Venice Again - Day 2

 

Murano sconces at De Pisis Restaurant, where we stayed at Hotel Bauer Palazzo, a block and a half from Piazza San Marco.

Gondole on parade.  I know that nowadays they are used almost exclusively for tourists, but they are a quintessential sight in this old city.

With no public transportation of any kind, life can be arduous for those that live here.

Just about everything is transported in carts like these.

We actually spent our first full day in Venice . . . in Padua, 29 miles west of Venice.  We took the train with two special destinations in mind.  First, The Scrovegni Chapel, with its fabulous frescoes by Giotto, arguably the greatest masterpieces of Western art.

There's an attached air-conditioned room where guests must spend 15 minutes before being allowed into the chapel.  This allows for the air to stabilize so it keeps damage to the frescoes to a minimum.  Interesting set up, and so worth it!

The frescoes have been restored on and off throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

The colors were stunningly vibrant.  It's wonderful that they are taking such excellent care of these works of art.

Our second destination was the Basilica di Sant'Antonio, where the tomb of St. Anthony is located.  

This is a true pilgrimage destination for devout Catholics.

It holds some wonderful art, including altar cloths made of Venetian lace.

And some very old frescoes.

And, as typical in many European Catholic churches, it held a touch of the macabre.

We saw the statue of Erasmo da Narni, also known as Gattamelata, a condottiero, or mercenary soldier (which was not at all unusual for the times).  This is the earliest surviving equestrian statue of the Renaissance.  It was created by Donatello.  It's beautiful, powerful, and irreverently serving as a perch for the local pigeons.

Back in our hotel, we relaxed on the terrace and watched the waiters work tirelessly to keep the pigeons at bay.  I don't know how they manage it, but the terrace looked impeccably clean.

Scary-looking kites are used to scare the pigeons . . .

And there are little flags like this to wave at the pigeons if they get too close.

There's just no getting around Venice and its pigeons.

Venice Again

I fell in love with Venice on our first trip in 2014.  She's like a siren that seduces you and claims you, and then you belong to her.  I wanted to come back and see it again while I could still walk.  We are getting a bit older, and Venice, well, she's a bit rough on the feet.  It was just as beautiful and magical as I remembered.

A rare moment when the sun shines on St. Mark's golden mosaics.  It lasted but a moment, and we were able to enjoy it sitting in the Piazza San Marco, at Caffè Quadri — established in 1775 (way before I was born), while sipping on a glass of Pinot Grigio as the orchestra played Massenet's Thaïs Meditation.  Magic.

Food picks in the shape of gondola iron prows.  Then after some snacks, we had dinner inside the restaurant — Ristorante Caffè Quadri, one of the gems of this old piazza.

We began with Buffalo Mozzarella with Fresh Tomato and Calabrian Oregano.  First, they drizzled the mozzarella generously with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then they took a bundle of oregano with tiny leaves that looked like thyme, and shook it all over the mozzarella.  What a cool presentation!  And then, of course, came the slices of cured ham from Parma.  It's true that the simplest foods taste the best.

Then, for Lee, Lasagnetta alla Bolognese . . .

And for me, Pumpkin and Truffle Risotto with extra shavings of white truffles.  The waiter practically genuflected when he mentioned the white truffles.  I couldn't disappoint him. 

After an exhausting day of travel, we ended our first day with a short walk around Piazza San Marco, and then turned in for the night.

Raspberry Fool

Summer is truly the best time to enjoy this dessert, when raspberries are in season, and we want to avoid turning on the stove at all costs.

I use the Pioneer Woman's recipe, which is so easy!  I've written it down below for fast reference, but I still recommend going to her site to view the process:

Ingredients

3 cups raspberries, plus a few more for serving

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur, or you may use water - I use Chambord

2 cups cold heavy cream

½ cup powdered sugar

8 whole vanilla wafers (or other cookie)

Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a bowl stir together the raspberries, sugar and liqueur (or water) and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
2. Whip the cream with the powder sugar until soft peaks form.
3. Mash the raspberries with a fork until all the liquid and fruit are mashed together.
4. Spoon half of the fruit into the cream and fold once or twice with a spatula, do not overmix!
5. Add half of the remaining fruit and fold once or twice.  If you want more fruit, add the rest; if not, use remaining fruit pureé as a garnish on top.
6. Serve in pretty glasses with crumbed cookies on top.

*** Best if made just before serving.

Some versions of this recipe call for straining the fruit mixture to get rid of the raspberry seeds and make a true fruit purée, but I think the seeds add a charming character to the look, and you can't really taste them anyway.  Enjoy!

Tackling the Master Bedroom

There have always been other priorities — the children, vacations, the children, remodeling the public rooms of the house . . . did I mention the children?  

But I couldn't face that old wall-to-wall carpeting anymore . . .

My husband did all the work . . .

And, since the kids are not home, he had to do it in sections to be able to move the furniture by himself.

I helped where I could with the smaller pieces, but mostly my help consisted of moral support, and lunch . . .

We also included the closet, for which we had to dismantle the entire closet system.

Here's one way to declutter, but I don't recommend it . . .

Naturally, since the closet system was down, we had to repaint . . .

I went with Sleek White, which would go with everything, regardless of what I decide to do in the bedroom.  I hope this is the last time we have to disassemble that closet system!

I have the best husband in the world!

Well, it's back together now.  All that is left is installing the wood trim . . .

And then, putting everything back . . .  I need a vacation . . .

A Few Little Snowflakes

When you are a dish collector, albeit a modest one, you live in fear that the dishes that you've fallen in love with will be discontinued if you don't get them right away.  This was the case for me with the Christmas Snowflake plates that are part of the Lenox Federal Platinum collection.

I had been eyeing them for a couple of years, but one thing or another held me back.  However, this was the year when they came home to mama.  The small raised points in the snowflakes, in a process Lenox calls "jewelling" does make them look like little bits of diamond have embedded themselves on the plates.  But don't let it fool you, these plates are very strong and durable.  They are supposed to be dishwasher safe, but honestly, I "need" to wash them by hand, and caress them gently as I dry them.  Why would I want to miss out on this lovely part of the process.  There I go again, waxing lyrical about my dishes . . .

These pretty napkins with the silver embroidery just kept the snowflakes falling.

I brought out my wedding water goblets, Chartres by Atlantis, which have Gothic arches cut into its design and when the light is shining just right, they look like the Rose Window at Chartres . . . or, with a little imagination, big snowflakes.  I said a fervent prayer that no one would accidentally chip one one of these precious goblets.  At the last minute, I decided to pull some back and interjected some of the red goblets because they have such a beautiful, brilliant color, and I wanted more red on the table.

A simple organza bag filled with chocolate kisses was placed by each setting.  This one seems to be a perennial favorite in my family.  On the bottom of the kisses we placed stickers with snowflakes and snowmen — a fun project to keep my granddaughter, Piper, busy.

I had a pretty full house this year, just the way I like it!

Our chandelier was blinged out with a combination of Swarovski snowflakes and magnetic crystals from Ballard Designs.  It sparkled beautifully during the night!

But this is the best decoration . . .

I can't remember the last time, we didn't take this group shot.  The guests have varied a little from year to year, as our children have grown up and started their own lives, but always there has been family around our table.

Our tribe has grown with the marriage of my son, bringing Erica, and this lump of sugar named Piper into our lives . . .

From our home to yours, we hope you have the most wonderful Christmas Day!  Blessings!

Sunday lunch

We are living through the month of excess.  Everywhere you go there are cookies and hot cocoa.  The office counters are groaning from food that vendors are sending in, or office party potlucks.  You need a will power of mighty proportions to resist all that.  So, at home, we go light:

A wedge salad.  Not a new invention but a rediscovered one:  Iceberg lettuce, crumbled hard-boiled eggs and bacon, and dotted with some blue cheese dressing.  It was light, delicious, and surprisingly filling.

Give it a try!

Memories of Christmas Eve 2014

Regrets, I have a few, and occasionally they can be corrected . . . This is one of them.  I never posted our table on Christmas Eve 2015.  I know, it was eons ago, and we've all moved on.  But I'm seriously thinking of taking down the blog and there are some things I'd like to wrap up.  As I look back, I can't believe I forgot to post this table!  It was so pretty!  Well, if you'll indulge me, here are some pictures:

Ralph Lauren came to the rescue this year when I fell in love with the beautiful floral print in sage green with a splash of pomegranate red.  With a print like that, I didn't have to work very hard at adding other interesting elements to the table.

Maybe just a centerpiece with lots of white roses and a touch of silver.  White roses are among my favorites at any time of the year and they always seem to elevate any table dressing.

And napkins folded à la Fleur de Lis.  My Federal Platinum dishes calmed the table down and provided a little rest for the eyes.

That was as much effort as I was willing to put that year on the table because I was saving my energy for cooking and baking!

Here was the hit of the night:  Crab Cakes on a bed of homemade Sweet Tomato Jam, topped with Arugula lightly dressed in olive oil.  I was in Atlanta this year and I picked up the recipe from the hotel where I was staying.  I couldn't wait to try it out!  But most of my time was spent baking cookies!

Honey Pecan Butterballs and Magic Bars in the background . . .

Peanut butter blossoms . . .

Thumb print cookies . . .

Potato Chip Cookies . . .

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies . . .

I don't often bake these many cookies, there never seems to be enough time.  But 2015 was one for the cookie books!  

Here's the fam . . .  I never get tired of the yearly shot of us all around the dinner table.  My son David wasn't with us this year.  He was gone doing his Army thing and we sorely missed him.  But this year . . . everyone is coming home!  There's a lot of baking in store for me in the days to come.  I am a happy woman!