Another Week of Food for One

I'm the kind of person that goes in and out of phases, and I'm still not convinced that this food obsession isn't just another one of my phases. From a positive perspective, maybe now that pharmacy school isn't so insanely hectic it is giving me more time to try new things. How long do I have to keep this up for it to be cemented into my routine? If only working out would have the same effect on me...

I must say, this new method of meal planning has definitely cut down on my random purchases at the grocery store. I still spend an hour at the store wandering through each aisle, but if I see something I want I think, "What could I make with it?". If nothing comes to mind, I sadly put it back down. 

But that's not to say that Nutella didn't make it into my cart, even though it wasn't on my list. Although I would consider that an essential pantry stock item. 

This weekend I've decided not to go grocery shopping. Instead of buying new ingredients to try out new recipes, I'll work with what I already have and try to shave down my pantry a bit. Shopping and cooking for one is extremely difficult! 

Some of the things I have in mind to make from things currently in my pantry and fridge:

• Venezuelan empanadas 
• Tortellini cooked numerous ways 
• Whole wheat bread sandwiches 
• Cucumber and feta salad 
• Good ol' faithful: EGGS

We will see how this salvage week goes! 

Review: Inferno (SPOILERS)

**If you haven't read the book and don't wish to know any plot, don't read any further!**

***Clearly, this post is coming months after I went to Italy but I felt was definitely worth sharing***

I was very excited when I heard that Dan Brown was going to have a newest installment of a Robert Langdon adventure. Two reasons for this: 1) love Robert Langdon 2) was disappointed in The Lost Symbol and wanted his story salvaged!

The coolest part was the timing because the book is set in Florence and Venice (along with a third main   location in Istanbul) and that's where Errol and I were headed! My roommate got me the book for my birthday, which arrived at my home just in time to be packed for travel. Throughout the plane ride and Rome and Greve days, I managed to finish in time to explore the book whilst in Florence and Venice!

Ceiling of the Hall of 500, where Vasari wrote "cerca trova" on one of the paintings. 

View of the Ponte Vecchio from the top floor of the Uffizi Gallery

Hall of 500: Unfortunately the room was not available to the public so we couldn't go down and search for "Cerca trova" 

Unassuming hallway containing Dante's mask

Supposed death mask of Dante Alighieri 

Hall of Geographical Maps, including the map of Armenia

Map of Armenia! You can see in the middle of the right side frame there's a small pin handle. 

We asked one of the staff if it opened, and she opened it for us! Going through is a separate paid tour. 

Baptistery of San Giovanni


Inside the Baptistery where the Dante's mask was found


The REAL Doors of Paradise are actually in a separate museum!

St. Mark's Basilica (Venice) was being cleaned, but you could still see the horses! 

The perfect timing of this book made the trip to Italy that much sweeter. And I'm lucky that I went with someone who was just as excited as I was! 

Overall, I felt that Inferno was a really great book that brings up some controversial topics in an entertaining way. It's highly unpredictable (or maybe I'm just bad at predicting things) and keeps you wanting more. 

Bake-venture: Chocolate and Caramel Biscotti

I had the random inspiration to make biscotti this weekend. Baking is something that is unfamiliar to me - honestly sticking something in the oven and hoping it comes out right makes me nervous. At least on the stove, you can tend to it and give it attention and adjust as needed. I think the only way to get over this is to bake some things successfully.  I think I'm on my way! 

I used this recipe for my biscotti: http://jellytoastblog.com/2013/02/salted-caramel-chocolate-biscotti.html/

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 & 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

15 caramel candies, unwrapped and chopped small

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (I used my Silpat!)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together sugar, vanilla and eggs until white and creamy. 

In a separate bowl whisk together flours, baking soda and salt.

With the mixer on low, slowing add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.

Fold in caramels and 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. 

Divide dough in half and form into two 12 inch logs on prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly so logs are about 3/4 inch high. 

Bake for 35 minutes, and take a peak because you've never see biscotti pre-sliced before!

Remove and allow to cool for 10 min. I picked off the caramel leakage on the sides and ate them. No shame in that.

With a sharp knife, slice each log. I used a serrated bread knife, just be careful not to damage the loaf too much. 

Lay biscotti down on the cut sides. 

Bake again for 10 minutes. Flip the biscotti over and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until biscotti are nicely dried. 

Voila! I believe they turned out really well. Ideally I would have melted chocolate, drizzled it over the biscotti, and sprinkled with sea salt to make them salted caramel biscotti. I tried twice to melt semisweet chocolate chips and both batches seized up, so I gave up. Another adventure for another time. I don't have much of sweet tooth, and these are not too sweet (but still sweet enough for everyone!). 

As a side note, I'm in love with my Silpat! Nothing stuck to it - even the caramel that seeped out of the biscotti loaves. 

Bakeventure a success! It lifted my confidence a bit, until next time...