Italy

Our Tuscany Villa

Italy and Food, two of my favorite things!

If you haven't been to Italy, GO!

What do you do in Italy? Well, I ate. Often and a lot! The food, scenery, atmosphere - just intoxicating and oh, this lady was more than happy to be swept away.  It's simple: ask the locals where they eat, get directions and then go. Before you leave such a beautiful country, take a cooking class and learn how to make pasta!

I went to Europe a few years back with a group of friends. After a few days in Florence, we headed to Tuscany. We rented a villa in Tuscany and hired a chef for one night. She stayed seven days. Not really, but a girl can dream! I wish she would have stayed seven days. A seven day crash cooking course from a private chef in Italy, HEAVEN!

Our meal was so simple. We used only three or four ingredients per dish. Basic ingredients and minus her fee, basically inexpensive except for the two or three truffles that topped off a pasta dish. For dinner we made three types of pasta, and three types of sauces: tomato, pesto, and a simple olive oil drizzle topped with herbs and truffles. Dessert was chilled cream with a fresh strawberry sauce. We helped ourselves to multiple bottles of wine and hot bread with olive oil for dipping. Not a drop left.

Pasta
Mix equal amounts of hard-wheat and soft-wheat flours. Make a well, crack two eggs, a tablespoon of warm water and start mixing from the outside in. See pictures

Cooking in Tuscany: The Art of Pasta

The basics: Pasta 101

Mix

Roll

Roll and flip

Unroll and roll (again)

Perfect, now start cutting to create types of pasta

Linguine

Cutting into squares to make

Bow tie

Pranzo! (dinner)

Dessert!

Happiness!

I can't wait to return and spend my last dime.