Here’s the link:

I will previve

Don’t let your genes determine your future!

I had two sources of inspiration for purchasing the lens. My main inspiration is my love of plants, and my desire to capture their most delicate details. The second inspiration comes from another blogger, Neely Wang, who shares her macro shots every Monday.

Recently she was kind enough to share 10 tips for shooting these up-close-and-personal pictures…

Here’s my first go at it:

I’m doing this post a little backwards because I really had this pizza in Rome, not Milan. I actually didn’t like Milan much at all. If you followed me during my travels you already know that. If not, you can read my very disgruntled post here.

I know I vowed to cook a meal from each city I visited, but I just couldn’t grasp the idea of reliving my experience there – so I’m pretending that I ate this pizza in Milan and not Rome. Anyway, the pizza actually turned out fantastic. It had so much flavor and the cheese was super creamy. I think it even made me associate a new memory with Milan, a good one. Oh the joy of food…

Ingredients for dough: 

• 1 c hot water
• 1 T sugar
• 2 1/4 t active dry yeast
• 3 T olive oil
• 1 t salt
• 2 1/2 c flour
• 1 T cornmeal (optional)

Pizza ingredients:

• 1 c crushed tomatoes, drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 c basil leaves
• 1 container of mozzarella, or buffalo mozzarella cut into thin slices
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Red pepper flakes
• Parsley

Directions: 

• Combine water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl, stir until dissolved
• Add olive oil and salt
• Mix in flour, knead
• Let stand for 15 minutes
• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
• Put dough in pizza pan and spread using hands
• Sprinkle crust with cornmeal if desired
• Add crushed tomatoes, garlic and herbs to dough (be sure your tomatoes are drained)
• Add slices of mozzarella to pizza (pat them dry a little to get rid of water)
• Sprinkle a little extra shredded mozzarella and parmesan on pizza
• Add basil leaves and red pepper flakes
• Cook for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown
• Enjoy!

Up top I mentioned that I only eat dairy once a week. I guess I should give a little background to this?

I was a vegan for most of 2012. Dairy just didn’t sit well with my system and I wanted to lose a little weight so I gave it a try. For the most part it was actually very easy, besides when I went out for meals with friends – that was always hard. Combined with some time at the gym it also helped me drop about 10 pounds.

I really had my heart set on making some meals from my travels through Europe this year, so I decided that my once a week blog would be my once a week exception.

The town is called Last Chance…

Stay tuned as we travel the desolate towns of Colorado. The goal is to visit a ghost town once a month. I hope you enjoy!

When Taylor and I were in Venice we literally got lost trying to find a restaurant someone from back home told us about. “A hidden gem with melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi.”

Making this meal at home was quite a workload, but it was worth it. If you have time on your hands I suggest giving it a try. If not, at least make this bruschetta recipe! It’s easy, flavorful and a crowd pleaser!

Bruschetta Ingredients: 

• One organic fresh-baked Italian loaf 
• 4-6 large organic tomatoes, diced
• 2 organic garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 organic onion, chopped
• Chopped basil
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 1/4 T balsamic vinegar
• Parmesan-reggiano cheese

Directions: 

• Combine garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl, mix well
• Toss tomatoes with marinade and let them soak about 15 minutes
• Meanwhile, warm bread in the oven – don’t burn!
• After tomatoes have marinated, spoon the mixture onto the bread slices
• Sprinkle parmesan-reggiano on top
• Put back in the oven to slightly melt the cheese, just a few minutes
• Serve!

Ingredients, Gnocchi: 

• 2 1/2 organic peeled potatoes
• 3 organic egg yolks
• 1/2 c organic grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 t grated nutmeg
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c organic flour

Directions, Gnocchi: 

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, boil peeled potatoes until soft enough to finely mash
• Drain, cool and mash
• Put potatoes on work space and make a crater in the center
• Add eggs, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and cheese into the center
• Knead
• Slowly add flour, kneading in
• When mixture is not sticking to work space or fingers anymore, form a ball and cover with plastic wrap
• Refrigerate for about 30 minutes
• Place dough on work space and cut into four pie-shaped pieces
• Roll each piece out into a long cylinder shape, cut into gnocchi size pieces (see image)
• Indent gnocchi with fork to give texture
• Throw in boiling water to cook, gnocchi is done when it floats to the top – about 3 to 5 minutes (best when soft enough to melt in your mouth!)

Ingredients, Creamy Fontina & Mushroom Sauce:

• 1/4 chopped organic onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 T organic butter
• 2/3 c organic heavy cream
• 2/3 c organic vegetable broth
• 4 oz organic Fontina cheese, cubed
• 3 T Parmesan cheese
• 1 c organic mushrooms
• Chopped basil
• Pepper

Directions, Sauce: 

• Melt butter, garlic & onions in large sauce pan until onion is soft
• Add cream & vegetable oil
• Cook on medium heat, almost boiling
• Add cheeses until they melt, do not boil
• Add mushrooms, basil and pepper
• Cook until mushrooms are tender
• *Sauce may become thin/thick depending on the cheese. Add more broth or cheese as you feel necessary
• Add gnocchi and mix well
• Serve while still hot and creamy!

If you’re ever in Venice go to Da Mamo and order gnocchi – it’s to die for…

This week I’m excited to share some tasty recipes courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis. I didn’t have a lot of time to experiment because of the holidays, so I took a shot at some of her recipes.

Inspiration = patio seating at a delicious restaurant in a little Florence square

I want to make all of the recipes I share my own, however I figured messing with mussels and clams for the first time was risky business. With that said, here is a seafood recipe I guarantee will make your mouth water. The best part of it is that it’s super easy to make – even though it appears fancy!

Ingredients (organic):

• 1/4 c olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t dried crushed red pepper flakes (adjust per your spice tolerance)
• 1 c dry white wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can of diced tomatoes with juices
• 1/2 lb littleneck clams
• 1/2 lb mussels
• 3/4 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1/2 c fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. In a large pot heat olive oil over medium flame. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Cook until garlic is tender.
2. Add wine and bring to a boil.
3. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes.
4. Stir in clams, cover and cook about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in mussels, cover and continue to cook another 5 minutes – or until clams and mussels have opened.
6. Using tongs, temporarily take out clams and mussels – placing them in serving bowls. (Discard any that have not opened).
7. **Do not overcook them or they will be rubbery. The 10 minutes total is really all you need!
8. Place shrimp into broth and simmer until pink and cooked through.
9. Stir in basil and remove bay leaf.
10. Divide broth and shrimp into the bowls with clams and mussels.
11. Add a dash of salt & pepper.
12. Serve! **With bread because the sauce is delicious!

Personal take-aways & tips:

• Serves about 4-6, takes about 30 mins
• I personalized the amount of mussels and clams – what her recipe called for was too much. The ratio of seafood and broth turned out perfect with the above amounts.
• Trust the recipe! Don’t worry about the seafood cooking – it will. If you overcook it, you’ll ruin it.

Ingredients (organic): 

• 1/2 c fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 c cake flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/4 c almond paste
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 c confectioners’ sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 1/2 c raw salted almonds – chopped (my own addition)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan
3. In a medium bowl, whisk cornmeal, flour and baking powder
4. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat butter and almond paste until smooth
5. Add vanilla extract and beat on low speed
6. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar until mixture is light and fluffy
7. Increase speed to high and beat in egg yolks and whole eggs, one at a time
8. Reduce speed to medium and add sour cream and dry ingredients
9. Pour batter into cake pan and bake about 35 mins, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean
10. Dust with powdered sugar and chopped almonds
11. Serve!

Personal take-aways & tips:

• Takes about 45-50 mins total
• Store in an airtight container to contain fluffiness of cake!

Benvenuto alla cena Roma!

Greece offered some pretty fantastic cuisine but it only got better as we moved our way along the map to Rome. Italian food holds a special place in my heart. Although I don’t choose it most days out of the week (I’m a Mexican food junkie), I do love the culture and the language. 

In college I studied Italian from an adorable little woman with a thick accent from the town of Bari, Italy. She described Bari as this beautiful and tiny place on the southeast coast of Italy with amazing food and rich traditions. She’d often bring in Italian breads like panettone and serve it to us with Nutella. YUM. She was a great teacher – although she would probably cringe at my little “welcome” note above.

Even though I did not have the chance to visit Bari while I was in Italy, I did visit four other Italian cities and thoroughly enjoyed them. With that said, there will be a lot of Italian recipes to come in the next few weeks - meaning a lot of carbs and a lot of wine! Haha.

Primo piatto: Prosciutto e melone

Ingredienti: 

• Organic prosciutto
• Organic cantelope
• Toothpicks
• A mouth!

To those of you who are thinking, “What the heck woman you said you don’t eat meat!”

Well, I don’t! Except tonight… and that one night in Rome. Actually, being a pescatarian in Europe was a difficult task and I managed to do it the entire time – thank you very much! I had to try it just once. Fellow vegetarians, I apologize, but it is pretty tasty once a year!

Indicazioni:

• Cut cantelope into bite size wedges
• Cut prosciutto into strips large enough to wrap around fruit
• Wrap fruit and stab with a toothpick
• Serve!

Secondo piatto: Risotto con gamberi e zucca

Ingredienti: 

• 5 cups of organic vegetable broth (you may use chicken broth if you like)
• 2 handfuls of organic cherry tomatoes
• 5 T organic unsalted butter
• 1 organic yellow onion, chopped
• 2 organic garlic cloves, minced
• 1 organic zucchini, diced
• 1 1/2 c organic Arborio rice
• Deveined, peeled shrimp (amount entirely up to you)
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 organic lemon, juiced
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Organic olive oil
• Sea salt & pepper

Indicazioni:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• Put cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet with olive oil (cook for about 20 minutes or until skin shrivels)
• In a medium saucepan bring vegetable oil to a boil then reduce to low heat and let simmer
• In a separate large saucepan heat 4 T of butter on medium heat, mix in chopped onion and minced garlic
• In a medium skillet saute zucchini on medium heat with olive oil, a pinch of pepper and lemon juice – set aside (cooking it in a separate skillet allows it to keep its texture)
• Add rice to onion and garlic saucepan, and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes
• Begin to ladle in (1 scoop at a time) the vegetable broth, stirring continuously until liquid is absorbed – still on medium heat, or medium/low if your burners tend to be too hot
• Repeat until broth is gone (**Do not let the mixture dry out or be too soupy, there is a happy medium)
• Add zucchini and whole tomatoes to risotto mix
• In the same zucchini skillet cook shrimp with remaining butter, wine and a pinch of pepper until it is pink
• Add shrimp to risotto mixture
• Slowly add parmesan cheese to risotto mixture, stir (**mixture should be thick but not too sticky, if it feels too sticky don’t add all of the cheese)
• Garnish with parsley, and salt if necessary
• Serve!

Ingredients for organic Melitzanosalata (eggplant salad)

• 3 organic eggplants (I bought two and wished for three later)
• 3 T organic olive oil
• 1 t sea salt
• 3/4 organic lemon, squeezed **Don’t overdo it with the lemon!
• 1 organic garlic clove (Or more depending on your preference. Again, don’t overdo it!)
• 1/4 c organic Greek yogurt (Healthy substitute for mayonnaise – Vegan substitute: mock mayonnaise)
• Toasted organic whole wheat (or regular) pitas
• Parsley flakes
• Pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Stab eggplants with a fork, making deep punctures
• Cook eggplant for about an hour or until the skin is cracking/pulling away from the meat of the vegetable
• After eggplant is cooked, place in a bowl of ice water for about 10-15 minutes
• Put eggplant in a colander over a bowl, place weight on the eggplant so that it may drain the water – do your best to drain all of the water
• Peel eggplant by making deep cuts across the skin and pulling skin away from the meat – remove seeds
• Once all the skin is removed place the eggplant in a food processor with the remaining ingredients, blend to preferred thickness
• Place in a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil, and a few sprinkles of parsley and pepper
• Cut pita bread into triangles and toast
• Serve!

While you’re waiting for your eggplant to cook is a good time to get the Dolmades going!

Ingredients for organic vegan Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves)

•  About 40 grape vine leaves **Plan ahead, you may have to go to a Mediterranean market for these (I recommend fresh ones if you can find them!)
• 2 c organic Arborio (risotto) rice
• 1 1/2 quarts organic vegetable broth (if you want you can substitute this for chicken broth)
• Olive oil
• 1 1/2 minced organic onions
• 1 minced organic garlic clove
• Fresh chopped organic mint leaves
• Fresh chopped organic dill
• Pinch of fennel
• 2 organic lemons, squeezed
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions

• Rinse grape leaves with water and cut stem **If fresh, boil leaves to soften them – but only for about 30 seconds!
• Place rinsed leaves on a cookie sheet and cover with paper towel – allow them to dry slightly.
• Mince onion and garlic, and place in a medium saucepan with olive oil – cook until soft.
• Add rice and 1/2 quart of vegetable broth – bring to a boil.
• Once boiling turn down to medium heat, add more olive oil, half the lemon juice, mint, fennel and dill – let simmer until rice is almost cooked. (If the texture seems dry add more broth as needed, but this should cook similar to normal rice.)
• When rice is thick and has a sticky texture to it, remove from heat, mix in salt and pepper, and let cool slightly.
• Next, spoon rice mixture into leaves – a teaspoon at a time. To roll, place scoop near the stem, fold each side in first, and then roll to the end. (See below)
• Place leaves in a medium saucepan, stacking carefully.
• Add more olive oil, remaining vegetable broth and 1/2 the second lemon’s juice over the rolled leaves in the saucepan (cover them entirely with broth).
• Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the broth has almost entirely evaporated. **Do not boil or the leaves will burst.
• Uncover and let cool.
• Drizzle with remaining lemon juice.
• Serve!

I hope you saved room for dessert, this was the best part!

Ingredients for organic Baklava

• Organic fillo dough (can be found at most grocery stores in the frozen baked goods section)
• 1 stick of organic butter (vegans can substitute with Earth Balance mock butter)
• 300 grams of organic walnuts – grated
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 c water
• 1 c sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 c honey (vegans can substitute with agave nectar)

Directions

• Thaw fillo dough, lay out and cover with wet paper towel so it doesn’t dry out
• Grate walnuts and cinnamon
• Melt butter in saucepan
• Greece baking pan 13 x 9 inches
• Place dough in pan, one piece at a time, buttering every few layers (if it doesn’t fit you may fold or cut the dough to the correct size)
• About 10 layers in butter and sprinkle 1/3 of walnut mixture over the buttered layer
• Repeat previous step two more times, butter top layer.
• Cover and place in refrigerator for about 15-20 mins, or until solid enough to cut with a knife.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• When cool, wet knife with water and cut into four sections. Continue to wet knife and cut diagonals into the dough. (see below)
• Place in oven and cook for about 1 hr 15 mins
• In the last 15 mins while the baklava cooks, make the syrup.
• Mix water and sugar and boil until sugar has dissolved, add vanilla and honey – boil about 5 minutes
• While both baklava and syrup are hot, pour syrup mixture over the top of the dessert – let cool
• Serve!

Phew! That appears to be a lot of work, but these are actually very simple recipes. If you’re only going to pick one to try make it the baklava… Goodness gracious it is good!!!!!

Let me know the outcomes of your attempts! Or if you have pointers