Grilled Shrimp

As usual, I was not measuring as I went. As a result, this marinade is really a rough estimation of what I believe I put in it. With that being said, I think these measurements would be pretty close to what I made.

Marinade(All Estimations)

Light Soy Sauce (2-3tbsp)
Juice of 1 Lime
Juice of 1/2 orange
Worchestershire Sauce(1/2 tbsp)
Olive Oil(2-3 tbsp)
Chili Paste(1 tbps)
Fresh Chives(1 tbsp)
Brown Sugar(1 tbsp)
2 gloves of garlic smashed in a garlic press or finely minced
Black Pepper(1/4 tsp)
White Pepper(small dash)
Cayenne Pepper(small dash)
Paprika(1/4 tsp)
Chili Powder(small dash)
Dried Parsley(1/4 tsp)
Dried Oregano(1/4 tsp)
Dried Mustard(small dash)
(small dash is probably around 1/8 tsp)

Cooking

2 lb shrimp

Marinate the shrimp for 15-30 minutes up to an hour. Skewer the shrimp. Grill on high heat for about  minutes per side. Sorry there is no picture, but I assure you, they looked and tasted great.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

 

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour    
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
4 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon mixed together(reserved for rolling)

Mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until well mixed. Meanwhile, mix together the dry ingrediants together. Then, gradually incorporate the dry ingrediants while the mixer is on slow. Allow to mix for a couple minutes, or until everything is well mixed. Refrigerate the dough and a cookie sheet for 15 minutes, along with preheating the oven to 350 degrees. After refrigerating, roll the dough into small 1 inch balls, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture and make sure the dough is fully coated. Place on the chilled ungreased cookie sheet and bake from 13-15 minutes, depending on the oven. Take them out when the tops are starting to brown. I like to take them out even if they look slightly undercooked because they stay softer. Makes around 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Pasta with Roasted Grape Tomatoes

If you've never roasted grape tomatoes, I have to say that you are really missing out. When these little tomatoes cook, the shrivel up, the flavor concentrates and sweetens up, and they burst. When combined with olive oil, this makes a very flavorful and delicious sauce. I have used this same technique twice in the last week or so, and here are the two ways I used it.

Penne with Sausage, Grape Tomatoes, Spinach, and Mushrooms

8 Fresh Italian Sausage Links (I used 4 Mild and 4 Hot)
1 bunch of fresh spinach, stems cut off(probably half a bag if using bagged spinach)
1 8oz package of baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1 Pint grape tomates(I also had a few extra from another pint)
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3-4oz Grated Romano Cheese(1 container is usually 5oz)
Extra virgin olive oil(EVOO)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (this can definitely be adjusted for desired spiciness)
Salt and Pepper
1 lb penne(or whatever pasta you like)

Cook the sausages in a frying pan until fully cooked through. Set aside to cool and slice into rings. Meanwhile, boil the linguini to al dente as directed on the box. On a sheet pan, combine the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper, and EVOO. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat. Make sure there is plenty of olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.(this will make your sauce) Roast in a 425 degree oven until the tomatoes are shriveled up and burst open. After straining the pasta, return to the pot and pour in the oil and tomatoes from the sheet pan. Add the spinach and toss to wilt the spinach. Add the Romano cheese and toss again. Pour in extra olive oil as need. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.

Linguini with Grilled Chicken, Grape Tomatoes, and Basil

1 1/4 pounds thinly sliced chicken breast cutlets
         *Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and italian seasoning
1 pint grape tomates (again used a few extra from another pint)
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese (rough estimation)
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
EVOO
Salt and Pepper

Boil the linguini to al dente as directed on the box. Meanwhile, heat the grill to high heat. In a grill-safe dish, toss the tomatoes with the garlic, EVOO, and crushed red pepper. Also add salt and pepper(I added a couple dashes of italian seasoning too). Make sure there is plenty of oil in the bottom of the dish to make the sauce. Set the dish in the grill uncovered and cook until the tomatoes are wrinkled and have burst open, and the edges are just starting to char. At the same time, grill the chicken. Since the chicken is very thin, it only needs probably 3 minutes on per side. You're mainly looking for the grill marks on each side. Once the chicken is finished, set aside to cool, then chop into slices. Toss the pasta with the tomatoes(and Oil), chicken, basil, and a couple more tablespoons of EVOO. Add a the parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper at the end and give one more quick toss. Serves 3-4.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

In the spirit of the holidays(and finally being finished with finals), I baked some muffins. I made these once before, but the ginger ended up a little strong, so I cut back this time. These muffins still have that warm mouth feel from the ginger, paired with the spiciness of clove and white pepper and sweetness of cinnamon and nutmeg. They're simply delicious, especially with a hot cup of coffee in the morning.

Muffins
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup regular white sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Splash of vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground clove
Pinch of white pepper
1/2 cup chopped nuts, I used walnuts and macadamia nuts(optional)

Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp flour
A few dashes of cinnamon
chopped nuts

Preperation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine in the mixing bowl the eggs, sour cream, pumpkin, melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, and white sugar. Whisk together until well combined and it starts to whip up a bit. Meanwhile, sift and mix together the dry ingrediants and spices. With the mixer on slow speed, gradually incorporate the flour mixture in increments of about 1/2 to 3/4 cup. Fold in the chopped nuts(reserving about a tbsp for the topping). Mix the topping in a small bowl until well combined. Butter and flour the muffin pan. Pour the batter in the pan and sprinkle the topping over the of the batter. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes, which could vary based on the oven. I would consider keeping an eye on them starting at about 25 minutes. When a toothpick(or knife) comes out clean, they are finished. Allow them to cool a bit in the pan and carefully remove them and place the muffins on a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins.

As a small note, I did not have unsalted butter on hand, so I used salted butter and left out the salt, and it worked fine. I also added macadamia nuts this time, whereas last time I only used walnuts. This is why I put the macadamia nuts as an optional ingrediant.

 

Classic Mac-N-Cheese

Nothin fancy here, just some good classic macaroni and cheese.

1 box elbow macaroni
1 16oz block extra sharp cheddar, shredded (reserve about 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese for topping)
3-4 cups half and half
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 clove garlic
Paprika, cayenne, nutmeg
Salt and pepper

1. Boil the pasta in salted water. Cook about 30sec to a minute less than instructions, the pasta will finish cooking when baked.

2. Heat butter and garlic in pot over medium heat, after garlic cooks for about 30 seconds, add the flour and whisk constantly for about a minute to a minute and a half.

3. Add the half and half. Be sure to whisk often so it doesn't burn.

4. Add a dash of nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

5. Once the sauce is simmering(or close to it), add the cheese in parts and mix together.

6. Once cheese has melted and the sauce is heated back up, add the pasta and mix together.

7. Pour into a large backing dish. Top with reserved cheese. Sprinkle over the top the paprika, cayenne, pepper, and a little salt.

8. Bake in grill( or 350 degree oven) for 20-30 minute, or until it is bubbling. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Restaurant Review: Osteria Mangiando Mangiando

GREVE, ITALY

It is restaurants like this that I imagined I would be eating at when I initially decided to tour Italy after classis. It is in the middle of a tiny village in Tuscany, and offers classic Tuscan cooking. I decided to order the pasta with spicy tomato sauce. Turned out that I made a great choice.

This tomato sauce was obviously made from fresh tomatoes, spiced up with chili oil(assumption because I didn’t see in red pepper flakes), and rounded out with fresh parsley and garlic. This was one of the best, if not the best, pasta dish that I ate in Italy. I cannot quite describe how good it was. The spiciness, the tomato flavor, and the herbs were all melded together with perfect harmony. The side salad I ate was also incredible. The mixed greens and vegetables were the freshest, must crisp vegetables that I have ever had in the salad. It literally tasted like they pulled it out of the ground on the spot for each order. The best way to dress it was simply with a little oil and vinegar to display the freshness and natural taste of the ingredients. It wasn’t expensive at all, and as you can tell, I more than enjoyed it. In fact, I really wish I had a bowl of that pasta in front of me right now.

Day Trip to Greve in Chianti

Picture of the countryside on the bus ride.

For those that may not know, Florence is at the northern tip of the Tuscan wine region Chianti. I could not pass up the opportunity to travel outside the city and visit a vineyard. For only 3 Euro, we took a bus to Greve, a town in the heart of the Chianti Classico region.

It was a little tiny town, but I loved it. We wondered around for a while and ate lunch in the square, then walked up to the medieval walled village at the top of the hill called Montefioralle. It was fairly empty, but I would imagine because people were probably at work down in the village.

We proceed to browse around down the side of the hill. We didnt end up doing a vineyard tour, but literally walked through vineyards on the countryside.

When we were walking we stumbled upon a free wine and olive oil tasting. It was an Italian family, who had a little patio in their back yard. A small group from South Africa walked up at the same time, so we tasted wines with them. We had three different wines, and I bought 2 to bring home, inclulding a chianti classico, which in combined for a total cost of 10 Euro.

 I asked and they only produce about 3000 bottles a year, which is basically nothing. The winery was originally used for personal use only, and still they don't sell much except to the village of Greve(some restaurants by barrels for their house wine). This was one of my favorite expriences of the trip.

Restaurant Review: Tratoria La Burrasca

FLORENCE, ITALY

We went for lunch after visiting the Mercato Central, intending to eat at a place called Cafaggia. Following the theme of the Italy trip, it was closed, this time for the month because of holiday. Left without plans, we decided to just wonder around towards the market and hope we could find something good. We walked by this place called Tratoria La Burrasca. It had all the signs of a good restaurant: was a small place, off the main road, filled with Italians, handwritten menu, and near the market. I had a very good feeling about it, and it turned out to be an awesome place. I was so confident that I ordered 2 pasta dishes.

The first was gnocchi with pesto and tomatoes. They really hit this one out of the park. The pesto was definitely homemade; I could tell by the irregular pieces of basil from being ground. From experience making handmade pesto, I recognize this when I see(and taste) it. The gnocchi were light and fluffy as they should be.

The second dish was rigatoni with tuna, tomatoes, olive oil, red onion, and garlic. Although the picture makes the pasta to be rather plain, it was not that way. For starters, the tuna in Italy is packed in olive oil rather than water, so it is much more flavorful and is often used in pastas. The olive oil was flavored with the onion and garlic as well, making a light and very appetizing pasta dish. This is another restaurant, that if I was in Florence again, I would have to make a stop at. As a final note, this place is also fairly cheap. I had two pasta dishes and split a carafe of house wine and only spend around 15 Euro.

Mercato Central

FLORENCE, ITALY

I could spend hours in here. The Mercato Central is where everyone goes to buy produce, meat, cheese, olive oil, or pretty much any food product you could need. There are at least a few vendors in each category, giving a wide selection and availability. Everything was so fresh and the people were friendly. If I ever was in Florence for a longer period of time, you would find me here probably every day. There is also a long line of leather and clothing vendors outside the market.

Day in Venice

Venice was the second stop of our Italian adventure. At first I was a bit worried about Venice, after hearing people say that it’s too hot in the summer and the canals smell awful. Half of that was true: it was very hot, but I never came across any problems with the canals smelling bad. We made the mistake of walking to our hotel instead of taking the water taxi. It was only a kilometer, but we only had to cross like 10 bridges with all of our stuff[can you sense the sarcasm here].

Of course, the first thing we were worried about is eating. So, we found a place for dinner, got ready, and headed out. Unfortunately for us, the address given online was wrong, and we went to the opposite side of the city. So, we settled a place called Osteria Doge Morosini recommended by the concierge. Dinner was decent, but not memorable, although the calamari was extremely good but I forgot to take a picture. After dinner we walked over to Campo Santa Margherita, where all the young people were socializing and enjoying drinks. For the second night in a row, we decided to sip on prosecco(although we went through 2 bottles this time).

In the morning, we took a world famous gondola ride through the canals. That was very cool, something that obviously most people do when in Venice. As a final note on Venice, I am glad we decided to go there for a night. It was so different seeing the canals and boats being the sole mode of transportation. The Venetian culture is very ornate and sophisticated, which provided for some awesome architecture. By the time we took off for Florence, I was ready to settle down for a few days.

Aquarium and Go Karts

On Bastille day weekend, we didn’t have any plans on Friday, and also had no class. We visited the Odysseum, which was a shopping/entertainment development a couple miles from our hotel. We visited the aquarium first. It wasn’t the best aquarium I’ve ever been to, but I did enjoy seeing the little penguins swimming.

Afterwards, we went to the go kart track.

 The carts actually moved pretty fast, and we had to wear racing helmets and everything. They didn’t allow bumping though, so that was the only negative. It was very fun, even though I spun out 3 times, and makes me want to drive a real race car. If it wasn’t the week before finals, we probably would have been back to ride the go karts again.

Bar review: Buddha bar

MONTE CARLO, MONACO

This cool oriental themed bar is between the main Monte Carlo casino and the "american" casino down by the water. Buddha Bar is a small worldwide chain with locations only in upscale locations such as Dubai, London, Paris, and New York City. It offers several coctails that are a product of mixology rather than a standard coctail. The drinks were very tasty and artfully made. I would suggest going during happy hour, when the drinks are around 12 Euro, or you will pay up to 20 Euro for a drink. If you can make it during happy hour, it's definitely worth a visit.

I forgot to take a picture of the front, so I used this one from online. There is a large patio up the stairs and to the left, which is where we enjoyed our drinks..

View from the patio.

Restaurant Review: Caffe delle Carrozze

FLORENCE, ITALY

This was the first thing I ate in Florence, and I was absolutely starving. This was the first place we spotted that looked decent, and it was right by the Ponte Vecchio. I ordered a sandwich with prosciutto, cheese, tomato, arugula, and truffle oil. It was fantastic. The bread was soft without being two crusty on the outside, the ingredients were fresh, and the truffle oil provided a nice touch to complete the sandwich. I also had an espresso, which was one of the best that I had in Italy. On top of the great food, they also have free Wifi. One of the best sandwhiches I ate while in Italy, so I would recommend this place for sure.

French Riviera Weekend

It was the last full weekend in Montpellier, with one place left to visit: Nice and the French Riviera. Somewhat of a last minute decision, I decided that I had to see what all the hype is about the French Riviera. This ended up paying off huge, and it was probably my favorite part of my whole trip in France. We arrived in town in mid-afternoon. This gave us a little time to walk down the Promenade des Anglais, which is the popular strip with hotels, restaurants, and bars that runs down the beach.

After seeing the beach and stopping for a drink, we had dinner at the hotel, which was complimentary thanks to my friend’s resourcefulness. After dinner is when the city really came to life. We started the night by grabbing a few beers and sitting out on the beach, which was packed with groups of people doing the same.

We were walking around the city center around 10:30ish, and noticed that everyone was eating dinner. I guess we were a couple hours early when we ate. We wondered around through the plethora of alleys that connected all the little squares and courtyards, which were scattered with restaurants and bars. Eventually, we made it to an area just parallel to the Promenade, which was a couple hundred yards long and filled in with tables and chairs from at least a dozen different restaurants. There was also a flea market running through the middle, with vendors selling all kinds of things from purses to jewelry to dishes. The atmosphere of young, lively people was amazing. We settled in at a bar called Waynes. This place wasn’t that big, it was very hot inside, and it was somewhat crowded(but not too crowded). However, it was a good time and was filled with a mix of young people from all over the world. The signature of this place is the long tables in the music room, on which everyone dances on top of.

On Saturday, we kicked off the morning by walking up the hill to do a little sightseeing. We walked through a cemetery that was unbelievable. Then, we continued up the hill to see the little waterfall. Above the waterfall, there was a patio that displayed a panoramic view of Nice. This was one of the most breathtaking sights that I saw all trip.

Up next, we hit the beach. On a friend’s connection, we scored two free beachfront chairs and a couple of cocktails. We finished the afternoon on the rooftop bar at the hotel, and here is the view.

 

After the beach and a little rest, we took off to Monte Carlo, Monaco. For just 1 Euro, we took the 30 minute scenic bus ride that drove along the edge of the coast. All though it seemed like we were going to fall off the edge of the cliff at times, that bus ride was amazing. When we arrived in Monaco, we set out to have a cocktail at Buddha Bar. Luckily it was happy hour, so drinks were only 12 Euro instead of 20. We moved on to the casino, which was beautiful on the outside. The cars parked outside included Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royse, Maybach, just about anything you could think of.

The actual gambling itself was not impressive, with very few tables in the room and even less that were actually open. There was only one low minimum table as well, which was constantly packed. So, I still threw a few dollars in the slot machine and on roulette, but I guess luck wasn’t on my side that night. We enjoyed “victory” cigars in the park in front of the casino, even though none of us walked away a winner, and then decided to go back to Nice. Sounds simple enough, but we could find the bus for a while, then couldn’t get a consistent answer on where the bus picked up. We finally found the bus by 3am and got back to Nice safely.

On Sunday, we left fairly early to spend the afternoon in Cannes. This is where the famous film festival takes place. We walked around for a while, took a tour around the city, then had a great lunch. We saw the convention center where the film festival is held, the famous Carlton Hotel, and the Promenade de la Croisette, the strip down the beach where all the fancy shops are. We ate lunch after our tour at a place called La Sousta, which was awesome. By the time we were finished with lunch, it was time to leave, and we left very satisfied.