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Pumpkin Chip Pancakes with Cranberry Topping

2011-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Luckily the cold weather has inspired Jacob to become my personal husband-gone-cooking-machine. It's pretty awesome because 1. I have been eating absurdly well and 2. the cooking bug has slightly affected me as well. Mostly in the way where I am mad about making breakfast every morning despite the fail-proof event of my stomach wanting more food an hour later. However, I find it worth the hassle, especially since it is now pumpkin time. Jacob and I have horded an incredible amount of pumpkin puree. You see, we had the full intention of making pumpkin pie from scratch until we realized that I have far too many knitting orders to complete (if you're saying "whaaa?": click here) and not enough time to create 4 glorious, shimmering pumpkin pies and decided to, instead, ingest mass quantities of various other pumpkiny goods.

Know what else November means? Cranberry sauce. You see, I can make as much cranberry sauce as I please because it's literally a 5 minute process- water, sugar, crans, boilboilboil, fridge. It was only a matter of time before we discovered that pairing cranberry sauce with pumpkin pancakes was like almost the same amount of awesome as pairing a shirtless Ryan Gosling with any movie role ever. So we decided to get a little crazy.

I discovered dairy free eggnog at Whole Foods yesterday which went from being potentially the most amazing invention ever to being practically this holidays greatest disappointment. It's made with rice milk (which is great) it sort of tastes like eggnog (which is also great), however, it is the consistency of water and therefore YUCK. We decided to just go wild and make lattes from it to go with the incredible pancake madness that awaited us. This recipe is pretty much awesome- it's pretty thick so once you put the batter down, you have to carefully spread it out. Also, it refrigerates well and lasted us each 3 separate breakfasts. Note: it is dairy free but NOT vegan. It can easily be made vegan if you use egg substitute or some good old flax seeds.

Pumpkin Chip Pancakes with Cranberry Topping

1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Add chocolate chips.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Cover with cranberry topping and top with whipped cream substitute of your choice.

Cranberry Topping

12 oz. cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in sauce pot and boil until cranberries are soft and mixture is thick.

Winter's Calling

2011-10-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember I have loathed winter. Even in high school, after learning how to snowboard (and despite loving it), I still could not properly cope with the fact that it was going to be THAT freaking cold for THAT freaking long. When Jake and I planned our trip to Europe last year, many people asked why we were leaving in late September. My answer was always, "because I would like to avoid winter in Maine at all cost." "But you know there will still be winter in Europe, right?" they would retort, to which I would state, "Yes, but at least when I'm freezing in the snow I will be surrounded by something beautiful and new." And it was true.

Last winter, I spent a lot of my time coughing my lungs off with bronchitis, washing dishes, and hanging laundry. However, I also spent a lot of time learning to knit. Probably one of the main reasons I kept my sanity in those wacky, cozy sheds, was the fact that Seona had taught me something useful and creative. Since returning home, I hadn't really felt much urge to continue knitting. In the spring, I made some fingerless gloves for a few friends, knitted a few pairs of baby booties, but I never felt the need to knit like I did in England. Until this fall.

Roughly a week before the wedding it started getting absolutely frigid. I went to the yarn shop and stocked up on yarn, and started in on a couple of projects. This week, however, it has hit me full boar. Not only am I feeling the need to knit, I am feeling the need to knit CONSTANTLY. I daydream about Catherine Hill in Frome, the wool shop in Wells, and I just become so unbelievably depressed. Don't get me wrong, KnitWit is absolutely wonderful, but something about the yarn shops I went to in England - they are a comforting memory, and knitting at home is a way to deal with missing Frome and the Chapmans.

With this knitting compulsion also comes the comforting fact that I want to keep learning. Having had my grandfather's flax wheel in the apartment for 8 months, I am just itching to take spinning lessons. What an amazing coincidence that the lessons are only held on my days off! How odd, that this is the first year in which I am not dreading the Maine winter.

Free Music for Reception

2011-10-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

As soon as we set the date, Jacob and I began going through our itunes library to construct our epic wedding playlist. We went through each artist and chose the songs that we felt 1. were lyrically appropriate 2. we absolutely adored 3. were dance-able and 4. were appropriate to the theme of getting married (which is why, sadly, no Adele made it to the playlist). We knew that our reception was only going to be 2 1/2 hours long, but we made sure to have over 3 hours of music to make way for any song skipping, non-groovy choices, or just an unexpected time shift.

Once we chose all the songs, we spent an evening sorting them by priority and which songs we thought transitioned best with one another. We went by the standard of 3 dance songs, 1 slow song alternating. In a separate playlist we placed the songs for our first dance, father/daughter dance, and mother/son dance to be queued after dinner. We chose not to play music during dinner because everyone seemed to be enjoying their conversation, and I didn't think it would be a good idea to drown it out with music. On the day itself, we had our playlists on an ipod, plugged into some speakers that a friend let us borrow. Once the ceremony was over, one of my bridesmaids began the playlist, and we just took it from there- walking out to I Would Do Anything For You by Foster the People. Music was obviously turned off for the speeches, and we had designated certain people to announce different parts of the reception (flower toss, first and last dance, etc).

And that is how we spent $0 on our wedding reception music.

For the precession, our friend Andi Fawcett played a cover of City & Colour's As Much As I Ever Could acoustically. Not only did the timing of our walk to the pavilion from the main building worked perfectly with the verses of the song, it is also one of our favorite songs.

Decorations and Floral

2011-10-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Pretty much all of our ideas for decorations came from a variety of DIY blogs. Young House Love, 100 Layer Cake, and primarily My DIY Wedding Day were my main resources. The first thing I knew I wanted was to have crudite/cheese plates on every table. One pet peeve I had always experienced with weddings were that people expected you to sit still during the speeches while you're starving your ass off with nothing to munch. I wanted to cure that immediately by providing people with food at their tables and no effort on their part. Next, I knew I wanted mason jars with buttons to be involved with the centerpieces. The night Jake proposed, he brought me an orange and blue bouquet of daisies and hydrangeas and I immediately decided that those would be our colors and flowers.

(gerbera daisies for the larger arrangements)

Sarah, the creative soul that she is, volunteered to make paper hydrangeas for the centerpieces. She somehow read my mind because I had been wanting to have paper flowers but had no idea how I would make them. Life saver that she is, she took to the task and executed it flawlessly. We got our jars between visiting flea markets and Goodwills, and bought big tubs of buttons from Michael's for $6 per tub. 4 tubs were enough to get me through. My bouquet was a combination of paper and cloth flowers wrapped in ribbon and adorned with a sparrow charm. The same sparrow was used in Jake's boutonneire inspired by this design. The sparrows were used to reflect our use of Dallas Green's "As Much As I Ever Could" for the precession.

Knowing that I would not want to be throwing my paper bouquet (as it was also full of pins!) and that I could hardly expect Sarah to create 7 dozen paper hydrangeas, I also decided to get my hands on some gerbera daisies. 1/2 dozen of these would be used in my throwing bouquet, while the others would be used in the larger flower arrangements throughout the reception. The most difficult part of the decorations was that we were not allowed to see the reception hall until Jake and I were let in. I could tell Sarah every detail I wanted (I even created blueprints for how the tables needed to be arranged), but Jake and I were not allowed to see any of the decorating. As for the bouquets that Sarah and I walked down the aisle with, we had a girls night dedicated to a cloth flower frenzy at AC Moore where we gathered a ton of gorgeous orange, purple, and blue faux flowers to go around the paper hydrangeas. I am so happy with how they turned out, and better yet, that I get to keep my bouquet forever.

(memory table)

For our guestbook, I desperately wanted to do something untraditional. Because travel is something that has brought Jake and I through so much as a couple, we went on a mad hunt for vintage postcards. We then provided the guests with these postcards to write their well wishes on and place in an old suitcase. I don't know what we will do with them, but they look so much cooler than just a book. The best part is that most of the postcards are from places we have been together. We placed this setup on our memory table next to some wedding photos of our parents and grandparents.

Wedding Cake

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Originally we had very much wanted to do a Build Your Own Cupcake bar inspired by this blog. After realizing that is would not be at all feasible to have 50 people gathering around one table, we decided to bring the decorating to them. Since we were already going to have the crudite centerpieces, we decided to create a second group of trays for our food runner to change out before the cake was cut. These trays would have various toppings- sprinkles of varying colors and shapes, m&ms, reese's pieces, etc. for everyone to use as they wished on their cupcakes.

We had also originally planned on having a giant cupcake at the top for Jacob and I, but after a brutal first-run, we decided that it would be better to go with a different plan. Luckily enough, as we were leaving the town hall freshly applied to marry and absolutely giggly, some cream horns caught my eye through the window of Foley's Bakery in Monument Square. We went in for some celebratory pastries, and while inside we fell in absolute love with the tiny chocolate mousse cake in the display case. We promptly placed our order, and that Saturday picked up our little cake for $16. It was seriously the most delicious cake I have ever eaten. Though I was a bit busy smashing it in my husband's face to taste it the first time, we ate the rest at our hotel later that night and I was reassured that we had made the right decision.

As for the cupcakes, they turned out beautifully. Jacob's aunt is an amazing baker, and whipped up 75 blue, orange, and purple frosted cupcakes that looked absolutely stunning. Perched on top of the cake were two bird salt and pepper shakers that we had bought through a shop on Etsy. Unfortunately the shop no longer exists, but we managed to grab a couple of the last birds they sold before leaving Etsy. We got the bare birds and Sarah decorated them for us with our colors. As thank yous to our parents and friends, we got more bare birds and painted them ourselves for them.

Catering

2011-10-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

We debated for a long time on whether or not we would have our reception catered. In the beginning, it was really not a priority- Jake and I are both experienced in cooking, and we figured we would just save the hassle and do it ourselves. After realizing how much we already had on our plate (haha), we decided to look at some affordable options for catering. We looked at deli's around town, but it wasn't really the vibe we were going for. There was no way we were going to have someplace like Amato's or Subway cater our wedding, again, as food service folk we had our dignity to uphold! That is not to say that deli's or chain businesses are not suitable for catering- in fact they might be the perfect fit for your wedding and your budget, however, it was not the perfect fit for us.

The day after our engagement, we stopped by a new place in town called Exchange Street Cafe. They have typical American Italian food for pretty reasonable prices, but what came as the shock to us was that it was all handmade. We had anticipated precooked or frozen food, not real homemade stuff. As we ordered, one guy in the back was rolling meatballs while the other was dredging eggplant for Parmesan. The food was amazing- it definitely made an impression, so we took a shot in the dark. "Do you do catering?"

Turns out, they had just started pulling together a catering menu and were looking for some business to get it rolling. Catering in Portland is just as competitive as in-restaurant dining I'd say, and I'm pretty sure Black Tie has the market right now. Heck, before I asked these guys, I was positive I would have to spend $5000 to go with Black Tie or have no caterer at all! Paul and Ricky were great, though. From the very beginning, we were exchanging phone calls. I'd tell them what I wanted, and they would one-up my expectations. They designed a menu that not only fit my budget, but also my estimated number of guests, timeline, and the diet of my guests.

As you may have read in my previous entry, we redid the labels on two cases of our favorite wine for the our alcohol. We also had our favorite tea shop Homegrown Herb and Tea create a special blend of tea for us to have brewed at the reception, as well as to use in our guest favors. For those who wouldn't care to have wine, there was also soda available in large a large blue tub of ice. Including the champagne for the toast our beverage expenses totaled $150. And that's including the sweet vessel we bought to put the iced tea in! Unfortunately, after we brewed all the tea, we realized the nozzle hadn't been screwed on properly so we had to chug the tea and use the vessel for ice water (which was actually pretty great).

I knew from the beginning that instead of passed h'ordeurves I wanted to have vegetable and cheese platters as a part of the centerpieces. My #1 gripe whenever I have catered weddings has been watching guests mumble hungrily through the speeches, waiting for the food line to begin. I wanted our guests to be able to sit, munch, chat, and enjoy themselves before we were announced, and to be able to eat during the speeches without feeling rude. For $50 we made it happen- plastic serving trays from iParty, and a variety of cheeses, veggies, and grapes from Whole Foods (with lots of extra food left over btw!). This is also how we were able to incorporate our cupcake decorating station that you can read about later.

My recommendation is that if your venue will let you choose your own caterer, go to your favorite restaurants and ask them if they cater. Ask around town for recommendations, and scope out new and growing restaurants who might be interested in developing a catering menu. You really never know until you ask.

Invitations, Announcements & Posters

2011-10-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have an expert card maker as my Maid of Honor, so the main costs of our invitations were the postage and raw materials. We designed our invitation suite in Photoshop along with the rest of our paper materials. For the invitations we ended up getting them printed at Kinkos for pretty cheap. We fit 6 invitations to a page, and printed 8 pages for a total of $11 on cardstock.

As we began creating more paper items, I invested in a paper slicer for $12 at Staples, 100 sheets of cardstock for $9, and began printing things myself. Looking back, maybe we should have made this investment sooner, but at the time it was just was just easier to go with Kinkos. We made postcards as our RSVPs so our return postage was much less than if we had sent cards with envelopes. I think that in total we spent $80 in postage between announcements, invitations, and RSVP postcards. In total , our invitation/announcement/paper product spending was around $150.

Beverages were a tough decision, but in the end we thought it would be best to stick to wine only for alcohol. We got a few cases of our go-to wine company, and made our own labels in Photoshop to reflect our sense of humor and wedding design.

Programs were irrelevant for our wedding because we chose to do a short ceremony with no readings. Our credit for the musician who performed during the ceremony went into the favors that everyone received at the reception (a slip with a shout out and thank you). As for placecards, you can read about them here .

Our thank you cards turned out to be easy and fun as well. We used one of the photos from our engagement shoot and ordered 100 custom postcards through VistaPrint. Not only were the postcards very affordable, but they also reflected the well-wishes table postcards that our guests wrote on for us at the reception.

Dressing the Groom

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was more stressed out in figuring out Jacob's attire than my own, to be honest. Neither of us liked the idea of buying a tuxedo, let alone renting one. Since our wedding wasn't "black tie" we chose a more affordable route. Jake really liked the idea of buying a suit so that he could always have it, and I really liked the idea of having a lighter color to match the theme of the wedding. Therefore, we came up with the following perfect puzzle-pieced suit.

(Jacob walking the mothers down the aisle)

First we purchased his jacket at Goodwill for $4.00. We chose this stop first because the jacket is easily the most expensive aspect of the suit, and it would be much easier to match pants to jacket than vice versa. Jake chose a jacket that had barely been worn, and fit perfectly. Next we picked up his matching dress pants at Macy's for $49- we brought the jacket in and matched it to every pair until we found the right color. We picked up some cologne on the way out ($60) because when would there be a more appropriate time to indulge? For his dress shirt, JC Penney was having a sale and he managed to grab it for $20, which was a deal considering the whopping $40 is spent on his tie at Express (but so worth it!). Shoes were proving to be a pain so we bought a pair off Zappos! for $40. In total (including cologne and shoes) Jake's look cost $213, and is a suit he will have for a long, long, time.

For the boutonniere, my maid of honor (who is also his sister), Sarah, pulled together an adorable paper arrangement inspired by this article my My DIY Wedding Day. It incorporated everything we needed- buttons, sparrows, our colors, and Paris (we honeymooned in France). I'm not at all surprised at how perfect the boutonniere turned out, afterall Sarah was also the one who created our invitations and my amazing paper bouquet and arrangements.

Wedding Bands

2011-10-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

This was by far the most discouraging part of planning the wedding. Everyone kept telling me that they were able to find their bands for less than $100 each, yet everywhere I went couldn't quote me a price less than $300 a pop. I searched on Etsy and found a couple of options. There were some gold-filled rings that would be around $100 each with engraving, but there was no telling how they would react with my skin/if they would turn green. Finally, I gave up and went to the mall. I tried GM Pollack & Sons first, having heard great things (plus the 70% off posters sounded good at the time), just to find out that I would still be looking at a $500 total.

My friend had told me that she and her husband had gone to Kay, so I dragged Heather with me and sat down in their very short chairs. I was immediately relieved to see a catalog- at last someplace that would actually show me their prices without leading me on first. I saw that they had women's rings for as low as $109 and men's for as low as $79. I pointed these out to the woman, and she brought them out for me to take a look at. They were perfect. Exactly what we were looking for. They needed to be resized, so she sent them out, cashed me out for a total of $200 (including a lifelong guarantee on both rings), and sent me on my way. A week later they were done! Even better- I had brought my engagement ring in a few days later to be resized and they had that back the same day as my bands.

While my service the second time was a little bit pushier, my first experience is the reason I will keep going back there. They were very affordable, and the woman who had helped me was so willing to help in any way she could. I highly recommend Kay!

Mason Jar Placecards

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Since our centerpieces are going to be ball jars filled with buttons and paper hydrangeas (and because I saw them on Etsy) we decided to go ahead and make some of our own. I feel like I could get yelled at for this, so here are a few disclaimers:

1. This is not an original idea by me. I found these at a great shop called ohmelisa. If you do not want to spend the 8 hours handmaking your placecards, she has amazing custom ones available for a spectacular price. Ordering from her will get you the same look for a lot less stress on you!
2. PLEASE do not copy this and sell them yourself, it's just plain rude. I will not be selling any of the ones I make- I just want to share this crafting recipe with other low-budget brides.

Anyways, on with the show. I scoured the internet for that mason jar stamp and found out that it was for sale at Michael's. I managed to snag the VERY LAST ONE for $11, and after debating with myself for a good 10 minutes (meanwhile pee-dancing like crazy) I decided it would be worth it in the long haul. I dug into my huge jar of buttons, gathered up my modge-podge, and unrolled my kraft paper- and we were open for business (the figurative kind of business where you don't actually sell anything.) As previously mentioned here are the tools you will need for this project:

a roll of kraft paper
mason jar stamp (found at Michael's)
ink
buttons
needle & thread (I only had sewing thread, but I recommend embroidery thread!)
scissors
modge-podge
newspapers to lay down

Lay your newspapers down. I had very thin kraft paper so I had to cut strips long enough to fold over. If you have thick strips, however, you can just cut them to the desired size. Anyways, cut out your kraft rectangles and stamp them with the mason jar.If thin paper, sew your buttons onto the top side of the kraft paper (where you can see the stamp) and glue the two sides together (thread should be inside this little glued mess). If you have thick paper, skip the glue part. Cut your placecards down to size, and add names & table numbers above the buttons.

NOTE: Do not store these in stacks with elastics around them, or you might have a last minute panic because they will look slightly wrinkled and you may or may not decide to scrap the idea and come up with a brand new one two days before the wedding.

Affordable Dresses & Accessories

2011-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

I knew right off the bat that I did not want the traditional flowing gown for my wedding. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I am clumsy, and I do not need an extra 20lb of fabric around my buttocks to prove that point. I wanted to get a dress that was longer than knee-length, but not all the way down to the ground. The first places I checked were local- Spoil Me! in Falmouth (way out of my budget), Material Objects (not the style I was looking for), and every Goodwill in a 20mile radius. After that I took a peak at some of the dresses on Ebay- I found several that I loved but was very concerned about shipping times since my wedding would only be 2 months away.

Then my mom sent me to Lightinthebox.com where I fell in love with how easy it was to browse through dresses. I found 3 options that I really liked, and one that I knew was THE dress. I ordered it immediately, opted for the $35 express shipping, and played the waiting game. Now, I didn't realize until AFTER that they include a 15 day "processing" before shipment because they are physically creating the dress as soon as you order it. My dress only took 7 days to process, and another 2 days before it was on my parents' doorstep. As I'm sure every bride fears- it didn't fit. Luckily for me it was too big, so it would be an easy fix.

I called Old Port Tailoring and Alterations and was able to bring it there that afternoon. She stuck some pins in, and told me to come back in a week with $24. Sure enough, a week later my dress was done. It was perfect- didn't look like it had even been touched and yet fit like a glove. So far my bill for attire had come to $200.97 and the dress was complete. I wanted to have bright shoes that *popped* so I ordered a pair online from Aldo. They have a shop with limited selection at the Mall, but online they have shoes in every color with *freeeee shipping!* - $43.21

I got my garters (decorative garter + toss garter together were $18.95) online through Etsy at
hellodesigncrew and my birdcage veil from beautilulartist for $22.79.

Things in 2011 that I have loved

2011-09-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I am not hugely a fan of the "new blogger interface" that I just clicked on. When did Blogger come Wordpress? Seriously? I have missed talking about pointless things that I do and do not care about, so as I am sitting here on one of the few non-married evenings left I have decided to do just that. Well, mostly just going over what I DO care about. Who needs all that negativity anyways.

Things in 2011 that I have loved

This restaurant- Paciarino (pah-chi-ah-reeno)

http://www.paciarino.com/

Are you kidding me? THIS is Italian food, folks. Not that Olive Garden shit. This is true Italian food, simple, amazing, affordable. The last time I ate pasta like this was literally IN Italy. Their limoncello dessert was absolutely to die for. If you don't eat here at SOME point in your life, I don't care to know you.

Ok, maybe that was a little harsh.

This coffee shop- Mornings in Paris

http://www.morningsinparis.com/

It could just be my obsession with everything involving France, but Mornings in Paris is my go to if you want a place that's good for anything. Coffee, tea, pastries, they're good at it all. Sure there are places in town that have just great coffee, and I'm first to say that Homegrown is best in Portland for tea, but MIP takes the cake for consistent quality regardless of the product. Their collaboration with local bakers only makes them MORE droolworthy!

This hobby- Knitting

https://www.ravelry.com/

If you don't knit, you should. It's amazing- challenging, productive, even sorta peaceful. Ravelry is a great resource with patterns for every level. The only thing that I can imagine will keep me sane this winter is sitting in my rocking chair, knitting.

This band/album- Foster the People/Torches

This band and album have ruined my life in the best possible way. They are all I listen to. It has been a long time since I have found what I consider to be a perfect album- a CD that I can listen to fully without any identifiable flaw or need to cease or skip any particular song. I think the last album that I could say that about was Crisis by Alexisonfire.

This single- Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye & Kimbra

There is not really anything more to be said. Kimbra's album Vows just came out and is incredible, and although I do love Gotye in this so so so so much, I'm not the biggest fan of his solo work. However, putting these two together is the best decision anyone could have ever made.

Other things include:
Everything about the conclusion of Harry Potter
The band Thomas Wesley Stern
Discovering that pedicures are awesome
Prosecco
This season of True Blood (I have hated every other season until now)
Finally doing yoga

WOAH

2011-08-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm getting married in 40 days. I have had numerous people tell me that I should create a "How I Gone Done It" series here about how we made it happen (we got engaged last Saturday, so it will end up being roughly a 50 day engagement). I'm thinking I might. Especially since we will be honeymooning in France, and you all know how I get in France! I'll probably come back with 5 books written and 12,000 new ideas. If I do it, I want it to be littered with pictures of everything we've done, costed out, yada yada yada, so the series won't begin until AFTER the wedding.

Unfortunately, I don't really have anything interesting to share with you, gentle viewers. But my dog has to poop, so things are about to get super exciting.

Vegan Rotini Salad and Peach Pineapple "Sangria"

2011-07-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Jacob and I have been doing a lot of cooking out of this book my mom got me from Goodwill called "Vegan on the Cheap." It not only has some really great recipes, but it also is legitimately affordable. The past two times we have gone grocery shopping, we have been able to feed ourselves for 2 weeks based on the recipes from this book, and both times we spent under $50 on ingredients.

A lot of the ingredients needed are pantry items (oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, basic herbs) that are just supplemented with bulk items (beans, grains) and fresh produce. It is really unbelievable how well we've been eating by sticking to these recipes, and that we have been able to budget it all so well. This is a testament to all of the people out there who say, "Whole Foods is too expensive!!" That is where we buy everything. Two weeks of food for two people for under $50 at Whole Foods is pretty damn good, I'd say.

Anyways, for the sake of my laziness, I have scanned the recipe to the left. Click on it to make it bigger, of course. I did make a few alterations- the first being that I forgot to buy tahini and parsley (though I did throw in some leftover lettuce we had kicking around), and the second being that we don't own a blender so I had to use a mortar and pestle and my grandmother's old handmixer. No sweat, though! It all turned out beautiful, delicious, and filling.

To accompany our dinner I made a faux Sangria by macerating some peaches, adding some pineapple juice, and adding it to a bottle of $2.50 Three Wishes white wine. All in all, I'd call it a delightful evening.

Let's Get Creative!

2011-06-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, I have begun re-branding my craft products. Byte Size Creations no longer exists, and has been replaced by PULP which can be found at IWANTPULP.COM. I wanted to distance my product from the Byte Size name, since I am trying to keep this more limited to Food & Travel rather than my assorted ramblings and craft goodies. However, a little self promotion IS in order, so go check out PULP! I am currently running a kickoff giveaway- every fan of my Facebook page is automatically entered, and you can earn extra entries by tagging the page on FB, tweeting, or blogging about it. Read more about it here.

With PULP, I am participating in the WholePort Creativity Expo, and am very excited about it. Essentially, it is an invitation to crafters to go wild with the inspiration of WholePort products. WholePort will provide you with FREE supplies (plus free shopping!) to create your masterpiece with for the chance to win a $50 coupon to WholePort. You are allowed to choose one of the nine package options below:

Of course, you must either "LIKE" WholePort on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter to be eligible, and you only have until July 9 to request your free package! For official instructions, visit the WholePort blog. I am eagerly awaiting my white cloisoinne beads, and can't wait to get started on my piece!

If you are unfamiliar with the variety of products available at WholePort.com, you are absolutely missing out. They not only have products for sewing, knitting, and jewelry making, but for baking as well! WholePort has a wide variety of cake molds and kitchen tools too! I am pretty excited about the Madeleine mold, I have been looking for one for ages!

Getting Artsy Up Here

2011-06-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Jacob and I have a plethora of used film canisters occupying our closet. Like, at least 10 ranging from several years ago to our most recent European exploration. When a local photography store went out of business, we took advantage of the "free" table and bulked up on developing materials. Jacob had learned from our host in England that he could just process the film and then do whatever he wanted from there- from which point Jacob realized that he could always just scan the images to see what he wanted to be developed, or in some cases just keep as is.

We each own lomography cameras- I have the old Holga which was handed down to me when Jacob purchased his Diana. Since we are too poor for 120mm film, we learned how to rig them to take 35mm by way of hair elastics and cut up pieces of kitchen sponges. Since this film isn't really meant to be used in these cameras, we had to wind the cameras according to a series of clicks to make sure it aligned properly. Because we knew these rolls of film were likely to be a bit...well...different, we thought it would be better if one of them were to be our experimental processed rolls.

After a few hours locked up in our bathroom, strips of film hanging from our shower rod, and many hours in Photoshop, the result was the following set of images. There were a few things that went wrong in the process (which is why only 3 of them turned out very well)- Jacob thinks he didn't let them sit in the chemicals long enough for one, the second problem being that our scanner isn't a proper negative scanner.

He also developed a roll of film taken on his Nikon that turned out amazingly well, however, I am not sharing any of those photos on the blog. He will be exhibiting the non-posted photos at Bard Coffee starting at July 17 so you will have to stop by to see those!

Maine Restaurant Week - Signature Event

2011-03-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

The Maine Restaurant Week's Signature Event is an absolute foodgasm of epic proportions. The Event combines bite-sized desserts from well known pastry chefs with the signature cocktails from the state's leading mixologists. The competition was fierce as each representing team brought their A-game.

Jacob and I started in the first room; him with camera in hand, and I with Academe's "Sage Against the Machine," a deliciously infused cocktail that cleverly combined Absolut Raspberry, Triple Sec, Sour Mix, Muddled Sage, Lime, and St. Germain's Elderflower Liquor. The freshness of this cocktail won my heart, and came away with first place for the evening.

As I meandered around the Masonic Temple, munching on a delicious selection of cheeses, risotto balls, and various other h'ordeurves provided by Camden Harbour Inn, I came across a new name. Kristin F. Simmons had a table that instantly caught my attention. Whether is was the Parisian inspired cake, the tiny lemon meringue samples, or a combination of the two, I could not get these desserts out of my mind. Without further ado I cast my vote. I caught up with Kristin, herself, and we chatted about her cakes. Right then and there I decided, this woman will someday be making my wedding cake, whether she knows it yet or not!

Other highlights of the evening included a brand-spanking new cocktail from my favorite Portland restaurant and bar, Sonny's. The boys informed me that the drink had not even been added to the menu, but assured me that I could expect it by the weekend. It was called "Kali Ma " and it was absolutely amazing. A combination of Pimm's Cup #1, Strongbow Hard Cider, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg whites, this cocktail definitely stood out among the rest. It was smooth, easy to drink, and absolutely dangerous. While I am disappointed that they did not win, I have faith that they will have several new fans due to this winning combination.

My second dessert ticket of the evening went to Portland's Havana South and their spicy chocolate truffle. It gave me a tasty kick in the mouth without overdoing it, and was a tiny treat that definitely left me wanting more.

Other key players in tonight's event were Walter's, People's Choice Dessert Champions, with their "Kitt Katt Bar with Sea Salted Caramel," Katie Made's "Dark and White Chocolate Raspberry Cake," Brian Boru's twist on a Hot Toddy, and the "Double Pear Martini" from The Salt Exchange.

All in all it was a fabulous night. As I wandered down the street with my full belly and slight buzz, I thought to myself, "I wish every week was restaurant week."

A Bit of Followthrough

2011-02-28T04:57:00.000-08:00

As promised on my *woah 200th entry* some changes have been happening. While many have been behind the scenes e.g. working on my books, writing up recipes, and attending more "foodie" centered events, there have also been some other changes that you may notice. The first being the new makeover. It is much different than the other layout, I know, but I wanted to simplify. Still not sure if this is the final layout or not, but it will certainly be a visually exciting next couple of weeks. You will also see that the collaborative Etsy shop is up! I am working with an amazingly talented card maker as well as my wonderful photographer boyfriend (who must take credit for the images in the header btw) to make that shop full of a variety of beautiful items.

Stick around. I promise it will get better.

Two Hundreth Post!

2011-01-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Coming up on the second anniversary of Byte Size and here I am at my 200th post! Our trip is drawing to a close which is both very exciting, and also quite depressing. I have been learned so much, and met so many amazing people the last four months that I just want to keep going forever. However, with travel also comes quite a lot of unpredictability which means that during this period of time several plans have fallen through, and lots of money has been spent trying to get back on track. We never made it back to Italy as we had originally intended, and I won't be getting the Belgium birthday I had hoped for, but I would not say that this trip has been anything less than incredible. I have picked hundreds of pounds of chestnuts in the mountains of Italy, waded in the Mediterranean Sea, chased wild boar through an open field, learned and spoken two new languages, seen one of the world's largest fireworks displays, and just today I babysat a sick sheep. While it is sad to leave behind all of the opportunities that I could encounter while still in Europe, I know that there are plenty of things waiting for me back home.

So here is what you can expect from me this summer. I am currently working on five or six different books, and my goal is to have at least one of them completed by the end of this summer. In addition, I will be working on creating a large stock of items to sell on Etsy in the fall. Ice Cream Alchemy is going to be on hold for a few more months because I am working on some more recipes and testing them all out to hopefully have a cookbook done by New Year 2012. AND I plan on bringing more food related posts to the table (hahahahahaha) as well. Seems like a lot now that I have written it down, but c'mon, I'm traveling the world here! I'll need lots of exciting things to occupy my time!!

I'll Never Call This Place My Home, I'm Just Passing Through

2011-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

You could say that London and I don't exactly mesh well. That was my first impression in 2006. An impression that most told me was probably based off of my previous experience with the school group I traveled with. "Your itinerary was too structured," they would tell me, "It's totally different if you see the REAL London." Fortunately enough, I took their advice and decided to give it another go. Jake and I wanted to do something big for New Years- something a bit different than our usual working-and-curling-up-on-the-couch-with-leftover-Christmas-food tradition, and London seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

I was pretty excited about this plan. We collaborated and created a list of everything the two of us wanted to see during our two day adventure, obviously ending with midnight at the Thames watching the fireworks. Our journey began at 6:00am when Chris kindly drove us (poor guy had band practice till midnight the night before, and karma would soon inflict the sleepless travel upon us later in our weekend) to the train station. I slept for most of the journey until we arrived at Waterloo station at about 9:00am. Our itinerary was pretty solid, and we were convinced that we would have plenty to do for the day. Jacob and I happen to be bizarre. We never particularly enjoy public transportation, and when given the option we usually opt for walking. I am not sure if this is because we are cheap, active, or just very visual- perhaps all of the above. We began in China Town because I really enjoyed the one that I frequented in Washington, DC, and hoped that the one in London would be even more extravagant. Unfortunately, nothing was open due to the hour, but I could tell that it wouldn't compete anyways. Aside from the "male treatment masseuse" centers I didn't see any other souvenir shops (my favorite part of China Town), so we continued on through Soho and ended up at a nifty restaurant called The Breakfast Club.

It is quite odd how we tend to gravitate toward the same kinds of restaurants everywhere we go. If you have ever been to Silly's or The Good Egg in Portland, those are typically the kind of establishments we choose to inhabit. The Breakfast Club was no different. It had a funky, retro feel with cleverly titled dishes and eccentric decorations (though they might be considered mild by Silly's standards!). We each had a "Sausage Butty" (essentially two pieces of white bread with a sausage in the middle…hardly worth the 5 quid each we spent on them) and continued on to the National Gallery.

I was very much looking forward to the National Gallery for many reasons. 1. You are allowed to sit and sketch as you look 2. They have comfy couches 3. Monet 4. Van Gogh 5. Renoir 6. Da Vinci 7. Michelangelo. The only problem with number one is that I didn't really want to draw the paintings themselves as much as the architecture of the inside of the building, however, there was no where I could sit to sketch my desired locations which inevitably just made me depressed. It was a really cool thing knowing that I was standing in front of actual original pieces by some of the world's greatest and most influential artists. Really, it was a great experience, but it didn't particularly MOVE me the way that I had hoped.

Not to fret, though! We left the National Gallery and headed towards Buckingham Palace which included a beautiful walk through the park where a man with a ferret in his hood handed me some bread to feed the assortment of fowl that inhabits the area. I don't know if you know this but I LOATHE feeding birds. It is terrifyingly competitive and aggressive and I am always afraid that I will be pecked to death as the birds desperately try to get at the bread. I did survive, and we did in fact make it to the Palace. It was quiet and nice in comparison to my first experience. Back then we had gone during the changing of the guard so the roads were littered with tourists and cameras and it was quite overwhelming. Jacob was lucky enough to catch sight of a few Beefeaters all dressed up in the beautiful blue coats! Quite nice, though we weren't close enough to sneak a picture.

By the time we were finished at the Palace in was about 2:30pm so we decided to head in the general direction of our hotel. We stopped quickly at Sainsbury's to pick up some pasties, salad, and clementine "champagne" for dinner and proceeded to spend the next combined 3 hours riding the tube and walking in circles in Leyton. We weren't aware that our hotel had two different names and that the one WE knew it by was not going to be presented ANYWHERE on the building, so we walked by it about seven times before stopping into the pub (which we should have done first, really) to ask for some help. Of course we also had a mix up with the reservation, but the folks at the front desk were surprisingly helpful and all was sorted out in the end.

We began the next morning at around 10:30AM destination unknown. We decided to take the bus because it was cheaper, however with that comes the price of having NO IDEA WHERE YOU ARE GOING. You see, tube maps are readily available but BUS maps are virtually nonexistent. Therefore it is your duty as a patron of the bus to either a. know where you are going b. piece together your journey by walking to every stop in your area or c. GTFO. We chose B with a mixture of the newly added d. ride until you see something cool. Jake had remembered that I had told him where to find some of the only remaining Banksy work in London and when he saw the name of the stop we leapt off the bus and began walking. We searched all over Old Street knowing only that it was near a bridge and by a business called Cargo. However, we did pass an old car park that has a famous piece by the street artist, but has been covered up with boards. We finally just accepted that the pieces had probably been removed, and turned down a road in the opposite direction. By some miracle, I glanced down an alley to my left and low and behold I saw it! In bright flashing letters the word "Cargo" lit up my heart and I grabbed onto Jacob's arm, gesturing emphatically to the road only managing to express myself in a series of squeaks. We were so happy to find the pieces (which are located in the entrance of Cargo and covered in glass to protect them from being covered up!!) and it pretty much made our day. We continued back on the main road to find several other works of street art by various artists, a few murals, and a lot of creativity. It is definitely a side of London that I had not been able to see the first time around, and am very glad that we had found on this trip.

It was then that we chose to make our way toward the river to see the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Big Ben, and begin scouting out viewing points for the fireworks show. We accomplished all of these tasks and by 4:30PM we had purchased our sandwiches for dinner later that night and were plopped down in our spot with nothing to do but wait. People were already gathering, and by 8:00PM the streets were closed to traffic and people were beginning to sit on the medians and gather on the sidewalks. By 10:00PM London was a madhouse. People just arriving were arguing with those who had been there for 5 hours, trying to bully their way into a good view. Folks were hanging from the trees, and others were adorning colorful bunny ears that lit up (what those had to do with New Year's is beyond me). The show itself was amazing. It was the largest display of fireworks I had ever seen in my life, and I actually had a small freak out during the finale where I convinced myself that the lights were actually coming at me and wondered what I would do if the bridge exploded (answer: be dead). Once the show had ended we danced our way through the crowd with the others in search for the Victoria tube station. I kept getting this vibe that it would be very unwise to ACTUALLY ride the tube, so Jake and I decided that we would try the bus. After an hour's walk we arrived at the bus stops to find that the N38 line had closed roads so we would have to take 73 and transfer at Angel Station. This meant that those who needed N38 AND those who would ordinarily ride the 73 would ALL have to squeeze onto the same bus. The first bus arrived and I greeted the group of screaming, pushing humans with a "fuck this!" and sat down to wait for a following bus. Unfortunately, the second bus was almost as bad, and as Jake and I were sucked into the bus by the amorphous blob of human flesh that carried us aboard hand-in-hand, we shimmied to the corner in hopes that we wouldn't get trampled. After some scary incidents, we finally made it back to our hotel room at 3:30AM.

Our ride back to Witham was definitely welcomed. While London was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, I would definitely love to keep it that way. There are many places I have been that I would love to see several times more, and London is not on that list. I think that it is definitely the right vibe for some, but I think I will stick to Paris, thanks.

Holiday Recipes From Across the Pond

2010-12-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "The Holidays" more than stuffing your face full of baked goods and sweets! Here are a few recipes that may or may not have tried that would be great to bring to the table this holiday season.

Stollen is a traditional bread dating back to 15th century Germany. The shape of the bread is said to have originally represented Jesus in swaddling clothes, though I honestly only see delicious marzipan wrapped in a crusty, fruity, sugary, bread. This is a very easy recipe to follow, though if you are short on time you can use self raising flour instead of AP but STILL USE THE YEAST AS WELL.

Stollen
(recipe from Seona Chapman)

1/3 cup warm milk
1 T yeast
2 1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1 large egg
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup mixed raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup candied peel
6 oz marzipan

Dissolve yeast in warm milk and let set until creamy (about 10 minutes). Add 2 cups of the flour, sugar, butter, egg, and lastly salt and combine. Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in fruit and peel. Continue kneading until smooth (about 8 minutes). Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Place somewhere warm and cover with a damp towel. Allow to set until dough doubles in size (about 1 hour). Turn dough out onto a greased cookie sheet and spread flat (does not need to be properly rolled out). Taking your marzipan, create a long cord and place it in the middle of the dough. Wrap the dough around the marzipan, being sure to pinch all the seams. Place cookie sheet someplace warm and allow to proof for one hour. Preheat oven to 350* and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300* and bake for 40 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, if you have some handy, and serve!

Gingerbread has a bit of an odd history. It's said that the original recipe was brought to Europe in the year 992 by an Armenian monk by the name of Gregory Makar, when he traveled to France. The recipe then traveled northward to Germany and Sweden (the nuns discovered that it aided with indigestion!), and eventually made it's way to Shropshire, UK, a town that prides itself on it's famous gingerbread. The earliest recorded mention of gingerbread in the UK is 1793- that's 801 years after it's original creation! I suppose word didn't travel as fast back then! There are many recipes for gingerbread cookies out there today, and believe me I have tried many. So far this is my favorite. If it's rolled properly it is very sturdy for gingerbread houses, as well as perfect for gingerbread men, or any other shapes you'd like to cut out!

Gingerbread Cookies

(recipe from here)

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside.In a medium bowl, mix together the shortening, molasses, brown sugar, water, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, until they are completely absorbed. Divide dough into 3 pieces, pat down to 1 1/2 inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When the cookies are done, they will look dry, but still be soft to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on wire racks. When cool, the cookies can be frosted with the icing of your choice.

Bûche de Noël is a traditional French cake made around Christmas. Others may know it as "yule log" or "giant Swiss cake roll" but I think everyone can agree on one thing- they are delicious! While I haven't been able to dig up much history on the baked good, my sources unanimously associate it with French tradition. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart, but even though it was very simple, I didn't agree with her "pinch" of baking soda because it was very vague and my genoise turned flatter than it really should have been. For that reason I have altered the leavener in the following recipe, though I cannot take credit for the recipe, itself.

Bûche de Noël
(from Martha Stewart)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for parchment and pan
2/3 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1/2 t of baking soda
6 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 1/2-by-15 1/2-by-1-inch jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment; butter and flour paper, tapping out the excess flour. Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together twice into a medium bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Skim off white foam, and pour clear yellow butter into a bowl, discarding white liquid at the bottom. Set aside in a warm place.

In a medium-size heat-proof bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and beat on high speed until mixture is thick and pale and has tripled in bulk. Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla, and beat 2 to 3 minutes more. In three additions, sift flour mixture over egg mixture, folding in gently with a spatula. While folding in last addition, dribble melted butter over batter and fold in.
Spread batter evenly in pan, leaving behind any unincorporated butter in the bottom of the bowl. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when touched in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Don't overbake or cake will crack. Let sit in pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.
Dust surface with cocoa powder. To make rolling easier, trim edges of cake, and cover with a sheet of waxed paper and a damp dish towel. Invert onto a work surface, and peel off parchment; dust with cocoa. Starting from one long end, carefully roll up cake in towel, and leave until cool

To assemble, unroll the cooled cake and slather with chocolate frosting (MS suggests chocolate mousse, which would be delicious, but I used buttercream). Re-roll the cake carefully and frost the outside (again you could use buttercream, but more traditionally ganache is used). Assemble on a platter and sprinkle with confectioners sugar to give the appearance of snow. If you'd like, create some mushrooms or holly out of marzipan or fondant to decorate. Or just go crazy and make a bird, like Jake did!

Executing Your Cross-Continental Adventure part 1.

2010-12-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Now that we have completed the "planning," let's begin a new series with our first edition:

Executing Your Cross-Continental Adventure
Part 1: Five Ways to Document Your Trip

There are a lot of different ways for you to keep track of the adventures you have during your cross-continental adventure. Most of these are fairly common, though there are a couple that you may not have considered. Some require a bit more packing space than others, so if you are traveling light you may enjoy the ones marked with an *asterisk* (this does not mean that you shouldn't do these if you have plenty of room, we are actually doing four of these methods and we are currently only carrying one backpack and one shoulder bag between us!).

*Creating a Sketchbook*
Our most recent method of documentation has been our investment in a sketchbook. While it was the cheapest of all these mediums, it does require the most time. Basically, we use this book to draw and write in whenever we feel inspired. The subjects thus far have never been of places we have been or people we have met- just ideas that whirl through our brains as we travel. Of course, this is not the highest recommendation if you dislike drawing, but if you consider yourself artistic, it is a fun and unique way of compiling all of your inspirations in one. Ours has been a great way for Jake to practice calligraphy and for me to practice drawing and watercolors.
the plus side: Very inexpensive, especially depending on the tools you choose to work with. While you may choose to bring paints, pastels, etc., if you choose to bring only a pencil you will not need to worry about them take up much space in your luggage. Keeping a sketch book and dating your work is also a good way to see how your style and skill progresses throughout your journey- especially if you are just beginning.
the negatives: This is the worst possible option for those who dislike drawing or other types of art. Keeping a sketchbook also requires a bit of care to keep it from getting stained, wet, or otherwise damaged. If you carry paints or other mediums, you also run risk of them spilling and/or staining your other items.

*Keeping a Journal*
Our original intent was to record our thoughts and stories in journals that we had made for us. It was quite nice during long layovers and bus or train rides, but we haven't kept up with it like we had planned to. Journals are a great way to record memories as well as vital information such as addresses and phone numbers hostels, flight times, bus schedules, etc. It is better if the journal is small so that it may easily be carried from place to place.
the plus side: Journals can be a very nice way to record everything you have done, and information about people you have met. It is nice to read about your adventures post-journey, and is something that is easy to share with others.
the negatives: depending on the quality of your journal, it could quite easily get torn and stained throughout your journey. It might also be difficult for some (like myself) to properly keep up to date with entries, especially if you record them another way (such as online).

Collecting Items
This is quite vague, I know, but I didn't feel I should get too specific in the title. Some people have items that they already collect- shot glasses, glass elephants, spoons, postcards, brochures, magnets, etc., which could be added to during their journey. What we have started to do (thanks to Kevin!) is collect beer coasters from every pub we go to throughout Europe. On the back we write the date, town, and name of the pub. We aren't sure what we will do with them when we get home, but we will probably frame the group of them with tags under each one with information about where it came from.
the plus side: Collecting things can be a fun way of keeping track of where you have been, and are great to show off on display when you return home
the negatives: This can add a LOT of extra weight depending on the type of item you are collecting and how many places you go. Also, if you are doing a lot of traveling, the items you are gathering with likely be crushed, broken, or mangled...which is fine if the integrity of the items does not matter (we don't particularly care if are coasters are frayed or stained just as long as we have them!).

Taking Photographs
This is a given. I don't know of ANY traveler who has not brought a digital camera with them. Taking pictures is the fastest way of documenting memories and sharing images with people back home. Most folks choose to go with digital photography, as we did originally, but Jake ended up having his film camera sent to us so that he could take the kinds of pictures he wanted rather than just run-of-the-mill tourist shots. While carrying many cameras isn't wise if you are traveling light, it is a great way to bring contrast to your photos. Also, if you travel with a friend or a group, you also receive different styles and perspectives throughout your journey.
the plus side: Fast, easy way to document memories. Photos can be used in a variety of projects post-journey such as prints, scrapbooks, postcards, calendars, etc. Also a great way to get creative if you have some time to focus on certain shots
the negatives: Batteries are the biggest downside to cameras. If you have a rechargeable battery, you are always hunting for a place to juice it up, if you rely on AA or AAA batteries, you are carrying a lot of extra weight and spending a lot of money. Cameras are also more likely to be broken or stolen in crowded areas.

Making a Blog
Blogging is becoming more and more popular by the day. While it may seem that "everyone is doing it," I still find blogs to be one of the most accessible sources of information on travel, reviews, and ideas. When I am planning to go someplace, I love reading about what others have done when they were there, how they likes where they went, and what they recommend I try. Creating a blog is very simple, and can be a fast way to record the daily (or weekly) events of your trip. When I blog about my adventures, I typically will type them when the inspiration hits, and then just save them in a text document until I have internet access again.
the plus side: Blogging is an easy way to share your adventures "as they happen" (or almost, anyways) by sending the link to friends and family where they can read about what you are doing and leave feedback. It is also a great way to share the photos you have been taking throughout your adventures.
the negatives: Unless you spend a lot of time in internet cafes, you will need to bring a netbook or laptop. This could add extra weight to your luggage, and unfortunately it makes you a slave to electricity again (which can be a pain if both your camera AND laptop die at the same time...priorities!). It can also be a hassle to some to be updating all the time, or they could feel bothered by others wanting more information than time allows.

*note: due to laziness, none of the pictures were taken by me therefore I take no credit for any of their beauty, ugliness, otherwise adjectively described presences. These images can be found on Google.com along with many others. Thank you.

Getting Around the UK

2010-12-03T11:40:00.001-08:00

I am by no means an expert on this topic, but I have been working very hard to try and understand transportation in the UK. And I still don't. It is obscenely more expensive than transportation throughout the EU, and you reaaaally have to dig deep to find cheap results. For example, today I spent my afternoon on the hunt for cheap transportation to London from Witham. I thought it would be very cheap, it's literally two hours away. WRONG. Not only that, but prices were changing drastically by the minute! I would type in the same search criteria every half hour and be presented with different results. It was frustrating and confusing, and I still don't really understand how I went from having a 48£ ticket to a $69£ one in half an hour.

Therefore, I am going to provide you with a serious of links that will hopefully be of assistance. I generally open every one of these in different tabs and search them all at once. This is helpful especially if you are not picky about the mode of transportation and/or the amount of time it takes you to travel.

Flights

Skyscanner
This has been a lifesaver, really. Instead of having to go to every single cheap-airline website (e.g. ryanair, bmibaby, jet2, easyjet, thomascook) you can type your information into this website and it will search them ALL at once. You can even be as vague as saying "United Kingdom to Anywhere" if you are really just looking for the cheapest flight out. I have seen results for as low as 2£ doing this.

Coach

National Express
There are a lot of special parts of the National Express website where you can get cheap deals, but you need to look for them. Fun Fares are very cheap (they say some are as low as 3£ but I generally find them for about 7.50£ ) but you need to book in advance.

Berry's Coaches
I don't know very much about this website, because I literally only discovered it today. As I said, I spent most of the afternoon researching my own transportation and would not have come across this one had it not been for Seona. I haven't discovered it's in's and out's yet, but I'm sure they have some.

Megabus
There is a special place in my heart set aside for my loathing of megabus. Not for any particular reason, really, except that I never have any luck with it. They require specific routes, and sometimes they are not even very affordable. I feel like it would be nonsense if I didn't include them, however, just know they aren't my number one recommendation. Along with them, you can also check Megatrain and Megaplus for other "great deals."

Rail

I absolutely BEG that you ignore my advice to use raileurope.com. It is the largest rip-off ever, only second to the official Eurail website. Of course different websites are better for different countries, but these are some of the best for the UK.

National Rail
While prices are still usually in the hundreds, they are not nearly as obscene as the others.

Trainline
This is the website that I used to book my tickets to London. While I was incredibly frustrated by the drastically fluctuating prices, the fact that the registration page is annoying as hell, and the stupid 3.50£ charge for using a credit card (even though it won't let you use the free debit card option when you ARE using a debit card!) it was worth the hassle for the price of the tickets. I wasn't able to find my journey for any less than 70£ on the other websites (not without additional fees, anyways) but was able to on this one. I was also very happy to have the option of buying my railcard for the Tube in the same purchase- very handy and time saving in the long run!

I hope these links are helpful to you when planning your journey around the UK. My biggest piece of advice is book your tickets early! WEEKS EARLY! if you really want to save money. If you have done some traveling through the UK and have some links you'd like to share, please leave a comment and I will include them in the post! As I said, I am far from an expert, and I would love to hear about more transportation options within the UK.

A Bit Boaresque

2010-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

The social life of a world explorer is likely to be overwhelming, especially if you are like me and happen to be graced with less than awesome social skills. I feel offensive every time we are in a pub because as soon as I am asked what I want to drink, I am instantly reminded that I very rarely go to bars and that my chance of ordering a frozen mango margarita at Seymour Arms is literally ZERO percent. I then go through my inner-rolodex...eyes rolling back into my head, inwardly debating between "just order a beer, any beer!" to "idk, something with whiskey?!" mostly dreading the possible situation of asking for something that they are either a. out of b. don't have or c. have never heard of if their lives. By the time I snap back to reality, everyone is usually looking at me and saying, "Well you don't HAVE to get anything..." with a look as though I had made an uncomfortably rude joke.

I only mention this because if you have this problem, the UK isn't the smartest place to go. I am lucky, though, that most times we go to the pub it is because we are eating lunch at Margaret and George's house that is LITERALLY right next door, so I generally just let Jake go play Bar Billiards with "the other blokes" while I sit on the "settee" and watch the "telly" by the fire as Gwyn and Tom run around. Yes, it is nice, but not the most social.

I really had my chance to blossom at bingo last Friday night. "Witham Friary Annual Bingo," to be precise. We were told that people come from ALL OVER the county to play bingo, and we were very excited. The lot of us filed in, and George showed us the ropes (even spotting us some quid for an extra play book) and eyed the prizes to be won. Jake and I were very focused and mostly just stuck to ourselves, chatting with Seona about the prices of bus tickets to Portugal. It was at that moment that the most dreadful thing happened! Seona stood up, on her way to the toilets and said, "Portugal? Her boyfriend is from Portugal, ask her about it!" pointing to a young girl behind us before dashing out of sight.

I froze. I was not prepared for this! I turn around slowly, think real hard and say to the girl, "Cool," and faced forwards again. I knew that it probably came across as super bitchy so I thought real hard again, turned back around and asked, "We saw some really cheap bus tickets to there but before then it wasn't really ever a place I thought of as worth-while." NICE, KELLY. It was like when I took the moment to take a good hard think, I instead decided to come up with the most pompous statement ever. I heard myself and prayed that she wouldn't take it as rudely as it sounded. Luckily, she only asked where the tickets were to. I responded, and while I was now at the point of desperation as to not sound like blue-assed baboon throwing nasty word-poops at the nearest innocent people I stuck with, "Is it nice there?"Behold! The intermission had ended, and bingo was beginning again! This meant that I only received a smile and nod from my new friend and we were back to an activity that I AM good at- staring at numbers looking confused.

It seems that the only folk that I am appropriately able to socialize with are perhaps the wild boar that are currently inhabiting the woods (and sometimes fields, and sometimes gardens) of Witham Friary. Rumor has it that the Duke of Somerset (our county...I say "our" like I live here...) is aware of the boar, which by the way are NOT normal for this area, and is just "keeping an eye on them." There is a lot of fuss about them because, as previously stated, their appearances are not normal especially for such a large group. We had seen them run past the house last week and Jake and I followed them to find that there were THIRTEEN of these beasts. Also, apparently yesterday, one of the neighbors was CHARGED BY ONE in his garden in the early morning! That is not to say that I am only able to make friends with wild creatures that have tusks, but mostly to say that I, like the wild boar in question, am merely just acting like myself and as a result it makes others slightly confused and a bit offended (and perhaps occasionally fearful). So I guess you could say that I am a bit boary. Perhaps boarish. Or even better, boaresque.

We Call This a SUPERPOST!

2010-11-19T02:08:00.001-08:00

Okay, okay, I know I owe you a bit of details, gentle viewers, but you must understand that life as a free soul is just hard to put into words! I kid, it's actually quite easy to put into words, it's just finding the time to put it in the words. No, that's complete bullshit, I have all the time in the world, really, I just haven't felt the need to write lately, and let's face it friends, you're on my time now.

A recap is definitely in order, because the amount of content that I am about to force your way is so overwhelming, your head just might implode. We will begin at Via Piana *insert elegant harp music as your imagination brings you along a rainbow to the time and place of which I speak.* Basically, after the whole chicken ordeal, it began to rain an epic fuck-ton. And that's a lot of rain. It poured for the remainder of our time there, which meant no picking olives. Instead, we sanded door frames, doors, window frames, etc. at Via Piana (rather than the Farm Stay, etc.) It was good fun, and we really enjoyed staying there, but unfortunately Wednesday rolled around and it was time for Jacob and I to begin our next adventure.

Anna drove us to Sora around 9:45am to catch the next bus to Rome where we would be taking a night train (which I later composed a song about) to Treviso. We got to Rome at around 11:00am I suppose, but our train wasn't until 10:00pm. Queue the incredibly long wait in really, really cold conditions and the occasional thunder and lightening. We waited our 11 hours, occasionally running to a fruit market to stock up on snacks (where we conversed with the most ADORABLE old Italian couple in the WORLD) or to a cafe where we could spend out the asshole for a 1/4 full tiny cup of coffee and then get KICKED OUT for no reason other than the fact that the girl at the counter was a raging bitch. However, we did make it onto the train and proceeded to sleep.

We arrived in Treviso at 6:45am and made our way to the airport with ease- just had to take a bus. Treviso is an airport town....aka a nothing-town. There is an airport, and maybe 4 really expensive restaurants. Not comforting when you are looking at a 14 hour wait. Yes, folks, our plane was not scheduled to take off until 8pm. Yes, we could have blown about 20 Euro to go "see the sights" in Venice, but it would have cost an ungodly amount of money to even be in the town, and it wouldn't have been worth it for only a day trip. So we waited. When we finally boarded the plane, I fell asleep instantly. No surprise, since I got maybe 4 hours of cumulative sleep on the train. The flight was only two hours I think, with an incredibly rough landing. It was very windy and we hit turbulence on descent, and everyone on the plane was crying or yelling "oh my God!" which would have worried me more had I not been in a drowsy stupor. However, we did land, and all was well.

Filing into the immigration center, we were prepared as well as could be. We had the contact information of who we were staying with, proof of employment when we return, our return flight ticket, and good spirits. By the time we had filled out our landing cards, the place was empty. Gulp. We step up to the plate, and Mr. Immigration Officer throws the first pitch, "What's the nature of your visit?" "We're on holiday." BALL ONE! "Where are you staying?" "*Insert Name & Address*" BALL TWO! "How long will you be staying in The United Kingdom?" "Three months, here is our return flight home." BALL THREE! "You know that you are not allowed to work during your stay in the UK, right?" "Of course not!" GRAND SLAM!!!!!!!! Everything was great, and we collected our luggage (the last one there) before proceeding through to the lobby.

Currency exchange kiosks are for the birds, let me just say. They absolutely rape you. We had 10 pounds worth of Euros (exactly the amount we needed to catch our bus to Nottingham), but they charged us 5 pounds in commission so we were utterly effed. The ATM wasn't reading our debit card, and when we tried getting cash back it didn't work either. Inevitably, Jake's bearded charm got us a half-price bus ticket to our destination, and we were on our way. We were supposed to stay with a very generous couch surfer, but because of our predicament we did not want to have to walk all the way to his house (after arriving two hours late at that) and simply called to let him know we wouldn't be able to make it. We figured we could crash at the bus station and try taking an earlier bus.

We arrived at the Nottingham bus station at about midnight- picture, if you will, a giant green warehouse with icicles for seats, and a cold cement floor. After waiting for about an hour, the night watchman told us that there was a 24 hour McDonald's up the road that might be warmer. Why not, we thought, and began to walk there. Jake had a hankering for fries, but AGAIN had trouble with the machine! Apparently cards in the UK have a microchip in them that US cards DO NOT have which poses quite a problem. However, they gave us the fries for free and we sat there munching for a bit before we were joined by our good friend, John. You see, John was a young man in his twenties who was absolutely drunk beyond all reason. He came to our table and sat next to Jake. "Are you okay?" he asked Jake, "Yeah, I'm good," Jake replied. John gets very close to Jake's face, "You have an amazing beard- use that to your advantage."

We spent the next two hours chatting with John about his status as a Peruvian hate-figure, life in England, and his friend's grandmother in Bath. He invited us to crash on his couch, but we refused for the sole fear that he would wake up sober and have no idea who we were. It was an awesome couple hours, though, and provided some much-needed entertainment. Though, once John left, we decided to leave as well. Returning to our cold, depressing bus station, we curled up on the seats, (since we had been yelled at for sitting on our bags on the floor- "just one of those things," the man said.) which were 10x colder than the outside (where we were also forbidden to sit), and tried to get some sleep. We got 15 minutes of dozing in, here and there, before our bus finally arrived at 7:50am.

The bus ride was great, we fell asleep for pretty much the whole time (the driver even commented on Jake's snoring) except for when we needed to change buses in Bristol. When we got to Bath it was pouring- the storm that had apparently followed us from Via Piana, if I had to guess (though with the amount of precipitation England gets on a daily basis, it was probably just an average thing). We were soon greeted by Seona and here son, Gwyn, and escorted to their car. It was so weird getting into the passenger seat (aka the driver's seat, back home), but so unbelievably comforting to not be driving with a tiny Italian woman on tiny Italian roads. I swear, Rosa created the definition of "bad driver" for me.

And that was last Friday. Wow, it's already been a week! The adventures here aren't as outrageous as they were in Italy, mostly because we are staying with normal people in a country where we can speak the language. It is also amazing because we are staying with the most charming family I have ever met. The children, obsessed with Scooby-Doo, are stunningly adorable, Chris and Jake are so similar that it's almost eerie (from their love of photography, to little mannerisms that Seona and I pick up on), and Seona is just brimming with kindness. While we have been here she has taught me to knit, toted us around Frume and Bruton (where we watched as her and a group of musicians just played music for hours), and has made us the most delicious homecooked meals outside of home.

I really wish there were more to say, but life here is so utterly simple and beautiful, that there isn't much to it. We help the family for a few hours in the morning, just with everyday tasks, and then we spend the rest of the day knitting, drawing, writing, taking pictures, reading, eating....and that's our day. So simple, so awesome.

"Wine is the Juice of Life"

2010-11-06T01:54:00.000-07:00

It was a rough morning following the evening of Mr. Fawkes. It had been a bit chilly in the night, but I awoke to discover about 5 more blankets below my sleeping bag (a realization that would prove to be helpful in my future nights' sleep). We awoke around 7:20AM and went to the common room to have some breakfast. At around 8:00AM we began walking toward the Farm Stay. Although we were technically Anna's volunteers, she had been "lending us" to the Farm Stay to help with the olive harvest. The Farm Stay is a place for guests as opposed to Via Piana which is a place that is being built to one day be for guests. There were three volunteers at the Farm Stay, Olga, Theresa, and Jennifer (aka Sophie) who we met once we arrived.

We met up with Giuseppe and the others and began picking olives. It was pretty simple, really. There is an olive tree, then a net that is spread out on the ground at the base of the tree. Then, you use your hands or a small rake to remove the olives from the tree. When the olives are off the tree, you pour them into a crate, and you move onto the next one! We did this for about 4 hours before returning to the main building for lunch. We were served pasta with fish, Baccala (salt cod), and plentiful amounts of Giuseppe's wine. I'm telling you, I have never had wine like this in my life! It puts Massimo's wine to shame…almost to a degree that would embarrass a grape, itself.

After lunch, Giuseppe asked us if we would like to watch him kill a chicken. Felipe sat this one out, but Jake, Chris, and I gave it a go. I have always felt that you should know where you food comes from, and how it gets to you, and I wanted to stay true to that. I expected one of two things to happen:
1. For Giuseppe to snap the chicken's neck, and drop it to the ground where it would flop around for a bit before laying still or
2. For Giuseppe to cut the head off with an axe, after which the chicken with writhe like a fish out of water for a bit before laying still.
Well, instead, I saw option 3.

Giuseppe pulls a burlap sack out of a trash can where you can hear the clucking begin. He pulls out a chicken and carries it by it's feet to a large stump. He picks up a small, rusted axe and with a swift motion, strikes the bird in the neck. He then throws it to the side and picks up the next. The first chicken, head half on, is flopping beside us. No, not flopping…flipping. It is flipping in circles about a foot into the air, flapping it's wings, and somehow still making noise. After about a minute of this, I had to leave. The chicken had not stopped moving, and it was far too much for me. Needless to say, the chicken did not taste very good to me at lunch the next day.

We walked with Chris to The Mogli to help with the cleanup from the festivities of the previous night. He told us stories of killing wild boar which, while relatively disturbing, helped us to understand what had happened with the chickens. We all agreed that while it wasn't a pleasant experience, it is something we were glad we witnessed for the sake of food. After cleaning up the area, we headed back to Via Piana. We still had half the day at our disposal, and none of it required picking chestnuts.

Remember, Remeber, The Fifth of November

2010-11-05T01:50:00.000-07:00

Leaving Positano was heartbreaking, but needed. We had blown through quite a lot of money in three days, which was the majority of our funds, and it became very important that we get where we were going before we were tempted to spend anything else. To be fair, a lot of the money was to pay for the Agrotourismo and our bus tickets, but it also went to a lot of good food and beer. Our good old pal Felipe had hooked us up with a stay with his host, so we would be headed to Sora to reunite with him.

We took the torturous ride back, though is was less vomit inducing this time. I just toked up on some motion sickness meds and fell asleep for most the ride. From Sorrento we took the train to Naples, and then a bus onward to Sora. We were soon picked up by Anna, our host, a very young, sweet looking girl who spoke English amazingly well. She brought us to the supermarket to pick up some food before driving us to Via Piana- our temporary home. "Your accommodations are very…rustic. The house is without electricity, I hope this is okay," she told us. We told her that it was fine, that we were just happy to have a place to stay. "The common room has a fireplace and electricity, and there is also a bathroom," she adds, "but sometimes, when it rains, it rains in your room." We pull down the narrow road and she leads us to our room. It is on the top floor of a large stone building. Inside there is a large bed with several blankets, and two bureaus. It was not very cold, and the room felt very cosy for being so "rustic." She led us to the common room and showed us where we could leave our groceries. A moment later the rickety wooden door was kicked in! "'Ey, 'ey kids!" Felipe shouted as he storms through the door with a case of Peroni in his arms. He threw it to the table *insert creative license* and replaces the empty space in his arms with Jacob's warm embrace. They hug passionately- both inwardly ecstatic to have been reunited. They knew they would meet again, and this was only evidence that their love was everlasting *end dramatic recreation*.

Felipe quickly introduced us to Nathan, a Florida-based former military brat who has been traveling the world for an extended period of time, and with that we were off. Jake, Felipe, Nathan, Anna, and I pile into the car and she brings us to a path that we were to follow to The Mogli. You see, it was the 5th of November (Guy Fawke's day of course!) and we were going to have a "proper celebration" if ever there were one. We followed the path and came to a large empty field with a fire burning in the middle and a large stone house in the shadows behind. As we approached, Felipe introduced us to Guy, and explained that it is his inevitable fate to be burned at the end of the night. After, we met Christopher, a mad-bomber-hat wearing guy from Leeds, and our host for the evening. A grand feast was being prepared upon the fire; wild boar, wild mushrooms that had been picked earlier that day, rice, potatoes, and of course- beer.

Anna arrived a few minutes later with Giuseppe, wine-making extraordinaire and father of the property owner. He spoke no English, but the most eloquent Italian I had heard since arriving. For hours, the group of us ate, drank, and sang songs around the campfire. Felicita and Baronne, the two dogs of the property, joined in and sat cozily near the fire as we shared stories about home and our travels, and watched the stars up above us. I did not know what time it was, but could tell it was getting late based on how far the stars had moved since we'd arrived. After our ceremonial "burning of Guy," Felipe recited the famous "Remember, Remember" poem, and we made our way back to Via Piana.

I Lost My Heart in Positano

2010-11-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

On a slow, boring night at Whole Foods last spring I went around asking everyone where the coolest place they'd been was. Many listed places that I had been to, but my boss listed someplace I had never heard of. That place was Positano, Italy.

Our trip to Positano has been a bit of a whim. Since that conversation with Rob, I've had this town on my list of places to visit, but I wasn't sure how to get there, where to stay, or what there would be to even do there. However, on a particularly rough afternoon of chestnut picking, Jacob and I decided to take the plunge and make our reservation. The first hurdle (and blessing) we ran into was that November is the low season. This means that although many places are closed, those that stay open have lower rates in order to attract business. Our least expensive option was an Agrotourismo called Rifugio Degli Dei and after looking at the pictures for a solid 5 seconds, we were booked. The price was 40 Euro per person, per night bringing our total to 160 Euro. This might make you feel a bit hurt in the wallet, but you must understand two facts. 1. This is the same price we paid at the cheapest hotel in Paris where we were relatively afraid to go out at night and 2. This place is more beautiful than anyplace I have seen in my life, and therefore more than worth the money.

I have a problem with motion sickness when not appropriately medicated for the ride, which was incredibly evident during our ride from Sorrento to Positano. Our bus had to drive along roads that were wrapped all the way up and down a mountain in order for us to reach our destination. It's not a long ride, though, maybe about half an hour. However, if you even get the slightest bit queazy on a Disney World ride, I whole heartedly recommend you take a mighty dose of Dramamine before this ride. After arriving in Positano, myself and Jake both covered in my early-morning croissant (round 2), Jake made a call to the "hotel" to see if we could be picked up. It would be quite the walk because we had gotten off the bus at the wrong stop (mostly so I could get some air), and we weren't entirely sure that I could walk at that point. The man said no problem, and within five minutes he had arrived. Even post-puke I was in love with Positano. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, and even the most beautiful pictures didn't do it justice. As we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a set of 250 stairs (which they give you ample warning about on the website) and began climbing.

Weak and sick, these stairs were no problem. The stone walls were covered in flowering vines, quick lizards, set next to tiny houses with fresh fruits hanging overhead. We arrived at the top and were welcomed by a black sheep with a small bell around it's neck. A few steps more and we were offered a seat where our host brought us water and let us rest. A small kitten and it's mother ran to us and began making us at home- the kitten played with an olive as the mother invited herself into Jake's lap, purring incessantly. A moment later, a small, round dog appeared. She was clearly pregnant and beyond adorable. Dumbfounded by our surroundings of hanging vegetables, pomegranate trees, and nearby goats, we were led to our "room." I use quotes so often when describing this place because it is unlike anyplace you have ever stayed. Our "room" has a full kitchen and living room, large bathroom, and separate bedroom with a king sized bed. In addition, we have a patio with lawn chairs and table set under an olive tree and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Our stay at Rifugio Degli Dei has easily been our best experience since arriving in Europe- we give it 5 stars!

The food in Positano is very expensive. About equal to Paris, but certainly more than Napoli. For this reason, we decided to take full advantage of our cooking skills and our gorgeous kitchen by making our own lunch and dinner the second day. I'm sure many would be appalled by the fact that we are not indulging in local fare, but what they fail to realize that we are. Are ingredients are fresh, local, handmade Italian ingredients that are merely assembled by our American hands. Plus, we have been learning to cook from an old-Italian couple in the hills of Montefalcione, so I think we are making the right call here. However, all of these ingredients can be found at home, so if you would like to have "Italian Night" sometime, I'll give you the recipe for our lunch today.

2 pkg. Fresh Tortellini (this can be found in the refrigerated aisle at Whole Foods and most other grocers- you may use another pasta if you'd like, but I recommend ravioli or tortellini as it is stuffed)
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (regular will do as well)
1 lg can Whole Tomatoes
1/4 lb. Salami (thinly sliced)
2 lg. Green Onions (sliced)
Salt to Taste

In a saute pan, heat oil slightly. Add green onions and salami. Cook until green onions are soft, then add full can of tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes while stirring (they don't need to be fully broken, just enough for them to become smaller), and cover. Allow to heat, stirring occasionally. Be sure to season and taste.

While sauce is heating, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to boiling water until it "tastes like the ocean." Add pasta and allow to cook until it floats. Drain pasta, and return to pot. Add heated sauce, and serve while hot.

We enjoyed our meal with a glass of Peroni (beer) although a nice wine may be better in this case.

"If you ask that old lady what time it is in Italian, we'll chug our beers"

2010-11-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Now that we have changed months I don't even know how to count days anymore. For that reason, you will have to just trust me on the dates. On Monday, the five of us headed for Napoli. We had arranged to stay at Hotel Bellini in a shared room with five beds. The price was right- 16 Euro per person per night. They had free wifi, breakfast, and gave us a very thorough map of the city. Mar had plans to meet with a friend, but the rest of us headed toward the coast for some pizza and a possible trip to Posilipo.

It was windy as all hell, but fun nonetheless. We walked through several street "markets" (I use quotes because these markets were not legal, and therefore anytime a police car would drive down the road every vendor would grab their shit and run into the alley until the cop had passed) where I bought a beautifully amazing scarf and my first pair of Italian pants! I will also note that these are also my ONLY pair of pants as I primarily packed leggings and windpants (for work). So excited for my new clothes, the group and I returned to the hostel. Our plans to go to a club that evening were viciously interrupted by several strikes of lightening. As soon as we entered the hostel, the sky tore open and the thunder and lightening took over. Buckets of rain began to fall, and the thunder was so loud that the windows shook. Though it was sad that we were all stuck inside that night, it was much preferred to the alternative of being soaked and struck by lightening.

Tuesday, the sky was still a bit angry, but the rain had stopped. Mar and Robby were headed to Pompei with a Scottish guy that they met at the hostel (who had also been eating at the same pizzeria as us the day before!) while Jessica, Jake, and I were on our way to Sorrento. The man at Hotel Bellini had arranged a hostel for us with a 10% discount, so we were all set to go. After a long train ride from Napoli Central Station, we arrived in Sorrento. The hostel we stayed at was not as nice as the last, but definitely not bad. We dropped our stuff off in our room, and left to find some lunch. Rosa had recommended that we get lasagna at Bar Fauno in the center of the town, but it looked way to touristy for our liking.

As we made our way through the narrow streets of Sorrento, we ran into an old man who guided us to a small restaurant. We first thought that he was a regular of the establishment, but later found out that we had been duped! He was the owner! No matter, because the food was incredible. I indulged myself in sea bass with lemon sauce while Jake and Jessica each had pasta. We spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening "bar hopping" in many senses. The first being that we spent the majority of our evening drinking beer from several places including a couple stops at the grocery store. The second being that we ate at about three separate gelaterias. And the third being that we ate many a-pastry at several different bakeries.

The night ended at a restaurant by the train station where I severely had to pee. Jake approached the employee (probably about 20 years old) and asked for a table for three (in Italian of course). The kid told Jake that he was sorry, but they were no longer serving dinner. We were very confused because it was only 7:30PM….how could they not be serving dinner?! Still lasagna bound, I approached the young man and asked in Italian, "Where can I find lasagna?" Oh, how the tables turned! "No! You eat here! My friends can cook you good lasagna," he replies in English, pointing over his shoulder at the five young men sitting at the bar. "Grazie!" I reply as Jessica and I take a seat, "but you should say 'where can i eat the lasagna' rather than 'find the lasagna'," he adds as an afterthought.

We get our lasagna (still cold in the middle, but I was lucky enough to not find something gross inside), and I ask the guy in Italian, "where is the party tonight?" He laughs and replies (in English! Again! What the hell!), "Let me go ask my friends…" By this point we are all laughing hysterically, and the boy returns, "They say perhaps in the center. It is Tuesday, so probably no where else." We thank the poor boy, pay our bill, and return to the hostel. While we were disappointed that the "party" was forced to end at a mere 9:00, it was probably for our own good. After all, we would have to wake early to part ways the next morning.

Wool for the Skin

2010-11-01T05:02:00.000-07:00

Days Thirty-One & Two

Rosa's insanity continued on Saturday as we continued our chestnut picking rituals, but this time it was more progressive. In the morning, she came downstairs and told us that if we were to work all day Saturday & Sunday, we could have Monday & Tuesday off. This was perfect because then, we could just leave two days early as our original exit date was to be Wednesday. We tell her that we will work those days, but would collectively decide if we would like to go to Naples or not. "As you like," she responds, which half the time is genuine and the other half is passive-aggressive nonsense.

We pick chestnuts, as per usual, and fill the bags. Lunch. More picking. Dinner. We then talk to Rosa and tell her that we will leave on Monday as she said, but that we will not return. She is confused- Why is everyone leaving? We explain that we had told her that Wednesday was our last day, and if we were to get Monday and Tuesday off it would make so sense to make the trip just to get our stuff. She seems to get it, but still is overcome with worry because it means that she will lose 4 workers in one day. Even though she had just told us this morning that more were coming, and that the chestnut harvest has ended, suddenly she doesn't know when they will be arriving, or if she will have enough volunteers.

Her crazy was all gone the next morning. We were all tripping out because it had apparently been daylight savings the previous night (and thank God, because we had stayed up till 1am!) and Rosa was already up and assembling lasagna. She told us that we would finally be having it (she had been promising it for a week), and did not begin picking chestnuts until 9:30am. Time dragged on, but we pushed through- knowing it was our last day was both a blessing and a curse. The lasagna was amazing. I was dreading it because she said she put hard boiled eggs in it and I thought that sounded disgusting…but trust an Italian woman….it was amazing. She had a vegetarian lasagna made as well as a meat one, followed by 4 heads of steamed broccoli, a bowl of boiled onions, a pan of chicken breast, and bread. Stuffed to the gills, were then pleasantly surprised to find out that we would not be picking anymore chestnuts! Instead, we would be returning to her sister's restaurant to finish cleaning.

We only stayed for about an hour, pretty much doing nothing, before Rosa drove us to the mountain-top town of Montefusco, about 700 meters higher in elevation than Montefalcione. You could see the lights of every surrounding village. It was pretty beautiful. She walked us around the town, just because she thought we should see it. It was amazing having the old Rosa back, especially for our last day. It would have been so horrible to have ended our stay here on the negative note that was left in the air just two days ago.

The Scissors are in the Chicken!

2010-10-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

Day Thirty

I'm at the point of not being able to stand it here any longer. This has occurred only recently since Rosa has apparently gone bat-shit insane. We picked up the new WWOOFers on Monday and ever since she has been out of her mind. There have been less chestnuts in the fields now that we have been picking every day, and it is hard to do anyways because the rules are constantly changing. Some days you are told to not pick up the small ones, and other times "all sizes are good." Then we are told that we should pick all that are bitten because the "animals eat only the best." Yesterday, however, Rosa returns in a panic. She returns from the factory looking as though she had just returned from a fight with a badger, and tells us that the man did not pay her for ANY of the chestnuts because they were so awful. She says, "The man said that 70% were bad, and he not pay me." She then proceeds to give us a lesson on what is a good chestnut and what is a bad chestnut- a class that is about 3 weeks overdue by this point. I bring up the fact that she told us to pick chestnuts with the holes, and the small ones and she denies it adding, "one is okay, but not all."

Later we remember that on Tuesday she made us separate the good chestnuts from the bad, and that she had brought the whole bag of bad ones to the factory. We suggest that perhaps this is the reason for the lack of payment- maybe he opened up the bag we had set aside of bad. She doesn't acknowledge what we have said, "They do this at the factory, I do not decide. Massimo had gone before and then they were also bad" Really? Then why the fuck is this the first time we are being told about it? If they have been not getting paid for THREE WEEKS of chestnuts, why NOW are they deciding to tell us what's wrong. I am fuming at this point.

Today we picked and she got mad because she "is older and slower and she picked a whole bag [her]self, while [we] have only picked three for five of [us]!" Keep in mind this "full" bag was only 1/4 of the way full, and most of the chestnuts looked JUST like the bad examples from the day prior! Jess confronted her about her chestnuts and she told us that hers were not as small as the others, and that a little bitten is okay because it is hers. She had also told Jake earlier that if we didn't want to pick chestnuts we could go home. That had me roaring. I am always up for that game - someone wants to threaten me with going home, I'll fucking leave. She needs our help far more than we need hers. Rosa does not even feed us half the time, there is no heat, she refuses to let us put the firewood under shelter so it s always wet and we cannot make fires, we cannot take showers because we can't heat the water- I really don't even know what we are getting out of this anymore other than a fucking headache and a large dose of rage virus. I would much rather be lost in the beautifully majestic Positano than here right now.

The only redeeming thing about being here is the other WWOOFers. They are all really funny, and we're all so different with completely different life experiences that we have loads of stories to share with each other. For this reason, I love being here. It is also a comfort knowing that we are all about at wits end with Rosa, and that it's not just me who thinks she's lost it. It's sad to watch, like seeing someone half-way effected by anesthesia or something, but more than sad it's fucking annoying.

Shall We Go?!

2010-10-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Days Twenty-Six & Seven

It was 5:40AM and Rosa was honking the horn. She was going to Avellino to pick up a new WWOOFer, and had agreed to take Jessica, Jake, and I to the bus station so that we may spend the day in Napoli. It was pouring, and it certainly did not help Rosa's driving any. We had picked up another WWOOFer the previous day, so even though we were leaving town we knew the two of them could have the day to bond and settle in.

We had decided to spend the day in Pompeii which would be the first time for all three of us. Luckily, we brought umbrellas because Rosa's statement that, "it never rains in Pompei!" did not hold true. It was pretty crazy being there, especially envisioning what it must have been like to live there. There was one part where we could stand in the streets and see Vesuvias towering overhead, and imagined how terrifying it must have been to see lava and smoke pouring out of it in 79AD. Gah, blows my mind.

It's amazing how much a day hanging out in ancient ruins can take out of you! We had originally intended upon spending the rest of our afternoon in Napoli, but between the rain and the exhausted legs we were all traveling upon, we chose to return to Montefalcione. I FINALLY got some gelato in Avellino at a small cart near the bus station 1 Euro! Ugh. I wanted more, but Jake said no :((((( Anyways, we continued back to the house to find it completely dark and us locked out. Jessica called Rosa who said that she would be there in five minutes (which, in Rosa-time, is actually about an hour). She eventually returned with Mar (from Spain) and Robby (from South Africa) and we all exchanged pleasantries as we helped carry items inside.

The following morning, it was rainy so we would not be picking chestnuts. Instead, we went to a small building that is used by the family to host events, teach organics, and I suppose was once used as a banquet facility. Our job was to clean the kitchen that hadn't been used in 5 years (and hadn't been cleaned when last used). The flat-top was COVERED in rust. Absolutely covered- and I took it upon myself to remedy it. A bottle of coke, some steel wool and about 8 hours later (in shifts, of course) it is now good enough to cook on! There is still some black on it from where it hadn't been cleaned after use, but 98% of the rust is gone. I told Rosa that every time she is going to cook, she should scrub it down with coke first to be sure no rust has returned (especially if she is going long periods of time between cooking). The fry-o-later is a different story, though…This was Jake's task and it was messy! There was about 3 inches of congealed oils on the bottom of the machine, which still needs some work.

It was really great doing something different, and Jake and I both acknowledged how weird it was to be so excited for a deep clean. Something about it sparked pleasant memories that I didn't know I could have for a kitchen again.

Too many puppies...

2010-10-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

Day Twenty Three through Twenty-Six

Since finding El Dorado we have not had to go to either of the first two farms Jacob and I went to. This is a very good thing because not only do I loathe the other two farms, but I absolutely love this newly discovered one. It has everything I like about the first two minus everything I hated. There is even covering to protect from wind, but not so dense that you cannot move. It has a slope that makes it easier to pick, but not so steep that you can barely stand. Plus, the chestnuts here are significantly larger, and there are more of them. This farm is so large that despite going there every day, we are at a different area every time.

Massimo has started bringing us there by tractor which is both awesome and terrifying. It is awesome because we are riding in a freaking trailer but terrifying because he hits trees and almost dumps us over multiple times per trip. Two days ago, Rosa rode with us- poor lady- and kept yelling (In Italian) "Let me out! I want out! I WANT OUT! I AM AFRAID!" with a death grip on my knee. Keep in mind she is a grandmotherly type of woman so it's not like watching a friend where you can laugh. It was like watching an old woman fall down the stairs- it breaks your heart. Finally Massimo stopped and let her out, but the rest of us stuck it out. It was beginning to rain and I would personally rather move quickly and risk danger than be stuck in the rain. Call me crazy.

That morning, Rosa brought us to Montemilleto to buy some new wool clothes at the market. It was pretty awesome, and they had a lot of various things for sale. Pigeons, for example, and also veggies, hats, clothes, books, plungers, you name it and it was probably there. Jake and I walked away with a total of 5 sweaters for 11 Euro. BALLIN'! Needless to say with, "the wool on the skin," (as Rosa constantly says) we have been very warm and cozy every day.

However, yesterday was a different sort of day. Rosa had said that we would only have to work a half day which was already awesome, but even better was that she was bringing us to her walnut farm in another town! We didn't begin working until 10am, and when we arrived we were greeted by six of the most adorable, ratty, sweet baby puppies you'd ever imagine. Momma pooch was tired and annoyed, but stuck around long enough to be sure we weren't a threat. No problem, though, because Papa pooch (who more-so resembled a fucking wolf) didn't go far and kept a good eye on us. Each puppy was missing a bit of fur here and there, except for two who looked fully intact. One, a little girl pup whom Jake and I named "Chuck" and another tiny one who I named "Piccolo" (Italian for "tiny") because it was the smallest of all the puppies. We picked walnuts for a few hours which was fun and also disgusting. Walnuts come in this rotting fruit that you need to peel away to get to the nut- luckily a lot of the fruits were dried and just broke away. We collected about two bags of walnuts before eating our picnic of cheese, bread, fresh tomatoes, and hard boiled eggs under the hazelnut trees.

After saying our goodbyes to Chuck, Piccolo, and the rest of the puppies, we all piled in the car and made our way back to Montefalcione.

"Do you guys say 'beezy?'"

2010-10-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

Days Seventeen through Twenty Two

We have reached the point in the journey where keeping track of days is not only pointless, but physically impossible. For one, we don't have a lot going on so a day by day play by play is kind of stupid and boring; for two, instead of wasting time every day regurgitating the factoids of every day, I have been spending time studying Italian more thoroughly.

Sunday morning, Jacob and I were the market goers for Rosa. We both wanted to go so sure enough at 6:25AM we packed into the Skoda as follows: chestnuts and all sellable goods in the seatless back seat, Rosa in the driver seat, and Jake and I in the passenger seat. Now, you are probably wondering how two humans can fit in the front seat of a tiny car, so I will describe it to you more thoroughly.

Seatbelt
Kelly
Jake
Seat

Needless to say, it was not the most comfortable two hours of my life- but we made it to Naples, and we made it alive. It was a crazy day- we weren't aware that we would actually be helping Rosa DO anything so when we were taking orders and making change and speaking in Italian, it was pretty overwhelming. Of course, many people got frustrated with us, and some we had to direct to Rosa to answer their questions, but that would have happened even if we knew the language- it is her product and no one knows it better than her.

After the market, we met with her son and sister and went for some amazingly delicious Neopolitan pizza followed by, of course, gelato. It was the perfect end to one of the most mentally invigorating days I had had since arriving in Rome.

On Monday a new WWOOFer arrived from California named Jessica. She has been in Italy since June going to college and recently graduated so she is hanging out in Montefalcione for a few weeks checking out the area (and obviously picking chestnuts). It is pretty awesome having another girl around, and seeing as I never get along with girls it's pretty remarkable that I enjoy her company. She speaks Italian very well and has many resources that she is letting us use in order to improve. All in all, she was pretty much the perfect addition to our group. However, Wednesday was Felipe's last day here so we only had a short group bonding experience Tuesday evening.

We all went out to Enjoy Pub where we received many skeptical looks, but were quickly redeemed by the language skills of Felipe and Jessica. We began attracting a crowd including an old man who insisted on buying us drinks (something he never fulfilled, mind you) from the bottom of his heart, and a young man named Jean-Luc (what kind of Italian name is Jean-Luc?!) who insisted on getting in Jessica's pants (another thing left unfulfilled, might I add). Three beers and a shot of Jagermeister each later, we wandered home to continue the festivities with a Brazilian card game called "Sweden." If you have ever played "King's Cup," you have played "Sweden." Eventually we ran out of wine, which was probably a good thing because by that time "Black Out Jen" (as we call the drunk alias of Jessica) had arrived and we were comparing the sizes of our hands while Felipe and Jake were busy proving each other's manliness. It was a great last hoorah with Felipe, though it was something pretty much all of us would be feeling the next morning.

Wednesday morning was a rough one for Black Out Jen- physically, for Jake, though it was purely emotional. It was the morning of Felipe's departure, and it meant that the bromance was about to end. Luckily, though, Felipe left behind some clothes that Jacob has been able to wear so it is as though he is permanently in Felipe's embrace. Ha. No, it's not really that gay, but almost. Only a little gay I guess. However, we did move our room to Felipe's old room which is sweet because now we have our own bathroom and porch-side shower. My allergies are also SOOOOO much better than they were in the other room. This day was not much fun in the chestnut world, but we did come across what Massimo dubbed, "The El Dorado of Chestnuts," that we would be picking at for the next few days. These chestnuts were ENORMOUS. As big as the ones I saw with Rosa that time I went to the large tree with her and her sister. "Chestnuts of Gold," Massimo claimed, which I translated to Jacob as, "MON-AY!"

We are slowly (it feels, anyways….Jessica says we are fast) learning Italian. I can now say a few choice phrases about the weather, my day, and what I am doing. It is rough understanding us I think, but I am finding more and more similarities to French and it helps a lot. Mostly in verbs, but it is something at least. Every day, Jake and I write a sentence about our day in Italian and even when I dream I am trying to speak Italian. Felipe told us that the first night we have a full dream in Italian will be when we know that we have become fluent. I am very excited for that day. Rosa is letting us go to Naples on Monday which is exciting- after that only one more week until we make our way to Positano.

The Inner Workings of a Serious Loser.

2010-10-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get in this self-hating mindset where I wonder what I'm doing with my life. Top of my list of gripes are usually: I have few friends, I don't have a college degree, I don't have a husband or child or settled down family of my own, I prefer knitting to going clubbing. It makes me feel like a loser. Like one of those people you look at or casually remember and go, "oh yeah...her." But this is the first time that I have had that feeling while on a long-term adventure across Europe. When that feeling morphs into one of, "If you feel like THIS makes you a loser, then wow, you really are one," you know?

Let's attack my mind for a minute, which is normal considering what this entire post is about...First gripe: Few friends. Well, you can do the whole "quality over quantity" bit, but I think the more relevant fact is that I have spent the last like...two years straight with my best friend, including that fact that we're, I don't know, traveling the world together? Also, I feel like if I had a college degree, it would be kind of a waste if I were spending my time gallavanting around Europe all willy-nilly (which would be financially difficult if I preferred clubbing to knitting), and finally, nearly impossible if I had children.

So when you go back over the reasons why I feel like a loser, it makes sense that I would feel more like one for wanting to be "normal." Being all settled in, tied up in a pretty bow, would mean that I wouldn't be spending the next four-five months exploring the world and doing whatever the fuck I want. I mean, I just decided that I want to go to Belgium for my birthday. Belgium. For my birthday. Who does that? Well, I'm sure people in Europe can do it more reasonably, but the point is that if I wanted to see anything in the Eastern hemisphere, I could be there within about 24 hours. And I think that's pretty freaking awesome.

A Day in Napoli

2010-10-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

Day Sixteen

Despite the long period of sleep each of us got, none of us were in the mood to be awake at 8:00AM. There was no coffee, no food, and it was foggy enough to be intimidating, but not enough to complain. Massimo came downstairs and asked if we were ready to go. He was dressed in a suit because today he was to accompany a friend to the hospital. The previous day, he had told me that he would drop us off at the chestnut field, leave for a few hours, and return to pick us up. I already knew it would be a lazy day. Only moments after seeing if we were ready, he yelled to me through the door, "Katy!" because this is what he always calls me, "Katy! Or if you like, you may go to Napoli. The weather here is no good, but in Napoli- much better." Not wanting to be the only one with a day off, I turned to the boys, "Napoli?" I shrug, "YES! We much prefer Napoli!" Felipe exclaimed. And that was that.

Massimo drove us to the bus stop in Montefalcione where we were to catch the bus to Avellino and then to Napoli. While we are there, we make friends with heavy accented Italian woman who is apparently from Boston, and a short, slick haired Englishman. They picked our brains about Obama and the dealth penalty which made me a bit uncomfortable. I tried to avoid the whole thing because I figured being undecided would be in my favor- I was later told by Felipe that no matter what I should just say that I love Obama and I will have friends everywhere in Europe. Good to know.

We board the bus and about two hours and a transfer later we are in Napoli. For the first time in our trip, we were both okay with not having any idea where we were or where to go. There were three of us, and one of us knew some Italian so all was well. We wandered around pretty much all day, stopping for a some espresso and then moving onto a pizzeria. In between, though, we passed through a very large and crowded market. We weaved in and out of the screaming Neopolitans; "Prego! Prego!" trying to force their welcomes, but mostly just intimidating us. We saw many clothing vendors (Bras for only 2 Euro! If it is there next time I am buying like 7! Bras are almost $30 back home!), pescherias (which I like to translate as "fishery" but in the context of "witchery" rather than a "hatchery"), and butchers galore. Sitting atop the cooler of one butcher were three large pig heads as though they were trophies. My immediate though was how badly I wanted to bring one home to make head cheese. It was then that we decided to get some lunch- we thought it would be the best idea ever to EACH get a pizza at the restaurant since we were so hungry, but it was pretty unreasonable on our parts. The pizzas were enormous, and I still have no idea how we managed to pack all three of those away in our bellies.

We decided to walk off our pizza babies, and headed towards the archeological museum but were blocked by about 25 polizia and even more up ahead. Uncomfortable, and with my inner voice screaming, "GTFO! GTFO!" Felipe made us keep walking. I say made, but obviously I had a choice a. listen to the voice and stay behind, getting swallowed by the mob of people and separated from the only two humans I know or b. go with my friends. I decided that if it were something that bad I would rather be in danger with my friends than in danger alone- so I followed. Turns out it was just some guys hanging over a balcony a few stories up in protest of some labor dispute. I still do not see the need for that many guns and protective vests if that was all. We finally convinced Felipe to keep moving, and continued through a maze of narrow streets coated alternately in street art and gang tags until we came across a gelateria where we proceeded to eat mass amounts of the ice creamy goodness.

Bellies fuller than we could have imagined, we spent an hour at an internet cafe before heading back to the bus station. On the ride home, we watched Mount Vesuvius in the distance as the clouds surrounded it.

"It is a beautiful day for picking chestnuts, no?"

2010-10-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Day Fifteen

I hit the snooze button at 7:45AM and took the extra 10 minutes to not only accept the fact that I was still tired after getting 10 hours of sleep, but also to mentally pump myself up for the day of chestnut picking that was inevitably ahead of me. We had been dreading our daily ritual so much the last few days that I though, hey, maybe if I realize that I will definitely be doing this and remember how much fun I had the first day….maybe…..it won't be so bad. I say "so bad" as if I am experiencing the difficulties of a migrant worker or a slave, but as Jake, Felipe, and I would discuss later, it is more like a mosquito bite. It's not terrible, it's actually not even remotely close to being anything unbearable, but you still don't enjoy it- and after awhile of scratching, it gets pretty freaking annoying. You could always put on an extra layer, use some bug spray, or whatever, but it's not annoying enough for you to care enough to change the circumstance. It's like that with chestnuts- we don't get so aggravated with it that we would take the time to leave, but it's still not our favorite thing in the world.

Anyways, we get up and head to our usual farm where the chestnuts eagerly greet us in mass quantities. This is a good thing, because it means we can scoop them up more quickly and fill our bags faster. Massimo brings us each a sandwich and says that we will be eating there and continue working because it is supposed to rain, and he would like us to keep working until the rain begins. We eat our sandwiches, pick some more bags, and he comes down again. This time, he is bearing three more sandwiches, some bananas, and three beers (they actually sell them in three packs…perfect!) and tells us to eat some more, take a break, and then pick one more bag each. Fair enough- except that we had already done so much picking that it was no longer quick and easy. After an hour and a half of picking, and having only filled half a bag each, we called it quits.

Once we returned to the house, we watched as the sky suddenly transformed from clear and beautiful to dark, grey, and ugly. Within the hour it began raining…thunder and lightening even! Jake and I played cards in hopes that it will subside long enough to go get some ice cream, but first needed to check with Massimo on whether or not they accepted debit cards. Massimo's English is much worse than Rosa's- but it doesn't hurt any. In this case, he thought we were looking for a bank which works because then we could get cash and there would be no problem. He had heard us talking about ice cream and drove us all over Montefalcione on a search but all supermarkets were closed ("oh, they are always closed Thursday afternoons." I can't imagine that ever being normal). The gelato bars, still open, were not serving gelato because, as Massimo says, "it is like winter here now." Seriously? LIKE WINTER? It's no less than 50 degrees a day and you get some rain….that's winter? In the mountains? Of Italy? I'll take it! Even if it means no ice cream!

We thank Massimo for carting us around and return home. I don't recall what we had for dinner, but more than likely it was pasta related and delicious. We stayed up talking as usual, but still called it an early night- about 9:30PM.

"You like my cooking ways? Ah HA! I am a master chef!"

2010-10-15T05:16:00.000-07:00

Day Fourteen

Mother nature played a big ole "gotcha" on us this morning by greeting us with a rainstorm harder than we have seen since arriving in Europe. Relieved, but still remembering that I needed to do the dishes from last night, I got up and set to work. By 9:00 the buckets of rain had ceased and the sun was beginning to peak its way through the fog. Massimo came downstairs and mumbled something to us, and we followed him outside to the garage.

Our task today would be to peel labels and plastic seals off of old wine bottles that we would then wash out, fill with wine, recork, and seal. It was quite a process, but a relief to be doing just about anything BUT chestnuts. We took turns cleaning the yard, cleaning the bottles, and destroying spider webs for a good long while before lunch. It was then that Massimo served us pasta with peas and some of Felipe's sausage that he had bought at the market on Sunday. We were told to take a short break, after which we would be allowed to use the internet for a brief period before returning to work.

We awoke from a brief nap to more rain and wonderful news that we would not only be allowed to use the internet but that we would also be taking the rest of the day off! Jake and I used our time to research some hotels in Positano, a small and beautiful town on the Amalfi coast, and made some reservations for early November when we are in between farms. It was exciting making plans but not in an obsessive way that we had been making them for the past year. It was like planning a vacation, and it was wonderful. Felipe came out to join us around 6:00PM, and we cooked ourselves a small feast quite reminiscent of the night prior- fire roasted potatoes with onions, chestnuts, beans, bread, however we also added hard boiled eggs, mozzarella, and finished off the evening with some gelato.

While it was a great movie, it was probably not wisest to watch Zombieland on such a full stomach. Bluhhck. But yes, it was pretty good. We tidied up the dining room and kitchen, calmed the fire, and got tucked into bed. Although I love my time here very much, I am also looking forward to Positano. I feel like if I keep getting days off I am going to get fat from all the pasta, but I hate picking chestnuts on the same farm. I am hoping that sometime soon they will take us to one of their other farms where we will be able to have a plethora of chestnuts to pick. The one thing that will never get old is the scenery- especially with the ever changing weather. As we were surfing the web this evening we even had a thunder and lightening storm! We will see what the weather tomorrow will bring, but I would certainly not object to some fresh, dry, warm rays of sunshine- that's for damn sure.

The winding roads

2010-10-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

Day Thirteen

The fog still hung in the sky like damp laundry as we awoke. A simple breakfast of cereal would do while we waited for the rest of the house to get moving. Around 9am, Massimo came downstairs and announced that we put on our boots, grab our gloves, and head to the Skoda (which now has an actual back seat!). We drive along the windy roads of Montefalcione to a small farm that Jake and I had not yet been to. It had four large chestnut trees- two at the top of the hill and, of course, two at the very bottom. In between was a large downward field of baby chestnut trees which, upon sight of them Jake's first reaction is, "I feel bad for the poor souls who come to this farm 10 years from now." And with that, we began picking. Slipping in mud, sinking in, and plucking handfuls of chestnuts into burlap bags was the ritual for this day until about noon.

This day, Felipe was originally supposed to climb one of the largest mountains in the area. Massimo had misunderstood and thought that he just wanted to be driven there, not knowing that Felipe really just wanted to hike it. After clarification, Massimo still drove us to the mountain to take a look and so that we may measure the distance. Up and up we went through a couple of different villages. The higher we climbed, the thicker the fog became until it was practically smothering us. We could barely see in front of the car, it was so thick, until we broke through the other side. It was as if we had gone so high up that even the fog didn't dare to follow. From there we could see farms of other chestnuts, apples, sheep, cows, and more. It was beautiful and never-ending….until it did, of course. We came to the point 3/4 of the way up the mountain where the road simply ended. "Up there is the path," Massimo says to Felipe, "If you run into any people- good luck." He laughs, having warned us earlier that, "The people up here not friendly- they be alone." We step out of the car to drink from a cold water tap that comes from the top of the mountain, and filed back into the Skoda, and down the way we had come.

Upon returning to the house, we took a break for lunch. Massimo had said that he would prepare lunch, only if we promised to eat the beans for dinner. "Of course!" we replied, and he began preparing a delicious feast of penne pasta with red sauce, italian (the real deal!) sausage, formaggio dolce, and bread. Stuffed to the gills and ready to fall asleep, we took a short rest before heading back out to our usual chestnut farm. We were all sore, restless, and sick of chestnuts so it took a bit longer than usual to fill the two bags. it also doesn't help that there are three of us, and only so many chestnuts to pick when you go to the same farm every day. Frequently bored of the task, I took several opportunities to plop down into the leaves and simply admire the view. Watching the scenery was much more enjoyable then pawing for chestnuts.

Stopping only briefly to drop us off, Massimo took the Skoda and went to bring our daily chestnut collection to the factory. With the closed gate sounding of freedom, the three of us began building a fire for more chestnuts. The boys also constructed a tin foil package of potatoes and onions that we were then going to eat with the beans and rice. As the fire was roaring, the food was cooking, and the wine was flowing, we began sharing music with one another, alternately playing songs from back home (USA, Brazil, and UK) that we enjoy. It was funny how much music Jake and Felipe had in common, while most of mine was boo-ed off stage. We ate and talked through Massimo's return home, and stayed up until almost midnight talking about the world, wars, government corruption (you don't know corruption till you've heard about Brazilian government), and eventually our individual game-plans for the zombie apocalypse. The bird clock on the wall chirped midnight and we all realized that unless it rained the next day, we were going to be screwed if we did not go to bed soon. And with that, we did.

"My juices are the best!"

2010-10-13T00:41:00.000-07:00

Day Twelve

Our first rainy day in Italy is more beautiful than those we encountered in Ireland and France. Of course, it could be because we had a roof over our heads or because it also meant a day off from chestnut foraging, but whatever the reason, it was a good day. We awoke at 7:45 as usual, and prepared a breakfast with the leftover potatoes from the previous night, proscuitto, and poached eggs. Rosa had come down and told us that she would be leaving for Napoli with her son and sister and that we would check with Massimo about our work for the day- her only request was that we clean the dining room and kitchen at some point. No big deal- we clean those right away with a quick sweep and mop and return to our room to wait for Massimo to come downstairs. I take a quick nap, as I am still exhausted somehow, and Jake reads. The whole day went a bit like that- Massimo left for a few hours, and then returned. Then he left again and Jake, Felipe, and I shared some formaggio dulce, red wine, and sausage while watching Ricky Gervais on Felipe's computer until Massimo returned. We enjoyed our lunch of beans and rice, and sat for a bit.

It was then that I had enough of being cooped up, and demanded to the boys that we go explore. We wandered throughout the village, picking up some condensed milk and cocoa for Felipe to make some Brazilian candy, and began searching for the "Dream Bay Disco Pub & Internet Cafe" which apparently doesn't exist to the knowledge of anyone in town. However, I notice the sign every day when we return from picking chestnuts. I mean, c'mon….Disco Pub? That's something you HAVE to find if there is a sign for it! I have a feeling the little Italian children just didn't want to share the coolest place in town.

When we returned from our rainy walk, Massimo announced that he would not be preparing dinner- he was too full, and we had too many beans left over. We were to eat those if we were hungry. Felipe proceeded to make his Brazilian candy as Jake and I began to build a fire in the fireplace. Once Massimo retired for the evening, the three of us roasted chestnuts, ate Brazliain candy, and munched on bread with olive oil as we watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on Felipe's computer. It was a great night full of wine, food, and comedy, and we certainly hoped there would be another day like this quite soon.

"Would you like some garbage?"

2010-10-12T00:39:00.000-07:00

Day Eleven

We decide to wake up at 7:30AM today so that we may actually chew our breakfast before beginning work. Felipe and Rosa had left for the market at 6:45, and Jake and I had been instructed the previous night to speak with Massimo about work in the morning. We eat breakfast, check the laundry, practice Italian, and otherwise get ready for the day before meeting with Massimo to begin work. He informs us that we will be riding in the tractor today, and he is not kidding. We load up into the trailer, and ride to the chestnut farm.

Business as usual, of course. Chestnuts, chestnuts, and more chestnuts. It has only been one other day of work, and they are already all I see when I close my eyes. I find myself discovering patches loaded with chestnuts and my only thought is, "JACKPOT!" About noon we break for lunch, and Massimo cooks us left over rice with beef and rosemary served with wine and mozzarella. I'm telling you, this never gets old. I could literally spend the rest of my life eating this cheese.

We rest for several hours- reading, learning Italian, and often times sitting around looking at the surrounding simply because we can. Around 3PM Jake and I go out, hedge trimmers in hand, to the fig tree that we tried picking the previous day and hacked away at the brambles and thorns that had been causing us so much grief. Fritz sat nearby, watching, playing, munching. Poor Fritz. Lucky Fritz. Both really- he doesn't know that his life is any different from the average dog. In Italy, the dogs are treated as dogs. They live outside, never inside, and get attention when you want to give it. Because of this Fritz gets so excited every time someone is around him. He has fleas, so he does not get much attention- but I also think this makes him less needy. He jumps around and play bows at you as if to say, "I would really love it if you would love me, but I don't expect you to." He is a sweet dog, and reminds me an awful lot of Zoey. The "lucky" part is the fact that with his kibble he is also served all of our delicious leftovers, as well as any apples, grapes, and figs that he can scavenge. That dog doesn't have it TOO rough.

Around 4PM, Rosa calls to me and says that her and her sister are going for a walk in the woods, and would I like to join them? I agree- I could use to get out of the house, and her sister does not speak English so I could eavesdrop and try to learn a few words. On the drive, I heard a few that I knew. Cat being pretty much the only one. We get to a field of grapes that Rosa explains is hers, as well as the next grape field over. We hike through the woods- Rosa with ease, and myself stumbling clumsily behind her. She is a small woman with a large mission- she soon explains that there is a large chestnut tree at the top with the largest chestnuts on their farm. Of course. I volunteer my downtime to pick chestnuts. Not to worry, though, because these chestnuts are really something else. Almost as big as my palm, I can only pick up 3 at a time whereas earlier I could fit about 7 or 8. We continue to pick as I see yet another field of grapes ahead. "Are those grapes?" I ask, just to be sure. Rosa responds in a way that makes it difficult to tell whether she is jealous of this owner or just being honest and says, "Yes, but those are not mine." We wander back through the forest, which, like all Italian woods is full of over-productive spiders. You can literally pass between two trees and get a face full of web, and walk the SAME place 15 minutes later with the same results. There are webs everywhere- the spiders are lovin' them some chestnut forests.

We got back to the car and went to a small neighboring village where I had my first Italian gelato experience. DELICIOUS. However, I will give America one prop: our cones kick so much ass in comparison. Oh well, I would rather have delicious ice cream than a delicious cone….or I could always get a dish. It is getting close to dark and we return to the house. Rosa announces that dinner will be ready at 8PM and Jacob and I retire to our room to play a bit of Rummy. Dinner is fantastic and different- pressure cooked cauliflower (or "garbage" as Rosa mistakenly called it) with olives, oil, and reduced wine as well as leftover rice and tomato sauce, boiled potatoes, hardboiled eggs, and bread. Rosa's son has been teaching Jake and I Italian which is pretty remarkable. He is absolutely brilliant. He can speak both English AND Italian…..and not only that, but he is also able to teach us with ease. It's awesome.

Despite having a very easy day, I am incredibly exhausted- however it could have something to do with the two Benedryl I took before dinner. My allergies are under control while digging through the molded leave of the chestnut farm, but lock me in my bedroom and it's like sneeze-fest 2010. Which reminds me that on this day, in Montefalcione, Italy, it is the only time in my life that the date will be 10/10/10.

It's Never Been a Better Day to Be a Badger

2010-10-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

Day Ten

Our morning begins at 8am when Jake and I quickly get dressed for the day and begin talking about breakfast. As he heads to the kitchen to begin cooking some fresh eggs over mortadella, I take a moment to open our doors to the porch. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, all I can smell is fresh, dewey, Italian air. All I can feel is the light, yet brisk, breeze. All I can here…is roosters. I open my eyes, and yes, the mountains are still there. I join Jacob and Felipe in the dining room- Jake with our plate of delicious goodness, and Felipe with his morning coffee. We hear Rosa's sing-song voice dancing down the stairs, "Helloooo! Good morning!" before she begins the quest for boots, gloves, baskets, and water bottles. Jake and I swallow our breakfast whole (something we hadn't had to do since leaving home…I would later say, "We eat too fast for France, and too slow for Italy") and are on our way. We drive in the little green Skado to a gated area where we then spend that next 4 hours picking chestnuts. Looking under leaves, into badger holes, and through spider webs all while hearing the delicate, though intimidating, thud of chestnut pods dropping a few inches from your head. Every now and then there would be lizards or strange bugs skittering along your path, but all in all it was rather lifeless in the area.

Not to fret, though, because as soon as you feel bored with the monotony of harvesting chestnuts, you simply look up and realize, "holy shit, I'm in Italy." You then real into a series of thoughts like, "my biggest concern for today is filling this bag," and, "the most danger I will get in today is possibly falling into a badger hole," and, "no matter how tired or sore I get I know for a fact that in a few hours I will be fed wonderful Italian food and have a warm bed to sleep in." We continue picking until we retire to the house for lunch. Massimo joins us for our meal this time, and Rosa brings us a heaping pot of pasta with red sauce (and of course, wine, mozzarella, mortadella, proscuitto, and pane). We stuff our faces almost to the point of explosion, and as Jake and I get up to take care of our plates everyone yells, "NO! There is more!" Jake and I exchange bewildered looks. More? How can we possibly eat MORE?? We are then told that it is Italian tradition to serve lunch in two parts. First, the pasta, and second the meat. We indulge in a bit of beef that Rosa had prepared with red pepper before returning to our room for a rest. At four, we leave again. The first stop is a small field where Rosa asks us to check for walnuts. No, no walnuts, but there are grapes! Oh, and figs! Oh, and apples! Rosa is picking figs off the tree and telling us to eat them. One after another, after another until there are no more ripe figs on the tree. I would say we ate about 6 each before we continued on. Then we picked fallen apples to bring with us, and also some grapes to eat as we worked.

Next stop was back to the chestnut farm where I almost fell into a badger hole as I wandered through the ferns and trees. As I continued to recover from my CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH A FURRY AND TERRIFYING DEATH (okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad), we continued to pick two more bags before Rosa squeals that we must pick more figs before sundown. More figs!? Yes, but these are for market. Feeling both relieved and depressed by this statement, we hopped into the Skoda and returned to the house. We are given several flat baskets and sheers when we head to the back yard. Fritz is frolicking behind us as we make our way to the fig trees and begin putting them into the baskets. "Watch Fritz!" Rosa exclaims between Italian swears at the dog, "He loves to eat the figs!" And it is true! Not only will he stand behind you, face between your knees as you pick the figs, but he will also sneak over to your basket and snag one before you are even able to notice. It's okay, though, because once he has one he will lay off in the distance, munching on it for about half an hour. Battling prickle bushes (Or "spikes" as Felipe calls them), we pick about 4 baskets full of figs before finally calling it quits around 5:30.

Rosa prepares dinner for us and, as per usual, it is delicious. This time it is rice with tomato sauce with the usual accompaniments. Next it is my turn for dishes as Jake does our laundry in the bathtub. Let me explain a little something to you about Italian bathrooms. And by explain, I mean share information because I honestly do not understand most of what happens in these mysterious rooms. For one, the showers rarely have curtains. I don't get it. Secondly, there are always TWO toilets. Now, the first one is a regular toilet with a regular flush, but the second one is a seatless potty with a sink faucet on the back. Huh? The only thing I can determine is maybe one toilet it for pee and the other is for the deuce? I honestly have no other ideas. However, here the onesey toilet has the washing machine plugged into it so it is off limits so you must always use the deucer. Let me tell you right now that I have a deep fear of one day taking a poop (we all do it, people!)….it can be anywhere in the world….and the flusher not working. That fear has never been so close to fruition as it is on a daily (or okay, sometimes bi-daily) basis here. And this is why: to flush the toilet, there is a button on the wall. This button is unreliable. In order to flush you must repeatedly press the button for approximately 5minutes before it will begin flushing. Having to pee is such a stress knowing that I am going to be unable to flush and will have to yell to Jake to come do it for me.

After laundry and dishes are done, Jake, Felipe, and I head out on the town. If you have ever seen this small village you would understand how hilarious that statement is. We hike down our road with zero street lights and up to the top of the mountain to one of the only two bars (and only four businesses) in the village for a beer at Dragonfly. Felipe is ecstatic because the volley ball game is on and it is Brazil vs. Italy. He buys the first (and only) round and we relax for about two hours talking about our countries, politics, our theories on education, food, and joke about life in general. By 10:30 we realize how tired we are and make our way back to the house- after all it has only been day one, and if what Felipe told us is correct, we will not be having a day off until we leave the farm.

"Is Okay?"

2010-10-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

Day Nine

It was 9:00AM when we decided to begin our morning. As a B&B it should be obvious that breakfast is included, however, I don't really think what we were served technically counts as breakfast. There were two types of cereal- frosted flakes and some kind of half granola type. In addition, there were packets of "toast" which were basically just dehydrated bread…and some jelly. We ate as much as we could stomach, given that the jelly smelled like my feet after an afternoon trek through Paris, and were on our way. We had been told that we could leave our bags until we were ready to travel, so we did this and made our way toward the center of Rome.

I love Paris, really I do, but I have never in my life seen anything like Rome. You cannot walk two steps without running into an ancient bit of wall, or a fountain, or a monument. It is incredible. An archaeologists dream. A historians heaven. An explorers Holy Grail. We walked all around the Colosseum, ancient digs, and so forth for a few hours before it was time to leave for Naples (or as I am going to refer to it from this point on…take notes here, kids….Napoli). We arrive at the train station confused as all hell because we cannot figure out WHERE to buy our tickets or even who to or how to talk. We eventually find a mysterious kiosk where we purchase our tickets for 25 minutes from the current time and begin boarding. We were not given a seat number so we were very confused and just plopped down into the most convenient looking place. About 10 minutes later we were booted to a crowded hallway which apparently doubles as a 3rd class seating area. No biggie- except when the frickin' snack cart needed to come through. Not to worry, about two hours later I recognized the downtrodden, depressing, trash covered streets of Napoli that I had read about in Eat, Pray, Love and we had arrived.

Again, confused by language and all else, we found our way to an English speaking tourism desk where we were able to learn about the bus to Avellino and where to get tickets. We sprint to the bus and Jake asks the driver if 1) we are in the right place and 2) if we can stick out luggage in the back. The man is CLEARLY annoyed and says yes to us as though we had some kind of deficiency and we toss our bags up back and climb aboard our double decker chariot.

Anyways, we are on the bus to Avellino and once we leave Napoli it is beautiful. Sitting atop the double-decker bus it felt like we were flying through the mountains. Until, of course, we get to our stop. We make our way off the bus with the others, and head to the back of the bus for our luggage. As I go to see if maybe there is a button to open the hatch, the driver starts to close the doors! Instantly, obviously without thinking (or was I?) I leapt back onto the bus- half in, half out- and yell "Luggage!?" Everyone is staring at me and the driver opens the door I happen to be wedged into and yells something in Italian. I look at him and again yell "Luggage! Door! Baggage Hold! Luggage!" and someone tries to help me out and yells something to him. Still perplexed (having apparently forgotten our annoying presences merely 20 minutes before) he shrugs. Still hanging in the doorway I point emphatically to the back of the bus and yell "LUGGAGE!" and the whole bus goes "OHHH! BAGAGLIO!" and the door is opened. I yell "Grazie" to the bus driver and nod to the audience for their assistance repeating "grazie" over and over as I step of the bus. By the time I get down, Jake has our "bagaglio" and said two words, "good call."

Annoyed at the previous situation, and pondering what would have happened if a) he had driven away with our luggage or the less catastrophic b) what if he had driven away with MYSELF and the luggage we began searching for a convenient place to await Rosa's arrival. After much bickering we chose to wait at the bus stop and pray that the angry bus did not happen to come back by for a repeat encounter. About 30 minutes later, a little green car begins flashing its lights and honking at us. It is Rosa! She pulls into a small driveway near the stop and opens up the back doors to reveal a seat-less back seat where she places two small cushions. "it's ok?" she says, and we reassure her that yes, it is fine. Let me say now, you have not experienced reckless driving until you have been sitting on a cushion and unseatbelted in the back seat of a small Italian woman's car. It's not even that the driving here is reckless, it is just a lot of very windy roads that these people have been driving their whole lives. As we were tossed back and forth in the back seat of the small green Skoda, we were able to see the lights of each small village in the sides of the mountains as we passed.

We arrive at the farm and are greeted by a very large gate. I immediately think of the last words Jacob's mother told us, "If you see a big gate before you get the the farm- get out of the car and run." However, this was definitely not a gate to fear. We enter the property of Rosa and Massimo and are greeted by a Zoey-sized dog named Fritz who jumps around and plays until we go inside. We are shown our ENORMOUS room where we can open the doors to the porch at any time to not only see the property of these folks but also the gorgeous mountain range and scattered villages. Rosa announces that she will let us settle in and she will have dinner prepared in 20 minutes. Jake and I spend that next 20 minutes making our beds and chasing the bugs of our sheets. "They see the clean sheets and just love them!" Rosa says, "But no kill! They are harmless" as she scoops them into her hands and releases them on the porch.

Dinner is served and it is Rosa, her son, Jacob, myself, and Felipe- her other WWOOFer. We are having a basic dinner- pasta with peppers and onions cooked in wine, pane (pronounced pah-nay…this is bread in Italian), mozzarella like you have never tasted, slices of mortadella and proscuitto so salty and delicious that is impossible to replicate anywhere but here, and Rosa's homemade wine, which she says, "is quite strong- but very good so only a little is needed." We talk with Felipe over dinner and learn that he was born in Brazil, of Italian heritage, and has been going to "uni" or "university" in London. He is like us where travel is what he loves to do, and although this is his first farm he has already been here for a month.

Once dinner is over, we head to bed. We are to get up at 8am the next morning for our first day of chestnut picking, and must catch our rest after a long day of exploration.

ROMA, ROMA-MA

2010-10-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

Day Eight

We awoke on and off for the next several hours. Here, being on a highway, or there, being in the middle of the Alps winding up and down large cliffs with nothing below you but tiny village lights that look far enough away to be fireflies. I will tell you, there is nothing like waking up, and in that slumbered state of fogged mind seeing that you are on your very own Peter Pan ride except you are not in Disney World you are on a stupid bus with a first class ticket to DEAD if your driver falls asleep. But all was well, because the next moment we were at an intersection with an arrow pointing to the town of "Gray," to which Sleepy-Jake responded, "NOOOOOOOO!" when I awoke him to show him the sign. We would have gotten a picture if a. sleepy-eyed or b. it hadn't been 1:30AM but unfortunately, dear readers, it was c. all of the above.

The daytime ride through Italy was beautiful. You don't grow up in Maine without seeing the mountains, but I will tell you I have never seen anything like this in my 21 years of existence. Gorgeous rolling mountains surrounding every side of you- cliffs and green grass and clouds that look like God Himself painted them into the sky for you. And the farms! Sheep and goats and cows and acres upon acres of vineyards. Fields so enormous that you regularly see men and dogs combing the land with rifles to scare of anything that might have intruded. Hours, hours, and more hours later we finally arrive in Rome. We spend the next hour roaming around, trying to find any sign of the direction we must be going. By this time, Jake's compass has eaten shit. "North is wherever you want it to be!" it explains as it spins on it's axis every which way, "your guess is as good as mine!" We had only recently found my compass/rape whistle/money hiding combo gadget so we at least had that to assist my handwritten directions to the hotel. We begin going, what we were told was, south west but had no idea what street it was. In the two hours we had been there, there were zero street signs. Not even a "WRONG WAY" in Italian. Nothing. The sun was beginning to set, and I was becoming angry. My punishment to Jake for even existing during my anger was to force him to carry the Orangina bottle he HAD to purchase at the rest stop rather than water. I know, some punishment, but it was the best I could do in the situation and it had to be done given my rage.

As we are walking, and everything around us is either pigeon or smelling of day old pee, I stop in my tracks. I look upward and raise my arms and say outlaid, forcefully, "If there is a God…this is the time to get me to believe. I really do thank you for getting us here alive- it was swell of you. But now? We are wandering the streets of Rome. The sun is going down. We are doing everything in our power to find where we need to be but we need a hand. PLEASE. Just give us SOMETHING. ONE street sign is all we ask. It doesn't even need to be the right one. JUST ANY SIGN. PLEASE." I sigh. Sulk my head. And we keep walking. We turn a corner and low and behold- a street sign. The correct street sign. I grab Jake's arms and point and say, "This could entirely be a coincidence, but we need to at least say thank-you." And proceeded to spend the next ten minutes expressing our gratitude in various languages.

The rest of the way to our hotel was easy from there. We made it there just before sundown where our B&B host was absolutely wonderful. He gave us a map with detailed instructions to neighboring restaurants, book stores, the train station, and more. After a couple of much needed showers, we hit the town for some dinner. We indulged in gnocchi, carbornara, caprese salad, and vino before returning to our hotel to pass out. Let me also point out that this B&B was 10 Euro CHEAPER than our little room in Paris- MUCH nicer…and had free wifi….AND free (gross, but free) continental breakfast. Ohhhh, Roma.

The Bus Ride From Hell

2010-10-08T00:12:00.000-07:00

Day Seven

On our way through Sexy-Town, Paris the previous day we had noticed a four story, three building complex of a discount store called "TATI" where we had decided that we would stop by and look for some cheap clothes. We figured we would want to have some coats and maybe some extra pants so this was our first stop on this day. We found a really nice thick coat for Jacob, who swore on all things American just two months ago that he would NEVER need a coat because he is physically incapable of being cold. I, on the other hand, was told and made to purchase the "sensible, light-weight" coat despite my constant complaints of being freezing even in the hot Maine summers. What is wrong with this picture? Anyways, not wanting to break the bank on clothes we called it good for the time being. We then headed to the Bus Terminal in the outskirts of Paris by Metro to begin our long wait.

We arrived at the terminal starving and thirsty and entered a large mall in search of lunch. I immediately recognized PAUL, a chain patisserie where I had eaten on a layover to Arles last year. They had a restaurant so Jake and I dropped our bags and took a seat. We were very confused because the servers would go to some tables, but not others…take some peoples orders, but not others…..bring some tables menus….but…not…others. We finally decided to get sandwiches on the other side of the restaurant and just eat inside. Our logic was: Both are owned by PAUL so you should obviously be able to eat your pastries in the seating area….especially if no one is taking your order or otherwise acknowledging your existence…right?…..right? Well, wrong. It is apparently the worst thing you could possibly do because we were rapidly chewed out by a fast-talking French woman who huffed and puffed and waved her arms around till she blew our house down. With that, we packed up our things and left.

Once we arrived in the terminal, we checked in and waited around for a few hours before the bus arrived. There was a group of officers and a drug sniffing dog which we figured was a part of the heightened security in Paris. The group seemed overall cheerful, and the dog was ADORABLE. It was constantly wagging it's tail, checking everything out, but clearly not on the job yet. It was playing fetch and jumping back and forth. In a moment of stupid passion in mission my own dog, I decided it wouldn't be any harm to take a picture of the adorable dog. After all, I was not taking pictures of the officers, a victim, or drug cartel…it was just of the dog. right? right? Wrong again, dumb ass. As soon as the little, annoying, orange laser at the end of my camera lit up to capture the image Jake whispers, "Kelly……" and I look up to see ALL eyes on me. Not only is every member of the squad staring me down, shaking there heads, but one is headed my way. Immediately I hold out the camera and show the man the picture, the delete button, and the picture of my sandwich showing him that it had been removed. Luckily I had recovered so beautifully from my idiotic move that my only consequence was being mentally judged by hundreds of people, and received a few dozen disappointed, angry, and degrading looks.

Soon all was well because we were boarding the bus! We had bought some snacks at the market because there was no way we were going to be able to make a 23 hour bus ride without ANY food. Of course they would let you eat on the bus, it is inhuman to think that an entire group of people can go without food for that long and NOT kill the bus driver. There are little trash bags at each seat, it must be for wrappers, right? RIGHT? AMIRIGHT!? Wrong AGAIN you stupid Americans! NO FOOD ON THE BUS (luckily this time it was not us getting yelled at, it was a poor little Spanish girl). The driver queued up some stupid movie and we began to sleep. Three hours later was our first pit stop where we were then given a 1/2 hr pee/food/leg stretching break before we would return to the bus and watch (ready for it mom???) The Titantic. We watched the ballad of Jack and Rose through the finish and then eased into yet another short slumber as our bus slowly chugged along.

A Day Like Any Other

2010-10-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

Day Six

This day began like any other- oh wait…no it didn't because our day began in PARIS FREAKING FRANCE. We woke up with two missions for our day:

Mission 1: purchase bus tickets

Mission 2: get the etching of a quote off Oscar Wilde's grave for Bridget.

We headed first, on foot, toward Metro station Blanche where we would find the Eurolines bus ticket sales. However, to get TO the sales we must first walk by Sexy Time, Sexodrome, Lingerie & Gadgeterie, and seventeen billion OTHER sex shops. Eventually, blinded, we made it to the Eurolines ticket sales office which was just shy of making the district.

We walk in and Jake says, "Deux Roma" which to anyone who knows France would go, "huh?" because he literally just said "Two Rome." The man says, confused, "Deux billet?" Jake looks at me and makes his confused face (something I can see vividly in my mind now because he has done this frequently) where he shrinks his head into his neck, pushes out his bottom lip- eyes open wide- and shrugs his shoulders as if to say "Okay, Kelly, your turn!" So I jump in and say, "Oui, deux billet pour Roma, s'il vous plait." He asks us for some information and I stutter out the answers. Eventually he has assumed that because we are American we have no idea what he is saying (mistake number one mon frere!) He takes our scratched debit card and asks us to right down the security code and I immediately say " cinq, neuf, cinq." "PERFECT! Very good!" he exclaims in French, he continues in French to essentially say, "Amazing! You DO know French!" to which (also in French) I explain that I only know a little bit. He assures me that I know plenty and explains that although he does not know English he DOES know three other languages. Impressive, I do say. We leave the office with me feeling proud as a panther with two bus tickets for Rome and head to our next destination.

After stopping at the market to pick up our 5 Euro lunch of baguette, chevre, and olives, Jake and I continue on to the cemetery. We wander and wonder about everything inside because it is not like any cemetery we have ever been to. Each lot represents a family with it's own like….miniature church or castle or sometimes both if the family is rich enough I suppose. Upon finally reaching the tomb of Oscar Wilde we are bewildered by the coat of lipstick encompassing it. I mean, we both knew it would be covered, but something about seeing it in person was just bizarre. We spent half an hour (after the half an hour of just standing and appreciating) searching for the quote to no avail. Depressed and feeling like a disappointment, I instead drew a small heart on the base of the tomb in some hand-me-down grass-covered lipstick for Bridget.

Once we completed our failure as friends (because it is clearly our fault that the tomb had been refurbished…but I still feel like a failure!) we began our third, secret, mission….find foie & escargot. Escargot? Apparently IMPOSSIBLE to find in Paris. In the TWO times I have been there, I have found TWO restaurants serving it. The first was in a sketchy-ass part of town and the second we were refused service. Yes, I am being truthful..we walked in, asked (in French!) for a table for two, and were told to leave. We later stopped at a small restaurant with a sign that said you could get an appetizer + entree for 12 Euro. BINGO! We see that on the menu is not only foie gras, but also rabbit. DOUBLE BINGO! We take a seat and place our order. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful, and after talking for a short period in French, we all switched to English. She was very helpful, and recommended some places in town for escargot (even though we STILL couldn't find them) and complimented us by saying we are eating "very French food!" The foie was amazing, obviously, but the rabbit? TO DIE FOR. It was half a rabbit stewed or braised or SOMETHING awesome because the meat was literally falling off the bone. It was served with a mustard sauce and carrots with a side of rice. Jake and I annihilated that dish even though we were past the point of full. We can both honestly say that it was the best meal of our lives….combined.

Full bellied and jovial as ever, we returned to the hotel. We did not care that it was only 4pm because we had been up very early and had wandered over a majority of the city. We celebrated the end of a beautiful day with a dinner of Tiramisu, Madeleines, creme brulee, jambon et fromage, and a bottle of wine all from the local market. "A night in? IN PARIS!?" You ask angrily, "Yes, because we were in Paris and can do whatever the fuck we want," I reply bluntly. T'was then time for the big sleep, for the following day would have a lot to offer.

Day of rest...but not really...

2010-10-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Day Five

We awoke much refreshed having decided the night prior that we would be staying in Paris a few days. We decided that we would pick up some food at a market and eat it in a park or a river if we came across one. Immediately (because duh, Paris…) we came across a patisserie and got a fresh baguette. Next we stopped at a supermarket and got some salami to munch on with our baguette and also an ENORMOUS bottle of Orangina. Queue the 7 km walk around Paris where we are stumbling upon National Monuments left and right. It was kind of a misty morning, and I wondered if it might rain- with that I observed around me to see if my knowledgeable French company were carrying umbrellas. Nope, Nada, Zero…not only was no one holding an umbrella, but no one carried backpacks, purses large enough to store an umbrella, or briefcases. I was relieved and figured that, at the very least, if it began raining we would all be screwed. NOPE. It starts down-pouring, and in the time it took me to blink EVERYONE around us was equipped with an umbrella. EVERYONE. Not only did they suddenly have these umbrellas out of nowhere, but I couldn't even catch a straggler digging an umbrella out of the portal or wormhole that they managed to find it- the umbrella just appeared.

Finding shelter under a large tree, Jake and I rested and began eating our salami sandwiches. By the time we had finished, the rain had subsided (and the umbrellas had vanished to an alternate dimension in search for more rain…) and we continued walking. In the distance we could see the Eiffel Tower, and although Jake and I agreed that it was not a safe time for a visit, I let him stare it her in the distance for awhile. As we continued walking we began marveling at this very large building to the right of us. It was ENORMOUS with intricate carvings on the outside and Jake asks, "Is that the Louvre?" to which I obviously reply, "No way. It's just a government building or something." I say "obviously" in that last sentence for two reasons. 1. Because I am brilliant, have been to Paris, and am otherwise worldly so anything I say just IS obvious and anyone who hasn't already thought what I just said in their own minds…is simply just a moron and 2. Because it clearly was not obvious seeing as it was, in fact, the Louvre and I had just made an enormous ass of myself. We ogled and drooled at the marvel of the Louvre and took the next few hours merely wandering about it's gargantuan campus of pyramids, mazes, and gardens. Eventually, we made our way to a small pond where you could see pretty much every architectural wonder of the city. Behind us was the Louvre, dead ahead was L'Arc de Triumph, and to our left was the Eiffel Tower. All we were missing were Bastille and Versailles and it would have been perfect (okay we could list things on and on, but you get the point.) We rested our legs for a bit at the pond, soaking in the beauty of Paris, before heading back to the hotel.

A block or two down the road from our hotel, we decided to stop for dinner. It was a small cafe and we took a seat outside. Our waitress only took Jake's order before fluttering inside- catching us both completely by surprise. We had just assumed that I would order mine once she returned…no big deal….but she returns with Jake's order and it. is. huge. His bowl of pasta was so large I could have bathed in it had I felt so inclined. We had also ordered, what appears to be a very popular dish here, called "oeufs a mayonnaise" which are hard boiled eggs with housemade mayonnaise drizzled over them. You are probably saying, "holy shit that is gross," which brings me to the following series of questions:

1. Have you ever had deviled eggs? (if no, discontinue quiz)
2. Do you like them? (if no, discontinue quiz)
3. Do you know what is in them? (if no, proceed to final answer)

MAYONNAISE! Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes, they also have paprika or cayenne and maybe some tobasco and a bit of mustard but they are essentially EGGS WITH MAYONNAISE. So if you like deviled eggs, this is basically just a fast and easy way to make them without the piping bag, food processor, and hours of labor. AND you can just say it's French.

Moral of the story being we had a beautiful walk, followed by a delicious meal, followed by a great night's sleep. Hard to believe that we would have another wonderful day so soon after.

The Legacy of Sugar Dog Disco

2010-10-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Day Three

The next morning was nice- we spent some time exploring the boat and hung out on the sun deck, relaxing. I, for some reason, made a joke to Jake about how I would dive into the ocean, catch a fish in my teeth and fly out of the ocean back onto the boat with ease (it was early, don't judge me) and we then proceeded to compose Sugar Dog Disco's first single entitled "Sushi on the Sundeck." Lyrics have been completed, and soon we will have our first demo for the general public. Just wait. You will pee with happiness. After our great composition, we went to the gift shop and looked for some information on campsites in Cherbourg, France. This is the name of the town we were going to be docking in. There were some really cool ones, and we decided that we would camp there a week before traveling to Paris and onward to Rome. We also found it both convenient and wise to acquire a French dictionary and immediately began studying.

Farm in Cherbourg, France

We docked in Cherbourg, France around 4:30PM- an hour ahead of Irish time. It was pouring, and our other foot passenger friends (the douche from NH, a couple from Canada, our French pal, and another Frenchman) were all headed towards Paris. For two reasons 1. we did not have the available funds and 2. we weren't fans of our present company, we chose to continue on to the campsite and spend the week in Cherbourg. We discovered that the campsite was actually 3.5km outside of Cherbourg in a small town called Tourlaville. The walk was a bit rainy, but quite pleasant as we passed farms and fields aplenty. Upon arriving at the campsite we discovered that it had closed on September 3o. Shit. We did, however, have info on another site just up the road so we continued. Low and behold…A rape van pizza van! I had mentioned my love for this pizza to Jake & co. upon returning from France the first time. Starving, wet, and freezing we decided to order one for dinner (also upon discovering that this next campsite was actually just a trailer park). I completed the order FULLY IN FRENCH with ease and 10 minutes later we were returning to our first stop. We pitched the tent under shelter of the reservation office and began eating our marvelous ham pizza and bottle of rose wine.

Rape Van Pizza and a bottle of wine...Mmmm!

Day Four

Sleeping. Was. Awful. The wind howled all night, and the rain blew against the tent viciously. Jake and I both slept an hour an a time before finally calling it quits at 6am. We packed up the tent and got ready to head out when I saw the shadow of a wolf against a trash can. Scratch that, now I see the actual animal and it is not a wolf but an ENORMOUS doberman without a collar. I freeze. I had been prepared for murderers or homeless people but NOT huge dogs that could eat my face! I grab Jake's arm and point as a second large dog runs past the entrance of the camp. We are both silent and frozen in step until we then see a man holding two leashes walk by. I have never in my life gone from such terror to such relief in such a short period of time. We continued to pack quietly for the next half hour and set out toward Cherbourg. By 8:30AM it was STILL pitch black, and I was half convinced that the sun had burnt out overnight…I mean…how would we know? We are in the middle of freaking Tourlaville with no access to internet, newspapers, telephones…something like that could happen and we would never know!

8:30AM in Cherbourg...still dark as night!

Luckily the sun rose as we reached the Harbour just in time to create a beautiful rainbow over the town. As we reached the train station, we saw our French pal waiting outside. Exchanging smiles and nods, Jake and I entered the station and proceeded to the ticket counter where I AGAIN ordered our "billet pour Paris" with French eloquence. Proud of myself, and with adventure still pulsing through my veins, Jake and I decided to "see the town." We followed the rainbow a bit, were ambushed by pigeons, and watched the sunrise fully before finally boarding the train to Paris.

Rainbow over Cherbourg, France

We arrive to Paris having had no chance to figure out where we are staying. Since we were obviously unable to stay the week in Cherbourg, we thought perhaps we would stay a week in a hostel in Paris. Awesome, right? Well, first we would need to FIND a hostel. We ask around, and again...as in Dublin...no one had any idea where or what a hostel was. Instead, we decided to start checking prices of hotels. One reason I LOVE Paris is that almost every hotel has their prices listed in the doorways. It saves the uncomfortable asking of prices and helps you narrow down quickly. After a few duds, we found ourselves checking into the EST Hotel right down the road from the Holiday Inn where I stayed last year. Keep in mind, folks, we found our way there solely based on my wonderful memory. I somehow remembered exactly where my hotel had been! Simple marvelous. After checking in, stressing out, and some wandering we went and enjoyed a crepe (ordered in French by Jacob!) and a delicious pizza (also ordered in French by Jacob!) at a nearby restaurant called "Maya."

Yes, more French pizza...

Curled up in bed, and intimidated by what the future may, bring we Skype-d with Karen and Joe about a potential plan. Things had been so non-stop that we weren't really sure we would ever figure out how to actually slow it down and enjoy all the traveling we were doing. Thankfully, the level heads of the group were able to help us form an idea. We then decided that we would stick out Paris for a few days and take a bus to Rome on Wednesday. While it was still an intimidating plan, tried our best to realize that having this plan would make things easier. Finally relaxed, we hit the hay and prepared for another long day.

Yes. At last. An entry.

2010-10-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Words. Here they are. Coming at you full speed. "Where the eff have you been!?" You may be asking impatiently, though with understandable rage, "You have been gone a WEEK and STILL no updates!" Well, I apologize dear readers but being a world traveler is more difficult than even I, an above average genius, could have predicted.

Day One

Follow me, if you will, to September 30, 2010. I have just gotten off my plane at the Dublin airport to realize that it is FRICKIN' FREEZING. The plane has landed an entire HOUR early and it is only 4:20AM. After six hours of wandering, Jacob and I realize that we have been heading NORTH instead of south…btw NO ONE has EVER heard of the Ferry Terminal. Eventually, we give up and decide that we are going to do to the airport and just buy the cheapest ticket Ryanair has available. What? You can only buy them online? Awesome. Plan C (because we are really trying desperately here): Get to France ASAP. We found a campsite in Wexford which is only 20 min north of the Rosslare Ferry Terminal. 7:30PM we are in Wexford and it is PITCH BLACK. We decide to get some dinner (Sausage, Egg, and Chips…aka 'French Fries') and make our way to the campsite. What? It's closed? We have to camp in a sketchy playground? OK! We pitch the tent and pretty much DIE because the wind is blowing so hard that it sounds like footsteps. 15 minutes later I freak out and tell Jake that there is no way on Earth that I am sleeping there and we pack up. Luckily we had passed a hotel on our way to SketchVille, Ireland, so we agree that as long as it is less than 150 Euro we would stay. Price? 80 Euro. AND she felt so bad for us that she threw in breakfast for free.

Wexford, Ireland

Day Two

Because no hotel in Europe believes in providing clocks, we slept through breakfast. Not to worry, though, because we still had PLENTY of food from our wonderful sponsors. We wandered briefly before going to the train station and purchasing our tickets for Rosslare Harbour. We realized that it would be about 6 hours before departure, but did not really care. Instead, we decided to lay out some undried clothes we had washed the night before, crack open our books, and hang out a bit. Three hours later, bored out of our skulls, we decided to wander. Although it was not at all fun lugging our bags around the town, it wasn't any worse than the day prior. We stumbled upon the "city hall" aka "ancient fucking castle" and took some pictures.

Wexford, Ireland

After about an hour of walking around, we decided to retune to the station, do some painting, play some ukulele, and essentially just relax. I have been reading Eat, Pray, Love and have been doing my best to take her advice and just RELAX. It's a lot harder than you think. She talks about how Americans are just naturally go-go-go, and how none of us really realize that relaxation is something we all deserve- it isn't something that must be earned. I am not even halfway through, and I would already recommend it to everyone. I would love for my mother to have some extra time to read it because I think it would be very meaningful for us both to be reading this together while apart. Even though I am now further away physically than I have ever been from her, I feel like we are now much closer. I know she will never be able to understand how and why I love traveling so much, just as I will never understand her passion for being a nurse, but I feel if we can understand the power of that passion then we essentially are the same. I know I have her with me every day, and if things are hard and Jake and I are having a difficult time, I look down at my arms and I remember home and my mother's love (we not only got matching tattoos right before I left, but we also made bracelets together that I wear every day).

Anyways, we finally get on the train and about 30 minutes later we are in Rosslare. We had the intentions of going to a grocery store to pack up on food for the boat, but Rosslare is essentially a harbor and NOTHING else. We waited in the lobby a few hours before finally boarding only to find that the room with our seats was locked. We had been following this young, French (I believe) man since Ireland and found that he was also going to be in this room. A French woman came up and was infuriated that we couldn't get in, so she stormed off. About an hour later she returned with a crew member who opened the door. And there we were: Jake, myself, the French woman, our French pal, and three other guys. We soon find out that one of them is from New Hampshire, and he turns out to be a douche. He is here on his trust fund "getting life experience." The other two are from Germany and have been driving throughout Europe. The German boys are super friendly and mostly played Backgammon atop their lime green camping mattresses while we played rummy.

Photos from the Ferry

The French woman approached Jake and I and spoke with us for awhile. She told us about her travels to Brazil (where she had almost been murdered FOUR times) and how she had always wanted to travel to America. She told us that she was very happy to speak with us, but wanted to know if we had ever been aware about the rule that no one with AIDS is ever allowed to enter America as a tourist (let alone immigrate). We were not aware of this. She said that it had always been her dream to visit America, and that she hoped one day she would have that ability- but that it obviously would not happen until that rule changed. She asked that we be sure to tell our friends, just to make sure others in our country were aware of this- because at least if our citizens were aware it would be okay with her. We told her that we would tell our friends, and that it had been great speaking with her before we left the room for some dinner. Dinner was gross- that's pretty much that. When we got back to the room, we set up our sleeping bags on the floor of the room and got ready to sleep. Pretty much everyone else had the same idea and we turned out the lights.

I'll follow you into the dark..

2010-09-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are. 9 days left. I won't lie, it's pretty overwhelming. I think the most overwhelming part is the fact that there is NOTHING left to do. Buy socks. That is all there is left. Well, not really. We still need to bring furniture to my parents house, bring Zoey to Jake's aunt's house, give the apartment a final clean, get in the rental car, drive to NY. But it's all planned out, so there isn't much else.

We are basically at the point of tying up loose ends, saying goodbyes, making (attempted) amends, and constantly explaining and re-explaining our carefully laid out plans to everyone. There will probably be a beautifully entertaining post from New York, as we are going to be "livin' the life" for a day with a former classmate of mine. Cupcake bar, anyone?

So, as I have been saying for the past eight billion entries- just stay tuned. There will certainly be excitement in the future. Even if I don't have time to post full entries, you can follow along on Facebook!

Housekeeping!

2010-09-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been awhile. Things are CRAZY as everything is fast approaching. We are down to a mere 26 DAYS until we leave good ole Maine, and we still have a fair amount to do. It doesn't help that Jake and I have been on this artsy kick for the last month so instead of doing things like cleaning and selling crap and organizing- we are painting, and decopaging, and making jewelry...geez what is wrong with us!? I guess part of the non-rush is the fact that we are already packed, pretty much everything is returning to my parents (in regards to furniture anyways), and our only other possession of value is our tiny sugar dog.

HOWEVER, we did get rid of our bed so we have been roughing it on a deflated (not because we are lazy, but because it has holes) air mattress the last week and the next few. We have also sold like 23 items on Ebay AND I have been working promotional gigs out the anus this past week. Exhausting, yes, but also AWESOME.

And now for the little matter of housekeeping where I throw THE BIGGEST THANKS IN THE WORLD to a few of our sponsors! Even in all the hectic-osity, they have been STELLAR and have sent us enough food and healthy goodness to keep us energized, immunized, and mesmerized! Big thanks to Amazing Grass for sending us TONS of Amazing Meal containers- we are very very happy and are LOVING the "Grass Goddess" shirt! I cannot wait to wear that! Also a heaping thank-you to the folks at Alacer- best known for Emergen-C for sending more little blue packets than we EVER imagined. I also need to make a shout out to the folks at SIGG for sending us two GORGEOUS bottles! You guys are incredible!

Of course that is not to say that our other beautiful sponsors are any less special! However, most of them have already received shout-outs so I'd like to even out the love, mmk? The problem now is re-packing because I have nooo clue how to fit all of this stuff in our bags! But, we are determined, and we love our sponsors and their generous donations, so not to fear! All will be well.

If you'd like to be a special kind of awesome, you should visit my Etsy shop (there is a bar on the side of this page that can take you there directly) and check out some of my stuff! If you purchase ANYTHING from my shop please write "Byte Size ME!" in the message section to be sent a free gift with purchase! It could be a necklace, beads, bracelet, painting, you have no clue! But it's likely to be one of those things since that's about all I make!

Making Money on the Fly

2010-08-17T12:04:00.001-07:00

This is a quick, apologetic post to you, dear readers, for my absence and busy-bee life of the current now. I have been scrambling to make money, sell goods, and find amazing sponsors in the final month before I leave.

I bring to you a brainstorm list of ways to make last minute cash for a big trip:
1. Etsy Alchemy Requests: If you have a skill or craft that you do like no one else, respond to these requests. It's fun, promotional, and you can make some money. You can also start your own shop too.
2. Ebay the shit out of your home: Put everything you don't want/need onto Ebay. Even if you only make $5, that's money you wouldn't have if it were sitting in storage. We made $280 this month off Ebay. Yeah.
3. Be a Craigslist hound: Volunteer for odd jobs, gigs, and temp positions to supplement your income. I'm currently signed up as a Got Milk? Brand Ambassador. $15/hr to hand milk out to children? Now that's what I'm talking about.
4. Become a ChaCha Guide: I have made $57 so far (in 4 days) just answering questions for ChaCha. It's a few cents per answer, but it kills time, adds up quick, and is extra money that I wouldn't be making just sitting around.

That's all I have for today folks! I'm off to teach children about the importance of drinking cow's milk!....Who cares if I don't actually support the consumption of milk from mammals that aren't human!

I've Got Mail!

2010-08-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Guess who just got a lovely postcard from their favorite international pen-pal!? Oh right, that would be ME. My pen-pal and former fellow blogger, Tina, sent me a postcard from Warsaw! I am super jealous, because Poland is one of the countries Jake and I have had to cut out of our Cross-Continental Adventure. I feel like her and I are two of the only people in the world who still love sending and receiving mail- although we always then email to ensure that we have received it. Ha! It's just something about opening the mailbox, and instead of seeing bills- seeing something pretty or in a personal envelope with handwriting on it...more importantly seeing this when it's NOT your birthday or a major holiday. I am excited to send her postcards when I begin my journey, and look forward to hearing more from her in the meantime!

If you are an old-school mail fan/adventurous traveler and want to become pen-pals, send me an email! We can exchange mailing addresses and send each other postcards throughout our journeys :)

Good Golly, it's Greens+!

2010-08-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I will be cross-posting this because it was great fun (feel free to read an extended version on our Century Ride Benefit Blog!) BUT!!! Today Jake and I received our sponsorship from Greens+! I have loved this company for awhile now, with their super tasty energy bars and quick drink mixes that give you servings of veggies and fruit without even blinking an eye. They were one of the first companies to volunteer to sponsor our journey and I have been super excited ever since!

I was really impressed because while I was working at Whole Foods they had a demo going for Greens+. I bee-lined for the table because they had some new products they were showing off, and I got chatting with the representative about my trip and how Greens+ had agreed to sponsor us, and how thankful I was. And he gave me more stuff! He gave me full samples of the new bars they are coming out with and some drink packets. He was very knowledgable and friendly, and it honestly made my day...and now it's even better! Greens+ has given us a box of energy bars and a box of there berry drink mix! PLUS (hahaha get it?) a nifty drink mix ratio cup thing. Yes please!

Jake had never had Greens+ products before, so we agreed that it would be okay to sample the

product. Good golly, we were both very impressed. I had forgotten how good the drink mix tasted, and was comforted by the chocolatey goodness of my half of the energy bar! Please check out more information about this awesome company below (they make products for pooches too! Zoey was jealous but then I reminded her of her goodies from Evanger's!). We very much look forward to continuing our partnership with Greens+ and our other gracious sponsors!!

Greens+ Official Website: http://greensplus.com/index.php

"Like" then on Facebook!: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greens-Plus/109290615779644

How to Plan a Cross-Continental Adventure pt. 5

2010-07-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

So you know where you are going, where you are sleeping, how you are traveling, your budget yada yada yada, now it is time to really get cracking. By this time you should have only a few more months until your grande adventure! However, that can be very good or very bad...depending on how many of the following questions you can answer "yes" to.

1. Have you applied for your passport?

2. Have you booked your plane ticket?

3. Have you contacted your cell phone company to find out about international rates/suspending your line while you are away?

4. Do you have your foreign currency/traveler's cheques/credit card ready to go? (Make sure that if you are taking a credit card you inform your bank that you will be using it internationally so they don't freeze your account!)

5. Have you started packing?

I made a helpful little packing list- please keep in mind this is for longterm trips..if you are planning a shorter trip adjust the quantities. Also, I doubt that this has everything on it that you will want to bring, but sometimes it's easier to have a list in front of you to help with the basics! If you would like a copy of this packing list please email bytesizekelly@gmail.com and I will send you the file (mostly because I cannot figure out how to upload a .pdf to blogger!)

If you are able to say "yes" to all of the questions above, sit tight! Otherwise, get started on those five things, and then we can get you going on some good stuff!

New Sponsor!

2010-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Time for a shameless plug, one and all, because I am itching with good news! Clif Bar has agreed to sponsor our trip! They will be providing us with a substantial amount of product to keep us energized and for us to hand out to others along the way! We are more than excited to have such an incredible company on board. I mentioned their 2-mile program last entry, but you can read more about what they do for the community on their website.

We are truly thankful for this sponsorship, and all of our other sponsorships we have acquired thus far! It is so great to see that so many companies support our ambitions!

The Steady Climb

2010-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

We truly are fast approaching take off. "The Plan" has really evolved from an unrealistic dream to a tangible reality which is both unbelievably exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time. To think that almost a year ago this was a plan to hike the E1 from Germany to Italy and has now morphed into a a journey beyond imagination. We will be covering 3,000+ miles in 6 months. It's still just a number in my head- I cannot wrap my mind around it as a reality.

Jake and I have been doing an exorbitant of biking for two people who haven't biked in a decade each. We have had our bikes for two weeks and are already up to casual 20 mile rides on a bi-daily basis not to mention our random rides around Portland. I'm also currently participating in the Clif Bar 2-mile Challenge (and you should too!). You basically replace any car ride you would take within a 2-mile radius with a bicycle ride and log your miles. Your miles turn into points towards a $100,000 to one of three charities. I will be able to add a lot of miles since I literally don't have a car...but it's a great thing for those of you looking to help a good cause, get healthy, and challenge yourself.

Today I went to Boston to potentially become involved in a sleep study which would net me about $2300 for 3 weeks of tests and 9 days in a lab. I was totally onboard until I saw two words; "rectal" and "sensor." Call me a big old pansy, but I'm sorry, if you are going to ask me to 1) insert a sensor into my buttocks...not just my buttocks, but literally my exit door... 2) remove said sensor whenever I shower or need to evacuate bowels and reinsert and 3) do this for 9 days straight while already irritable...you will need to be paying me FAR more than two grand. However, the finding out about the sensor part was right in the middle of riding 20 miles around Boston when I only needed to go 5 and being screamed at by an evil, evil Amtrak man for someone else not doing their job. Needless to say, I am not a huge fan of Boston. PLUS I came home to a raging thunderstorm and multiple tornado warnings.

Dear Mother Nature,

I understand that you are upset with us due to all of the styrofoam, landfills, emissions and that pesky "BP" situation in the Gulf. You have every right to reign thunder and lightening upon us as it is well deserved. BUT QUIT WITH THE TORNADOES! It's MAINE for crying out loud! I would sincerely appreciate it if you stuck to your usual bag of tricks and kept the tornadoes for Dorothy.

All the Best,

Kelly

Anyways, I do have intriguing things to talk about, I swear. For example the Mango Ice Cream Wedding Cake I made a few weeks ago, however that will have to wait until the groom sends me the pictures. Of the cake, I mean. Also coming up soon with be my plea for donations, so stay tuned! You don't wanna miss the groveling!

"Check it out guys! The girl from Maine has never peeled shrimp!"

2010-07-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

I started culinary school the December following my high school graduation. Having spent most of my life trying to be a grown-up, and having been told throughout high school that I would be nothing with a college degree, I was more than excited. I was accepted to the only school, my first choice, that I applied to and had spent my entire senior year applying for scholarships to pay half of my first year's tuition.

I had a really rough time of it. Not because I couldn't hack it in the kitchen, not because I wasn't good enough, but because I was young, easily pissed off, and my stress release was to cry. Yes, I was that girl who would cry on the line- not because I was hurt or upset, but because I would get seriously, seriously pissed. Marco Pierre White pissed- however, instead of throwing plates of cheese at the wall, I would cry it off, keep my head down, and finish service. At the time, it was very much a love/hate relationship- but whenever I look back on it I do not regret it for a minute. Even though I couldn't afford to finish my degree, I would never, ever take back that year for anything. I made some of the best friends I will ever have at that school. I learned life lessons, the things in the culinary world that make my heart pound and the things that send me fuming. I got the chance to work side by side and learn from some of the best chefs I will ever know.

One of my most embarrassing moments was in our cooking theory class when I was asked to peel and devein shrimp. I knew the day would come when I would be asked to work with shellfish- I mean no one really knew how to scale, filet, or skin a whole fish, but I was pretty sure everyone knew how to peel shrimp but me. Rather than do it wrong and look like an idiot, I decided to ask. And still look like an idiot. My block-mates got a kick out of it- the girl from Maine who had never eaten shrimp. I'm just glad we weren't breaking down lobsters! Can you imagine?! Telling them I had never eaten a lobster before would have been the end of me. Mind you, I have tasted lobster before, just had never eaten one.

Well, this is the memory I had when I ate my first lobster roll at Dry Dock on Commercial Street in Portland, ME. I started my day with the strangest craving for seafood and it would not go away. Having given up on trying to find crab cakes (really, Portland, no crab cakes anywhere??) I decided to settle for some coconut shrimp and really made the plunge by ordering a lobster roll. Dear. Lord. Where has my mind been? How have I never enjoyed this delicious sea-cockroach before?

Luckily before leaving the shitheap of Maine, I have realized that I truly am a Mainer. I cannot imagine a recreational life without L.L.Bean, I honestly don't know a fruit that is tastier than a fresh blueberry, whoopie pies are the perfect ratio of cake to frosting, hot dogs are not the same without the red dye, Moxie is always best flat & warm, and damn...sea-cockroaches FTW. Yessuh.

How to Plan a Cross-Continental Adventure pt. 4

2010-07-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Once you know your rough itinerary it’s time to figure out the mode of transportation. A lot of people (myself included until recently) do not know how much is actually available to them in terms of transportation which is why I am very eager to write this post.

As of now, you have probably been told of one mode of transport: The Eurail. Yes, this is a great method that is very simple, but it is not your only option. *disclaimer: I am in no way trash talking the Eurail system (except for the "fuck no" part)- simply offering advice on other means of transportation.* These options will rely heavily on your “travel style” so I have made a nifty system to simplify the options for you. Keep in mind you can always double dip or cross over- I ain’t boxin’ you in!

Method	Cost	Travel Style Best Suited
Eurail	$$$	Wine & Diner, The WWOOFer, The Backpacker
Car Rental	$$$$	Wine & Diner
Hiking	$	The Hiker, The Hostel Hopper, The Backpacker, The WWOOFer
Bicycling	$	The Hiker, The WWOOFer, The Hostel Hopper
Small Vehicle Purchase	$$	The Backpacker, Wine & Diner

Eurail: Yes, they have flexible plans. Yes, you can get almost anywhere by train. Is it suitable for a long-term traveler? FUCK. NO. This plan is ideal if you are traveling for about a month in the same country or a few neighboring ones…but seriously it is a rip off if you are traveling for an extended period of time (3 months+). Trains are expensive, and are run by the government so they are the most highly advertised form of transportation. The Plus Sides: They are beautiful trains 9 times out of 10, and you are very comfortable, and you get where you need to be fast. It’s a pretty great place to sleep if you need one, and if you’re only traveling for vacation purposes or for limited time, it’s a simple option. The Down Sides: Yes, you get a great window view, but you don’t get to see the journey the same way. Even if you are in a car at least you can stop and take pictures. Everything is whirling by you at very fast speeds. The “unlimited” plan is not even close to being unlimited, and you could be spending thousands of dollars if you use it as your primary transportation.

Car Rental: Pretty much the only style this suites is the vacationer who has a big budget. The Plus Sides: You are pretty much in control of your whole trip. You can leave on your own terms, decide where to go, and when to stop. Down Sides: Can be costly, and in a foreign land parking can get rather expensive and confusing.

Hiking: Literally the cheapest form of travel. You have maximum control over where you are going and the route you plan to take. The Plus Sides: Allows you to physically experience every moment of your journey, keeps you in shape, saves money for activities and food stuffs, and gives you the ultimate in bragging rights Down Sides: rain, sleet, snow, blistering heat, physical exhaustion, and sore muscles are quite possibly in your future.

Bicycling: Basically the faster form of hiking. While you spend a little more in gear, you save time, your back, and can carry more. The Plus Sides: bike racks and saddle bags make it much easier to carry items without killing your body. Bragging rights are also a major plus. Resources like mapmyride.com make it possible to literally create maps of your exact route. Down Sides: weather, flat tires (although very fixable), thievery

Small Vehicle Purchase: This method is a little more difficult, but very very possible. In the end, this option winds up being way cheaper than taking the train and could possibly be worth the hoops you will need to jump through. Basically, you can purchase a used vehicle or scooter and sell it when you are ready to leave. For more specific details on this process, send me an email. The Plus Sides: ultimate freedom in travel, temporary investment that can be resold later. Down Sides: gas money, insurance, hoops to jump through, parking, breakdowns

Supplementing your transportation choices

In order to get the ideal transportation for you, it is possible that you will have to supplement your transportation with other options.

Bus/Coach: The bus system is much more limited than the trains, but is also significantly cheaper. If you are hiking/biking and fear going through mountainous areas, the bus is a great way to stay warm while you avoid the tricky areas. Also a great resource if you don’t have the money to continue with the trains.

Ferries: Great way to cut corners in travel. If you are short on time and have the option to, ferries are a great way to get from point a to point b for minimal moneys. If you don’t mind staying on the deck, you could save $50 or more. For example, we won’t have the time to go through southern France so we are taking a ferry straight from Italy to Spain. Much cheaper than the rail, and faster than a bus.

Metro: For inner city travel, you’d be crazy not to use the rail. Biking will save you some money, but sometimes you will need to use the metro to avoid highways or busy streets. Prices vary, but this can help you out a lot if you’re in a time crunch.

Whatever method you choose, take note of the costs. Always plan for the little accidents and add them to your budget. Research forums and get advice on methods that others have tried. If you have any questions about these methods of travel or have something you’d like to add, please feel free to comment or send me an email at bytesizekelly@gmail.com

Evanger's Dog Food

2010-07-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

Zoey got her first sponsorship! Evanger's Dog & Cat Food! More information about products and health benefits of switching to Evanger's can be found on their website. Portlanders, you can find Evanger's Dog & Cat Food at Fetch on Commercial Street. For other readers, check out the Store Locator to find out the closest place you can purchase Evanger's products.

Check out Evanger's 2011 Calendar Contest! Hurry, it ends July 31, 2010!

How to Plan a Cross-Continental Adventure pt. 3

2010-06-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Wow... it's been long enough, eh? If you have read Parts one & two you should already have a good idea of the sort of trip you have in mind. Ideally you have a notebook or binder where you are keeping track of these sorts of things- lists of options on where you want to sleep, rough ideas of your budget, and the sort of traveling you intend to do. Now you need to decide where you are going and how you are going to get there.

Ideally you would have covered this when reading Choose Your Own Adventure Part 1 but I cannot safely assume that you have all read that, so we will do a recap. Ya need to know where you want to go before you can go, ya know? Basically what you need to do is open a fresh page in that adventure book you have set aside and start jotting down all the places you want to see. At this point, don't be worrying about your time frame, budget, etc....simply unload all of your dreams of exploration. Machu Picchu? Eiffel Tower? Great Wall of China? Rome? Bristol? Timbuktu? Isle of Man? Bruges? Maine? If you wanna go there, write it down! Don't think this only takes a minute or two- it takes a lifetime. This is a page you will hopefully be adding to and crossing off of for many, many years to come.

Once you have a good sized list, theeeeen you can be realistic. If you want, you can go all crazy and sort the places by continent or general area (you can even color code it if you want to). What sites/cities/towns can you group into one trip? Once you have grouped them, play the priority game and choose the trip you'd like to take first. Make sure to keep in mind how much time you'd like to spend in each area - an hour? a day? 3 days? two weeks? Completely up to you! This plan is a draft...the reality of this list being your final plan is slim, but it is a very important step.

Kickstart My Heart

2010-06-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Which, in a way, makes it kind of funny when you look at the breakfast options most people gravitate to. You'd think for the most important meal more people would choose something that will do the body good- like fruit, vegetables, something hearty with whole grains. Instead, many people pump themselves full of sugar, carbs, and caffeine first thing in the morning: cereal with the words "frosted" or "fruity" when there is literally no fruit in it, croissants, danish, donuts, homefries, hashbrowns, bagels, coffee, latte, mocha...you might as well just wake up to a chocolate bar, a potato, and a cup of simple syrup, right?

I'm no better than the average bear, mind you. The opening paragraph was more of an epiphany than a lecture, because the main point of this post is about something delicious I made yesterday. Vegan cinnamon buns. This is a classic example of the "just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's good for you" rule. These puppies (awww) are full of sugar, "butter," flour, and absolutely drool inducing deliciousness. Just please, PLEASE understand that these are horribly unhealthy and more like a dessert than a breakfast item. My recommendation is a heaping bowl of fresh (or once frozen is fine too!) seasonal fruit with a piece of multigrain toast.

I wanted to figure out how easy this recipe was because I plan to use a loose interpretation of it when I eventually open my vegan ice cream cafe. I want to have cinnamon buns, scones, and the rest of those marvelous, heart stopping pastries. However, I want them to be simple to make and still as healthy as butter-soaked-sugar-bread can be. This recipe is absolutely brilliant. It is easy to follow, organized, and pretty much holds your hand the whole time. I found it at VeganYumYum (there's an app for that!) and demand everyone reading this to check it out. These do not "taste vegan" like a lot of mock recipes do. They are so rich and filling that you are likely to think that your mouth somehow detached from your body, went to heaven, and came back to share its findings with you.

If you have even a fraction of the sweet tooth I have, you should give this recipe a try. I'm not posting the recipe here as it will do no justice- Please check out the VeganYumYum website for the full recipe.

Camp Cookin'

2010-06-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Jeez Louise, do I want to go camping. I love the smell of a campfire, that slight dampness that mysteriously covers everything you own despite the fact that you are in a tent, waking up to a sunrise and fresh air...Ahhh the life. I have not been camping in far to long...and I mean camping, not this Winnebago bullshit that has swept the nation. Hence, I am very excited to be Flea Marketing this weekend! The place we are going has a field set up for vendors to camp overnight. "There aren't any electric hookups," she says, "Hookups are for lame-os" I say internally.

Obviously one of the most amazing parts of camping is the food. While I do believe that they have a food cart on site, Jake and I will most likely be bringing a coke-can burner and making some delicious concoctions. Click on the pretty picture to find out how to make a coke-can burner....br00tal!

So I adapted the following recipe from Backpacker Magazine as I literally started drooling while reading. PLUS, it's vegan.

Backpacker's Shepherd's Pie

1 4-ounce package homestyle instant mashed potatoes
1 packet powdered mushroom sauce (such as Simply Organic)
2c. Just Tomatoes! Dried Vegetable Mix
1/2 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil 3 cups of water. In one freezer bag, combine mashed potatoes and 2 cups of water. Seal and mush the bag until potatoes are fluffy. In a second freezer bag, combine vegetables, herbs, bouillon, and powdered mushroom sauce. Add remaining cup of water, seal bag, and mix thoroughly. Pour vegetable mix into a bowl and top with potatoes. Eat until you explode. Repeat.

For convenience, I substituted the tofu on the original recipe for an extra cup of vegetables. You can follow the original if you'd like, but this is still incredible. Aaaaand you can't go camping without a little dessert! Unfortunately, s'mores (my absolute favorite camping dessert) aren't particularly vegan so we are going to have to settle for....

Camping Crisp

2 Cups Just Tomatoes! Just Fruit Salad
2 Tablespoons Just Tomatoes! Blueberry Powder
1 cup water
2 cups granola

Boil 1 cup of water. In a freezer bag, combine boiled water fruit salad and blueberry powder. Seal and set aside. In the meantime, toss the granola over the heat in your heatproof bowl/messkit pan until warm. Put fruit mixture into bowl and top with granola.

Dried fruit and veggies are amazing for camping and backpacking because they still contain all of the nutrients, just happen to way practically nothing!

Do you have a favorite camping recipe? Email bytesizekelly@gmail.com or leave it in a comment to have it featured!

How to Plan a Cross-Continental Adventure pt. 2

2010-06-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Alright, so last HPCCA post was dedicated to finding out where you are going to sleep, but this section is going to be primarily about the different types of traveling you may do. Keep in mind, this is not the full list of ways you can travel, this is actually just a small portion of the several options and combinations. Find your method, and work from there...everyone has their own style! Please note: It is not my intention to stereotype, pigeon-hole, or offend anyone. This is simply a fun exercise to help you figure out what style of traveling suites you best. It is very likely that you will find a combination of these methods to be the most suitable for you!

The Wine & Diner: You will want to be traveling to be on vacation. While you may still be on a budget, the money you do spend will be on good food, and tourism. You don't so much care about staying in the best hotel in town, as much as you enjoy the comfort of knowing you have a reservation awaiting you when you arrive...and a continental breakfast just happens to be a plus. Your main transportation will probably be guided tours, or walking to places you'd like to see. resources you should use: expedia.com, tripadvisor.com, and tourism guides

The Hostel Hopper: You will likely be traveling alone or with a close friend. You don't mind sharing your sleeping quarters as you do not intend to be staying in your room for long. It is likely that you will be spending from dawn til dusk exploring the city you are in. You look forward to meeting other travelers from all over the world, and making new friends. The funds you have brought will probably be spent on the metro, going out with your new friends, and maybe on some snacks, but nothing major. resources you should use: hostelworld.org, lonelyplanet.com, guides for public transportation

The Backpacker: It is likely that the only things you have brought with you are your backpack, and a smaller pack. You intend to sleep wherever you can, hostels, with friends you may have met throughout your travels, hotels if need be, and trains. You have a large itinerary, and perhaps not a lot of time to reach these places, so you spend as much time as you can seeing the sights, learning about the cities, and taking photographs. Since a lot of your finances will be devoted to transportation, you eat mostly at food carts, farmer's markets, fast food chains, and vending machines. resources you should use: hostelworld.org, lonelyplanet.com, couchsurfing.org, eurail.com, travelindependent.info

The Hiker: The only things you have brought are what you can carry on your back. You intend to walk most everywhere, and hitchhike if need be. You are likely on your journey for the primary reason of exploration. Your main food sources are probably a combination of protein bars or "camping food" that you have brought with you, farmer's markets, foraging, or freegan networking. You mostly sleep in a tent using bivouacking methods, and treat the environment with respect. resources you should use: lonelyplanet.com (the forums), trail guides, wilderness-backpacking.com, hikingandbackpacking.com

The WWOOFer: Your main interest is immersing yourself in the life and culture or the places you travel. Physical labor does not bother you, especially if it means you will have food and shelter in return. You likely have an interest in food, the environment, and/or language, and have no problems staying in one place for a few weeks at a time. You don't have much money as your expenses are minimal, and you cherish the connections you make with your hosts. resources you should use: wwoof.org, oveuropa.com

There are many other resources out there, these are simply a starting point. Google, Yahoo, and Ask Jeeves all you want because there are constantly new websites out there that will help you plan your journey.

Babyshower Baking

2010-06-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, ever since I got rid of Facebook, Twitter, and television, it's been a lot easier for me to pay attention to blogging. It might be because now I actually have things to share what with the big travel plans and cake-baking....Oh wait, I didn't tell you about the cake? Silly me! You may recall the Baked Good contest I held a month ago...however you may not seeing as only three people entered. Regardless, the winner is a very lucky lady because I am making her a FREE baby shower cake! The ideas for this cake have been changing bi-minutely. My problem with cakes is I usually get in way over my head and they turn out like Jake's Leaning Tower of ~~Penis~~ Pisa cake. But not today, sirs and ma'ams! Today, I decided to make a simple yet elegant cake that will knock your socks off!

I actually had typed out an entiiiire entry for you, but seeing as Blogger is an enormous cock, it all was deleted before I could save and now I am pretty much entry-less. However, below you can see how it turned out!

How to Plan a Cross-Continental Adventure pt. 1

2010-06-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been sticking with me since the beginning, you may recall my little "Choose Your Own Adventure" series from when I was planning my trip to France...for those of you just tuning in, I recommend giving it a read because that is where you will find the basics in Beginner's Traveling Tips. The series has I, II, III parts...(obv. you should click on the numbers to read them).

Great! So, you understand the basics in planning an adventure. However, there is a big difference between planning a week in Paris while wining and dining in gorgeous hotels, and heading to Europe with a map, a backpack, and a plan- ready to get down and dirty (I mean really, chances of showering are slim). There are not many people who would consider the second option fun- most folks want their traveling to be a vacation...relaxing, simple, full of pampering. I certainly enjoy my fair share of pampering, but when I think about travel I think of the culture and the people and how much I would prefer to just live off of cart-crepes and delicious rape-van-pizza. In addition, while this sort of "wing-it" traveling is rather loosely planned- it also takes a different kind of planning. The "where will you stay," "what will you eat," and "what will you pack," parts will need to be approached in a different way, as will your entire state of mind.

This journey can take anywhere from a week until..well..pretty much until you decide you are through. I recommend going for at least a month in order to get the full experience. I will be using my trip as the example throughout this series which will be a six month endeavor covering a helluva lot of territory.

Where do you intend to sleep? If you intend to stay in hostels and hotels for most of your adventure, your time frame will heavily depend on your budget. You will need to be sure that you have enough money to get to where you need to go, sleep where you need to sleep, and eat enough so that you don't become a walking skeleton (or a super-crab. I don't know about any of you, but I become meeeean when I'm hungry. Whiny, violent, mean. No one likes a crabby camper). If you think that these are your only options for sleeping, think again mon frere! There are many options.

1) yes, yes, hostels. Check out hostelworld.com for a listing of hostels in pretty much every country.

2) yes, yes, hotels (LAAAAME!) you know, expedia, orbitz, yada yada yada..can you tell that I don't approve of hotels for adventures such as these? BLAHHCK.

3) CouchSurfing.org - okay. CouchSurfing is an amazing website that brings travelers together in the most magical of ways. It consists of "surfers," "hosts," and people that understand that you need to do a bit of both. Basically, if you have a couch or spare room, you post about it on your page, and travelers coming to your area will request to stay with you during their journey. Usually they are only 2 or 3 days, but it could be longer. These people will have their own page, complete with references from other people they have stayed with or hosted- this is basically the list of their credentials. Obviously it is not very wise to let a stranger into your home, but couchsurfing makes it safe. On the other side, and the more relevant one in this case, you may search for hosts in the countries you are visiting and request to stay with them. They too have references left by surfers who have stayed with them. It is a great opportunity to meet other travelers, make friends, share your culture, and get a first hand glance into life in that location. I have never surfed, only hosted, but it has been incredible!

4) Planes, trains, and boats. A less reliable way to sleep is to arrange your transportation to occur at night. This way you can snooze on the trip to your next destination. Of course, if you are hiking the whole way, this is inefficient.

5) Camping. You have to be careful about this one...there is a lot of private property in the world- and most people don't like people squatting on their land. While there are some camp sites, they can tend to be more expensive than a hostel. While wilderness camping is an option- please, please, please do your research first.

6) WWOOFing. Amazing concept. Incredible opportunity. However, I will get into this later because I feel like it belongs in a different topic. In the meantime, feel free to check out wwoof.org

As you can see, there are many other options on where to count your sheep. Once you figure out where you want to sleep, you will be ready for the next step.

SoJu Japanese & Korean Food- Portland, Maine

2010-05-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

I really, truly am a lousy vegan. I fully respect those who have an ethical opposition to animal products, but as someone strictly coming from a health-stand-point it makes it very easy for me to be led off the wagon. People say I should call myself vegetarian instead, but then they are surprised when I say that I don't drink milk, eat cheese, or have eggs. I just can't frickin' win here! I choose to say that I am a health-based "vegan" (I use air-quotes in person out of respect to the genuine, hardcore vegans) with the exception of sushi and ice cream. Maybe I'll create my own name for it- who knows. Point being- I have an enormous soft spot for Asian cuisine...or at least Americanized Asian Cuisine. A few weeks ago Jake and I tried out this restaurant called SoJu. It's where the old Thai Buffet used to be, and man oh man they put that buffet to shame!

We weren't really sure what to expect, but thought it was worth a try. We were immediately greeted by everyone in the restaurant (slow day) and seated by the window. Our waitress served us water and warm green tea (on the house!) and we decided to share a glass of Plum Sake. It was reeeeally sweet which I enjoyed at first, but as the meal progressed I just couldn't finish drinking it. We weren't sure of the serving sizes so we ordered a few things to

split.

1. Dumpling Soup

2. Vegetable Fried Rice

3. "Lunch Special" Bento Box

Written down it doesn't look like a lot of food- but then it began. Our waitress brought out three small dishes with kimchee, dressed cucumbers (they had on cute little skirts!...no, not really), and some kind of slaw...DELICIOUS. They said that they were complimentary and unlimited so we had like five small dishes of kimchee because it was so incredible. After a few minutes, the miso soup from the Bento Box appeared, along with the dumpling soup. I'm not a big fan of miso, but the dumplings were fabulous. It was like finding edible purses filled with warm, delicious, amazingness inside your soup!

The fried rice and Bento Box were brought out together. I'm

pretty sure both our jaws dropped upon seeing the size of the meal. The fried rice was on a plate bigger than my head, and the Bento Box came with tempura shrimp & veggies, white rice, fruit, a california roll, and I AM NOT KIDDING- the best tofu teriyaki I have ever even imagined existing. Not only was the sauce a perfect blend of sweet and salty, but the tofu itself was just crunchy enough on the outside while still being incredibly smooth and soft inside and drenched in teriyaki. I am literally drooling all over my hands (that's actually a lie, that would be disgusting) as I type this. In fact I am pondering going down there right now just for some of that.

We were so full that we had enough leftovers for dinner that night- and let me tell you it is just as incredible cold. I am so thrilled that they have such great quality, but it pains me that they are living with the reputation of that God-awful buffet. One of the employees told us to go home and tell all our friends how great it is because they have not been getting very much business at all. She also said that a lot of people around town were nervous that the quality would be as poor as the previous restaurant. We gave her our word to tell friends, and as we left all of the servers said "Have a wonderful day!" and then piped in, "We are all counting on you!" It was rather adorable.

While I don't think SoJu will be giving Pom's Thai a run for their money quite yet, I do believe that they have the potential. I know that they have my seal of approval, and I plan on frequenting there a lot more often! I love having someplace so close to get my teriyaki fix! King of the Roll has always been my favorite sushi joint, and their prices are certainly better than SoJu for sushi, but on lazy days I just might have to be a traitor. So I hope my fellow Portland foodies give SoJu a try, because if you don't you are very much a moron.

A Little KINDness

2010-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Things have been gearing up prettttty fast for the trip. My apartment has literally been like a Greek Tragedy with clothes strewn about, random crap I never knew I had crawling out form under the bureau, Zoey's toys torn to shreds with little fluffs of cotton stuffing laying like a battle field across our dirt and hair covered floor...but all in the name of "progress!" We have officially sold each and every gaming system...oh wait that's a lie...I still have my DS....but we have ALMOST sold each and every gaming system! I noted on Twitter that it is sort of sad that someone with the alias of "Byte Size" is no longer geekily equipped. We have also sold both of our iPhones to and switched to old school Motorola Razr/Slivr and cut out data completely. "Why," you ask? Because it will save us $100 per month, and we really don't need to be checking our email constantly anyways.

While I could not give up my precious bloggy-lovechild, we have also chosen to remove ourselves from Social Media. Facebook and Twitter were simply becoming abused by strangers and in the end, knowing what old chums are doing is not worth my safety. On Facebook they constantly change the fine print- here I control what information people have access to. That's the big ole difference.

We are also getting prepared for Flea Market season when we will be frequenting these under cover markets to sell our outrageous amounts of clothes, kitchenware, and random shit that you'd think no one would ever want. We went to one the other day and got a BRAND NEW backpack and or two cell phones for $4! TOTAL! We also had a very generous Army man sell us a plethora of his old gear for $100. I mean bags, and bags of thermal, fleece, reflective, and rain gear, a sleeping bag, boots, and a helmet for good measure. We will likely be selling the boots and helmet as they do not fit us, but the rest of the stuff is in amazing shape and I can't wait to put it to use! And so begins the purge of our current life-as-we-know-it and the plunge into hippiedom. We are hoping that by August our material items are minimal and our brains are only consumed by the thoughts of saving money and the wide-world ahead of us. Even Zoey is excited for the wonderful vacation ahead of her!

The support of our sponsors has been tremendous. Our closet has become a sanctuary of items our sponsors have sent us, so that we save them for the trip. Yesterday I received a bountiful box of treats from KIND Snacks. I especially appreciate their sponsorship because they have an amazing business focus on holistic living and breaking the barriers of modern society. I especially love this quote I discovered on their website:

"Kind’s vision is to transform mindless snacking into KIND Snacking:

snacking that is KIND to your body, your taste buds, & the world.®"

How freaking rad is that? I would love to give a round of applause to the marketing team who came up with that quote because it really hit it home for me. It essentially sums up the purpose of my journey in one sentence. Anyways! They sent Jake and I enough snacks to keep us fueled for quite an extensive amount of time aaaand a fabulous T-shirt for me to sport during the journey! I am excited to tell you guys more about the products once we begin the journey (we aren't going to be sneaking any samples til then!) and share our experiences with you.

Don't forget to become a fan!

Little Lad's Bakery

2010-05-11T11:55:00.001-07:00

With the journey fast approaching (September 29!), Jake and I have been working like crazy to keep saving money...which therefore leaves little time to actually see each other. Yesterday, however, we finally had a morning off together so we decided to put it to good use and try out a local eatery that we have been dying to go to.

Ever since becoming vegetarian/mostly vegan we have heard nothing but amazing things about Little Lad's Bakery & Cafe on Congress St. I can't even count the number of times we have tried to go before realizing that they are only open for lunch. Luckily, we remembered in time yesterday and wandered over. We were caught a bit off-guard by the casual setting, as it wasn't overly obvious how we were supposed to go about dining. While I pretty much stood back, wide-eyed, going "ooooh," Jake marched up to the cash register and began looking at the menu. Everything sounded AMAZING...not only that but the most expensive item was $8.99! You can't even get a pizza in Portland without dropping at least $10!

We both immediately decided to get the special which was Spoon Bread, Rice & Beans, Peas, Vegan Mac N' Cheese, and Corn Chowder ($4.99 total!). Needless to say, we decided to split it. First came the chowder...with a side of Little Lad's Herbal Popcorn- THE BEST MOTHER EFFING POPCORN EVER. I mean really. It is so light and flavorful that you can hardly contain yourself. The chowder was also incredible, and I am practically drooling just thinking about it. Once we were finished, the rest of the meal came out. It was my first time ever eating Spoon Bread (wasn't my favorite...) but I was excited to be trying something new. Overall, the meal was fabulous and ended with a delicious vegan chocolate chip cookie :) I 100% recommend Little Lad's to anyone in the Portland, ME area for lunch- But they also have a New York location! They are worth checking out, for sure, and will definitely be my new lunch joint.

Ch-Ch-Changes

2010-04-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

In the coming months you will see some changes happening around Byte Size. As you may or may not know, Jake, Zoey, and I will be traveling to Italy in October! We will be WWOOFing for a few months before hiking north on the E1 Long Distance trail. We have been communicating with businesses about potentially sponsoring our journey (and in return being promoted throughout the 1,661 mile adventure) by donating useful products. We are mostly looking for lightweight camping equipment, efficient clothing, and easy lightweight food products. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor pleeease email me at bytesizekelly@gmail.com.

Anyways! The changes! We plan on updating family, friends, and followers along the way via Byte Size which is being transformed from a Food & Video Game blog to a Food & Travel blog...I'm sorrrry! However, just because I'm not posting about nerdy things does not mean I am any less of a big ole geek...so feel free to pick my brain about new games, movies, and gadgets! Posts on the journey will be from past days of travel both for safety and our own enjoyment. We want to be off enjoying ourselves- not glued to the web the whole time! Most likely, we will back-post a few at a time when we get the chance to hop online- including pictures, podcasts, and general rants and raves. Until that point, the changes on here will mostly be visual. I am also looking for a new banner! If you are interested in making one, again, just send me an email and we can talk about compensation ;)

The winner of last weeks giveaway was Kim Wallace! I will be making a cake for her next month or so, and I am very excited about it! Thank you to all who entered!!

Freebie Sightings at Byte Size!

2010-04-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and summer is on it's way! You know what that means, right?! Barbecues! Cookouts! Weddings! Parties! Graduations! Baby showers! All those fun out-doors-y stuff-your-face events that you always look forward to because they generally mean one thing: FREE FOOD! Uuuuntil you remember that you have to bring something too.

That is why I am giving you folks the heads up about a couple of giveaways coming your way. The first being a baked good contest beginning now and lasting at least until ~~April 24, 2010~~ April 26, 2010. How this one works- Simply go to the Byte Size Creations Fan Page and say what you would like. You can do this by either commenting on the contest post or send a message. What can you request? Well...cake, cookies, brownies, pie, petit fours, madelines, chocolate truffles, cupcakes, etc., etc., etc. At this point you don't even need to be specific about flavors, dates, events, or anything...those details will come once your name is drawn. Why am I doing this? I'm bored in a baking sense and I need a challenge! Contestants can be anywhere in the U.S...just keep in mind whether or not you think your item is going to make it safely in shipping :)

I am currently working with a local business who is willing to sponsor a giveaway! Woooohooo! I am not at liberty to say who they are yet, but it will fit in beautifully with this summer cookout, potluck, tasty treat theme! So definitely stay tuned on that one!

And as I'm sure you already know, one of my ice cream recipes has made it through the first round of knock-outs in the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook! If I make get enough ratings I will be published! AND if I get published I will be giving away a copy of the book! So, please do me a favor and rate my recipe (just use the "login via facebook" feature and rate the recipe using the stars)...there could be some beautiful literature in it for you later!

10 Nerdy Toys Every Self-Respecting Enthusiast Needs.

2010-04-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

I hesitate labeling this as "Top 10" because realistically, there are probably much more "Nerdworthy" toys I could list. This is merely a composition of 10 toys that I think are must-haves. They are listed in no particular order, and I highly encourage you to comment and let me know your most prized achievement...no, no, not on Xbox Live...a collectable, stuffed animal, figurine, poster, map, whatever it is that you love to brag about. Let's have it!

For the record, all of these are available on Entertainment Earth, so if anything catches your eye you know where to find it! Just click the pictures or hyperlinked text and you're there.

Bioshock EVE Hypo Syringe Prop

I'm pretty sure there is no explanation needed for why this is awesome. Anyone who has not only played and loved Bioshock, but has also had dreams of being anything Bioshock related for
Halloween knows that this is one of the most badass props ever.

Big Daddy Bouncer Plush

On that same note, how freaking adorabley horrifying would it be to dress your daughter up as a little sister, carrying around a Big Daddy doll? SO ADORABLY HORRIFYING. I think it would be even better to have my fictional imaginary daughter have this as an everyday toy...I mean it's no more disturbing than the squirrel tails I played with as a young child...

Sunnydale High School T-Shirt

I don't know how many times/ways I can say "Umm..HELL YES!?" so I think just the one will have to do. I. Am. THRILLED. that this exists. I mean, I have found Buffy's cross necklace (the one Angel gives her), I have several pairs of various colored leather pants, I even have Yummy Sushi pajamas...but if I had THIS shirt and a pair of grey sweat shorts I would pretty much be Ms. Summers of the gym. Just don't pull a Larry or I'll have to take you down :P

Joe Cool Mug

I mean, c'mon. Really. Even iced tea isn't cool enough for this mug! No? Not funny?

Star Wars Year by Year

Now this is a book for many household locations. Casually placed on the coffee table for your guests to thumb through while you wait for the rest of the group to show up...Next to the toilet to show company how seriously you take your "idle time"...Front and center amongst your other Star Wars memorabilia to show just how hardcore you are. Or? All three places.

Serenity Lunch Box

I am a fan of portable memorabilia. Something that will be a great conversation starter, but at the same time very few will understand. If you enter the cafeteria with a Star Trek lunchbox, every asshole within a mile radius will gravitate toward you, quoting overused lines and acting like they know anything at all. Now, you enter with a Serenity lunchbox...and it is a completely different game. To average Joe's, you have a bizarre spaceship lunch vessel, however, to the select and interesting few you have a prized possession worth oogling. Now, which scenario do you choose? Lunchboxes are also amazing for transporting art supplies, business papers, and everyday accessories.

Dexter Dark Defender Action Figure

Not only do you get this freaking awesome Dark Defender action figure, BUT you also get one of Dexter's "trophy" slides and a season 3 tote. Killer! :D (this is on sale btw, get it before it's gone!)

Nintendo Monopoly

Great for the all-encompassing Game Night...board games meet video games. Ohh the good old days. Maybe get some great themed cupcakes too ;)

Indiana Jones Hat and Whip Set

Now, understand me you grown ups...this hat and whip set is for ADVENTURE ONLY. I doubt that it says that on the packaging, so I'm making this perfectly clear...this toy is for archaeology, world saving, and ass kicking...NOT for kinky bedroom time, mmk?

The Great Gonzo Puppet

How impressed would you be if you showed up to a friend's house and Gonzo answered the door? Super impressed! OR you could hide behind your couch and have Gonzo talk to your friends for you...or you could just let him sit on a shelf alone and lonely...

And there you have it! Now, go show off!

The Cupcake Compromise

2010-03-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

You're dying for a cupcake. Or a brownie. Or some pie. No...cupcake sounds pretty freakin' good. How about a muffin? It's like a cupcake without the guilt, right? Oh great, now the kids are drooling...they want cupcakes too. They don't have the guilt, they just have the sugar pangs and whiny voices. If only you could get them distracted....Quick! Get them this!

But that wouldn't cure your cravings now, would it? Well...How about a compromise? Why don't you make a delicious, sweet "cupcake" to stuff your kids' (and absolutely yours too!) faces AND not even worry about the wrath of the dreaded post-sugar sugar high? What if you made a cupcake that could double as a breakfast muffin? Well, I wondered the same thing.

Hopping back on the vegan bandwagon has been...well..it's been a fucking bitch to put it quite bluntly. Day one was great- hearty veggie chili with wheatberries...Day two? Bean Enchilladas with (uh-oh) sour cream and cheese (I was in Philadelphia! I couldn't say no to CHEESE!) Day three I crawled back onto the wagon and what was I greeted with at work? Deviled eggs. They may be full of mayonaise, and they may smell wretched, but damn it they are delicious! Luckily today was much easier to deal with. Lunch was some trail mix and an orange, and when I got home I poured myself into the kitchen and began cooking.

Dinner was some sauteed shitake mushrooms in balsamic vinegar and spices over green lentils and brown rice, garnished with a chiffonade of kale and colored pepper brunoise. People want to know how to get their kids to eat the good veggies? Make the food pretty! Instead of parsley, use finely chopped kale! Add some color with peppers, but make them small enough that they can't get picked out! Better yet? Be honest with your children. Let them cook with you, and explain what you're putting in their food. Talk to them about the ingredients, why they should eat their veggies, why it's important. Still getting nowhere? Bribe 'em! "I tell you what...you finish your dinner and you can bring a cupcake with you to school with lunch tomorrow." Oh no, cupcakes again? No...THESE:
I took a basic vegan carrot cake recipe and altered it to be a bit less sugary and cupcake style. It originally called for maple syrup, but I chose to replace it with a whole banana. Instead of using egg replacer, I added some flax seeds. I also thought it might be a little fun to substitute half the raisins with some vegan chocolate chips...gotta have some of the sweet tooth represented, right?! Not only will you love these, but you can even lick the spoon without fear of salmonella! Top them with a dollop of cream cheese (vegan or regular) for dessert, or have them plain for breakfast! They are delicious, and when your kids are old enough they will thank you for keeping their little bodies healthy when they didn't know enough to.

"Let's Compromise" Vegan Carrot Cupcakes

2 cups Unleached AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each allspice and nutmeg
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unrefined vegan cane sugar
1 mashed banana
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup plain soymilk
3T ground flax seeds
3 good sized carrots, microplaned
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 palmful of raisins
1 palmful of vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350'F.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.3. Add wet to dry, and add the carrot, raisins, chocolate chips, and nuts. Scoop into muffin tins (I like to use the jumbo ones!). Bake at 350'F for 30-35 minutes. It is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before serving/frosting.

If I Knew You Were Coming, I'd Have Baked a Cake

2010-03-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, today is it. My twenty-first birthday is here! It is kind of surreal because even though I am not a party-girl or booze-hound, I never really thought I'd see the day where I could just...go buy alcohol. There have been many times where I'll be cooking or making ice cream and be like "Geez! This would be AWESOME if I could add *insert some sort of liquor or wine*" but was never able to because I couldn't procure it myself. Not today, lads!

For my birthday, with suggestions by Darren and Sherekon I have decided to make my own cake! The flavor?

Chocolate Guiness Cake with Temptation Frosting

I followed the recipe from Backseat Gourmet which was very simple (however, remarkably delicious! I don't even like beer!). I did deviate from the recipe when I made the icing, however, and replaced the Guiness for Cask & Cream's Chocolate Temptation liquor. It added an extra rich chocolate flavor...an addition "Yum!" factor for me.

Overall, my birthday has been pretty swell. Not only is it 58* out in March...in MAINE...but it's a beautifully clear sky as well. I have a feeling that today is going to be fabulous.

Ice Cream Alchemy

2010-02-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

For those who don't already follow my ice cream blog, Ice Cream Alchemy, I wanted to point you in that direction. I just posted for the first time iiiiin...well...as we know I take a lot of time in between posts and this happens to be one of those instances. However, there is a new one surrounding a new original recipe! Feel free to check it out, try it out, leave some feedback...you know the drill. If you would like, you can also follow my future posts by subscribing to my RSS Feed or by following it at the very bottom like so many of you have done here. Thanks so much for your support, folks, you. Are. Fabulous.

In addition, I have been entered into a contest to have one of my ice cream flavors published! Like in a BOOK. Please click on the button below and rate my recipe...I would be eternally grateful! PLUS, if my recipe is published, I plan on giving away the book on this very blog! So! Voting for me could very well benefit you as well. Thanks everyone!

Lego-Mania

2010-02-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

At long last, my giveaway winner's cupcakes have been made. She knew exactly what she wanted which was great; however, her theme was quite a challenge for me! Kate chose Lego as the theme, which sounds easy in theory...but when you have 2 dozen cupcakes to work with it's hard to make them not look boring. Luckily, she provided me with a few additional guidelines...I was to incorporate these two images in my work:

I won't lie, this entire project took me two tries. My first batch of cupcakes turned out sponge-y and tasting like eggs. I tried using some leftover gumpaste which became crusty and unusable, so I gave up. I took a week off from the project, stocked up on ingredients, and gave it another go yesterday. I had my mojo back or something, because not only did the cupcake batter turn out infinitely better, but my fondant turned out better than it ever has before! Unfortunately, it started to crack a little later, but the process was much easier this time. I used a great recipe from allrecipes.com that I plan on using again next time I do a baking project.

Kate's requested flavors were chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate buttercream for the frosting. I took a little artistic liberty and put the layer of buttercream between the cupcake and the fondant. I knew it would be impossible to get the cupcakes to turn out how I wanted without a circle topping of fondant, but didn't want the enjoyment of the cupcakes to suffer on account of the fondant (which actually tasted MUCH better than I expected). I feel like there are still a lot of things I would do differently with this project, but I gave it my best and hopefully Kate and her husband will enjoy their cupcakes! Thanks again to everyone who participated, and don't forget to become a fan of Byte Size Creations on Facebook!

My biggest gripe about these is that I wasn't able to use any red. My red fondant always turns pink so I didn't want to risk it. I feel like these would have looked a lot better if I had been able to use a bright red in addition to all of these...the blue is also a lot lighter than it could have been.

2010-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

And the winner is...

2010-02-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

Refreshed from a 10 day vacation I'm happy to announce the winner of the Cupcake Giveaway!

And the winner is....

Kate of Kate's Caps!

Thank you so much for all who participated, I'll count on you all to participate next time ;) You can bet that Kate's cupcakes will be posted here and on the Byte Size Creations fan page!