On the wall

Recently we have moved into the new office and Ely was nominated to be the decoration designer for all the different spaces. We still had some interesting modern paintings in the old office, and we adapted them in the new one, finding the perfect location for each of them. But we still needed some more pictures on the walls.

So we had together the idea to create a double colored wall, from the entrance along all the corridor that connects the offices, with 2 different shades of sand/kaki that creates a color bend that is a sort of direction sign to follow to reach the offices, but also a decorative artistic motif. Inside this band, we decided to put some squared metallic frames and we used some photos taken by Ely during our travels. We did some editing, transforming the photos into black and white and in a couple of cases using a lens effect for the light, but the final result of this work is amazing. We love how it came out.

As promised, we will soon post the pictures of the new office, but for now here is the set of pictures that now are on the wall and that accompany us during our work day.

Dubai - 2009

Seattle - 2008

San Francisco - 2004

London - 2010

Lisbon - 2009

London - 2009

London - 2010

Seattle - 2008

Welcome "Cioccorina"

"Cioccorina" is the name that Ely wanted to give to our new car.

It's a long time that Ely and I were looking for a bargain to buy a Mini as a substitute of our old car that was in need of massive repairs and a full check-up. I bet it would have needed thousands of Euros to fix all of it. So my friend David found me this barely new (it's used, but only by BMW, not for private use!) Mini Cooper Clubman with the colors Ely and I were looking for and it was love at the first sight!!!

Despite the price wasn't really economic, we have decided to get it, also in consideration of the high standards and the comfort that this car combines with a great design and driving it is really a pleasure. I would like to travel somewhere with this little mechanical jewel as soon as possible. At the moment, the furthest we travelled was my grandparent's place for Easter...

Inside it has quite an old asset, that mirrors the inside of the old Mini. The chose of the colors inside also found our tastes and we can also connect our i-Phone to the stereo car system to listen our music. It's great!

There isn't any in-car navigation system, but I have my Garmin Nuvi that is a great navigator and I will use it when necessary.

Ely wanted to put inside a teddy bear and a little cushion to make it more comfortable and fancy...ahhh girls! I told her I wanted it more manly...but girls always win!!! ;(

Welcome, "Cioccorina"! ;)

A new cupcake set

New cupcakes baked and decorated and now ready to be eaten...

...this time we made Banana and Chocolate Cupcakes. Delicious, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger in the dough and a fabulous chocolate frosting . What a treat!

;)

Happy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter. We have plans to spend it with Ely's family (parents, sister and sister's boyfriend) in Pieve di Bono, where my grandparents live, so I'll have the chance to spend some time with them and also with my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Weather's forecasts aren't good at all here in the north. Tomorrow it will be rainy and cold. Lately we have been having a terrible weather and, despite Spring seemed to have arrived (we ate out something like a week ago or so!!!), now temperatures have fallen down and on the mountains it keeps on snowing. We want our Spring baaaack! :(( All my new plants on the balcony are suffering very much and my just-bought basil has almost died the other night because it was freezing outside!!! boo hoo...I am starting to think that my gardening skills are pretty disastrous! :((

By the way, as tradition wants, today Ely and I have baked the Neapolitan Pastiera, the most typical Easter sweet of Neaple. My father is a great fan of this rich sweet, because it reminds him of his childhood in Neaple and he always remembers when my grandfather (his father!) spent days baking Pastiera for all the family. In fact it is quite a difficult sweet to prepare, because it has many and very particular ingredients (some impossible to find here in Trento, but last time Ely's mother went to Ischia, she bought us some of them!), different preparations and a food processor is needed to mince all the ingredients for the filling of the shortcrust pastry. On the internet you can find many different recipes for Pastiera, but this is one of the best (it's my grandparent's original one):

ORIGINAL PASTIERA NAPOLETANA

(ingredients for 2 cakes of about 30-35 cm in diameter)

Ingredients for the filling:

PREPARATION 1:

• 1 tin (about 450 gr) of soft wheat kernels (grano)
• 100 gr whole milk
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 30 gr of butter

PREPARATION 2:

• 700 gr of whole milk ricotta
• 600 gr of white sugar
• 5 eggs and 2 yolks
• Orange flowers water
• Vanilla extracts

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:

• Use that one ready-to-use (freezed of fresh!). Otherwise follow this:
• 6 T. butter
• 1 1/2 C. flour
• 1/4 C. sugar
• 3 extra large egg yolks

For the pastry:

Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Mix in the egg yolks. Gather the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

In a pan put together all the ingredients of "preparation 1" and cook for 10 minutes until it is well mixed. Afterward put this preparation in a food processor and mince very finely until it becomes like a cream. In another bowl put together all the ingredients of "preparation 2" and stir well until all is well mixed and soft. Add this to the cream in the food processor and mix it well until the 2 preparations are well incorporated and mixed together.

For the baking:

For the base of this sweet, it is necessary to cook it into an aluminum baking tin. Baste this tin well and add some grated bread (so the cake will not attach!). You can buy ready-to-use (freezed or fresh) shortcrust pastry to use as base of the filling just prepared. Otherwise take the dough out of the fridge and stretch it out until it is thin enough at your own choice and taste. Cut the shortcrust pastry to fit the size of the baking tin, and cover it with the pastry. Fill the pastry with the mix prepared before until it reaches the edges of the shortcrust pastry. Prepare little stripes of pastry and decorate the top of the filling. Put in oven (pre-heated) at 150°C for about 1 hour (but it can be more time) until the top of the Pastiera light browns (like it was caramelized). Remove from the oven and let it stand in the pan until cool. Serve when cool or refrigerated...the next day is even better. It can last more than a week in the fridge.

This sweet tastes like flowers. It's a jubilation of spring flavors. It something unique, to try once in a lifetime at least. Wish I could share it with all my friends close and far. :))

Do you have a typical Easter sweet that you bake or buy every year?

Happy Easter everybody! Eat a lot of chocolate! :))

-M&E

Sushi take away

Finally we have found a place here in Trento where it's possible to find a good take-away ready-to-eat sushi at a reasonable price. It's a wholesale grocery shop (Metro) that usually has a very good fish selling area and last time we went to shop, we found this interesting sushi corner. We couldn't resist to get one tray of sushi to try and - as we had Ely's sister over for dinner - for the occasion we also prepared japanese noodles (bought at the great Japan Center in London last time we visited the UK capital!) with teriyaki chicken and soy sauce. This japanese dinner was really good at the end and the sushi was the highlight of it. It might sound quite primitive, but here in Trento and surroundings there aren't proper japanese restaurants or sushi bars. Most of the japanese food you can find is in Chinese restaurants that have added at their menus japanese food. So for finding something decent we have to go at least to Verona.

But this find at the Metro shop changes everything!

Happy sushi everybody!

-M&E