recent trip to italy. part 4 - around the house

{dried chilli}

{forgotten pots/ dead plants}

{light}

{kitchen wear in the morning light}

{dandelions}

{smidgen of light}

{vetrate}

 {cozy bathroom}

 {Pia}

{ceiling}

As I am writing this I am eating a raw cookie dough ball. And it's good*

Just wanted to drop by with a recipe, if you can call it that. Noodles.
We make noodle at least once every two weeks because it's convenient and cheap and we usually use what's in the fridge: veggies, add a boiled egg/or a fried one, if you have some leftover chicken meat or ever cold meats, some grated cheese or feta cubes... It goes with everything.
Besides the things you have in your fridge you'll need a few ingredients from where to start.
Soy sauce, ginger + garlic, noodles(4 packages/ 1 per person) - cheap ones from Kaufland at 0.99 ron

I start off with garlic and ginger. It's the perfect combination. Sometimes you can add onions, very small pieces and it can work very well too. You either mince very well the garlic cloves(1-2 medium size) and the piece of ginger (3 cm root) or better yet, you can use a fine grater.
I heat up some oil in a fairly large pan (here a wok would be the best choice) and add the garlic and ginger and stir at high heat, keeping an eye on them that is doesn't burn. Fry them a bit, 30 seconds and then add your veggies.

The veggies have to be sliced before even preparing the garlic and ginger so you have them on hand. I use finely slices cabbage, carrot sticks - also finely sliced, spring onions, some peppers, some zucchini, any veggies you have and need to use up.
Let the veggies fry, also at high heat, but stirring constantly. This is why you need a big pan - so the veggies don't go overboard on your sister's precious stove. I usually use 1-2 carrots, a fist size piece of cabbage, and the rest of the veggies don't amount to much. This will make enough for 4 people. We each eat for 1.5 people and there's almost always one serving left for next days' lunch.

As the veggies are frying, we prepare this broth, sort of. You take a bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, a couple of vinegar, a couple tablespoons of sugar, some water and I like to add the contents of those little envelopes that come with the noodles. Give it a good stir and pour everything over the veggies and let them cook at medium heat until the sauce has evaporated and they are a little moist.

At this point you can add things or not. As I mentioned before, fried or boiled eggs, leftover meat, cheese, whatever.

 {leftover lunch}

I did this last night but did not take photos during the cooking process because we were hungry and in a hurry to eat. It's nothing fancy and surely not complicated but it works for us.

* I made chocolate walnut cookies over the weekend and I always make a double batch and I freeze some and enjoy afterwards because cookies don't survive parties and I don't always get to eat as many as I want. When I don't want to wait for them to bake and cool, I just take one and chew on it until it gives and softens and it's as good as baked one.

recent trip to italy. part 3 - the company

 {Duke}

 {this teeth-less monoeyebrow}

 {message for the Easter bunny}

{these guys playing}

{this snooty biatch}

When we weren't out visiting in town, we were at my uncles' house. Coincidentally that's where my favorite cousin lives, so you bet it turned out anything but boring. Between barbeques and rummy games he would keep us busy with his Nintendo games, walks around the place, ball playing, playing fetch with the dogs - the other is a black Labrador named Gil, making salads. I had promised him to take him out in town for an ice-cream but with all the fuss that week and the visiting we had to do on our own, we didn't. But we did took him with us when we visited Superga and it was a blast. It's a shame I get to see him just every once in a while; plus it's kind of sad he doesn't have many children to play with there.

Of the weekend

{party aftermath - late Sunday morning}

If you have little expectations it will probably end up well. I had a little get together with darling people last night and I realized I had missed these kind of things. Even people I had not planned to invite in the first place showed up and it was awesome. 

I baked a couple of these cookies and they turned out grand, then made these, right at the last minute with help from a redheaded gal. Neither the cookies, nor the empanadas turned out as good looking as the source photos but hey, I was in a hurry... I always imagine I'll make time to do these ahead of time and I never do...

The drinks were simple: vodka + juice, gin + tonic, this little cocktail, some wine and some flavored beer.

 {this really good granola recipe - but a tad too sweet}

 {It's getting way to hot outside - like today]

{to dry out}

dealt with this week

We finally moved our little beginnings of herbs in larger  pots. R has created a separator between the mint and the basil because supposedly mint is going to take over the pot and we don't want is smouldering the basil. I am so proud of my little basil - because I've grown it and it wasn't brought from Italy or Bz and just planted there. It took so long and it's only the beginning, but it's promising. I wanna kiss those little tiny leaves that have appeared.

{who's a pretty fella'?}

There's not much to see on the left of the windowsill, as the ranunculus pot is just soil. I had 12 bulbs of ranunculus and potted just 4 of them because we had to let them breath and I figure I'll soon plant the rest of them in separate pots and then transfer them again. I just don't have space for them. I already feel motoc and the birds that used to come and eat on our window sill are kind of annoyed by the total lack of space outside the window. Motoc especially really loved to get out and sit in the sun.

I can't wait to see my ranunculus popping out form the soil,even just a tiny green smudge of a thing.

We'll keep watering them in the morning and in the evening.

Elsewhere around the house...

{red rubies}

 {traces}

 {quartered}

 {very messy}

 {and oozing}

 {but worth it}

I made these...

{and this mess}

They were just as good as they sounded. I had to choose from two recipes, Molly's and Deb's.

Molly's won. They look far better, far more rustic and although mine look like Deb's - barely golden on top- they we're amazing. The mess is so worth it and one should follow the instructions carefully for the mess to work out.

 {saying Hi or maybe just Goodbye}

 {these took me half a day - for Hasegan}

I finally did this diy. First and foremost - DON'T do it in your room, especially one that's as tiny as ours. Second - use newly bought polish and not old one like I did, or you'll end up like I did - with just red stained paper like there has been a murder, and I used them to wipe off the evidence. Use good hard paper and have nail polish remover at hand. Have where to place them after you dipped the paper! Use gloves for both hands, not like I did. If you think it's going to be easy and not messy, you are wrong. That blogger just made it seem so easy and fun, and it aint.

some more of lately

 {groomed and restless}

 {afternoon film at Cuib}

 {happening this week}

 {this exam collection put up in sala 5}

 {old / recent library card}

 {alone with my buddy}

 {love them}

 {soon enough - if we're still around}

 {peonies / desk}

 {greek style snacks - from Lidl}