One Step Closer...

I almost can't believe this "dream" might become a reality.

I actually bought a plane ticket to Italy yesterday! Ahh! I've been searching for ages for tickets, but it seems that following the Icelandic volcano this spring, prices to and from Europe skyrocketed. I kept thinking they might get cheaper, but with no luck.

During the past few weeks, someone else has also shown interest in the house we were wanting in Palata. Since I hadn't found a ticket yet (at a reasonable price), I let the owner know that they needed to make the right decision for them by protecting their investment and selling to someone else if they desired. They haven't sold it. Yet!

Simultaneously we also found a 3-bedroom home in the village of Guilmi which was actually cheaper, but requires quite a bit of work. But, the views from the balconies are breathtaking (and there are 3 of them)! The fact that it is substantially larger is also tempting, although I think it definitely has the potential to be a money pit.

Although advertised as having one bathroom, it too lacks a shower or bathtub. So, by bathroom, they simply mean a toilet and sink. Hmmm..

I can't believe how encouraging Tony is of this entire idea. Obviously he's excited about it, but I'm heading over without him since it is a busy time at work, and he will soon be traveling to Tanzania on business...

Over the weekend I spent hours looking at properties on all of the major real estate websites in the Abruzzo region. While there are just 2 homes we are seriously interested in (as mentioned above), I've compiled a list of 17. I'd like to see at least 10 of them if possible, just to validate what I think is a good deal, a nice village, and a do-able restoration project.

I put in over 45 bids on Priceline, and last night, my "price was finally accepted". I screamed from the couch (while I was pretending to watch Indiana Jones with Tony since it was his turn to choose an old school movie)...

$886 including all taxes and fees for a flight leaving LAX at 11am with one 45 minute stop in Chicago, and a 10am arrival in Rome the next day! And, the clencher: I got a DIRECT flight back from FCO - LAX! I was so thrilled...I was certain that Priceline was going to book me on a horrendous 5am flight with 3 connections on a "non-jet" aircraft.

Since my brother will be accompanying me, he was actually able to use some of his miles and book the EXACT same flight today!

We leave in two weeks!

We're going to spend a few nights in Rome at the beginning and end of the trip because a) who doesn't love Rome? and b), I think we're going to need to prepare and possibly de-compress from all of the house-hunting.

All of the old B&B's and hotels I've stayed at on prior trips to Rome seem to have benefited from all of the excellent Tripadvisor reviews they received, because the prices are now astronomical! I picked up the new Frommers today, and in the "moderate" section of hotels, several listings were in the $300 range! I'm not sure what's happened to Frommer's perspective on budgets, but $300 is definitely the luxury range for moi.

I found a beautiful apartment on VRBO.com, and since the owner had rented it out the week prior and a few days after the dates we needed it, he's offered it to me for half price - 75 euro/night for both of us including all utilities, cleaning charges, etc! It's 200 meters from the Colosseum and has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. I'm stoked!

That's it for now...I'm trying a new recipe for homemade Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce so I'll have to get back to my dinner...

More on the upcoming trip a little later!

Gnocchi the Italian Way

Last month I posted about Gnocchi for Cheaters, or, making gnocchi with instant mashed potatoes (gasp)!

This week, I read a blog entry on how to make proper gnocchi and I wanted to share it. This comes from Letizia of Madonna del Piatto - an Italian woman who runs a cooking school and B&B with her husband in Umbria. I've been a long-time fan of her blog!

I should add that I did just make the Gnocchi for Cheaters last week, and was exhausted after nearly 2 hours of work. The idea of adding the potatoes and mashing proper gnocchi doesn't excite me. However, I fully agree with her recommendation to drink red wine with gnocchi. And, in this case, the cook also needs it during the tedious task of forming each of those little pasta puffs!

We had a bottle of Luna Vineyards 2005 Sangiovese, and it was perfection.

Drive & Learn

We spent the entire weekend in Laguna Beach...Having lunch, walking in the sand, getting Starbucks, and generally just "chillaxing".

It's about a 20-minute drive from our home to the parking lot under the Montage. During that time, we practiced our Italian.

This CD set is kind of hilarious. I just got in on Friday, and today was our first time testing it out. You have to really be in a cheesy mood and willing to "sing along" in order to enjoy it.

It's a funny way to learn Italian in that you follow the day to day life of "Jon", and while you're memorizing the phrases, they throw several funny jingles.

But, after 20 minutes of driving there and back, we realized that we did indeed learn quite a few phrases!

Any recommendations for more intermediate Italian lessons? I'm thinking of signing up at the local college this fall...

How do you define a "bathroom"??

It appears we have a little set-back with the potential new home. Here is the message I received from our realtor this week:

One of our collaborators has been at the house with a client, we ask him to check the status of the bathroom. The washing machine is under the stairs place, it seems that it was a shower place where the wc and bidet is. Our technician informs that it is very easy to change the wc and install it in the place of the bidet, and there make a shower, as example, among other cheap possibilities.

Hmm...So it seems we gained a bidet and lost a shower. I'm perplexed.

Looking for tickets to Italy, and quickly. We've gotta get over there and see everything in person before we wire the $$$.

Not Your Average Tuscan Memoir

I just finished reading Phil Doran's, "The Reluctant Tuscan". I wasn't planning to read this book. I was at the Rancho Santa Margarita library (where they have a great used books store), and I found it in the travel section for $0.50!

I was expecting a non-descript, bland Tuscan memoir similar to the dozens of others that were published following the success of "Under the Tuscan Sun".

Instead, I found myself laughing outloud on several occasions, and not wanting to put this book down!

Phil spent many years in Hollywood as a writer for comedy shows such as "Sanford & Sons", "The Wonder Years", and "Who's The Boss". He's witty, funny, and very entertaining.

The story touches on his relationship with his wife and their journey as they restore a small home in the Tuscan countryside.

I'd definitely recommend this book if you're in the mood for an Italian memoir as well as a good laugh!

Gnocchi for Cheaters!

I'm re-posting this from our personal family blog, because it's been on my mind to make this again this week. And, because it's just so so yummy!

Do you have a favorite Gnocchi recipe? If so, feel free to comment! I'd be interested in making Gnocchi that's not for "cheaters"! :-)


Today I was reminiscing about our vacation back in 2007/08, and remembering the awesome gnocchi we ate in Rome's Campo de Fiori. I had fallen in love with Campo de Fiori when I studied in Italy back in college and talk about it all the time. The morning market was exactly how you picture life in Italy and how it should be. Flower vendors, fresh breads, cheese stalls and produce everywhere...Gosh it makes me depressed to compare this to my local Albertson's...

Anyway, I normally purchase our gnocchi at Trader Joe's, and it's...ok....But..

Tonight I decided to try this recipe. Oh my gosh, it is AMAZING! I swear, you cannot tell that you're cheating and using instant potato flakes! They were so light and fluffy and flavorful! I added some garlic powder and freshly chopped rosemary to the dough mixture to give it a little uumph. YUM. I'm not sure how advanced the author of the recipe is, but I'd say that a prep time of 10 minutes is very ambitious. I tripled the recipe (to have some leftovers for Tony's lunches), and it took me a good amount of time to roll out everything and cut them into shape.




Also for the first time tonight: I made pasta sauce from scratch! Yes, I realize many people do this frequently, but for me it was a big deal. And, I don't want to toot my own horn, but it was kind of awesome. (Except for the fact that I had to puree it for my baby, Ummm Hmmm, husband, who doesn't eat tomatoes in chunk form).


Here's the recipe:

*28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (yeah, I didn't use fresh tomatoes which would have been awesome, but alas, the rabbits ate them all from the plant in my garden)
*6 cloves of minced garlic
*1/4 c. of extra virgin olive oil
*A few dashes of red pepper flakes
*A few shakes of basil
*A few shakes of dried rosemary
*Salt
*Pepper
*A 1/2 c of Italian blended cheeses (Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone, Fontina, & Romano)

Heat olive oil. Add minced garlic and simmer for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add diced tomatoes and spices. Stir frequently. When heated through, add cheese and simmer. Puree if serving picky eaters.

I spooned this over the gnocchi and served it with this fabulous 2004 Rosso which we got in Umbria. Sigh.

"Our" tiny house

Well, it's not "ours" yet, but here is the floorplan of our little stone home.

You can see that the tiny bathroom is just under the stairs, and the sink is visible when you first enter the apartment.  That's the first thing on my agenda to update! I'm not sure how...I watch HGTV constantly, and always get inspired by all of the DIY projects. But, the reality is, I'm not very skilled in that area!