All Tests should be like this!

Ok so here is a little insight to the wild, wild ways of the Italian schools (not that I’m complaining!): So the other day we were supposed to have a science test – normal enough – but I should give you some background! My teacher just happens to be the vice principle of our school, and therefor most days she doesn’t come to class at all. Since Italians don’t believe in substitute teachers, we just mess around for that hour. On the days that she does come (rare occasion at that!) she is constantly being called out of the class to handle problems or sign registers for classes to get out early (the normal duties). So as you can image not a lot of work gets done, but it’s getting to the end of the semester and she needs to get our grades so last week she came in and announced that we were to have a test the next Friday. Now, being students and most of my class (except for me) being Italian, studying for this test was more like a suggestion – I mean, why worry, it’s only a test and who’s to say the teacher is even going to show up! There was no rush and I could think of a least a hundred other things I wanted to do (it’s the Italian mentality). So Friday rolls around, we get into class first thing that morning; we’re all mulling around talking when one of the tutors who works in our classroom comes in. And guess what, he met our teacher on the way up and she gave him the tests because she doesn’t know if she can make it! Well thank god because I didn’t study! So we sit down, read over the test and slowly and very discreetly (by which I mean in plain view) everyone takes out their books or notebooks or paper that they were going to cheat off of anyway and starts doing the test, copying from their notes! Now the tutor who brought the tests doesn’t seem to mind and things are going pretty well until three fourths of the first lesson is done when the teacher comes in. Of course everyone stuffs their books under the table so she won’t see them, which resulted in a grand crescendo of paper stuffing going on as she walked in! To which, of course, she heard, though she didn’t seem to really care. She stayed for a while walking up and down the row of desks and answering people’s questions, until the end of the first hour when she just had to go! Picking up her stuff she left saying something along the line of “well, if you’re going to copy, at least you have to know where to look, so you must have studied some”, as if that were a good enough answer, and she left! And all the books came right back out! Needless to say I think the class will have a pretty high average for that test! All I can say is that this is SOOOO ITALIAN!!!


Here watch this video about the difference between Italy an Europe, and just know from somone who is living in Italy, this movie speaks the ABSOLUTE truth!!


http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADBF_en&um=1&q=the+difference+between+europe+and+italy&ie=UTF-8&ei=ThQIS-WLKoOfsAa62cH6Bg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBAQqwQwAA#hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us%3AIE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADBF_en&um=1&q=the+difference+between+europe+and+italy&ie=UTF-8&ei=ThQIS-WLKoOfsAa62cH6Bg&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBAQqwQwAA&qvid=the+difference+between+europe+and+italy&vid=116376988743603264

Early morning shots!

Here are some pictures of Trani taken in the early morning, of the port and the Templars church here.

Pork, rice and chopsticks

Last week we went to our friends Dave and Yuki Piper's house, they just moved here from Seattle. Yuki is from Japan (where she and Dave met) so we were treated to a WONDERFUL meal that she made for us! Let’s see we had Tonkatsu or 豚カツ or for those of us who don't speak Japanese its pork cutlet - breaded deep-fried pork. We also ate Miso soup with seaweed along with a bowl of rice. Only to be followed by a classic Italian cup of coffee - ok well I was the only one to have the coffee!

                                              Here's Yuki cooking away!

Frying with chopstickes!!

These are the Tonkatsu's, fresh from the fryin' pan!

The full layout!

                                                            
                                            Look at the cute chopstick holder!

Pasta alle Sorelle!

Literally translated: Pasta on the Sisters! Last night our parents were going out to dinner with some friends and seeing as neither Olivia or I had plans for the night we decided to have a sister night! This included cooking our own WONDERFUL penne using a recipe from the blog http://thepioneerwoman.com/-I love her blog, her food is really good!- and sitting down to old episodes of Friends and Scrubs.

Here are the ingredients (from the pioneer woman’s blog) with our own pictures!!

Ingredients
• ¾ pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ cups White Wine (we used chicken broth)
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Fresh Parsley (for the Taste)
• Fresh Basil (for the Taste
• Salt
• Pepper


Preparation Instructions:

First start to cook the pasta, cook until good and tender-firm.

Wash the shrimp, add 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes until they turn opaque. After done cooking put them on a cutting board and cut them into BITEsize pieces.

Then dice the onion and mince the garlic.

In another skillet add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the garlic and onion, let them sauté of a while. Then pour in the wine or chicken broth and let in evaporate a little.

Now add the tomato sauce, stirring to combine.

Then the cup of heavy cream, keep on stirring… you’re almost there! Turn the heat to low and set aside.

Ok now turn to your herbs and get ready to chop! About a tablespoon of chopped parsley ....

and another tablespoon of basil.

So now you add the shrimp to the tomato cream sauce, give it a good stir and check to see if you need to add salt or pepper for flavor.

Add the herbs and your tomato sauce COMPLETE!!!

Finally add the sauce to the penne...

stir it in and finito! ummm mama mia che buono!

Sprinkel some extra parsley on top and you are ready to rumba!

Rain rain come back!!!

Ahhhhh at last it’s finally starting to feel like autumn!!! It was raining today and on the way back from the bus I just couldn't help but jumping and splashing in the puddles as all the Italians scurried by me with umbrellas and newspapers covering their heads - ok so I did have my rubber 'wellies' on but at first I was using my papers to shield my hair, something the teachers do not like being told! Anyway it’s that kind of weather when you want to stay inside and drink apple cider with cinnamon and pumpkin soup and snuggle up on the couch just to read! I'm getting excited just thinking about it! I love looking at those magazines like Better Homes and Gardens around this time because the colors are amazing and not to mention the food is to die for! http://www.bhg.com/recipes/  or also http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/... see what I mean, I feel like I can go and cook anything and it will look exactly like the picture! The other night we had people over and we ate the BEST pumpkin soup ever, and I’m not even kidding it was soooo good and fit in perfect with the weather and mood and all that.


Heres the recipe:


4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions , finely chopped
1kg pumpkin or squash (try kabocha), peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
142ml pot double cream
4 slices wholemeal seeded bread
handful pumpkin seed from a packet


1.Heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook the onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured. Add the pumpkin or squash to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.


2.Pour the stock into the pan, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft. Pour the cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency you can now push the soup through a fine sieve into another pan. The soup can now be frozen for up to 2 months.


3.While the soup is cooking, slice the crusts from the bread, then cut the bread into small croutons. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp. Add the seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until they are toasted. These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. Reheat the soup if needed, taste for seasoning, then serve scattered with croutons and seeds and drizzled with more olive oil, if you want.


Note: We just had the dark bread on the side but it was great with the soup.  And the bacon bits are PERFECT for this!

Tonight I'm going to try to cook some CRUSHED HOT POTATOES so watch out!

Polvore... blues and purples!!

Hey there, I just recently found this really fun site called Polyvore!! Polyvore is an "easy-to-use web-based application for mixing and matching images from anywhere on the web" -those aren’t my words ,i thought the site expressed itself very well and way better than me when i was trying to explain it to others! Anyway this "application" lets you create sets made of individual pictures from the wed!! I like it because you can also see sets made by ALL the other people on the site... it’s really creative and diverse!!!

This is the first one that i did, kinda like my trial run, I called it Winter blues and Purple!! ohh yes i can feel the creativity running through my body… or maybe that’s the cup of coffee I just had, hmm hard to tell!!!! I based my set off of a dress I fond looking through the forever21 dresses, after that I found the shoes and jacket and the rest pretty much seemed to fit in!

Winter blues and Purple !!! by kiwi-fruit featuring Forever21

This is one of my favorite sets that I found! It makes me want to wrap up in a blanket while it’s snowing and eat ginger bread and hot chocolate! I LOVE the red and brown pallet on this one!

Lett it snow, Lett it snow, Lett it snow;; by Jaclynn♥ featuring American Eagle Outfitters

HALLOWEEN PARTY!!! ITS A HALLOWEEN PARTY

Last night was our halloween party!!! And it was a big hit, and sooo much fun! After days of preporation - the most of it in the last couple hours before the party, and lots and lots of food ( to which we have WAY to many leftovers that we could probably eat for a week... although we would gain about 20 pounds) and games -we pulled it off! We have tons of pictures,so stick with us! We didn't get pictures of everybody, because we were having too much fun but everyone who came was great!