Halloween: Italian ~ Style!

Although Halloween is not celebrated in Italy, I just fell in love with the colorful and creative masks of Venice and wanted to share some shots of them along with some of my photos from Venice from my trip.  The small pink masks above immediately caught my eye!

I thought that these checkerboard design mask were rather unusual and spooky-looking! 

masks are for sale everywhere, with the more expensive and custom-made masks sold in shops hidden in the interior canals of Venice 

that I sadly did not have time to explore . . . 

there's always another time!

I bought 3 of these (above) in various colors of blue, emerald, and aqua as wall decor in a bedroom.

and one more that I bought to use in the same bedroom.
I loved the feathers on this mask!
(photo taken from iPhone, so a bit blurry)

Beautiful old buildings with shuttered windows and windowsill flower planters.

ancient stone and marble sculptures and architecture

canal bridges against colorful buildings and arched windows

sculpture is everywhere and adds to the beauty of Venice

the infamous Venetian gondolas that I am saving for a future ride with my husband

beautiful metal gates lead into mysterious gardens 

now this is a cool taxi . . . notice the clean, emerald green sea water.

not dirty in any way and no odor at all as some people have stated.

it was simply beautiful water!

just makes you want to sing an Italian song to someone you love!

more from Venice later on . . . 

Have a fun and safe Halloween!

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Prosciutto, Parmigiana~Regiano Cheese, Tortellini and Balsamico Vinegar in an Airport!

A specialty store for Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiana-Regiano cheese, hand-made tortellini, and balsamic vinegar freshly packed and marketed to travelers in an AIRPORT was the first thing (well actually the second thing) that I noticed upon landing in the Bologna airport in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.  Only in Italy would one see such a sight!  I could not believe my eyes!  You'd never see this anywhere in the States.

Upon landing and departing from the plane, I could also not help but first notice the run down, falling apart nature of the airport, especially after the pristine airport in the Netherlands where my connecting flight was in Amsterdam.  My mother told me that the airport in Bologna was very old, and that had to be the understatement of the day!  I wasn't thrilled that this was my first impression of Italy (on the ground).  It's nice to know that it looked like they were trying to renovate the place!  I might add that the Milan airport was quite nice from which we flew home from.  

My impressions soon did a 180 degree turn upon seeing this little shop in the airport.  There were crowds of travelers pushing in line to purchase the specialities of Emilia-Romagna.  If my parents weren't in such a hurry (as they always are) to get the rental car, I would have had such a good time spending my Euros for the very first time!

And the surprise of how inexpensive the prices of food are in Italy just took me by shock!  In the restaurants, forget it, you pay very high prices for food, but in the markets  . . . what a SWEET deal you'll find!  In my opinion, staying in a villa or a 

'pensione' is the only way to stay in Italy.  For the three (3) of us we only spent 130 Euros for one week while staying in a villa with a little kitchen.  The first day I was in Venice, I spent 80 Euro just for lunch!!  Plus the joy of shopping for fresh produce in the local markets and talking to the proprietor in Italian was so much fun!

the balsamico vinegar (aceto di balsamico) is available from 2 euro to 150 euro,

 with the age, sweetness, thickness, and thus quality increasing with each price.

whole legs of Prosciutto di Parma (from Parma, Italy in Emilia-Romagna) are sold in these large sizes!

to my vegetarian friends whom I totally respect:   I'm not trying to offend anyone,
 but it would be hell to be a veggie in Italy . . . 

I'd buy a leg or two of this!
 Every home in Italy has their own meat slicer!

"smaller" chunks of prosciutto are available if you don't want a whole leg of it

parmigiana-regiano cheese sold for pennies versus the price we pay in the States

just like my family, the smaller the tortellini, the better, and here sold hand-made in an airport!

the larger tortelloni available in spinach or egg pasta . . . mmmm!

and finally, although blurry with the movement going on (and taken from my iPhone),

 just a shot of the line of people waiting to purchase these delicious Italian specialties!

There's no boloney about cured meats in Bologna, Italy!

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Jessica of "Kitchen Bellicious" Guest Post: Peppered Beef Soup in Toasted Bread Bowls

I have wanted to ask many of my favorite foodie bloggers to guest post here in on ‘la bella vita’ for sometime. This month I was priviledged to have Liz from “That Skinny Chick Can Bake” help launch this endeavor. And today, I am THRILLED to share a guest post from one of my absolute favorite food bloggers, Jessica from “Kitchen Bellicious”. Jessica writes an AMAZING blog on which she features fabulous recipes that she truly does prepare . . . and all of this while raising two small children. I don’t know how many of her recipes that I have printed out to make some day soon, but I have also prepared and shared two (2) of her recipes on my blog as well. I am so impressed with Jessica and her blog and I truly thank her dearly for her kindness to guest post on ‘la bella vita’. Please visit her soon, and I’m certain you’ll love what you read and will follow her along!

If ‘guest posting’ is something that you would be interested in doing on ‘la bella vita’, please do let me know, OK? Thanks!

And now here is Jessica’s delicious and super-yummy soup in a bread bowl recipe that is not only creative (who can resist a ‘bread bowl’?), but is also perfect for this autumnal time of year in the States when the temperatures are dipping in most of the country and when we enjoy more comforting soups to warm our souls.

From Jessica:

Enjoy comfort in a bowl!

This hearty slow cooked meal will remind you of the comfort and joy of being home and enjoying dinner together as a family. Peppered Beef Stew served in a crispy toasted bread bowl is a simple twist on the classic pot roast with all the fixings. From carrots, celery and potatoes to the flavor of slow cooked onions and mushrooms mixed with a touch of beer, red wine and Worcestershire, this amazing bowl of goodness will impress even your hardest clients (your family).

I grew up on pot roast, so to speak. It was a tradition in our family, especially one for holidays or family gatherings after church. When the cold weather began trickling in you were sure to find the smell of slow cooked pork roast lingering through the house with a side of – –you guessed it – - bread! Even to this day, when I make pot roast I am reminded of growing up and it still puts a smile on my face!

I have done my “generational” pot roast recipe on Kitchen Belleicious before so I wanted to do something different with it, a twist on an old classic and modernize what some think of as old food. By “roasting” pre-cut roast meat or stew meat and adding the fixings one would find in a standard soup I was able to bring you the most incredible bowl of comfort. The toasted bread bowls are just an added extra, making the soup fun and exciting. Besides what is soup without bread? That’s what I thought!

Tip: Make easy at home croutons with the center of the toasted bread bowls. Cut the reserved bread in cubes and place in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and a few of your favorite dried herbs and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 7-9 minutes!



Peppered Beef Soup in Toasted Bread Bowls
(courtesy of Southern Living)

1 package of baby carrots
2 stalks of celery
6 small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of beef stock
1 can of beer
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
½ cup AP flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 /2 lb beef stew meat
2-3 TBSP vegetable oil
3 loaves frozen bread dough

Rinse the stew meat and pat dry.
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, cajun seasoning and garlic powder in a Ziploc bag.
Add the roast and shake to coat.
Sear the roast over medium to low heat in a cast iron skillet for 5-6 minutes (1-2 min per side) until browned on all sides. (I like to brown mine to the point of almost no return:)
Place the rmeat in a slow cooker and add in the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and bread dough.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours until fork tender.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Bread Bowls:

Follow package directions for thawing the dough.
Once the dough has been thawed and properly risen.
Divide each loaf into 4 large rounds, resulting in a total of 12 bread rounds.
Place each round on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove and allow to cool before cutting out the center of the bread rounds using a knife and spoon.
Keep the leftover bread for dipping….
Spoon the stew into each round and enjoy!


THANKS Jessica for sharing this wonderful, comfort soup with us!
.

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