In this house...

A beautiful hand-stenciled gift from my sister

Homemade Pesto

Pesto is super simple, not an exact science (again!), requires a bit of arm strength, and will make magic with just about any type of pasta. All you need is the key ingredients and a mortar and pestle! And don't forget to pour yourself a glass of wine, this is an Italian recipe after all.

Pesto Ingredients:
- basil leaves (you will need more than you think... try maybe 40?)
- olive oil
- 1 small packet of pine nuts
- minced garlic
- grated Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste

If you have garlic cloves, go ahead and mince enough cloves for approximately 1.5-2 tablespoons of garlic. Dice the small bag of pine nuts as best you can (and watch those fingers!), though this is not required... only makes grinding a tad bit easier. Set both aside. Separate the basil leaves from the stems.

Place a handful of basil leaves in the mortar and pestle. Begin grinding down to a chunky paste. It's okay if some parts of the leaves aren't ground down to paste, this will not affect the outcome of your pesto. As you grind, add additional basil leaves, as well as some of the chopped pine nuts and minced garlic. When the mortar is full, remove and place in a side bowl. If your glass of wine is slowly emptying, go ahead and give a good, full Italian pour.

After all the leaves, pine nuts, and garlic are ground and placed in the separate bowl, begin generously adding olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture. Stir vigorously until all is blended, add salt to taste. Serve overtop the homemade gnocchi and you're set for an Italian meal! And now it's time to pour yourself another glass...

Homemade Gnocchi

During my stay in Menaggio, my wonderful hostel was offering cooking lessons. What a crime if you didn't partake! The menu for the day was homemade potato dumplings called Gnocchi and hand-ground basil leaves, among other ingredients, that make up Pesto. For dessert we created individual Tiramisu plates. I've made the recipes a few times since being home, loving each every time. Be ready to get your hands (and kitchen) messy. First up... gnocchi.

Gnocchi Ingredients:
- 12 white potatoes
- flour (you will estimate this!)
- olive oil to taste
- salt to taste

Boil the peeled white potatoes on the stove top in salted water. Make sure they remain somewhat firm, but cooked during this process. (And to note, save your salted water for your pesto!) Place on a large cutting board and mash with a potato masher, much like the example in the picture.

Now comes the tricky part... flour. Begin kneading a little flour at a time to the mashed potatoes.  Here's a quick how-to. To know you've added enough flour, note the dough should not stick to your hands, creating a solid base of dough. Like I said, definitely not a science!

Next, take the dough and begin cutting strips, carefully rolling each strip out into a long string. When the string reaches about .5" diameter, take a knife and cut into 1" pieces. Place the pieces aside and lightly cover with flour.

Continue rolling and cutting down until the loaf is gone. You can decorate your gnocchi by rolling a fork overtop, creating a cross in the middle, anything you like! Boil in water and olive oil until the pieces of gnocchi float to the top (maybe 5 minutes?).

Next up... pesto!

Tubidu from Paris, France

I came across a wonderful artist this past week and am so excited to share the work with you. Brigitta runs the little Etsy shop Tubidu, a shop full of wonder by whimsical watercolors. With Paris, France as her main theme, it's hard to turn your eyes from the graphic and color-popping work. I've selected a few of my favorites, but please feel free to see her collection here.

View in Detail

"Drawing is a hidden place in me. Here, I can be alone, in a different state of mind, without a phisical body and without any philosphy... only the drawing line, the pen and the paper exists. When I draw I only try to feel and not to know things... and hope it works."

View in Detail

View in Detail

View in Detail

A Lovely Reminder

The Skinny from ZARA

I thought I would change it up a bit and give ya'll a break from the travel photos! Back to some fashion for this post... My new favorite place for jeans: ZARA.

Superstretch: $59.90
Classic Fit: $59.90
Trousers w. Zip: $49.90
Slim Fit: $59.90

The skinny jean at ZARA is perfect; form fitting in just the places, fabulous color choices, and a variety of styles. Did I mention the price is spot on? I bought a pair two weeks ago and can't stop wearing them!