along with these tomatoes that we had cleaned the guts out of so they were kind of shells, then mixed the middles with bread, milk, and cheese before we put them back in the shells and baked them. Dessert was of course the tiramisu. It was all incredibly delicious and there was the added satisfaction that we had helped.
So while the cooking wasn't bizarre by any means, the weather was. Halfway through preparing the salad, the rain picked up again (aka it was like cats and dogs). But then it turned to HAIL! Signoria was even astonished - she said that pretty much never happens here. In the middle of this very severe and hazardous weather, I remembered something in the back of my head. Before cooking class, I had brought in almost all of my laundry off the line. Everything except my jeans because the wasteband and pockets were still kind of damp, so I thought a couple more hours would do them some good. The rain did stop though and this morning when I got my jeans off the line, they remind me of cardboard haha. Oh well - the hail probably beat some more dirt of of them, anyway.
So that, my family and friends, was what I did the past two days. Today's plan is school followed by another afternoon at the pool - it's become a good middle of the week activity because it's the one day that all of us only have Italian (otherwise Art History people have afternoon class on Mondays and Thursdays, Photography people on Tuesdays and Fridays). Hopefully the sunshine will hold out for us! Love you all and miss you tons!
P.S. Heard that my Chicago Wolves won the CALDER CUP!!!!! Woooooooo!
At night was cooking class. Since it was all the way on the other side of town and across the river, I walked over there with Kim and Megan. Thank goodness I brought my umbrella because it started to rain. It was some of the weirdest rain I've ever seen though - there weren't necessarily a lot of drops, but they were huge! Anyway, we got inside and got right to it. We made the tiramisu first (because it had to sit in the fridge and cool the longest while we made/ate everything else). Most of the class was just watching Signoria Anna do stuff, but we got to help with the smaller things like mixing, stirring, cutting, and using the poundy-thing to tenderize the meat. I guess when I put it like that though, we really were helping out quite a bit haha. Our appetizer was a Sicilian salad made with fennel (which I normally don't like, but was good how we prepared it) and topped with oranges, homemade croutons, and a sauce of olive oil, dijon mustard, paremesean cheese, and olives. The first course was spaghetti carbonara (with eggs and sausage), the second course was veel topped with tomatoes, and fresh mozerella cheese along with these tomatoes that we had cleaned the guts out of so they were kind of shells, then mixed the middles with bread, milk, and cheese before we put them back in the shells and baked them. Dessert was of course the tiramisu. It was all incredibly delicious and there was the added satisfaction that we had helped.
So while the cooking wasn't bizarre by any means, the weather was. Halfway through preparing the salad, the rain picked up again (aka it was like cats and dogs). But then it turned to HAIL! Signoria was even astonished - she said that pretty much never happens here. In the middle of this very severe and hazardous weather, I remembered something in the back of my head. Before cooking class, I had brought in almost all of my laundry off the line. Everything except my jeans because the wasteband and pockets were still kind of damp, so I thought a couple more hours would do them some good. The rain did stop though and this morning when I got my jeans off the line, they remind me of cardboard haha. Oh well - the hail probably beat some more dirt of of them, anyway.
So that, my family and friends, was what I did the past two days. Today's plan is school followed by another afternoon at the pool - it's become a good middle of the week activity because it's the one day that all of us only have Italian (otherwise Art History people have afternoon class on Mondays and Thursdays, Photography people on Tuesdays and Fridays). Hopefully the sunshine will hold out for us! Love you all and miss you tons!
P.S. Heard that my Chicago Wolves won the CALDER CUP!!!!! Woooooooo!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Day #7219 - It's not the Heat, it's the Humidity
As I sit in my room typing this, I'm in an incredibly disgusting state. I always pick the worst days weather-wise to go to the grocery store. But perhaps I should back up a bit first...
The past couple of days have been extremely nice - very low key. Monday we went to see the Roman Ampitheater in Piazza Bra for Art History, then the past two days all we've had is Italian. Tuesday I ventured around the park and planned out Rome for the most part with a couple other people (good news - we're planning on spending almost all of Monday at the Vatican!) and then got to read on a park bench and enjoy the sunshine. Then yesterday me and a bunch of the girls went over to the public pool and went swimming. We all looked ridiculous in our required swimcaps (I didn't get a picture of it, but another girl did. I'll be sure to get a copy). So we enjoyed the water and sun. After that, I came back home with Kim and Megan. We went to a local place and got a pre-dinner spritzer which can best be described as a watered down glass of a fruity wine. We then went to their apartment and the three of us cooked dinner together. I'm quite proud of us - we had pumpkin-filled tortolini (Megan thought it was cheese when she bought it) that was actually amazing. We cooked that with some garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes in olive oil for the sauce. We also made a salad and steamed asparagus - very healthy, tastey, and satisfying after a day outside. I ended up calling it a night early, though. It's just impossible to stay energetic and focused in class without a full night's rest.
This morning we had the usual four hours of Italian. Let me tell you, I forgot how much my brain does not like foreign languages. We're getting to the point where we're trying to learn irregular verbs and all this vocabulary on top of all the normal stuff and then needing to remember what words to use in what situations and is it masculine or feminine and is it plural because if it is, then you have to do something different in order for your sentence to make sense and yadda yadda yadda. I think I liked it better when the only word I knew was stunad. I need to sit down and study more of that tonight because it's getting to the point where I'm just embarassed every time I try to say anything in class.
After a quick lunch at home (I am a master of the salami and cheese sandwich), it was back to school for Art History. Today we didn't actually spend any time in the classroom, but walked all around the city looking at the architecture of various landmarks and different frescos and ruins. It's kind of cool because there's so much Italian and Veronese history all around us right in front of our eyes, but we don't know it until Andre points it out. Even though it was in the 80s today, the heat really wasn't that bad. The humidity on the other hand makes the air so thick that the eight of us in that class were lethargic to say the least. Our teacher even commented that 4 hours is a long time for a class to last and that the weather isn't being as nice as it could be. However he said it's a good thing we're leaving in June because the humidity gets even worse in July. So at least we can be grateful for that =) But when it wtarted raining on my way home from the grocery store (where I stocked up on pasta for dinners and more Nutella because I seem to inhale it), it was just gross. Which is why I'm currently wearing my comfy Illini gear - thank goodness for athletic shorts and free teeshirts from TIS!
Tonight I really have no idea what the plan is. A couple people are heading into to town for dinner, so I'll probably join them. Hope all is well, wherever you are! Love you all and I'd love to hear from you guys!
The past couple of days have been extremely nice - very low key. Monday we went to see the Roman Ampitheater in Piazza Bra for Art History, then the past two days all we've had is Italian. Tuesday I ventured around the park and planned out Rome for the most part with a couple other people (good news - we're planning on spending almost all of Monday at the Vatican!) and then got to read on a park bench and enjoy the sunshine. Then yesterday me and a bunch of the girls went over to the public pool and went swimming. We all looked ridiculous in our required swimcaps (I didn't get a picture of it, but another girl did. I'll be sure to get a copy). So we enjoyed the water and sun. After that, I came back home with Kim and Megan. We went to a local place and got a pre-dinner spritzer which can best be described as a watered down glass of a fruity wine. We then went to their apartment and the three of us cooked dinner together. I'm quite proud of us - we had pumpkin-filled tortolini (Megan thought it was cheese when she bought it) that was actually amazing. We cooked that with some garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes in olive oil for the sauce. We also made a salad and steamed asparagus - very healthy, tastey, and satisfying after a day outside. I ended up calling it a night early, though. It's just impossible to stay energetic and focused in class without a full night's rest.
This morning we had the usual four hours of Italian. Let me tell you, I forgot how much my brain does not like foreign languages. We're getting to the point where we're trying to learn irregular verbs and all this vocabulary on top of all the normal stuff and then needing to remember what words to use in what situations and is it masculine or feminine and is it plural because if it is, then you have to do something different in order for your sentence to make sense and yadda yadda yadda. I think I liked it better when the only word I knew was stunad. I need to sit down and study more of that tonight because it's getting to the point where I'm just embarassed every time I try to say anything in class.
After a quick lunch at home (I am a master of the salami and cheese sandwich), it was back to school for Art History. Today we didn't actually spend any time in the classroom, but walked all around the city looking at the architecture of various landmarks and different frescos and ruins. It's kind of cool because there's so much Italian and Veronese history all around us right in front of our eyes, but we don't know it until Andre points it out. Even though it was in the 80s today, the heat really wasn't that bad. The humidity on the other hand makes the air so thick that the eight of us in that class were lethargic to say the least. Our teacher even commented that 4 hours is a long time for a class to last and that the weather isn't being as nice as it could be. However he said it's a good thing we're leaving in June because the humidity gets even worse in July. So at least we can be grateful for that =) But when it wtarted raining on my way home from the grocery store (where I stocked up on pasta for dinners and more Nutella because I seem to inhale it), it was just gross. Which is why I'm currently wearing my comfy Illini gear - thank goodness for athletic shorts and free teeshirts from TIS!
Tonight I really have no idea what the plan is. A couple people are heading into to town for dinner, so I'll probably join them. Hope all is well, wherever you are! Love you all and I'd love to hear from you guys!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Day #7210 - Monday
Though we’ve only been here a few days, it’s getting to feel like I’ve been in Verona for at least a week already. Part of it must be due to all the eating, but we’ve been doing and seeing so much everyday that it’s hard to believe by night time that doing that activity or eating that dish was only a few hours ago and not a few days ago.
Yesterday was Sunday and Italians are very serious about keeping the Sabbath. When I say that most shops, stores, and restaurants are closed, I’m not exaggerating. I felt bad sleeping in so late yesterday – until 12:30 – but we had a pretty late night Saturday. We had our official “Welcome to Verona” dinner at a really nice restaurant where we met Claudio’s girlfriend Rita and son Pedro. After that, all of us (Claudio and his family included) went to a German bar where I then proceeded to drink beer out of a giant glass boot (don’t worry, I have pictures). It was just very relaxed and fun getting to know everybody.
In the afternoon yesterday once we all finally woke up, we met up with Claudio again at another bar and I ate the best Panini ever made, I kid you not. About 1000 times different and better than what they serve at Za’s. Once that meal was over, I went walking around a nearby piazza with Joe, Devon, and Krista. We went back to a couple places we had seen on the first day to take more pictures, including Juliet’s balcony. We then met back up with the group at another eating establishment called San Matteo. It used to be a church that was turned into a restaurant – incredible pizza!! The whole group went back to the piazza where most people had more drinks. These two Italian guys at the table next to us were interested in who we were and where we were from, so it was really interesting talking to them. So much about Italy is different than America, but yet so much is the same. After that was going home, and right now I actually need to go brush my teeth and head to school. Ahhh! Classes!!
***Later Same Day***
Today was crazy insane and is still so much fun! We went to orientation at the school this morning and after that headed over to Piazza Bra for lunch and gilatto. Yummy! (Don’t worry, I got a picture.) Then we headed back to school for our first Italian class. This is going to be fun, but also kind of intense. The lady who is teaching us, Daniela, doesn’t speak English to us and doesn’t let us speak English. It’s a little crazy at times, but I’m sure it will help us learn better. Then me and two other girls (Krista and Audrey) went grocery shopping which was an adventure in and of itself. I'm currently at Krista, Audrey, and this other girl Devon's apartment where we're (well, mainly Devon's boyfriend, Joe, is doing all the work) cooking pasta for dinner. They're letting me borrow their wireless connection. It's pretty fun getting to know everyone and the food smells delicious! Hope all is well back in the USA! Love you and miss you all!!!!
Yesterday was Sunday and Italians are very serious about keeping the Sabbath. When I say that most shops, stores, and restaurants are closed, I’m not exaggerating. I felt bad sleeping in so late yesterday – until 12:30 – but we had a pretty late night Saturday. We had our official “Welcome to Verona” dinner at a really nice restaurant where we met Claudio’s girlfriend Rita and son Pedro. After that, all of us (Claudio and his family included) went to a German bar where I then proceeded to drink beer out of a giant glass boot (don’t worry, I have pictures). It was just very relaxed and fun getting to know everybody.
In the afternoon yesterday once we all finally woke up, we met up with Claudio again at another bar and I ate the best Panini ever made, I kid you not. About 1000 times different and better than what they serve at Za’s. Once that meal was over, I went walking around a nearby piazza with Joe, Devon, and Krista. We went back to a couple places we had seen on the first day to take more pictures, including Juliet’s balcony. We then met back up with the group at another eating establishment called San Matteo. It used to be a church that was turned into a restaurant – incredible pizza!! The whole group went back to the piazza where most people had more drinks. These two Italian guys at the table next to us were interested in who we were and where we were from, so it was really interesting talking to them. So much about Italy is different than America, but yet so much is the same. After that was going home, and right now I actually need to go brush my teeth and head to school. Ahhh! Classes!!
***Later Same Day***
Today was crazy insane and is still so much fun! We went to orientation at the school this morning and after that headed over to Piazza Bra for lunch and gilatto. Yummy! (Don’t worry, I got a picture.) Then we headed back to school for our first Italian class. This is going to be fun, but also kind of intense. The lady who is teaching us, Daniela, doesn’t speak English to us and doesn’t let us speak English. It’s a little crazy at times, but I’m sure it will help us learn better. Then me and two other girls (Krista and Audrey) went grocery shopping which was an adventure in and of itself. I'm currently at Krista, Audrey, and this other girl Devon's apartment where we're (well, mainly Devon's boyfriend, Joe, is doing all the work) cooking pasta for dinner. They're letting me borrow their wireless connection. It's pretty fun getting to know everyone and the food smells delicious! Hope all is well back in the USA! Love you and miss you all!!!!
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