Viva Italia - Part 1 - Also known as the time I almost wasn't allowed in the country

Me (Danielle Rose) in total bliss in Vasto, Italy

When I was 14 years old my mom told me to start a savings account. "One day you'll want to travel the world" she said, and encouraged me to start thinking of places I'd like to explore. With visions of nonnas rolling pasta dough, and pizza crusts bubbling out of wood-fired ovens, there was one place above all others that stirred my desire to travel, Italy. 

Though I've been lucky enough to travel to some extraordinary places since then, it wasn't until now that an opportunity to visit my dream country, Italy, finally arose! Thanks to an invitation from my boyfriend Chris' parents to join them, along with a large group of Italian friends, on a trip to Italy to trace their families roots, I could finally make my dreams of exploring the legendary "boot" a reality. 

The plan was to stay in the coastal town of Vasto, situated in Abruzzo's southern coast, adjacent to the Adriatic sea, and from there take day trips to visit the various towns from which Chris' ancestors were from. With several of the other families we were traveling with from Vasto, with friends and family still living in the beautiful town, it was easy to make Vasto our "home base" for the trip. 

Though our vacation got off to a rocky start (ummm...I was rejected from the plane AT THE GATE due to an apparently "expired passport," though my passport was actually due to expire this November 2015. See my angry Twitter rant for more info!), and with a day and a half of mine and Chris' trip lost, not to mention thousands of dollars down the drain thanks to having to purchase a new one-way ticket to Rome, we finally arrived at Fiumicino airport in Rome!

At the sight of a "Mozzarella Bar" in the airport after landing, I knew that all of our initial trouble to get here was worth it! Bring on the mozzarella! After downing prosciutto and mozzarella panini's and cold Fanta's, Chris and I hopped on the Dicarlo Bus (Italy's version of a Greyhound) to continue our long journey to Vasto. Though our string of bad luck seemed to persist through our trek to Vasto, having to switch from our comfortable, air conditioned and near-empty bus to a packed, hot, and smelly bus after blowing a tire, we were happy to be greeted with smiling (and teary-eyed) familiar faces upon our arrival.

We stowed our luggage in our gorgeous suite at the Hotel Adriatico, and quickly joined our friends and family to begin our adventure! After gorging ourselves on an Italian feast of an antipasti buffet, pasta fagioli, an array of grilled meats, a fruit platter, and dessert, we were off to take part in the excitement and energy thriving from Vasto Marina, as the town celebrated Notte Rosa, also known as Pink Night. Though Chris and I hardly had a wink of sleep for days, we managed to stay up until 3:30 AM, listening to live music, taking in the sights, and sipping on cool drinks, taken by the infectious energy of the festival. 

Other things of note:

The espresso was so good all over Italy, that even the espresso offered on the Dicarlo Bus was fantastic, and better than most of the espresso you can find in Toronto!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Italian adventure to hear about one of the most extraordinary meals of my life!

Listening To:
Jamie XX - Stranger In A Room 

Food Hacks Spring Recap

Waffled Napoleons

Waffled Napoleons - With the new "waffling" trend that has emerged thanks to the popularity of food hacks, people have been experimenting with waffling all kinds of different foods. Though I've had great luck experimenting with waffling foods like hash browns and sandwiches, my hands-down favourite thing to waffle is puff pastry. In just 8-minutes in the iron the raw puff pastry turns golden, buttery, and wonderfully crisp! I love serving my waffled puff pastry as the classic French dessert the Napoleon, with a layer of creamy vanilla pudding, fresh raspberries, and a dusting of icing sugar. 

Bacon Mac & Cheese Sliders

Bacon Mac & Cheese Sliders - A mini muffin tin is my super-tool of choice for forming perfect and uniform sliders in only a few minutes! No slider buns? No problem! I like to use the rim of a glass as a cookie cutter to cut circles of bread the exact same size as my sliders to act as buns. Top these babies off with some leftover mac & cheese, and you've got yourself a new weeknight favourite! 

Spaghetti Squash-Crusted Quiche

Spaghetti Squash-Crusted Quiche - Making pie crust from scratch can be a pain. Skip the mixing, rolling, and mending my pressing roasted spaghetti squash into the pie plate! Not only is this crust insanely simple to prepare, it's also delicious and adds another layer of flavour and texture to the overall dish. 

Instant Ramen Stir-Fry

Instant Ramen Stir-Fry - What's your go-to snack or small meal when you're in a hurry? I like to turn to my Instant Ramen Stir-Fry thanks to it's ease of preparation and simple ingredients that are always in my fridge! Instant ramen noodles are a wonderful option because they're inexpensive, take two minutes to soften, are satisfying, and lastly allow you to make a single portion without waste.

Turkish Meatballs

Turkish Meatballs - Why take the time to form and roll meatballs by hand, when it's so much easier to use a quick-release ice cream scoop! A quick-release ice cream scoop allows you to cut down on mess, keeping your hands a whole lot cleaner, as well as keeping the meatballs nice and tender because you haven't overworked the meat. These Turkish-inspired meatballs get their flavour from cumin, mint, and a hit of Kraft Creamy Cucumber Dressing both inside the meat and drizzled on top. 

Wonton Mozzarella Sticks

Wonton Mozzarella Sticks - Bring your favourite pub food favourite home with ease thanks to my handy food hack! Wonton wrappers and string cheese are the key ingredients to making simple and deliciously-cheesy mozzarella sticks at home. Love these as a last-minute special snack or as an appetizer for entertaining. 

Stay up to date with all of my latest Food Hacks and tricks by following the @FoodHacks account on Twitter! 

Listening To:

The War On Drugs - Under The Pressure

Ontario Heirloom Tomato Tart for Fredi Magazine

Ontario's summer bounty is upon us and with it brings a surge of inspiration to create mouthwatering dishes that celebrate our most anticipated season! There's nothing like stalking through your local farmer's market to seek out what fresh treasures await you, and there's no treasure I appreciate more than Ontario heirloom tomatoes! Check out my latest article and recipe for Fredi magazine on one of my favourite ways of taking advantage of gorgeous Ontario heirlooms this summer!

Check out my recipe here!

Listening To:

Real Estate - Easy

The Best Homemade Cheeseburger

Looking for the best cheeseburger recipe? Look no further than Parts and Labour's Chef Matty Matheson's ridiculously simple and delicious recipe for making the perfect cheeseburger. I love this recipe because it rivals some of my favourite craft burger shops cheeseburgers (P&L Burger, Holy Chuck Burger, and Burger's Priest) and focuses on the simplicity of ingredients and execution, no bells and whistles here! 

My boyfriend and I have made Matty's perfect cheeseburger many times now, and they always come out, well, perfect, with rave reviews from both friends and family. Recently we decided to switch up his classic recipe a little bit, and make a double bacon cheeseburger, because why the hell not! Although our massive double bacon cheeseburgers had difficulty standing upright on the plate, they were insanely delicious and one that we will certainly be making again this summer! 

Check out Matty's video on the Munchies channel to find out how you can make the perfect cheeseburger at home! WARNING: Matty's use of the F-bomb makes this video NSFW.

Follow me on Instagram to stay up to date with all of my latest food adventures!

Listening To:

Run The Jewels 2 - All Due Respect (ft. Travis Barker)

10 Tips For Making An Outrageously Delicious Soup Without A Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1) Begin With Balance: 

When gathering your ingredients, make sure to have one word on your mind: balance. Making a soup is all about finding the perfect balance of flavours, so when gathering your ingredients keep in mind what flavours each ingredient will give off. Most soups like to begin the same way, with the holy trinity mirepoix: onions, carrots, and celery. When preparing your mirepoix, keep in mind that carrots have more sweetness than onions and celery, so if you're making a sweeter soup like sweet potato, feel free to cut back on the carrots.

2) Sweat Baby Sweat: 

When cooking your vegetables (particularly your mirepoix) on the stove be sure to simply sweat the vegetables (cook without colouring) as opposed to brown them. This will allow them to release their flavour without affecting the integrity of your soup. Though some soups benefit from roasting the vegetables, allowing them to get a fantastic caramelized flavour. 

3) Season From Start To Finish: Never leave seasoning until the end. Always start seasoning (adding a bit at a time) from the moment you sweat your mirepoix. This will allow you build your flavour and add complexity. If you don't believe me, try making the exact same soup twice, but season one from the start, and season the other just at the end. Trust me, you'll notice the difference! Also remember that dried herbs are best used earlier in the cooking process, while fresh herbs tend to be best when added towards the end of cooking. When seasoning, always remember the golden rule: You can always add but you can never take away! 

4) Consider Using a Sachet: 

Worried that you won't remember to season your soup as you cook? Make a sachet out of cheesecloth filled with different herbs and spices. Fasted the sachet tightly with kitchen twine and tie to the handle of the pot. When your soup reaches your desired flavour, remove the sachet! Traditionally a sachet is filled with peppercorns, parsley stems, fresh thyme, and dried bay leaves. 

5) The Immersion Blender Is Your Friend: 

One of my favourite tools for making soup is my immersion blender, allowing me to quickly and effectively blend my soup without having to dirty up another pot or bowl.

Cremini Mushroom Soup

6) Embrace The Sieve: 

For a silky smooth soup, strain your soup through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Allow your soup to be brought back to a boil and re-taste for seasoning. The sieve may have removed any lumpy herbs or peppercorns, which could affect the final taste. After straining your soup, it's a good idea to consider what type of mouthfeel you want for your final product. Your soup may be fine as is, but consider adding a splash of cream or perhaps another splash of broth to create the ideal viscosity. 

7) Add Acidity: 

Taste like your soup is missing something? Add a touch of acidity! A simple squeeze of a lemon or a splash of vinegar or wine can do wonders for a soup, taking it from bland to va-va-voom!

8) Add Heat: 

If you've added acidity to your soup and still feel like it's missing something, try adding a touch of heat! Even if you're not looking to add a spicy flavour to your soup, adding a pinch of heat (in the form of a dry spice like cayenne pepper or chilli pepper, or through hot sauce) adds another layer of flavour to your soup. Don't think of it as adding heat, think of it as adding flavour.

9) Go For The Garnish: 

Think of your soup like a clean slate, the perfect canvas to express your creativity! Garnishing your soup is a great way to add a subtle pop of flavour as well as beautifying your soup to make it look like it just came off the line at a restaurant. Get inspired by fresh herbs, creams, sauces, dips, and dressings that you may already have on hand. If worse comes to worse, a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil is is always a great way to finish off a soup.

10) Taste, Taste, Taste: 

The key to making a soup without a recipe is to taste as much as possible, and trust your instincts! 

Try your hand at making a homemade soup without a recipe and tweet me a picture of your final product: @thisgingerrose

Listening To:
The Knife - A Tooth For An Eye