Solo Traveller Adventures: Cooking in Florence

Having visited Florence before, I had done all the major sightseeing and really wanted to take it easy a bit. Of course, this did not happen, as I kept myself busy doing all sorts of new things, including a wonderful one day cooking course.

For those who are regular readers of my blog, you know food is an integral part of my life – dining out, cooking and trying new recipes, including making healthy eating exciting and fun. So when I saw this activity listed among the various tours one could do from Florence, I booked it.

The tour hosted by the great team at Walkabout Florence (my second time using this great tour company) and would start in Florence itself, and as predicted, I got lost trying to find the meeting spot. Let me just say that this time, Google Maps led me astray. Getting lost meant being late, which meant keeping the group waiting, which made me angry, cause I hate making people wait, but woosah – let’s continue.

Our wonderful guide, Valeria first took us to the various markets, where we picked up the various main ingredients for preparing our menu for the day. Quite an interesting little walk, as we learnt which types of tomatoes were best for sauces or for bruschetta, for example, sampled cheese and also had a very important stop before heading to the bus that would take us to the farmhouse – a coffee stop. I am sure it was a bit of a lesson for some of the Americans on the tour to learn that frappuccinos are a Starbucks invention and Italians’ idea of a cold coffee beverage is the shakerato – espresso and ice cubes shaken in a cocktail shaker with a bit of syrup, and served. For the hot day, everyone had one of these except me – gimme a cappuccino, buddy. Give it!!!

Fresh veggies at the market - ready for our bellies

Picking up our awesome pork loin for roasting at San Lorenzo Market

Shakerato - espresso shaken (not stirred) and my lonesome but awesome cappuccino

Next stop – the farmhouse, in the hills not too far from Florence, but absolutely gorgeous. Here we would meet our ‘teacher’ for the day, the lovely Carmela who spoke no English but her passion for her cooking and for food was evident. Our guides, Valeria and Lavinia took us through what we would be doing for the day and our menu included

• Bruschetta 
• Fresh homemade egg pasta 
• Ragu meat sauce 
• Pizza 
• Roast pork 
• Patata al rosamarino (Roast potatoes with rosemary) 
• Tiramisu 
• Florentine gelato 

This was the best fun and the best tour I have done. While the dishes themselves were not that hard, there were little gems shared during the day which would serve me well in the future with my own cooking. While I do a fair amount of cooking myself, I was always a bit gun shy about going to a class, but this was a lot of fun, with a great bunch of people.

Check me out cutting up that bread for our bruschetta

Aren't our tomatoes sexy?

Bread toasting and wine - Round 1. lol.

Always amazed at how simple but how amazing bruschetta is. I heart bruschetta!

It seemed to be a great bonding activity for couples especially, with newlyweds, not so newlyweds, and newly engaged couples, joining us three single solo travelling girls on this culinary adventure. My favourite part was preparing the pasta, which I always thought was beyond my amateur skills, but it is so easy it is ridiculous.

My pasta - the finished product - left to dry for 30mins before boiling (and eating!)

Our ragu doing its thing - slow cooked for 2 hours!

The end result of our hard work - this was so nom nom

Oh wait – that was my second favourite part, after eating the pasta and all the other goodies we slaved over a hot kitchen table in 40 degree heat to prepare.

We also made our own pizzas and washed that down with Italian beer 

Our roasted potatoes

This pork was everything. I have already replicated this awesomeness since being back

A for Awesome - Awesome tiramisu. A is also my first initial.

Eating and drinking. We did a lot of drinking too. A lot! Lol.

The belle of the ball - Chianti Classico. And our hosts were not stingy with it either. 

I would do this again in a heartbeat and it is such a great activity for single girlfriends, or couples to do together as an aside from the sightseeing. I met some wonderful people, learnt how to make some of my favourite foods, ate a lot (soooo much food!!!) drank some amazing Chianti reds (and beer) and made a lot of great memories.  Thanks to the Walkabout Team for a great day and to great peeps like - yes, gonna give you a shout out - Danielle, Jamie, Libra, and Sarah - for the laughs and the good times.

You can check out more tours on Viator or go directly to Walkabout Florence and just choose one or two, or five! They are a great bunch! My next post will feature Walkabout again as I took a trip out of Florence for some coastal fun.

Read more »

Me vs 2015. What's the score after the first quarter?

Cheers to a commendable first quarter!

So the first quarter of the year is almost over and I am reviewing my KPIs.I will admit, it has been a slow start to the year. I looked at my list and while I have not tackled all of them, I have made some inroads into others.

1. Spend more time with the family.
I have been doing a really good job with this. Soon, they will be begging me to go away. I have been getting my mum to try new things/experiences, and just this morning I was greeted by chubby cheeks as the niece and nephew came over. I have been seeing them much more - doing aunty things like taking them to participate in Kiddies' Carnival, taking them for pizza and ice cream, playing 'sling shot' (I enjoyed this more than they did!) and just sitting and watching silly shows that are not on MY Netflix profile but on theirs. I have also been trying to make more time for my friends too. It has been a good start!!

I have more yogurt and fruit, and less ice cream

2. Health and fitness
Well, I have actually put on weight and I don't need to stand on a scale to confirm that. I just know. I know how I have been eating and I know how I have been slacking off at the gym. I know. However, I have taken a bold and almost traumatic step - I have registered for a health and fitness competition at work. It is a Biggest Loser type initiative and while I will confess, the actual prize (though I do not know what it is) is what drew me to it primarily, I know I need something to motivate me. I have found it hard to stay motivated on this for some reason this year. The traumatic part of this is that I am going to have to publicly declare how fat and unfit I am - well, at least to 2 people - the nurse and the dietitian. I neverrrrrr stand on a scale and now I am going to be haunted by that figure and by the fact that others will also know. lol. But over the next 8 weeks I am going to give it a good go, especially as it is a team event and I cannot let my teammates down.

3. Travel
I have not gone anywhere yet but I generally do not travel at this time of the year. But I do have a fair idea where I am going mid-year. This is probably the easiest of all my KPIs and the one that would most likely make anyone who knows me say "duh".

4. Paying it forward
This is an important one. Too often we work, make money, enjoy the fruits of our labour without reflecting on how we got there. On my path to awesomeness, I had an incredible circle of friends and family and people I met along the way, and who have since become gems in my circle. They have all in one way or another been support and comfort through personal and professional milestones. I am nothing without my circle. I also know that even though I may gripe about little things like being tired all the time or being a bit too fat for life, I have been blessed and I do not have any real earth shattering issues. But some young girls start their lives under more challenging economic and social circumstances, and may need someone to be in their circle. So this is why I am on my way to being a Big Sister to a Little Sister in the Big Sister Programme. I am most excited about this. I have always always wanted an opportunity like this and when it presented itself to me at last, I ran with it. I am so happy to be able to write a positive progress report on this KPI and so early in the year!

5. Stretch myself in the kitchen
I love to cook and I cook often, mostly my lunches for work. But I also wanted to try things I have always been less confident about or have never tried before. I tried making croissants once as a teenager and they were like lethal boomerangs. I saw a recipe for pain au chocolat this morning and decided I would try my hand again this weekend. But I have also done some fun things like new flatbreads, stuff involving the dreaded pie crust and been learning how best to cook different kinds and cuts of meats.

Blind baked my pie crust for a lovely spinach and mushroom quiche

6. Blog at least once a week
So far, a resounding success. I have a blog entry for every week of 2015 so far. It is a miracle! It has not been easy, but I have done it! (cue super hero music)

So I know I have to get off Netflix and get a jump on some of the other items on the performance contract and get to work. But so far, hey...doing okay. I will not let 2015 kick my ass.

Read more »

All Italian Fine Wine and Foods - All Italian, All Good

While I did go to Italy earlier this year, I did not need to fight up with getting a visa, nor did I need to get on a plane to experience a little taste of Italy earlier this week. Instead, through the graciousness of our hostesses, TriniChow and Learning Patience, I took a second trip to Italy with just a quick drive around the corner to All Italian Fine Wine and Foods, for a wonderful evening with some amazing local bloggers at a T&T Bloggers' Lime.

Nestled neatly on Rust Street, Port of Spain, just next to Paprika, All Italian is run by the warm and accomodating Francesca and Ossie and is a wine lover's paradise, with a wonderful assortment of Italian wines. But while it may indeed seem that way, man (and woman) cannot live on wine alone and this gourmet shop also offers an assortment of cheeses, pastas, sauces, coffee (hubba hubba) olive oil and treats. A visit to this cute little shop is just what Santa recommends for the holiday season, especially if one has friends who are foodies. If you have a taste for a specific type of wine, Francesca and Ossie are well placed to recommend some amazing choices for you - the assortment is vast and you have your pick of your whites, reds and Prosecco. You have your picks of just about everything actually - everything needed to create an evening indoors for yourself and friends, or to make a friend or relative very very happy.

It was a great combo of great wine, great bites, and great convo with some awesome bloggers.

All Italian Fine Wine and Foods is located at 15A Rust Street, Port of Spain. Tel: 683-4162.

Biscotti!  Biscotti!

Wonderful assortment of pastas

Pasta pasta pasta at All Italian Fine Wine and Foods, 15 Rust Street, Port of Spain

Wines and the perfect bits and bites

Prosecco at All Italian Fine Wine and Foods

I do accept gifts. December is birthday and Christmas month.  Lovely gift idea!
Wine, coffee, sauces, pasta. This is amazing!

A delectable assortment of desserts available at All Italian Fine Wine and Foods

Read more »

Come Dine With Me: Reality TV at its best

While living and studying in London, one of my fave tv shows was Come Dine With Me. It was also one of the few tv shows that my cousin and I could watch together - when he was not riveted to the English Premier League. The show is a reality show that takes 4-5 strangers from a particular town or region and have them host a three-course dinner at their homes, where afterwards they would be scored on their evening. The person with the highest score at the end of the week would win 1000 quid.

As you know, I love food, I love dining out, I love cooking. So I love this show. But this is often the "dark" side of dining, the funny side - not the Instagram-ready glamour shots of haute cuisine. The reason this show is so amazing is because these people are Average Joes and Janes. They are NOT chefs by any stretch of the imagination. They are often kitchen novices and there are very often kitchen and hosting disasters. They are often bonkers, nutters, loons, a bit too eccentric to be real. The narrator of the show, Dave Lamb, surely adds to the comedy with his snarky commentary.

I think most people watching this show can catch a glimpse of themselves here. In my own quest for kitchen greatness, I have burnt dishes, had cakes fall or be like gunk, forgot to add eggs in a cake and then tried to add them when it was way too late, forgot to put the lid on the blender. Don't lie - you know you have done it too. Even the best cooks have their little slip-ups, but still, I love seeing the foodie train wrecks - the unabashed walking disasters. I keep thinking of my own friends and how a local version of this show might look and I laugh just thinking about it.

The show is great fun and when I discovered they had a US site on YouTube which would allow me to get my jones all weekend, well, that was all she wrote. I have missed this show, and with the rainstorm plaguing my neighbourhood all weekend, I almost feel like I am back in the den in London, watching my fave show after class in the afternoon. Except, this is much better. I have added an episode here, so you can grab a glass of wine and see for yourself.

Read more »

Sunday Brunch at Fanatic with Chef Khalid Mohammed (Chaud)

Sunday Brunch Goodie Bag

Sundays will never be the same thanks to Trinichow and her Sunday Brunch series at Fanatic Kitchen Studio.

It takes a special event to get me out of the house on a Sunday. I NEVER leave the house on a Sunday.

NEVER.

But the combination of brunching with Chef Khalid Mohammed of Chaud/Chaud Cafe, and the fact that Tuesday is a holiday and thus I could risk a bit of Sunday fatigue saw me on this very very hot Sunday, heading up the highway to Fanatic Kitchen for brunch.

I don't need to get into too much detail except to say the food was remarkable as expected. The menu included:

The bread board - Homemade coconut bake and salt butter

Red Snapper Crudo with Saltfish Accra, Green Fig Chips and Tomato Choka Vinaigrette. Sorry, no photo.

Sancoche: Corn Soup with Pig's Trotters Croquetta and Provision

Boneless Stew Oxtail and Dumplings, Plantain Crema and Organic Poi Bhagi

Shrimp Creole, Coo Coo, Callaloo Fondue and Crispy Ochro (skipped this as you all know already I loathe callaloo and anything with ochroes)

Sunday Roast Chicken Dougla with Cassava Risotto - this was brilliant!

BBQ Pork Belly a la Valencia - gorgeous looking and tasting.

Geera Crusted Lamb Chop with Dhal

Cocobel Chocolate Delice with Organic Soular Cocoa Nib Ice Cream and Espresso Cream - winner!!!

Caramelised Banana Tarte Fin - I passed on this as I hate bananas but everyone who had it had seconds.

Sweetbread Biscotti - a nice local twist to one of my faves treats.

A Sunday well spent though the diet took a major, major hit. I had 3 glasses of pinot grigio, 2 glasses of sangria, a great mimosa at the door and I am stuffed from all the goodness. But the company and the culinary magic were well worth it.

Read more »

Kitchen Porn: Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

For the past few weeks as you know, I have been eating better, and this has included no alcohol and no dessert.

No alcohol - not as hard for me as it may be for some, as I am not a huge drinker, but I do love a nice cocktail on a Friday afternoon or a glass of wine every once in a while. I mean, I CAN have it. I just choose not to right now. Saving up...

No dessert - this is a bit harder. lol. Snacking has always been my problem, and while I prefer salty snacks over sweet stuff, I do like a nice cake or Haagie moment. This being said, I have only had one Haagie moment in 3 weeks, after a bad day at work last week - and that was a Haagie mini cup I have had in the "rescue me from life" box in the freezer for the past month. However, I have been dreaming of cake and thus decided to try my hand at a dessert where I had the control. Enter the Greek Yogurt Cheesecake.

So while it is not a fat buster, it is not coming in at the whopping 710 calories minimum at which the regular cheesecake comes in with no kinda shame. I wanted to bake but also wanted to be able to eat whatever I baked.

So again, I am poor with measurements so I will send you to the pros at the end of this, but I started with some wheat digestives, pecans, rolled oats and cinnamon. This crust was going to be to my specifications and you can do as you like with yours. Threw it all in the processor and got me some crumbs, to which I added some butter.

Now, seeing that I had never made this before, and in fact had never even made a real cheesecake before either, I was not committing to a full cheesecake but instead decided on minis, so I thumbed my crumb mixture into some cupcake liners. Thrust these babies into the oven for 5 minutes and then took them out to cool.

Next, the filling and I added 2 cups of vanilla Greek yogurt, as this was the closest to plain that Hi-Lo had available (just lucky they had any at all as last week there was no Greek to be found) to a bowl.

Next I added some Angostura bitters, 1.5 eggs (1 full egg and the white of the other), some lemon zest and a tsp of custard powder as I did not have cornstarch. I tell you, I am an innovator. lol. Whip whip with the hand mixer. Note, no sugar anywhere in all this innovating - the ingredients themselves have more than enough.

I poured my Greek mixture into my cooled crumb cups, and using about 4 tbsps of the mixture, I added some chocolate powder, so I could make some pretty swirls in my mini-desserts. Note - unsweetened.

Thrust these babies into the oven at 340F for 35 minutes, then left them to cool before chucking them in the fridge for another 3 hours. And voila...

Got some edges that were victims to the liners (okay, so I slightly burnt these critters...slightly...lol) but the texture is amazing and the taste - well, it's cheesecake! I am really beside myself with joy.

I added some spreadable fruit and I am having one of these Greek yogurt minis during Sunday primetime.

I must say, they are really good, and shave more than 500 calories when compared to the real thing. I am a convert though I will still splurge on a Haagie and a real cheesecake slice every now and then. This was also my 400th blog entry since I started this blog so good to have cake to celebrate!

For the more step by step, albeit slightly different version of this dessert, click here.

Read more »

Keeping it Fresh in the Kitchen

Homemade Tomato Sauce
- just in a recycled Prego jar

One of the most vexing things about wanting to eat healthier, is that healthy eating is not always convenient, and it is definitely not cheap. A KFC snack pack costs less than a salad, a good healthy soup can be hard to find and buying a slice of cake can be less aggravating than buying a slice of watermelon from my regular watermelon guy. I mean, watermelon guy, while I appreciate the compliments and yes, maybe I am your angel who has fallen from heaven, I am still not going to marry you. lol. I just want a slice of watermelon.

I decided against eating out this weekend, which of course meant putting in some effort in the kitchen, cause if you want to do it right, you often have to do it yourself.  I really was not in the mood for doing it myself but was not in the mood for taking a drive to get it either, or spending a lot of money to do so. So I sucked it up, and ventured into the kitchen, on a hot Saturday afternoon.

I decided in the name of freshness and ease, to make my own pizza yesterday, where I could control the type of crust (whole wheat, as opposed to white), the amount of cheese (a drizzle as opposed to a torrential gooey downpour), the toppings (fresh as opposed to crap from a can), and the tomato sauce, which in the whole quest for freshness, I decided to make from scratch, rather than buying. I must say, my tomato sauce was da bomb. Using fresh tomatoes, awesome amounts of fresh garlic and basil, salt and black pepper to taste, and no sugar or preservatives, I now have a Prego jar (the last insult) filled with this awesomeness.

I also had a fresh, light pizza without all the gunk, and a lot of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spinach, with some bits of deli beef and feta to keep it sexy. And since I am also not drinking alcohol still, I used the last of my grapefruits to make a fresh non-alcoholic spritzer, with fresh grapefruit juice, a bit of ginger, Angostura bitters and club soda. Small yaay. And I did not have to get dressed up or leave my driveway to get it.

Read more »