September to me, was always more like new year’s eve. New (and old-revisited) resolutions, new diet, new life regime, new goals to set and achieve!
This September 1st finds me seating where I want to be seated! (Literally for a couple of you who understand this information, for the rest, just pass and proceed further)
Isn’t Iggy just smashing in this Autumn Leaves’ cover?
Autumn preparations (Part 1):
Got Iggy whispering softly on my speakers with his amazing French accent
Got myself some good old Granny Smith apples and made my first ever apple pie!
Got my nice and colourful new ‘back to school’ gear/for me and my dear students
Got my Italian recipe books out and got into work with various pasta sauces. (Experiment now, save time later)
Got myself the most precious fashion magazine issues of the year. Christ, this season’s colour is boring!
First it was the heat, then it was the wind. In either case, I have been forced to stay away from the beach the last couple of weekends. And that has had its toll on me.
Finally last Sunday, I thought, what the heck, since we’re staying at home, let’s make something out of it.
My pizza recipe is one quarter memory (Giorgia my sicilian friend taught me how to do it back in the student days) -one half instinct-and one quarter asking my dad. (he is after all a capable bread maker, among other things, that is).
For the sauce I used Jamie Oliver’s Red Onion and Rosemary – made with sweet red onions, fragrant rosemary and a hint of chilli.
As for the toppings, as you can see below, my pizza was double trouble. Half ham-ventricina (a type of mildly spicy sausage) -2 types of yellow cheeze (mild and more spicy) – green peppers and baycon. And half mushrooms, chicken, olives, sundried tomatoes, red/orange/green peppers.
My choice (as they offer a wide array of versions) would have to be the
Sicilian Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients Required
1 1/2 cups of warm water (105F)
4 cups all−purpose flour
1 tablespoon of salt
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
Step by Step Procedure
Combine yeast, 1/2 cup flour, and water in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allowrise for 15 minutes. Stir to deflate.
Add 2 cups of remaining flour with salt, 1 cup cool tap water, and oil. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Add yeast mixture.
Mix in remaining flour.
Knead 15 minutes on a floured surface (10 minutes in a machine) until smooth.
Place dough in bowl dusted with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled size (1 to 2 hours).
Punch dough down and put in ziploc bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 500F.
Remove dough from refrigerator when ready to shape into crust.
Punch down dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface.
Lightly oil (olive) a 17 1/2″ X 11 1/2″ X 3/4″ pan. Place dough in pan and push to stretch evenly leaving a lip up against sides of pan. Let rest for 10−15 minutes.
Spread sauce over crust and top with cheese and place desired toppings.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
πηγαίνω στο γραφείο σφαίρα, βρίσκω πάρκινγκ απέξω, κάθε μέρα χαιρετώ συναδέλφους που φεύγουν ή επιστρέφουν, έχει πλάκα όλο αυτό το πέρα δώθε,
το σάββατο στο βασιλόπουλο είναι άδεια τα ταμεία, και υπάρχουν φρούτα στις 12, δεν βρίζει κανείς, κυκλοφορούν ηλιοκαμμένες φιγούρες, σχεδόν χαμογελαστές.
λίγο η κρίση, λίγο ένας χειμώνας, μακρύς βαρύς και αργόσυρτος, με απεργείες, ανεργείες, οργή και τράπεζες – επισκέπτες στους χειρότερους μας εφιάλτες, δεν θέλει πολύ ο αθηναίος. μία εβδομάδα ξεμίτησε χαμογέλασε το χειλάκι του. τελικά λες να μας κάνει καλό όλο αυτό? να μας φτάνουν και τα λίγα.
κάπου πήρε το μάτι μου ένα ντοκιμαντέρ στην ψηφιακή νετ, με μια οικογένεια στην πορτογαλία, μια ευτυχισμένη οικογένεια με 2 εργαζόμενους γονείς και 2 παιδιά, σε ένα σπίτι 80 τετραγωνικών, και συνολικό μηνιαίο εισόδημα 2000 ευρώ, τα παιδιά με το ωδείο τους, και τις γλώσσες τους, οι γονείς με την οικιακή βοηθό για τις δουλειές που δεν αγαπούν και μια στο τόσο τα ταβερνάκια τους, διακοπές? ρωτάει ο δημοσιογράφος, διακοπές πηγαίνουμε μία φορά κάθε 5 χρόνια απαντάει ο πατέρας, αλλά δεν είναι ότι είμαστε άσχημα, δεν μετράμε ας πούμε τα λεφτά στο σούπερ μάρκετ.
μου προκάλεσε θλίψη και χαρά μαζί αυτό το ντοκιμαντέρ, ζήλεψα το χαμογελαστό ζευγάρι, την έλλειψη μιζέριας και γκρίνιας, θαύμασα τον έρωτα τους, και το πόσο ευτυχισμένα και ισορροπημένα φαίνονταν τα παιδιά τους,
όπως αναφέρει χαρακτηριστικά η μητέρα έπρεπε να τα αποχωρηστεί από την τρυφερή ηλικία των 4 μηνών για να επιστρέψει στις επαγγελματικές τις υποχρεώσεις και αυτά να πάνε στον σταθμό… και κοίτα τα, μια χαρά παιδιά βγήκαν,
στοιχηματίζω ότι αυτά στα 30 τους δεν θα πηγαίνουν στο γραφείο με το ταπεράκι της μαμάς
είμαι ήρεμη, κι εγώ και το νιώθω, στο ρυθμό που μιλάω, που περπατάω, που σκέπτομαι, στον τρόπο που ακουμπάει η ματιά μου στα πράγματα, δυστυχώς και αφηρημένη, μου έχει γίνει δυς η παρατήρηση ότι κάποιος μου μιλάει και «δεν ακούω» ενώ ακούω δεν είναι θέμα ακοής είναι θέμα προσοχής, ενδιαφέροντος στον άλλο, ή κάτι παρόμοιο
Φώτο από τον Harold Davis, φωτογράφο, συγγραφέα και μπλόγκερ blog.
διψάω συνέχεια, σκέφτομαι ακόμη καλοκαιρινά κοκτέιλ και δροσερές φέτες καρπούζι. και φράουλες!
Strawberry Daquiri
2 μέρη λευκό ρούμι
1 μέρος χυμό λάιμ
1/2 μέρος triple sec ή Grand Marnier/Cointreau
1 κουταλιά ζάχαρη άχνη
1 φλυτζάνι πάγο
5 φρέσκες φράουλες
έκανα 3 φορές κύκλο σήμερα, δεν μπορούσα να κάνω φόκους, την πρώτη φορά πήρα τη διαδρομή για το γραφείο αντί για το σούπερ μάρκετ, την δέυτερη πήρα το σωστό δρόμο αλλά πέρασα την τράπεζα, την τρίτη το κατάφερα. τελικά σταμμάτησα και για ένα καφέ, σκέφτηκα ότι ίσως κάτι τέτοιο βοηθούσε λίγο την κατάσταση. από το να οδηγώ σαν μεθυσμένη,..
σε λίγο αυτά τα ελεύθερα απογεύματα θα τα γεμίσω δουλειά, δουλειά που αγαπάω και μου δίνει χαρά αλλα και κούραση. αλλά το σκέφτομαι προς το παρόν με τρόμο.. είναι ωραία που φύσηξε το μελτέμι επιτέλους και μπορώ και κάθομαι στον καναπέ ξανά σαν άνθρωπος χωρίς να φοβάμαι ότι θα αφήσω το αποτύπωμα μου πάνω του.
To get to Robinson beach in Hvar, you either walk along a footpath for a mere 40 min or you hire a boat.
If you would prefere not to walk, call Domagoj, the owner, chef and waiter. He will set up a boat for your!
Either way, your journey is wortwhile.
Not only a lovely cove with quiet crystal clear waters awaits, but an authentic dalmatian cuisine paradise is there for you to explore with all your senses.
Situated in an idyllic bay, Robinson is about a 40-minute walk along the beach east of Hvar Town’s main harbor. When you arrive—look for a weathered wood sign shaped like a fish—ask the owner, Domagoj Vekić, what’s available that day. Chances are he will rattle off a round of delectable choices such as octopus salad, spit-roasted shrimp covered with cheese and served with eggplant, marinated sardines, and fish stew made with tomatoes and garlic. If your choice is the catch of the day, Domagoj will clean the fish from a stone perch above the water and take it back to his kitchen hut to grill. Guests relax on the bleached-white stone beach until lunch is ready. Afterwards, take a dip in the impossibly clear waters. Because the restaurant is open odd days, it’s best to call ahead before making the trek down the beach.
Coming from the central part of the island or using the road from the ferry harbour we arrive at the magnificent piazza, a square generally considered the most beautiful of the kind in Dalmatia, dominated by St. Stephen’s Cathedral and bordered by the palaces of Groda and by the cascading stone-built houses of Burag.
Already occupied by the Illyrians, Hvar developed further under the Greeks from Paros island. The name Hvar is none other than the paraphrase of the greek word Pharos, while the old town (Stari Grad) still holds signposts that read Pharos and Pharia.
The Romans soon followed and brought vines and wine cultivation which blossomed into a major industry for the island in the Middle Ages. Most of the town’s beautiful sculpture dates from the Renaissance.
Stopping for a quick bite, we watch the local old ladies boasting their handmade merchandise to the passing by tourists.
Soon the night falls and hundreds of lights light up the star-shiny Riva Promenade.
The seafront Blu Restaurant is found just a few km from Rovinj, enjoying a beautiful view of its picturesque harbour.
Three km north of Rovinj’s old town, perched on the sea in the Borik section of town, Blu is the epitome of Istrian seaside elegance. The cozy dining room has a wall of windows to the sea, a couple of stone terraces, tables on an ivy-covered patio, and a spectacular canopied table at the breakwater’s edge. There’s simply no bad table here. One terrace juts out into the sea, where you’re so close you can look at the crustaceans on the sea floor in between courses. Expect refined seafood dishes that showcase the bounty of the Adriatic waters; for example, tagliatelle with crayfish and baby zucchini, or monkfish carpaccio. It’s hard to beat this class act for a quiet, romantic dinner.
We head start with some pizza-style bread with rosemary, sea salt and award-winning olive oil produced a few miles away. We continue with tortellini and salad and then move on to our main courses, each with the typical boiled potatoes on the side.
…it’s time for a cocktail on the rocks at Valentino. You can choose the sunset or any other time, but for sure you’ll be visiting the Valentino Bar, when in Rovinj.
From the early 1800s to World War II, Italian was Istria’s official language. Even today, many of the old locals still speak Italian, place names have an Italian equivalent and street signs are often dual langeage. Hence, the picturesque Rovinj is also Rovigno.
According to the data of the Tourist Association of the Istrian County, Rovinj is the second leading destination in terms of the number of realized overnights. It is also unofficially considered one of the most beautiful towns on the Adriatic coast.
Rovinj’s tightly structured old houses will remind you of Cycladic architecture, the same old wind, the same thinking.
The warm terracotas and pinks blend with the natural stone shades and the meditteranean light to give you an italian flavour, right at the heart of Istria.
The word «Konoba» in Croatia refers to family run, traditional dalmatian restaurants where food is homemade and slowly cooked the croatian way. Usually pots and pans are the main decoration. Besides the warm hearty smiles on the owners’ faces.
Some blue paint is left on this charming temple to Madonna, perhaps someone lost someone special, perhaps this is too personal. But still I had to take the photo.
But apparently to get the best views of Rovinj, you have to climb a few more steps, up to the beautiful church of Agia Eufemia.And believe me, its worth all the pain and the sweat!
Marizz's Blog 