PhotoHunt ~ Ripple

The PhotoHunt for today is 'Ripple'

I couldn't resist sharing some photos from Positano, Italy and the water rippling up onto the shore

the water was so clear and fresh and the views are amazing!

Especially from our hotel balcony.

Check for all the other Awesome Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Friday Favorites ~ Clet Art

This is a fun Friday's Favorites . . . for me anyway.
Before I went to Italy, I had heard of Clet Abraham and his 'grafitti signs' in Florence. My Friend in Florence even posted about him.
I was determined to keep my eyes open . . . like a scavenger hunt!
So imagine my thrill when I saw this near Vatican City in Rome ~ Notice the angel wings.

I was keeping my eyes open . . . and my camera ready in Florence.

Near the corner gelato shop . . .

On 'my' via Del Giglio ~ where my Hotel Burchianti is. I wonder if he did this just for me?

Then of course . . . one for the masses of tourists in front of the Duomo.

I wonder how many people actually look up from their Rick Steves guidebook to notice?

What is your favorite today?
Y'all join in~
 Sandi

Traveling Tuesday ~ and a funny story!

It is time for a Traveling Tuesday . . . on the road again (I wish)
I have plenty of stories to keep me blogging on tuesdays for a while.

While we were in Tuscany, we visited the beautiful Abbazia di Monte Oliveto 
It is the Benedictine monastery that was built in the 1500's. It is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Italy . . . more later on the amazing fresco's that line the cloisters.
This is still a working monastery, with an aging population of monks.

Which leads me to a funny story~~

We had finished our tour of the church and the cloisters. . . we were enjoying the beautiful grounds and saw this elderly monk slowly walking our way.
He seemed to have something clenched in his hand.

He walked straight to our tour guide Antonella and handed her this statue. It appeared to be a 'dancing lady' with a handle (like a pitcher or a vase).
He tells her (in Italian) that this was found in one of the cells and she did not belong at the monastery. When she asked why, he replied that she has breasts.

 

She certainly did!
We weren't going to take it, but he was going to smash it if we didn't.
So . . . We took her home with us as a travel icon . . . a lucky icon I'm sure.

Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi
*for those of you who played the linky with me . . . you'll notice I no longer have the subscription*
We can still travel together.
Leave a comment and we'll visit!

Blue Monday ~ A happy day

Yesterday was a special day . . .

We celebrated Mom's 80th birthday ~ and luckily the BLUE water pitcher makes this a great blue Monday post.

Mary Jo, Or Gee Jo as we all call her, is an amazing southern lady. She is loved by so many, as she has touched so many lifes with her kindness and compassion.

She ran that WhistleStop Cafe for nearly 30 years. . . with dad's help of course. Cooking and serving in the kitchen day after day. She was busy in the kitchen the day Fannie Flagg came in and said "I'm going to write a book about my Aunt Bess and this cafe". . . as they say ~ the rest is history.
She is the backbone of this family!

Happy Birthday Gee Jo !

Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues.
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Clean

The photohunt for this week is 'clean'.
Luckily, I was able to find these beautiful carciofini being cleaned at the market in campo fiori.

This man took his job very seriously. . .

and was quick as could be with his knife and lemon.
Making these artichokes ready for Carciofi alla Romana.
Check for all the other Clean Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Wine Tasting ~ Martin del Nero

One of our favorite day trips when in Italy is a wine tasting.

This year we were treated to a special winetasting at the Martin del Nero winery of Anna Lisa Tempestini. She is a busy woman, mom and wine maker ~ delightful !
Her home is a former monestary . . . the builder was Martin del Nero.
He wrote a prayer in the cement in the cellar hundreds of years ago ~ blessing the home and the wine to come.

So when it came time to name her wine, she wanted to honor this man and bring his name to life.  

and so the name Martin del Nero for her winery.

Her wine is made with respect to the land and the grapes ~ with enthusiasm and passion.

We so enjoyed meeting Annalisa and hearing her story. Her wine is as bold and exciting as she is.

A woman who is making her way into the famous winemakers of Tuscany.

What a thrill to be there . . . and she will be having a special wine show in London soon.

While we were there 'Lefty' made his first appearance . . . More on him later!

Ciao y'all~

Sandi

Flavors ~Cod~ Pan-Fried Cod with Almond Crust

The flavor of the week is Cod.  I think that the only place you get cod in Alabama is at Captain D's. I was tempted to go there and take a picture before I left for Italy and just be done with it.But . . . I started thinking of a trout almondine I had made before. Cod would work just fine.
Pan-Fried Cod with Almond Crust
4 fish fillets
2 large eggs
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter
Almondine Breading
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup almonds, sliced
First, make the almondine crust by minching the almonds and panko together in a Majic Bullet or processor. Salt and pepper the fish.
In a small bowl, mix egg and water together to make an egg wash. Place the almondine breading in another shallow pan. Dredge each fish fillet through the flour, dusting off any excess, then dipping in egg wash and placing in breading, coating both sides of fish.

Melt the butter in a saute pan using medium heat. Place fish in hot butter and cook on each side until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side be careful not to knock off the Almond breading.

That's better than Captain D's any day!
Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors .

Happy Cooking y'all~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Memories of the Mediterranean

For our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, we are celebrating 'Memories of the Mediterranean'. Since I am just getting back from the Amalfi coast ~ this is perfect for me. I found This Recipe on Cooking Light for olives . . . I have certainly eaten my share of olives while in Italy!

Warm Olives with Herbs
3/4 cup niçoise olives
3/4 cup picholine olives
1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh savory sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook 5 minutes or until warm.

Place olive mixture in a medium bowl; let stand at room temperature at least 6 hours. Drain olives in a colander over a bowl; discard stems. Reserve oil for another use, if desired.

I think this is going to be the perfect thing ~ when I am needing a taste of the Mediterranean!

Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our Special Memories of the Mediterranean Supper...
Jerry has made a yummy Taziki Sauce
Val is making Chicken with Olives and Lemon
Giz is bringing Lemon Almond Tarts

You can see that our virtual supper club is down to 4 members. If you would like to be a part of the supper club, leave a message on Val's blog.
Y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesday ~ tracing my steps across Italy

It's Traveling Tuesday.
The bad (and the good) news is that I almost let it slip me by.
It is always good news when life is so busy that you miss a bloggy post.
I know y'all are anxious for a few photos of my trip to Bella Italia.

I purposely made an effort to record my steps across Italy.

Literally . . . In Rome and in Vatican City.

At the symbol of Florence

At the Cathedral of Pienza ~ I've learned whenever you see the OPA, it means it was built with the pope's money

Relaxing on the Mediterranean.

and climbing hundreds of steps in Positano. . .

Just to relax on my little balcony with these fabulous views.
I promise there are many more pictures to come!
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi
*for those of you who played the linky with me . . . you'll notice I no longer have the subscription*
We can still travel together.
Leave a comment and we'll visit!

PhotoHunt ~ Taste

When you think of Amalfi ~
 you think of windy coastal roads, fresh Italian seafood, and

LIMONCELLO
Check for all the other Tasteful Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Amalfi

We have left the beauty of Tuscany ~ for an adventure in Amalfi.

Our fabulous hotel is Villa Gabrisa in Positano. The views are breathtaking . . . but I am having trouble posting photos.
Porca Miseria
Ciao y'all~
Sandi