Absence

Rome, Italy

Today, I got a letter asking, "Where have you been?" (Good question, right?) Well.... I must admit I have been horrible at following through with my "post a photo a day" plan. I promise, I'm not this flaky in real life. I've just had more important things going on.

Y

For the past two weeks, I've been working. {Shooting photos.} For money!

Four weeks ago, I was granted my first break in five years -- two days to myself (as both children are in school now!) So far, I haven't spent one day on the couch eating bon bons and watching trashy television. I guess I'll have to wait until my 60's for that.

Since Monday, I've been experiencing intermittent showers of butterflies and flurries of excitement whenever I think about next week. NYC, baby!

On Tuesday, I dressed up for no reason at all.

This afternoon, I laughed and chased birds while biking with my son. (Nothing beats a post-lunch ride.)

Two weeks ago, my sister and her family came to visit. We had ten days of living in the middle of a whirlwind of children, happiness, and chaos. (Missing them now.)

This summer, I quit drinking Chardonnay. (Burnt out. Moved on.)

And sadly, about the same time, I had a falling out with one of my best friends. (Somehow the two seem interconnected -- as strange as that sounds.)

Tonight, the piano played me as it lead my fingers across the keyboard.

This weekend I realized that I must return to yoga. I daren't tell you the last time I went.

All day today, I was early for once.

This month, my instincts reminded me I need to listen to and trust them more. (They are right, you know.)

Yesterday, I tried to find the perfect pair of red shoes. (I found them, just not in my size.)

Today, I only thought about her a few times.

Tomorrow, I will eat cupcakes with friends.

Y

But right now, my heart finally feels a little less heavy.

Garder le silence

A day for dreaming

09.09.09

I wish:

I could run more than 6 miles.

my family lived closer.

it were fall already.

I could walk everywhere.

my photo studio was ready.

I knew how to sew.

my children weren't such fussy eaters.

there was more time in the day.

I didn't mind the mess.

for no more failed friendships.

P is for...

Pantheon

Pigeons

Power

People

Portico

Pronaos

Patterns

In many ways, the Pantheon represents what Rome is all about: a city with so much history it's like looking at a mosaic of all the art history movements in one place - from Antiquity to Medieval, Renaissance to Baroque, Neo-classical to Modern. It's a visual medley of periods, if you will.

From the outside, it is rugged and primitive - but inside it's a sophisticated sight to behold. The impressive dome lumbers overhead while a burst of light shines through the open oculus, penetrating the dense, marble floors. Personally, it felt too impious to be a place of worship (especially compared to all of the other cathedrals we saw,) but it's no wonder this church has inspired so many other buildings - it's truly amazing!

A Closet Gourmande

Awhile back, it was brought to my attention that I call myself a "budding chef" in my profile and yet, I almost never talk about food on my blog. To set the record straight, I am a foodie but don't write about it here because there are SO many amazing food bloggers out there.

Ever since January, I've been trying a new recipe a week. It's great to finally utilize my expanding cookbook collection on a regular basis. At the beginning of the year I sat down and went through each one and made an enormous list of recipes to try. Not only does it keep me on my toes as a cook, it also helps break me away from patterns of making the same things over and over again. Frankly, I like to switch things up and thankfully my family and friends don't mind being guinea pigs.

Last week, I was determined to recreate a recipe for Cauliflower Pizza that a friend of mine told me about. She ate it at one of her friends' house and mentioned how amazing it tasted and I couldn't get it out of my head. She told me the ingredients that she remembered and I went with it. I know! It sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? But it turned out to be delicious! I tried Googling a similar recipe and couldn't find one, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share. Fingers crossed it works for you, too!

Cauliflower Pizza

~ this recipe makes 2 pizzas and not enough left overs :)

1 head of cauliflower (chopped into bite size pieces)

12 oz. pancetta/bacon

garlic (as much as you desire - I used a lot!)

2 balls of pizza dough

8 oz. container of crème frâiche

8 oz. gruyere (grated)

8 oz. parmigiano-reggiano (grated)

handful of chives (chopped)

red pepper flakes, salt, pepper (to taste)

Sautée the the cauliflower, pancetta and garlic (season with salt & pepper to taste) until softened, about 5-8 minutes or so. I added a bit of olive oil to the pan but in retrospect, I'm not sure it was needed. If it looks dry then by all means.

Transfer mixture to a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees until cooked through, golden brown and crusty (about 20 minutes.) Roll out your pizza dough as thin as you can get it, top with creme fraiche (1/2 a container on each pizza,) the cauliflower mixture, and cheeses. Bake until golden brown (I use a pizza stone) and until crust is properly cooked through (I bake at 500 degrees and eyeball the time.) Finish with chives and red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat.)

* You could use more/less cheese or a different variety altogether. Those just sounded good to me.

** You can also add the red pepper flakes before you roast the cauliflower mixture. I tried that with the second pizza and liked it a little spicier.

***A big credit to the unknown real-life chef who made this for my friend! Grazie mille.

And the truth shall set you free

La Bocca della Verità (The mouth of truth) Rome, ITALY | Stamford, Lincolnshire, ENGLAND