lunchbox show and tell

today genius has struck in the kitchen
I bought a quinoa bulgar dry mix in Aix en provence hoping it would inspire a healthy
and delicious meal in the near future. I decided to try it out today and I believe I have struck
gold. I am going to share the recipe right now as I am eating it so that hopefully I will be able to recreate it!

ingredients for one serving:
60 g bulgar quinoa mix
~6 asparagus stalks
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 handful cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup corn
salt

Add about 2 cups of water to the Q/B mix in a sauce pan, add a few pinches of salt and let simmer for about 9 minutes or until soft and fluffy. Make sure to stir every once and a while so the grains don't stick. While that is cooking chop the asparagus into about 1 inch pieces, mince the garlic, and half or quarter the cherry tomatoes. Then add the oil and a pinch of salt to a small wok. Let heat for about a minute then add the asparagus. Make sure to stir often. Let cook until the tips start to turn dark brown and then quickly add the garlic. Let cook for 1 minute and then add the tomatoes and cook for another minute. Once everything is cooked put it all in a bowl and dump the corn on the very top. yummmmmmm.

Mon anniversaire!

The Canary crew surprised me with a Mexican themed birthday dinner. Mexican food is non-existent in Europe, so this was truly a stellar edible present. They also let me crash on their couch and were super hospitable so I really owe all of them a huge thanks!! Burritos were followed by this birthday dessert! The M&Ms were attached with nutella. I'm telling you, these guys are GENIUS! The first two cookies to be eaten were the S and the A, which left a rather angry death threat written out in rainbow M&Ms. Now what other kind of birthday dessert could do that?

Nest stop: Aix en Provence

After only a few hours of wandering Aix en Provence it was clear that I had found myself in palate paradise.




In Aix everything really is to devour, just like the sign says.

I will never think of Volcanos in the same way

This is what I see when I look at volcanoes. I strongly believe I now see their true evil colors, they will never have my trust and I will never think of them as majestic sleeping giants ever again. Take that nature.
I had planned out my April travels perfectly, after becoming a beautiful bronzed goddess while relaxing on the beaches of Fuerteventura I was supposed to fly back to Pavia, spend two days organizing my life then have a super smashing birthday bash followed by two days of recovery which was then to be followed by a romantic trip to Paris with my best British mate.
Instead I arrived at the airport in Fuerteventura Saturday morning only to find my flight canceled due to volcanic activity in Greenland. I then spent 7 and a half hours standing in line to find out when exactly I could make it off the island. After the first 2 hours it was clear there was NO way I was going to be able to make it back to Pavia in time for my birthday which was sad, but the saddest and scariest part was that all my friends were flying to Madrid the next morning which meant that if their flight did not end up getting canceled I would be spending my 20th birthday all alone stranded on a desert island! I had terrifying images of me sitting on the beach all alone sobbing out of loneliness as the occasional nudist passed by gawking at me. Thinking back it seems like such a silly thing to be so upset about, but at the time I was devastated! I finally got to the Ryanair desk and got a flight to Madrid on Tuesday and on Thursday a flight back to Milan. I was supposed to fly from Milan to Paris on Wednesday...so I had no idea how this whole thing was going to turn out. Darn volcanoes!
Luckily I had the bright idea to head to the airport the next morning with my friends and beg and plead to be put on the standby list and it worked!!! All six of us arrived in Madrid smugly thinking we had beat nature. Then we found out all trains to the south of France(where they all live and study this semester) were completely booked as well as all buses. We found this paper plate on the ground and considered taking it..until we remembered we had found the offer written on a paper plate laying on the ground.

So instead we found Angel(pronounced Anhhhhel) the taxi driver who turned out actually to be an Angel! He offered to drive us all the way to Aix en Provence in his own minivan since we wouldn't fit into his regular taxi car. We took off on our 11 hour road trip in high spirits. We spent all the many hours singing to all types of music. Angel even shared his favorite Spanish with us and tried to teach us how to do the correct clapping...we never mastered it completely, but I still appreciate his efforts. By 3:30 on the morning of my birthday we had arrived in Aix en Provence! Success!

La Vaca Azul

We found a delectable solution to our lunchtime hunger pains at La Vaca Azul, the most happening place in El Cotillo. Here is a view from their outside seating overlooking the sea.
And here is their mascot! My friend's dad claims that if a restaurant has an animal and a color in the title it is almost certain it will be delicious. As you can see below this was not an exception to the rule!
After looking around the restaurant and gazing at the gorgeous view and neon blue cow we sat down at our table and a few moments later the waitress approached and greeted us in halting English. She then said, "Six people? I bring fish for six, ok?" We all looked around at each other trying to make an on the spot decision, simultaneously shrugged deciding to go with the flow and do the Canarian thing, and all chimed si por favore! I was actually a little reluctant because we had been perusing the menu and I was dying to try the paella, but I rationalized that the waitress probably knows best. A couple minutes later she came back with a large platter and two very dead yet very fresh fish, she told us to choose one and she would make it muy delicioso for us. I think we stared in disbelief for a couple seconds before eeny meeny miny moing ourselves to a decision. We waited, all the while dying of curiosity. Luckily we had a few culinary distractions in the mean time.
The sangria they brought us was to die for. They added cinnamon to their brew which was an unusual, but extremely delicious addition. We munched on assorted starters such as calamari, salad, goat cheese, and baked peppers until the main course(the whole fish with skin and eyeballs still intact) arrived. We watched as the waitress cleaned each portion and set it on the plate. I could barely wait to dig in and as soon as we all had a plate in front of us we attacked the food before us with gusto. I must say this was a great meal, I enjoyed every moment of it, I bet Mr. Tom Colicchio himself would have peed his pants out of pure foodie joy.

an adventure in El Cotillo

We decided to take a day trip to a nearby town called El Cotillo hoping to find a little break from the mega touristy Corralejo. We also had heard tell that El Cotillo is especially known for their delectable goat cheese which made the trip even more enticing. Here are my adventure buddies sitting on a cliff in El Cotillo overlooking the Atlantic ocean.
We where shocked to find a ghost town. All shops were closed, no one was in the street, roads stretched for about four blocks until they just led off into the desert full of dunes and cacti. It was incredibly surreal and peaceful...and a smidgen creepy to be completely honest.
This is another view of the cliff we sat upon while watching huge waves crash onto the rocks.
We also had the pleasure of watching two daredevil ski jetters zip around. They weren't aware of it, but they had six avid spectators that squealed and shouted encouragement with every risky move they made. If you look closely you can see them in the picture.
This is just a cool door we saw on one of the many deserted buildings in the center of town.
At lunch time we started to search out something to devour, and luckily we found an AMAZING place to fill our bellies. More in the next post.

the very beginning of it all

After 17 days away from home it is really nice to be back in Pavia. I will never be able to appreciate volcanoes ever again after this incredible journey, but in the end everything turned out well, in spite of all the chaos.
I shall start where we last left off and proceed to describe my trip to the Canary islands.
Fuerteventura is truly stunning, proof provided in these photos. Sometimes I think it is almost unfair how easy it is to get an awesome shot when the surroundings are so gorgeous.
I was lucky enough to share this island experience with an old friend of mine that studies in Aix en Provence and her exchange study buddies. We spent our days lounging in the sun, drinking pear Kopparberg cider, and devouring trashy books. Clearly a highly productive quality vacation.
These photos were all taken in the tourist town Corralejo which is on the north eastern tip of the island. The actual town was kind of odd and twilight zone-ish. On our walk to the big beach we passed fancy apartments and hotels which lay directly next to dingy abandoned lots and unfinished buildings. At times the whole town seemed to be deserted, and at others it would be absolutely flooded with families of British and German tourists. During the whole week I don't think I heard more than two words of Spanish. The beaches, however, were spectacular as well as the variety of food offered(we managed to eat Thai, Indian, Chinese, Tex Mex, and Italian with out going bankrupt).

More juicy Canary details to come.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

To the most inspiring woman I know, I couldn't have picked a better role model even if I tried. Thank you for always pushing me to do my very best, allowing me to goof around, and for always being there to watch Survivor with me. I love you so much, happy 40th!!!!

Pasquetta

In Italy the day after Easter is called Pasquetta, or little Easter. I have asked quite a bit of people what exactly is being celebrated on Pasquetta, but no one seems to know. All that is certain is that the tradition is to round up a group of friends and take a day trip. Lots go to the countryside, some to the beach or in the mountains, you get the idea. This year I went with my roommate and her friends out into the countryside of Puglia about a ten minute drive from Castel del Monte(which just so happens to be depicted on the Italian-issued 1 euro cent coin). We had fun BBQing and exploring the farm and woods, and I had a flash fest trying to capture as many pictures of the countryside as I could. I hadn't realized how nature-starved I was! I haven't gone for a good long hike since I got to Italy, so Tilden, Muir woods, Sibley, Golden Gate Park and all you other green wonderlands of the bay area, prepare yourselves for my return. I am going to come back a hiking maniac.

A moscer a verv(the only thing I learned how to say in Pugliese)

Here is the beautiful Citta called Trani where my roommate Valeria comes from. I went down for Easter and had an amazing time enjoying the incredible views, eating ridiculous amounts of mouth-watering food and meeting the Pugliesi. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of paradise Trani is in the summer!
Here is the famous Catedrale which is on the point of it's own little peninsula.
Here is the Porto at sunset. The sidewalks are lined with different bars, pizzerias, gelaterias...all the good stuff! At night time it is jam packed of super fashionable people of all ages.
Some little boats at the Porto.
And some bigger boats!

Dead Beat Summer

I love this video! I have been watching it almost every day for the last two weeks. It makes me mega excited for the summertime.