Wednesday, March 31, 2010

In Francia sta weekend!

Hello All!

I'm stuck in the office this evening waiting before I can finish up my work. It's not really a bother, we have the most gorgeous views over the valley and today is perfectly clear. It also means that I have some time to write a little blog post.

I'm going to France this weekend! I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but yes, I've booked a ticket from Milan to Nantes and I'm very excited. In addition to being Easter weekend (we have both Good Friday and Easter week off of work) it's my sister's birthday! I don't think we've been in the same place to celebrate it for years, maybe since she was in high school. We have grand baking and cooking plans from which I hope many photos will flow after the weekend. It seems like AGES since I've seen her or my brother-in-law and especially ages since I've seen his family, and I think it'll be a great trip.

I'm starting to get hungry and wee bit tired. I'm thinking of making some polenta for dinner (if I can get up the energy). I have leftover tomato sauce from Monday that needs eating, preferably with a load of parmesan.

I have to add a little something: I love my job. Even though I started at 8:30 am and probably won't leave until 8:30 pm. It's so worth it!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Some Photos from Home

Some Sondre Lerche

Making Friends Abroad

This is something I do not know how to do. The first time I went abroad (to Florence for a summer) I really didn’t make any friends at all, despite taking Italian classes every day with kids my age. I suppose I was enjoying the first opportunity I had ever had to be by myself all the time. I did enjoy it, but I would also have enjoyed having friends. The second time I went abroad I was in Paris with 80 other American students and I had no problem making friends. It was a blast, but I wish I had worked harder to make French friends as well.

This is my third experience living in another country for an extended period of time, and I really need to make an effort if I want to meet people. I’ve been here for three weeks so I’m not feeling frantic yet, and I do have quite a bit to do in the next month or so, but I still want to get started. How?? I work from 8:30 in the morning until 6 or later at night, and I have to go to bed by 10 if I even have a prayer of getting up at 6:30 for my morning run. Saturday is errand day and Sunday is baking and cleaning day. I live the life of an elderly spinster! I suppose the other issue is that I like living like an old lady with her cats. I’m such a homebody naturally that I don’t object to much to being by myself watching ANTM on Saturday night - at least not for the first month or so. I’ve already thought of lots of things I’d like to do here - visit the flower show at Bellinzona, go to Lake Como, take a boat tour of the lake, hike on San Salvatore - and I’m not going to want to do it all alone. So make friends I must.

What I’ve done so far is to join the Swiss Expat Blogger’s network, whose members are almost exclusively in the Zurich/Geneva areas, and not near Lugano. One of the bloggers posted about a social networking site called “Meetup” where you can join groups of people with your interests for the occasional meeting. There is a group for English speakers in Lugano that will meet in April. What next? The Big Ben club (part of the Swiss-Anglo clubs of Switzerland) is going bowling tonight, the International Women of Lugano have a couple meetings in April and the American Women of Ticino have just sent me their newsletter (but how do all these women meet for coffee on workdays?). I deeply want to bury my head in the sand because meeting so many new people all together sounds completely exhausting BUT I think I have to go. I could stay in my little town for months on end without making new friends, but then I would be living out of an emotional weekend suitcase. I won’t really make a life in Switzerland unless I make friends and (I hate this expression but here we go) “put myself out there”. People are always telling me to do that (usually because they think I should be dating) but there you have it.

Dating profile next…?

Lemon-Rosemary Polenta Cake



Sunday I decided to try my hand at baking in Europe. I don’t know why I thought it would be so much more complicated than it is in the US, but it wasn’t. Well, not really anyway. You have to convert the measurements, find and weigh the ingredients, take into account the automatic convection in the oven when calculating the cooking time, and work in a tiny kitchen with limited tools…ok, it was a little complicated. Still, as it turns out, baking is baking. I was planning on bringing this cake into the office, so I wanted to make something that would appeal to the Italian gusto - light, not too sweet, not to cloying. I chose a lemon-rosemary polenta cake with lemon-rosemary syrup for my project.

The baking, as I said, went very well. I had already planned to make a half recipe (pictured) to make sure I got the proportions correct and to build my confidence a bit. The first cake came out beautifully but took quite a while to cook (about 40 min). I’ll attribute that to how full the little pan was. By contrast, the full-sized cake cooked relatively quickly (in 37 min), probably because the pan wasn’t nearly as full. It also failed to rise in the middle, which could be due to the fact that I brought the temperature up after the first cake failed to cook. Ah, well, c’est la vie. I’m sure if you try this at home you’ll have a much easier time, after all, your oven will be standard US. This European oven and I are still getting to know each other.

The other major failure with this recipe was the syrup. When I made the syrup as instructed it just came out as sugar water. Delicious, lemon and rosemary scented sugar water, but not something I was going to put on a cake. I reheated it and kept adding sugar until it started to thicken a bit, then I set it aside again to cool. Well of course then when it cooled it was much too thick, and even adding the lemon juice didn’t stop it from crystallizing on the top of the cake. Since it looks delish, and tastes delish, and probably keeps the moisture in the cake so it will last longer, I don’t see this as too big a negative. Still, the recipe I’ve listed below for the syrup probably isn’t completely reliable. Play around with it and see.

Lemon-Rosemary Polenta Cake
1/2 cup (113 g) melted and cooled butter
1 1/2 cup (192 g) flour
2 tsp. (10 g) baking powder
1 tsp (5 g) salt
3/4 (112 g) Polenta
4 eggs
3/4 cup (150 g) white sugar
Zest of 1 1/2 lemons
2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F (or 182 C). Butter and flour a 9 inch cake pan.
Melt butter and set aside to cool. Combine dry ingredients. Mix eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add lemon zest and rosemary and mix until combined. Add 1/3 the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then add 1/2 the butter. Continue until all the ingredients are just combined. Pour into the cake pan and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the sides come away from the pan and a knife in the middle comes out clean. The top should be golden brown, and spring back a bit when you touch it.

Lemon-Rosemary Syrup
1/2 cup (118 g/125 ml) water 
1/3 cup (67 g) white sugar
Rosemary, zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1 lemon

Dissolve the sugar in the water in a saucepan over the stove. After the sugar is completely dissolved, add the lemon zest and the rosemary. Bring to a boil and set aside for 15 minutes before straining. Add the lemon juice before serving. Spoon over the cake (still in the pan) after it has cooled for 10 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or plain! Fruit would be good as well, if you are so inclined. Actually this wouldn’t be too bad with fruit cooked in it either.

Dutch Baby Pancakes


Breakfast! As you can see I found maple syrup in the supermarket. I wanted to make this recipe I found online called “Dutch Baby Pancakes”. They are supposed to be a bit like a souffle and a popover, they puff in the oven and fall when you take them out, and the middle is eggy and custardy. Well. I had to adjust the recipe for ml instead of cups, and the temperature for degrees Celsius and not Fahrenheit (also taking into account the automatic fan-assist in my oven, which makes the food cook faster). We’re at altitude as well (albeit not that high) so I added a little extra flour, just in case.

This is what came out! It was heavier than I expected and as you can see it didn’t rise in the middle at all. It was, however, pure delicious pancakey goodness with maple syrup on top. Next time I’d probably add some kind of leavening, or, you know, just make pancakes ; )

Dutch Baby Pancakes
2 Large Eggs
1/2 cup (or 120 ml) flour
1/2 cup (or 120 ml) milk
1/4 tsp. (or 2 ml) salt
1/2 Tbsp. (or 7 ml) melted butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (or 210 degrees Celcius with a fan-assist oven), and place a 6 in oven-safe frying pan inside. Mix all the ingredients (until just combined, don’t over mix the flour!) and when the oven is at 425 take out the frying pan and pour the batter in. Place the pan back in the oven and cook for 15-20 min (I did 17) until it’s puffy. Serve immediately with maple syrup, jam, nutella, or any other thing! You can double the recipe and cook it in a 10 in. skillet for 20-25 minutes for 2-4 people.

The City Park


Last night I went to a meeting of the Big Ben Club of Lugano. I found out about it online; it’s a club of English speakers who get together for events once a month or so. I wasn’t sure what to expect but if you want to meet people you have to do something! It ended up being lovely, although all the attendees were much older than I.

Walking on the way to this meeting (which was in a restaurant over-looking the docks by the lake) I passed through the city park, which I had seen before but had never really explored. It rained yesterday (torrential downpour + hail actually) but the skies were clearing by evening, and I thought the pink light over the mountains was heavenly. These are some of the pictures I got! I’m only working with my iPhone camera, since I left my camera battery charger at home (dumb) but the shots still came out ok. enjoy!

Photos of the Weekend



 





















Here are some of the photos I took this week. I went for a walk last Sunday through Viglio, across the train tracks and down by the laghetto (little lake) into Sorengo (where there is apparently an Irish pub). From Sorengo I took a left and headed up a small street going up the mountain. It was lined by posh houses and apartments that got fancier (and older) the higher up I got. I finally landed in the middle of some very old and gracious buildings indeed, which was the center of Muzzano. It’s a very fancy, very posh tiny town outside of Lugano. The homes are all gated and I suspect the reason there are so many horses around are because the residents of this little village are jodhpurs-wearing equestriens. Incidentally the little lake is called “laghetto di Muzzano” not “di Viglio” or “di Sorengo” or even “di Agno”. Hmph.























On the way back home I passed a sign with a cute toad on it, which warned that there would be toads in the street at night. Now what I driver is supposed to do to avoid toads crossing the road at midnight I do not know, but the sign is there just in case. These toads, by the by, are not in the least bit cute in real life. They are awful, giant, slimy-looking things which decline to hop in favor of slithering/crawling. Disgusting.























Today I went grocery shopping and bought the entire store. Not actually, but I’m working on doing some baking this weekend so I did buy a fair bit of flour, butter, sugar, leavening and the like. I don’t know how well it will turn out since I’ve never attempted baking a cake in Europe, but I’ll do my best. IN ADDITION to finding flour etc, I happened upon a welcome sight: GOCCIOLE!! These are the marvelous, delicious, crispy, chocolatey cookies that Rachel, Allie and I discovered in Rome. I thought they might have them here but I hadn’t seen them so far, and almost gave up hope. I think this discovery means I need to add an extra five miles a week of jogging. These cookies are so good that I’d have trouble preventing myself from eating a whole bag at a time.

One last story before I hop off and make something to eat: I was trying to pick a shower gel here and I had the most awkward time of it. First of all, the shower gel aisle looked like a sex products aisle. I don’t know what it was, but all of the containers just looked like lubricant and stuff. It doesn’t help that the words are all “cremeuse” and “gel douche” and all that nonsense. I’m sure no one else noticed but I was blushing. I finally found something orange-blossom scented (does it get more innocent?) and went on my way to looking for wax paper. Still not sure if that’s what I bought…

Miss You Friends!


I should be getting in bed right now, because it’s gonna be a pain to wake up at 6 tomorrow for my run, but I’m thinking of my friends right now so I thought I’d post some pictures. I miss you all (also those not pictured)!

Delicious Eggy Dinner

So I should have a photo to post, but my dinner was so delicious looking, and my stomach was so demanding, that I have nothing but my words.

I’ve been reading the Bitten blog from the New York Times the past few days, since they have several ideas for delicious meals, even for one. I found a recipe for “baked egg” which looked yummy, but needed some modifications. The recipe suggests you take a slice of tomato, cover with a piece of prosciutto and crack an egg on top. Then you bake it in the oven for 12 minutes at 375 degress, until the whites are set. Well fine, except I don’t want ham, and I have all this leftover stewed tomato with olives, and I don’t like under-cooked eggs. But I liked the idea.

So here’s what I did:
I took a soup bowl with a flat bottom from the cabinet (praying it was oven-safe) and spooned some stewed tomatoes into it (I love stewed tomatoes, because they are easy to make and you can eat them with just about anything. Seriously. Chicken, eggs, beef, on the stove, in the oven. You could even make a savoury pancake if you wanted, or just have it on toast. Make a potful and eat it every meal for a week). I cracked two eggs (I was really hungry) into another bowl and stirred them thoroughly. Then I poured them over the tomatoes. Finally, I sliced some fresh mozzarella and placed it in the eggs. I suppose if I hadn’t been as hungry I could have half cooked the eggs and put the cheese on then, so it would melt and broil on top. I could have, but I didn’t. Finally I put my (rather full) soup bowl in the oven. I was almost certain it would spill over a little, but I had no idea how much. Fortunately after 15 or so minutes the over-spill was minimal and the eggs were perfect. You know they are done (to my liking) when the top is puffy, slightly golden and a little cracked, and it doesn’t jiggle when you take it out.

I thought it would be fine, a tasty thing to eat and quick to prepare. I was wrong. It was absolutely delicious, rich and savoury, very cheesy and a perfect balance of the elements. The mozzarella sunk a bit to the bottom and ended up being more mixed with the tomatoes than the eggs, but it was perfect. I ate it with buttered toast (which I still have to make in a frying pan on the stove).  I’m so glad I discovered this recipe, which I’m sure will be a dream when I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking very much. Next time I’ll put a plate under the soup bowl to catch the drips, but the possibilities for preparing this are virtually endless. Bacon, prosciutto, asparagus, spinach, you name it.

I have some baking plans for the weekend, but my Saturday morning recipe will be something called a “Dutch Baby Cake” which is apparently a large pancake you bake in the oven. It sounds delectable and I’m hoping to find some maple syrup in the grocery store to pour on top. Bless!

The View from Viglio

















 Laghetto di Muzzano

















Aeroporto di Agno

First Saturday in Lugano




















































Lugano is the most adorable, sophisticated, orderly and polite city one could ask for. Technically I live in a suburb called Viglio, so in order to get to Lugano I have to take a short train ride to the edge of the city. It’s so tiny (smaller than Palo Alto) that the walk into the center if town only takes a couple minutes from the train station. There is a little path that runs through some trees and past a church before it gets to a narrow cobblestone road leading right into the city center. This is a shot of the top of that road, taken from a little park next to the church.

It’s warm enough here that I can sit and enjoy a book before heading back up to the train to put my groceries away. I have grand plans to make chicken provençale. I miss you, friends! Wish you could join me for dinner.

Bliss

First of all, I have found my place to run every day. And I’ve actually been running. What’s more, when I get back there are these fabulous seeded croissants and Swiss yogurt for breakfast. Le sigh.

The most blissful thing so far is work. I have something to contribute! Finally! I have meetings and tasks and ideas and projects. And coworkers (who are there everyday). It’s delightful.

I have to post some photos of the views from our beautiful office. To give you an idea, I see snow topped peaks in the distance, though the mountains in the foreground are clear and covered with houses. In the valley there is an airport which I love to watch, because all day long tiny planes take off, completely dwarfed by the mountains. It reminds me of Jurassic Park. At night all the houses on the mountain-sides light up and it’s like fairy land. Pictures to come soon, although wouldn’t you believe that the only two things I forgot at home were my favorite perfume and my camera battery charger!

New She & Him Video!

On My Way























 After 15 or so hours of the most irritating travel (seated in the last row of the plane right next to the bathroom, having the ticket woman at united tell me I was unlikely to be allowed to enter Switzerland without a return ticket (false), having had cups (mercifully unused) and a jacket dropped on my head, forgotten for dinner, left asleep for breakfast and now on a tiny propellor plane (!) to Lugano, I’m feeling much too flustered and disheveled to be on a plane with such elegant Swiss citizens. I think everyone will agree that I deserve no pity since my fifteen mildly unpleasant hours of travel have resulted in my arrival in possibly (probably) (definitely) the most beautiful country on the planet.

As a side note, I think the smartest thing I’ve ever done is bake delicious food and bring it on the plane with me. Attendees of my party last night—or rather two nights ago—should be jealous to hear that the chocolate sauce congealed into the most delightful ganache I’ve ever tasted.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Dinner!

Today I went grocery shopping and when I got home and put my cheese-on-bread dinner out it suddenly felt like a celebration. Cheers to my new, grown-up life.

On the other hand, the loaf of bread and the entire container of cheese is now residing in my stomach. Oops.