La cucina di Nicola: Chocolate chip - Nutella cookies

Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola," we have a delicious recipe for you. As it happens World Nutella Day is almost here (February 5.) Its creators Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso (and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit) have challenged every Nutella lover out there to join in the celebration. You can read more about it here. Personally I would like to invite my friend Paola to participate, as I am sure she will come up with something absolutely glorious for all to try. If you have never visited her blog before, you are up for a treat.
Of course we had to participate as we are HUGE Nutella fans (I don't mean it literally, but if we keep celebrating I could just as well mean it!) We invited Nicolas' good friend Gabriel to join us this time. The two of them were very excited by the possibilities of adding Nutella to a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It took some brainstorming to figure out how we were going to include the creamy hazelnut spread, at the end we chose two different options. On the first one we made a thumbprint in the center of each cookie, and then we dropped a dollop of Nutella in there, stirring a little for cohesion purposes. On the second one we decided to add the Nutella to the dough leaving streaks of chocolate color in it. We all liked the second option the best!

CHOCOLATE CHIP-NUTELLA COOKIES


3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup of margarine and/or butter, melted
1 egg
2.1/4 Cups of flour, sifted
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1.1/2 Cups chocolate chips
Nutella, as needed

First, heat the oven to 375.

In a bowl add both sugars and the melted margarine/butter, mix at low speed for about three minutes until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix again.

On another bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir with a wooden spoon. Dough will be stiff (Nicolas needed some help with the stirring.) Stir in the chocolate chips. (At this point you can also add some Nutella to the dough, just don't mix it all the way, you want a "marble" effect.)

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to flatten them some.

Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly and remove to a cookie rack.

I would like to thank Maña for sending us a fabulous care package that included chocolate chips and vanilla extract, and my friend Debbie for providing the brown sugar and a simple recipe to start from. Thanks!

Sweet mornings

I am not a morning person. I love getting up at my own pace, which includes laying in my warm cocoon for some minutes while my lingering dreams pack up and leave. I love stretching little by little, aknowledging every single piece of this body of mine. I wait for just a little while before I get up and get my day underway.
When we were living in California I did not get to indulge in my morning ritual to often. Fernando used to leave before we woke up, and by the time we did, I had to race against the clock to get out of the house on time. Since moving to Italy, Fernando goes to the office after Nicolas takes the bus to school. My husband is a morning person, and he has no trouble getting off the bed at the same time that his alarm rings! If I were to attempt something of this nature, you would see me collapsing to the floor in an extreme case of dizziness...
The point is, that every morning my sweet husband wakes up first, then he wakes Nicolas up. While I take my time to get to the shower and start my routine, Fernando cooks breakfast. I just have to sit at the table and enjoy their company and my coffee. It is a fabulous gift that starts my days on a happy note every single day.
This week Fernando is on a business trip and my sweet, sweet Nicolas is waking up on his own, and while I am in the shower, he sets the table, and starts warming up the bread, the milk, he readies the coffee, the butter, the yogurt, the fruit. He would cook me eggs if he didn't dislike them so much.
Now, my morning routine includes a little thanks for such a beautiful boy. Just like his father this little one, just like his dad.

What we have learned

It has been seven months. I cannot believe it. Seven months! We are here for three years, which means that we have been here for a little over one sixth of our total time! Wait! Wait! I said: wait! Time is going by fast, we still have many things to do, many places to go, much food to eat, many verbs to learn!
As I have said many times before, we like it here. We like all the "newness," the unknown, the little surprises. There is always something different and unexpected around the corner. Sometimes it is a new flavor, a beautiful word, a painting on a wall; other times it is a new requirement, an obscured law, a tax to pay. We take it all in stride.
We came to the "bel paese" with our suitcases full of expectations as well as a healthy dose of pragmatism. As we unpack our dreams and plans, we look around and learn from our experiences.
We have learned that there is always someone willing to help you, even though there are twice as many that won't. You just have to find that one person that makes all the difference (we have.) Another piece of advice that I want you to know is that no matter how many people tell you that what you want to do would be "impossible" there is always a possibility. We have come to realize that laws in Italy abound, that laws are the pillars of Italian society! We also know now, that every single person working a public post has some level of independence when dealing with you. We are now strong believers in the power of "just ask, be polite, smile, and try your best at speaking Italian."
We requested residency at our "commune" without the "permesso di soggiorno" and it was granted. We needed to request a change for our fingerprint appointment (a long-awaited event, that coincided with our planned trip to Prague), we went to the "questura" and it was rescheduled. We were charged the wrong plan for our Internet connection (a 1,200 euro mistake) and we found someone to work it out for us.
You must be thinking that this is the only logical outcome for all our little problems, and you would be right if we were talking about other countries, but this is HUGE in Italy. We are making progress because of our approach to the obstacles in our way. It all could be a significant hurdle, but we have decided not to let it be. We knock on doors, we talk to those who open, and leave a message for those who don't. We are coming in, sooner or later.

La cucina di Nicola: Easy Pizza

Today's installment of "La cucina di Nicola" brings us the easiest pizza ever! I know that we now live in the land of pizza, and I know that there are better ways to make pizza. I also know that I am not Italian and that Nicolas is just a beginner, so I chose accordingly a really easy but tasty pizza recipe.
This particular recipe comes from "Cooking with kids" by Linda Collister.

EASY SPEEDY PIZZA
Makes 4 medium pizzas

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme (we omitted these)
1.1/2 cups buttermilk or 3/4 cup plain yogurt plus 3/4 cup milk. (we used the yogurt-milk mixture)
Butter, for greasing

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease 2 large baking sheets with a little soft butter on a paper towel.

Sift the flour onto a big bowl and mix with the sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry herbs (if using them.)

Make a hollow in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk or the yougurt and milk mixture. Mix with your hand (Nicolas loved getting his hands all sticky) working all the flour into the dough to make a soft and slightly sticky mixture. Our dough was really sticky and wet, we added more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. (on the other hand if the dough is hard to work with, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.)

When the dough comes together in a ball, take it out to a work surface lightly sprinkled with flour. Knead the dough for 1 minute until smooth.

Divide the ball into 4 equal pieces (for medium pizzas.) Shape each piece into a ball. Flour your hands and pat down each piece to a round of about 7 inches. Set them slightly apart on the baking sheets.

For the toppings we decided to make our own tomato sauce and selected a range of toppings from what we had at hand. For the sauce we used tomato "pulp" which is a fantastic canned product found in Italy. I would think you can get a similar consistency by blending a can of peeled tomatos in a food processor of blender. We mixed the tomato pulp (14 oz) with 2 tablespoons of good olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 clove of garlic minced and a pinch of salt.

Our toppings included: fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, black pitted olives, sliced salami, mushrooms, and anchovies.

Spread the tomato mixture over the base leaving a 1-inch border or uncovered dough all around the edge. Arrange the sliced mozzarella on top of the pizza. Finally, top with any extras as you like.

Bake the pizzas until they are a light golden brown and bubbling (15 to18 minutes in the preheated oven.) Let cool the pizzas for a couple minutes as the melted cheese can burn your mouth. Enjoy!

Azzate

Today is a beautiful day in Azzate. I went out for a run with Mocha and it was perfect. There is a trail near my house that goes for miles behind houses, amidst small forests, near farms. Just perfect, I tell you!
While running I was thinking that I have to take pictures of the trail to share them with all of you, and then... It dawned on me! I have never posted pictures of our little town. Azzate is in the province of Varese, in the northwest of Italy. We are near Switzerland and Milan, in the lake region. The town of Azzate borders Lake Varese, and the old "borgo" is one of the most interesting ones around here. We live up a hill from the old downtown, and we have a great view of the mountains. Others, on the other side of the hill see the mountains AND the lake. It is beautiful!
There are a lot of pictures of Monte Rosa, which is the view from my house, and there are no pictures of the lake! Another post, another set of images. Enjoy!

Fellow Traveler

My dad.
I remember our journey together through the most incredible landscapes, those of the imagination.
My dad was everything and then more. He tought me about color and shape, about rhyme and joy. I miss him every single day, but I also know that I am so much like he was.
He is, in the now, with me. He guides my pencil when I draw, my hand when I paint, my fingers when I write, my eyes when I search.
He is, we are, I am.

Sunday Scribblings

La cucina di Nicola: Crepes with nutella and banana

Welcome to Nicolas' kitchen! My son and I have started "cooking lessons" together; I am the teacher and he is my only student. I singlehandedly decided that this was a good idea, and Nico is willing to give it a try. I want him to learn, but mostly I want him to enjoy cooking. Based on this premise, recipes are chosen solely by Nico and I should warn you: there would be lots and lots of desserts. Wednesday afternoons are from now on, our time to make something together (and eat it together.)
I will share each recipe with you on Thursday.
So without further ado, our first installment of "La cucina di Nicola"



CREPES WITH NUTELLA AND BANANA
(Makes around 20 crepes)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 oz unsalted butter, melted

Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl and make a well in the center.

In a second bowl beat the eggs (this is fun!) and add 1 cup of the milk a little at a time. Incorporate. Pour this mixture into the larger bowl with the flour and whisk (at full kid's speed) until there are no lumps in the batter. Now, add the melted butter and the rest of the milk a little at a time.

Here is the secret to great crepes: let the batter stand for at least an hour. Believe me, you are better off leaving it alone.

Now for the cooking... You will need a flat non-stick pan. They sell special crepe pans, but we use our seasoned and trustworthy cast iron skillet. It NEVER sticks, it is flat and wide, but it is heavy. Nicolas did a great job at lifting it to spread the batter evenly all over the surface. Good workout!

Heat the skillet (add a dab of butter if needed) and pour enough batter to cover the entire surface evenly. If you pour too much, you can always pour off the excess batter. You want thin crepes. Cook over moderate heat until the pancake comes loose when the pan is shaken. Flip with a spatula (another highlight of our class) and cook the other side for about a minute.

We had pre-warmed our nutella in the microwave (but you can use a double boiler to keep it warm) and we had some bananas already cut into slices. Chef Nick spread nutella over half of the crepe, and added the banana onto a quarter of it. He then folded in half, then again. He added some whipped cream and cocoa powder on top (It looks so much better mom!)

This is it! Simple and delicious.

World Nutella Day

Sono Colombiana

Last Monday during Italian class we were talking about summer vacations, our teacher was asking where we were going to go -people DO plan ahead their summers, around here everybody goes somewhere during the hottest months (August is the only time of year when you can actually find parking in Milan without having to go round and round for hours.) But I digress... My turn came up and I said that we were going to Colombia to visit our family. My teacher kept on fishing the information out of me: where will we stay? Is Bogota beautiful? What is the weather like? Are there any interesting places to go to? Of course, the little ambassador in me kicked in and I started talking about Bogota and its people, the mountains surrounding it and the incredible change that the city has experienced. I am talking nonstop about the series of mayors that orchestrated this change, the mimes in the streets teaching people about respect for the pedestrian, I am talking about the bicycle routes, the public libraries, the new public transport system. All of this in my broken Italian. I can't stop, mostly because it feels so good to talk to a captive audience, and secondly because I am really passionate about Colombia.
One of my classmates is surprised by what I am saying, she mentions that she only hears about the violence, the kidnappings and the drugs. OK, if I thought I would never be fluent in Italian, now I think otherwise. I was on a roll, I had to tell them all about the guerrillas, the drug dealers, the economic gaps amongst the classes, but most of all I wanted them to know about all the good people living there, working hard, having children, planting trees, believing in the future... I wanted them to know all the positive things about my beloved country.
The class was coming to an end, and as a way to leave my European classmates with a lasting idea about Colombia, I mentioned that many times in the past, Colombians have been listed as some of the happiest people on earth (it really depends on the study or survey, but Colombia ranks from second to eight in different studies.)
When I left the class, I was tired, happy, and a little worried. Did I paint a clear picture of Colombia? Do I still know what to be a Colombian means? Do my words reflect my actual thoughts? Should I bring some books and music next time? Will I get a passing grade at the end of the course?
I am going back to class tomorrow, I might as well bring some pictures with me... just in case.

Date

You are late.
I wait, I wait, I will wait for you.
The date comes and the date goes.
We wait.
Why won't you come?
I love you, I want to hold you, I want to see you.
And I wonder.
Will you be happy?
Will the future be gentle to you?
Will the sun shine where you are?
Will you look like me, will you look like him?

Questions to my boy before he was born.

Sunday Scribblings

Love is in the air

My mind keeps on going back to the same place, the place where I have stored all my memories of our living in the States. I find moments that are bright and clear like the birth of our son. Others like the purchase of our first home, our move to California, or our graduations, bring a smile to my face; a sense of thinks accomplished, our growth as a family. I know I was happy there.
Today I find myself in Italy, a country coveted by many. I moved here on a whim, looking for something that I didn’t know I had lost. We are here under the best of circumstances, as my husband’s job brought us here. We will stay for three years and then we would head back “home.” We kept our house, left a lot of our things in storage, like an anchor to bring us back to safety. We have one foot here and the other is still back there. We find ourselves mid-step on our way to our future.
We have fallen in love with this country of magical beauty, of incredible history and maddening bureaucracy. We have found a little of our Colombian selves amidst the centuries old buildings and the impossible traffic. We understand Italy, we relate, we are infatuated with it.
Whenever anyone asks us about our new life here, I am always at a loss for the right words. I feel different, but I don’t know how to explain it. I enjoy the change of pace that comes with living a simple life, a quiet life. Is it Italy or is it us? We left behind a way of life, a merry-go-round of sorts, with all its beauty and its joy. We are now walking in silence, with all our senses ready for the next discovery, just the three of us in our little universe, the dog following close behind.

The gift that keeps on giving.

As I write this post, I am in bed, with a cold. It is just a baby cold at the moment but a cold none the less. I am happy to report that 2007 was a cold-free year though. The upside of my cold is that I had all the time in the world to visit other blogs and discover wonderful writers. In all this wandering around, I found out a nice pay-it-forward post. Geggie from So...what else, what else, what else? is giving away an assortment of Burt's Bees products to three lucky people. In addition to this great gift she will be donating $25 to each of the winner's charities of choice. So, what are you waiting for? You can enter here.

New

My prompt from Sunday Scribblings today is new. Good word, new, like the blank screen in front of me, all new and waiting for my words to come out and play.
So many things come to mind, since everyday brings a new discovery about Italy and its culture. I would like to tell you about "La Befana" as it is a tradition celebrated today, January 6th, all over Italy.

La Befana is and old ugly woman that looks a lot like a witch. She wears old black clothes and a black shawl. She is a beloved figure whose visit is awaited by all children. She is said to come on the eve of the Epiphany to leave gifts for the good children and coal for the bad ones (rock candy dyed to look like a very realistic piece of coal.) La Befana usually flies on her broom and comes down the chimney (hence the black outfit) to leave her presents on the stockings left there for this purpose. The family leaves some wine and bits of food for her.... this is Italy so you better leave wine!
I had never heard of La Befana before moving to Italy, and the first hint I got of her presence was at the post office. Yes, the post office! I was there to pay my bills in December, when I noticed that each of the clerks in the office had placed a brightly decorated little broom at their window. I looked at the brooms closely to see if they were some kind of post office merchandise, but the three of them were different, and they seemed to be decorated with "Christmas" ribbons and paraphernalia. I asked my friend Pien about it, and she told me about the gentle Befana.

Tradition tells that the Befana (actually a misspronuntiation of Epiphany in Italian) was approached by the three Wise Men asking for directions to Bethlehem. She had not heard of the baby Jesus, so she couldn't help them, but she provided shelter for the night for the three kings. The Befana then was invited to join them in their search, but she declined (she had housework to do, they say!!!) After the Wise Men left, she changed her mind and decided to bring some candy and gifts for the baby, but she did not find the Wise Men. She then gave away all her gifts to all the children she encountered, in the hopes that one of them would be Jesus. Isn't it a beautiful story?
I just love the tale and the echoes of many of my own traditions in it. To celebrate, today we dressed in our Sunday best and headed for Varese for breakfast. We went to one of our favorite places, and Nicolas ordered a camel, a pastry camel filled with chocolate. Sooooo good! There were camels of all sizes and with all kinds of fillings. I wanted to take a picture of the display, but the owner stopped me from doing it. I guess they were afraid I would steal their idea! There were pastry camels in every single cafe in the city! We then walked around the downtown area and went to mass. It was a solemn affair, and a beautiful one. Of course, after mass we had to go have a festive lunch! We stopped at a nice little restaurant that got really crowded soon after we got there. There was so much o eat, lots and lots of aperitifs (on the house) and great food. We ate "just" a secondo, but everyone around us had much more. As to not feel left behind, we ordered dessert, and coffee, and a nice grappa. There were big tables of ten or more, families with babies and grandmas, and every single one of them was enjoying the last drop of the holidays. We enjoyed the fact that we were there amongst them. I just love Italians!
I should have come back to take down all my holiday decorations, instead I am writing this post. I will do it tomorrow and let the Befana worry about all the cleaning today.

Sunday Scribblings

End of the year meme

It is a new year! I am a little late to welcome it from my little corner of the blogosphere, but better late than never, right? As it happens I have been inspired once again by Sognatrice and I am going to follow her lead and tag myself with this "end of the year meme". For all of my friends that read me and are new to the blogging lingo, a meme is a list of questions that you see on a blog which you decide to answer on your own blog. You can also be tagged by someone else to do it. Then someone else might see it and answer it, and so on. You can tag someone to do it as well. I liked this particular meme as it allows me to reflect on a great year. Here we go...

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? I moved to Italy, ran a half marathon with my husband, started a blog -in English, made apple pie, learned "some" Italian, read a self-improvement book, went on a girls trip with friends.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I do not make them, but I kind of get into the idea of bringing change into my everyday with some success.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, but my friend Claudia is pregnant (remember she had to miss Paris?). 01.13.08 Update! My "American sister Connie is pregnat too!!!

4. Did anyone close to you die? My husband's dear aunt Chila. She was the eldest of eleven, the mother figure to all surviving siblings. She was always happy and she knew how to take care of everybody. Her house was the heart of the family, you could always count on finding many people at her table, eating and laughing with her. She is dearly missed.

5. What countries did you visit? This is the best part about this year! I went to Colombia in the spring, and in the summer we moved from the States to Italy. We have visited a little of Spain, France, Switzerland, and of course Italy. La dolce vita!

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? My US citizenship, my Italian permesso de soggiorno, and a car -if it is not to much to ask!

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 26, the day we left California for Italy.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I have become a better person , a positive one, a happier one.

9. What was your biggest failure? I expected to speak fluent Italian by now.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? It was a healthy year but for the little toothache that went to France.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My new camera. We have planned for so long to get a good camera. I just love the fact that I can play with it, changing lens, using it as a manual camera. We are just getting acquainted with each other, but I can tell that we are a good match.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My son Nicolas'. He did not want to move to Italy; he was so sad when we left California! You should see him today, a popular boy with an open mind. He goes on these long car trips with us, with no fast food, no playgrounds, no theme parks, no kid appeal, and he still loves it! He has matured so much, and we are very proud of him.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I can't decide between president George W. Bush and president Hugo Chavez.

14. Where did most of your money go? Food... Moving? Packing? Eat out. Lodging? Eat out. New home? Unpacking? Eat out. New country? Italy? EAT OUT!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our big move to Italy, ah... the possibilities! Traveling, learning a new language, eating great food, drinking really good wine, and changing pace. All of this with my Nicolas and hubby. Mocha too, of course.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Jarabe de Palo's "Mi piace come sei" This is one of my favorite Spanish groups singing in Italian for the first time. It was played on the radio all the time this past summer. It became my song, as I felt that even my favorite singers where making the transition with me.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? HAPPIER, thinner and some would say poorer if we take into account the status of the dollar compared to the euro. I feel richer though.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Art.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Cleaning.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas eve with Nicolas and Fernando, having a Colombian meal and waiting until midnight to open one present. It was quiet but nice. Christmas day with new friends sharing an american meal of turkey, sweet potatoes, apple and pumpkin pie. Homesick!

21. Did you fall in love in 2007? With Italy.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Monk when I was in the States, we don't watch much TV anymore.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.

24. What was the best book you read? "Bel Canto" by Anne Patchett.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Kiko Veneno. Thank you Chema!

26. What did you want and get? A new laptop, not just any laptop, but a Mac-book. I always wanted a Mac. Thank you mi amor.

27. What did you want and not get? A permesso de soggorno.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I wish I had seen more movies this year, but with all films being dubbed in Italian, I don't enjoy them as much. I have rented some good ones and I would say my favorite is The Namesake.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 41 and I had a week-long celebration that included dinner with my new girlfriends the weekend before my birthday, a nice dinner with my two loves on my birthday, and a weekend trip to Paris to meet with my childhood friends the weekend after. I can't wait to turn 42.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I could have my good friends from California with me.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? A learning curve from the informal sunny beaches of southern California to the fashion conscious winter of northern Italy. Not that you will see me wearing D&G any time soon.

32. What kept you sane? Running and writing my blog (it gives me perspective)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Al Gore and his Nobel peace prize.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? The release/non release of hostages by the Colombian guerilla.

35. Who did you miss? My mom always, my American family, and all my great friends back in the States.

36. Who was the best new person you met? This is a difficult question since I have met so many great people. My friend Pien tops the list as she is generous, funny, inteligent and such a good friend. My neighbor and landlady Rossana is a close second as she is always helpful and takes good care of us all, not a bad Italian teacher either.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. We are like plants in a pot, we should carry our roots wherever we go. I did not think of this metaphor on my own, but it was told to me by my friend Cata's husband: German. Thanks!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Alberto Cortez' "A mis amigos" a great song about friendship. Thank you all my friends and have a great 2008.

A mis amigos les adeudo la ternura 
y las palabras de aliento y el abrazo 
el compartir con todos ellos la factura 
que nos presenta la vida paso a paso. 
A mis amigos les adeudo la paciencia 
de tolerarme las espinas más agudas 
los arrebatos del humor 
le negligencia, las vanidades 
los temores y las dudas. 



France, food and fun.

I am back! I missed writing on my blog so much! I tried, but truly, we were either cooking, eating, drinking or cleaning up after ourselves. With 13 of us in the house it was a lot of fun, and a lot of work. We had a great time... if only for my emergency trip to the dentist!!!
It all started a looooong time ago... when I noticed some sensitivity to cold drinks. I did not worry, and I almost forgot about it -in Italy ICE is a rare commodity, and it is almost impossible to get iced drinks at restaurants. Lately, the pain had become more than a little bother, and I kept on delaying my trip to the dentist. My reasoning behind all this waiting was that I thought I would have to go back to the States soon, and my dental insurance covers me there but not here. All financial worries went out the window when I found myself hurting nonstop in France; I was not able to enjoy any of the great food Adriana was cooking. My friend Maria Teresa called the emergency room, and they gave her the number of the emergency dentist on call. So on December 30th we headed to the dreaded dentist (Could anyone explain to me why I am so afraid of the dentist that I would rather endure pain on my own, than a little bit of pain when getting the anesthetic?) Maria Teresa translated and the dentist took some x-rays -Are they still called x-rays? He did it all with a really small camera placed inside my mouth, then all the digital images appeared on his computer. Amazing! He found the troublesome nerve and took care of it in what seemed to me like a minute! I have been to many dentists in my life (I blame my DNA, since I take good care of my teeth) and I have never been off the chair in such a record time! Root canal with filling: 100 Euro; not having a toothache: priceless!!!
Coming back home pain-free was such a relief! From that moment on, I was able to enjoy all the delicious food that Adriana made. She lives in the north of Spain, in Santander, and she brought with her all kinds of seafood: squid, mollusks, prawns, as well as all kinds of charcuterie: Serrano ham, cecina, and chorizo. In addition to all the Spanish goodies which included a lot of wine, we had the French specialties: Pâté de foie gras, galette de rois, and champagne. We knew that there was going to be a lot of food, but we couldn't stop ourselves from bringing some Italian panettone with mascarpone sauce, and a bottle of limoncello for everyone. But wait, there is more, remember we are Colombian and we had to have some of our food too! We did not have anything traditional, but we had a great sancocho, also arepas and mazamorra with bocadillo.
The kids were together ALL the time, as the four boys were sharing a room. We would heard them talking and laughing late into the night. They also played their electric guitars together, and when their hands were free of instruments or game controls (you know, your typical playstation or game console of choice) they would get busy eating! Some helping around too.
When we were not eating, we took little trips to nearby towns. We were near Valence, in southeast France, where the landscape is beautiful and the wine is great.There are little towns worth a visit like Crest with its tower dating from the 12th century, or Etoile-sur-Rhône with its little streets aligned with stone structures. I particularly loved all the ceramic work for sale on the stores. I bought a nice big cup for my coffee and I would have bought many more if they were not a little pricey. It was money well spent though, as I am now a proud owner of an original, unique and useful piece of art.



New year's eve was the highlight of our visit, as we were able to talk to our relatives and friends via skype and thanks to technology we were able to see everybody and be seen! We got all dressed up, we set a long table with holiday decorations, and we had great food. Have you noticed how many times I have written the word food? I am so happy we were able to visit with our dear friends, and I am so thankful for all the great moments we all shared together. Happy New Year everybody!