Saint Patrick's Day Fun

Well, Happy Belated Saint Patty's Day everyone!!
Yes, I know, a day late and a dollar short as per usual! :D It can't be helped.
 But I hope that everyone had a wonderful time drinking green beer and celebrating with marvelous foods and parties.
Saint Patrick's Day was crazy, not because I went out for green beer or anything like that but because we through a Saint Patty's Day party at work for all of our students.  We started prepping at around 1 and then the party started at 4:30 and didn't finish until 7. I also did some prep cooking the night before at home so a lot went into our party planning. I put up streamers and we put up shamrocks and rainbows and of course the games needed setting up.  But it looked great at the end.

This picture is the aftermath picture!  It looked a lot prettier before the kids
somehow pulled down two of my streamers.  I'm still not quite sure how
they reached them, but it must have taken a lot of effort! :)

Let me just tell you, it was exhausting with all of the little children running around!  But it was a lot of fun as well!
We had a blast with face paint! I learned how to paint shamrocks and rainbows with pots of gold on

Making Leprechauns!!

the kids faces.  We played games like pin the pot of gold on the rainbow, musical leprechauns (just like musical chairs lol), giant leprechaun memory and leprechaun bingo plus I organized a craft for them. The children had to make their own leprechauns, girl or boy, by gluing different hair, mouths, beards, and hats onto a blank face, all of which I'd drawn and pre-cut out for them.  So much effort but the kids had a blast and then got to color their creations as well.
I spent the party running around chasing after the kids or making them do crafts or just generally entertaining them but I also contributed to the food table.  For the most part, we had chips, popcorn, candy and various desserts but I handled the "adult" food.  I made a St. Patty's Day Spinach Pie. Honestly, it was my normal recipe (found here). Then right before baking I cut off the excess (pre-made) crust, rolled it out and wrote "Happy Saint Patrick's Day!" on the spinach pie. I even made some shamrocks for decoration.  It was gorgeous and my roommates were oohing and aahing over it when it was done.
At the party it was a hit for its decoration and for the adults but as I suspected not so much with the kids. Kids do not love spinach.  They debated eating it, and we tried to convince them to try small slices but to no avail. One of the students did run up to me and told me how good it was.  Small successes.
I also attempted to make a rainbow out of fruit.  I wanted to use slices of strawberry, orange wedges,

It didn't quite look like a rainbow (I was in such a rush that I put the colors
in the wrong order) but it was delicious and also pretty.

chunks of pineapples, grapes and blueberries to form the arcs but there were no pineapples or blueberries at the super market successfully eliminating two colors.  But I tried anyway.
I used bananas for yellow and skipped the blue and purple. Since I was running around like a crazy person before the party (I was prepping games and putting up streamers and other decorations) I actually didn't have time to slice the fruit but luckily for me some of the teachers were able to take care of it for me.  They are awesome.  Then when I finally had a second I made fresh whipped cream and turned it into a cloud on our rainbow platter. It was quite lovely and also very successful with both adults and kids.  The fruit was fresh and the whipped cream a nice complement.

Just wow!! So many levels of intricate!

But honestly the showstopper at our party was not made by me.  One of the parents made an utterly gorgous looking Over the Rainbow Leprechaun cake.  I almost didn't want to cut into it.  It was green inside with chocolate chips and was quite tasty.  I was so amazed by the skill involved in making something so in depth.  She also made these adorable fudge top hats.  I didn't get to try one but they were very cute and I'm told they were quite delicious.

The adorable top hats!

It was a great party and the kids really enjoyed themselves running back and forth and playing our English games.  The adults had fun socializing and eating our various treats so overall I'd say the party was a success.
We had a lot of fun and were utterly pooped by the end but a couple of us still made the effort to go out for a beer (or in my case cider) and some live Irish music afterwards.

Restaurant Review Florence: Trattoria Anita

I discovered Trattoria Anita back in 2009 when I moved to Florence for my masters (yay Italian linguistics!). Actually, I should say that my friend David discovered it and then introduced me and our friends to Anita's some time in the late fall that year.

The food was so good and the atmosphere so friendly that I've been going there ever since.  It's also decently priced so as a poor student I could afford to eat the amazing food.  While living in Florence I went every couple of weeks and was constantly introducing new people to it.  I've even drawn countless maps on napkins since it's on a back street that most won't accidentally happen upon (which means that there are quite a few Italian diners). It's still not super touristy but it's so good that I can't help but send anyone looking for an amazing Florentine meal there.
And now, I'm finally writing a bog review for it.
Only took me 3 years. -.-
I'm a great procrastinator.
I have tried a lot of their menu, which hasn't really changed since I first ate there.  Honestly, of everything I've tried there has only been one thing that I didn't love and that was their risotto.  It was okay but definitely not my favorite dish.  I think the vegetables in the risotto had been out of season and therefore frozen and not as good as possible.
I have a couple of all time favorite dishes that towards the end of my stay in Florence back in 2012 I got pretty often (okay, almost every time I went, I got the same thing).  I stopped experimenting as much as stuck to my tried and true amazing favorite dishes.  Going back two weeks ago, I did pretty much the same.

The one order came with 2 of each of these

I usually start with the crostini toscani.  If you don't like pate it's not the way to go, but I personally think it's delicious, especially at Trattoria Anita.  The pate is served on warm toasted bread and it's quite creamy but not perfectly smooth.  It has a great texture.  For those of you a little more faint of heart, their tomato bruschetta is also quite delicious with super fresh tomatoes.  Lindsay and I opted for a combination of the Toscani and bruschetta so I could eat my liver and she could eat her tomatoes.
I chose not to get my other favorite appetizer, but if it's your first time at Anita I highly recommend trying the baked pecorino and prosciutto crudo.  It's unbelievably incredible.  I love the gooey, melted cheese paired with the saltiness of the prosciutto.  It comes out in a super hot ceramic dish so watch your hands!  I always eat it with the saltless Florentine bread. Mmmmm... It is heaven in your mouth. I don't remember why we opted for the crostini instead, but this would have been a beautiful way to start our meal.
Then for my main course I very often get the tortellini Norcina.  This last trip was no different.  It is a

My absolute favorite! Tortellini norcina

fairly unique and rich dish.  The sauce is a tomato based sauce made with cream and sausage.  The sauce is so good that it practically melts in your mouth. The tortellini themselves are cooked to al dente perfection and the filling is smooth and creamy but light so it blends with the heaviness of the sausage and cream.  After eating all of the perfectly cooked tortellini I always wind up doing the "scarpetta".  AKA I use a piece of bread to sop up all the rest of the sauce on the plate. i cleaned the plate so well two weekends ago that the waiter gave me a high five. He was quite hilarious and awesome about it.

Lindsay got the pici con cinghiale and that was amazing as well.  Pici is a kind of pasta typical to the Tuscan region and is a hand made noodle similar to spaghetti but thicker. Cinghiale is wild boar. Wild boar is a Florentine specialty.  We were not disappointed by the wild boar sauce for the fresh pici.  The sauce was beautifully seasoned and absolutely full of delicious morsels of wild boar.  Boar is heartier than pork and a little gamier generally speaking but in this dish the gaminess was a non issue. It was rich and flavorful but not tough.
In the past I've tried a lot of other pastas and I can highly recommend their carbonara (I know, the Romans are rolling their eyes, it's a Roman specialty not a Florentine specialty) and their penne with pecorino and sausage. The penne has a rich and creamy sauce with whole chunks of pecorino and sausage. It''s pretty amazing.
I've also tried a lot of their chicken and steak dishes and those are also wonderful but I haven't had them as often since I love my pasta more than my protein.  That being said they have a wonderfully juicy stuffed chicken breast covered in cheese.  It's amazing as is their bistecca alla fiorentina.  They charge you by weight so they'll let you pick the piece of meat they grill for you.  Warning: it will be al sangue, or rare because that's how they make it. If you try to get it medium, or god forbid well done, you are most likely going to have an argument with waiters (not just in Anita, but anywhere in Florence they will argue about the merits of rare steak).
I have to say that I also love Trattoria Anita because of it's charm. It's food is wonderful but it also has a very cozy feeling because it's not super large and it's divided into sections so you don't feel like you're eating in the middle of millions of people.  It's quieter as a result of the division of rooms as well which I love.  It means that there's a happy hustle and bustle in the background but it's not too loud to talk.  It's a great place to sit and talk over a meal where you won't get rushed at all.
Then there's the waitstaff. They are hilarious and wonderfully sympathetic. They periodically try to speak English to me and make me laugh. They know I speak Italian so they normally speak in Italian which makes me happy. They are great with people who are learning Italian because they tend to be very encouraging to beginners.  They flirt and charm and make you feel right at home.
I hadn't been to Anita's in about two years and they remembered me and welcomed me back with open arms.  They are lovely people and really contribute a lot to the whole amazing atmosphere. I've been to other restaurants with equally good or even better food and I've not gone back because the atmosphere wasn't pleasant or because the waitstaff was rude.
Trattoria Anita is wonderful in all senses.
Seriously, make sure if you're in Florence that you go to Anita's because it is absolutely worth it.

Visiting Florence

It’s amazing.

When I go to Florence it’s as if nothing ever changes and then of course you take a closer look and realize that lots of things have changed, but it’s all background change. Nothing important has changed. The people are the same. The atmosphere is the same. Florence is always the same gorgeous city full of the same amazing sites.

I took this picture on Sunday, hence why it's not lit up

I got to Florence on Saturday and took a long lazy walking tour through center. There are some new restaurants, cafes, and gelaterias but the most important ones, the best still remain exactly where they have always been. They have stayed the same.

For example, for dinner we went to Trattoria Anita, what was a fixture in my life when I lived in Florence. It’s still the same and still incredible. It is so incredible that it deserves its own blog posting (which should be up soon)

Then there’s Old Stove Signoria.  My fixture. My home away from home in Florence. It’s an ordinary bar in Piazza Signoria and I practically lived there for the last two years of my stay in

Old Stove Signoria... A quiet moment

bella Firenze. I made friends with the hilarious bartenders and with their friends too.  It’s not the best food, but the atmosphere is incredible and the staff are friendly and awesome, especially the night staff.  There have been a few changes over the years, but it’s still an amazing place.  I don’t love the new kitchen but I still love the music, radio and live. Plus on Tuesday and Saturday nights they still do karaoke too. The karaoke is hilarious and fun and I love going and singing with my Italian girls who just egg me on and have me try random, difficult songs for the hell of it. 

That was my Saturday in Florence. Amazing dinner with my friend Lindsay and then karaoke at Old Stove after a cider at the other  Old Stove near the Porcellino.  It was a great night with awesome people and general hilarity and went on till the early hours of the morning. 

Now just a general warning, if you are a single, attractive single (well, okay, you don’t have to be single) female, you will get hit on at Old Stove Signoria. It is inevitable. The bartenders are hilarious and will hit on attractive females but it is part of their amazing Italian charm.  Just don’t let yourself get too charmed. ;)

The view from the bench in front of Old Stove

Then on Sunday after a nice long sleep, Lindsay made me an awesome homemade breakfast and then I went for a walk around the city. I met up with one of my favorite Italians, Alessio . We had a brief catch up session at Old Stove over a cider. (I know, I go to Old Stove a lot when I’m in Florence but in the day it’s very  relaxing and chill.) It’s been about 2 years since I’ve been able to sit down with him so I was super excited.

After my gab session I ran around the city confirming that nothing has changed terribly drastically.  I went to Via dei Neri and got a gelato from one of my favorites, Gelateria dei Neri (my review here). It’s still one of the best in the city. I get it way too often when I’m in the city but I love it wayyy too much.

I took a nice, long walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo and took lots of gorgeous pictures of the beautiful

One of the views walking down from Piazzale Michelangelo

sun and landscapes. It was refreshing and amazingly relaxing before my early evening with Lindsay and her most adorable son at a Carnevale party where we munched and danced to the Macarena. 

Then after a long day I wandered back to Old Stove for a cider and a chicken burger. Really I wandered over to say goodbye to everyone, but I was hungry so I decided to get a snack before training it back to Rome. The chicken burger was pretty good but I covered it in mayo, ketchup and Tabasco (I always ask for Tabasco because I love spicy wayyy too much not to do it). Then while I ate I took some time to write in the crowd like old times.  Some things never change. Somehow or other I can sit in a crowded pub and still focus on writing. It’s one of the few times I don’t get easily distracted.

Overall, I’d say it was an awesome weekend filled with good food, old friends, and cold cider. I’m definitely glad I got away from Rome for the weekend. Goodness knows I’ll be back to Florence again quite soon. 

Restaurant Review Florence: Gelateria dei Neri

In Florence, I have a few favorite gelato places and among the top is Gelateria dei Neri.  It's one of my favorite, if not my all time favorite gelato place in Florence.  I've been going there since 2006 when I first studied abroad. We would go once a week (at least) since it is right next to Santa Croce, where the Sarah Florence Program is.
It's conveniently located directly between Santa Croce and Piazza Signoria, meaning it's also quite close to the Ponte Vecchio. For anyone who's not been to Florence, super, super central and easy to walk to.
Now, every time I'm in the city I take a stroll down Via dei Neri and grab myself a €2.50 cup of gelato.  I always get a cup because I find that cones can get really messy and I'm notorious for spilling without extra incentive.  Cups all the way!
I love Gelateria dei Neri because they have so many flavors to choose from, especially in the summer. They have all of the traditional flavors like chocolate (cioccolato), strawberry (fragola), vanilla (crema), and cookies & cream (stracciatella) but they have a lot of other unique and awesome flavors.
They have a ton of fruit flavors and so many chocolate options that I could die of happiness.

I love, absolutely love their dark chocolate (cioccolato amaro).  It is rich and dark and creamily potent. If you love dark chocolate in general then this is definitely the flavor for you.
Their mint flavor is tasty as is the mango.  One of my other favorites is the crostata e fragolino di bosco which is a cream gelato swirled with strawberry jam and chunks of strawberry crostata (a type of fruit crumble/pie). It's absolutely delicious and unique to Gelateria dei Neri.
In summer time the options are even more plentiful.  I've been there a lot and still haven't tried each flavor although this is partially because I am a creature of habit.  There are a couple of flavors that I am stuck on, like the dark chocolate and the fragolino di bosco.  Even this last weekend I got dark chocolate, fragolino di bosco and the frutti di bosco (fruit of the wood, aka mixed berry).  I was not

dissappointed.  In fact, I was quite pleased with my choice.  The fruit and cream really helped to balance the thickness and density of the dark chocolate.
If you ever find yourself in Florence I highly recommend you try some gelato at Gelateria dei Neri.
It's easy to get to with lots of great choices.  And if you're in Florence during winter, they even have crepes and other kinds of desserts just in case it's too cold for ice cream!