Goodbye, Cortina!

We're heading back to Colorado tomorrow morning so this will be my last post of the season! And so, a look back at this year in Cortina seems appropriate:

We arrived in September to a new house in a new neighborhood, with an amazing view of the mountains.

We had a really pretty fall, so we took lots of walks and watched the leaves change. We learned how to make cazunsiei. And we had another huge Thanksgiving turkey!

I went to Bologna, the food capital of Italy, to explore and to eat...

....and we went down to Venice as much as possible.

We had a busy December filled with Christmas markets and trips. We went to Salzburg for two nights and Prague for three nights.

We celebrated our third Christmas in Cortina and had the annual Christmas Eve party at our house...

...and then, the day after Christmas, all of the lights went out in the entire town! We were without power, hot water or heat for over two days, so we played games in the dark and got out our warmest blankets.

Then it was 2014!

January was pretty sunny so we went up the mountain a lot, to ski and to sun.

Then, at the beginning of February there was a blizzard that went on for days...

...and then my parents came to visit! We did a few days trips and I finally crossed the Scrovegni Chapel off my list of things to see. We ate lots of yummy food, took longs walks and just enjoyed being together.

Suddenly it was time for playoffs! Cortina won the first two rounds and lost to Brunico in the semi-finals.

My friend Cori and I were nervous about playoffs and needed to go on a mini-vacation to the sea, so we went to Trieste.

Then the season was OVER and it was time to think about packing and Colorado! So - goodbye for now Cortina, and thanks for another great year!

Thanks for reading this year! xo

Celebrate!

This past weekend was full of celebrations for the end of the season AND Ryan's 30th birthday! Too much fun!

In Italy we celebrate with Prosecco, of course, so today I'm sharing my favorite ways to drink it.

This winter, we drank it with pomegranate seeds for a festive touch:

On vacation, we drink it with fresh squeezed orange juice:

And at home, I drink it with ice. It sounds odd, but it's so good.

Happy Birthday Ryan and Happy End of Season too! xo

5 Things We Love About Italy

April means that this season in Italy is sadly coming to an end, and lately we've been talking about all the things we love about Italy, like....

1. Lunch. Is there really anything better than a real Italian lunch? You are expected to eat pasta, supposed to drink wine, and you get to take a nap afterwards! Also one time, we were at our Italian friends' house for lunch and you know what we had? Spaghetti carbonara, a pork roast, salad, homemade bread, red wine, gelato with berries, espresso and tiny sips of Grappa. And then we didn't have to eat for the next two days!

2. The wild unpredictability of what might happen on any given day. Example: one Sunday afternoon we stumbled upon a chestnut festival where we bought paper bags full of roast chestnuts and ate them at long tables under a tent in the center of town. Another time, in the fall, I woke up in the morning and looked out of the bedroom window and there were cows running down the sidewalk. You just never know.

3. You only have to do one thing a day. This was our first lesson in Italy three years ago: someone told us "DO NOT make a to-do list! Expect to get only one thing done per day." Imagine how accomplished we feel when we get three things done!

4. The scenery. This isn't too bad to look at:

5. The friends we've made. The ones from Cortina, the ones from Chicago and the ones from Canada.

Asparagus Risotto

Spring WAS HERE! It left yesterday when it snowed all day, but before that it was so sunny and warm and perfect for about two and a half weeks and we've been outside as much as possible. Two weeks ago I went down to Venice for the day and the vegetable market by the Rialto Bridge was filled with....asparagus! Finally! Here, they are a true sign of spring because we can't buy them until March.

So, this month's risotto is made with spring asparagus:

I made a little extra this time because I had lots of asparagus and I was thinking that leftovers would be good, but the risotto ended up being so good that we ate it all at dinner! Here's what you do...

As usual, simmer either chicken or vegetable stock, about four cups. Dice half an onion and a shallot and put them in a frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once they are soft, add one cup of Arborio rice and stir to coat.

Meanwhile, break the ends off the asparagus, drizzle them with olive oil, a little salt and pepper and a few chili flakes, and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft (I actually like them kind of burnt and crispy too).

Back to the rice - add a ladle of stock to the rice mixture and stir. Once the rice has absorbed the stock, add another ladle, and repeat this process until the rice is tender but still has its chewy bite... you'll just know when it's right.

When the asparagus are done, remove them from the oven and chop them coarsely. Add them to the rice along with a half a cup of freshly grated Parmesan. Stir together and serve immediately. Yum.

Seaside Getaway

Since it's been so spring-y lately, my friend Cori and I decided we needed to be by the sea!

So, we drove down to Trieste which is a seaport right on the Adriatic, very near to Slovenia. And then we did absolutely nothing but stare at the water for the whole afternoon and evening and then again for a bit the next morning. But here are some pictures, if you'd like to see...

We arrived around lunchtime and we walked around town for a bit until we found a spot to eat that was right on the Grand Canal. We read that it's hard to find a bad meal in Trieste (unless you don't like seafood!) and we found that to be true. Everything we had there was amazing and we ate lots of fish since we don't get that too much in Cortina!

After lunch we wandered around town and came across the outdoor market which was filled with flower stalls and spice stalls with tons of different salts and spice mixtures that looked amazing.

We sat in the main square, the Piazza Unita d'Italia, on big comfy chairs in the sun which is what everyone else was doing too...

In the late afternoon, we headed down to the pier to sit by the water and watch the sun set with the local fishermen.

The next morning we took our time driving home, stopping on the way to walk on the beach and look at the Miramare Castle which was right on the sea.

And now our mini spring break by the sea is over and we're back to mountain living! The second round of playoffs starts tonight!

Playoff Season

It's playoff time AGAIN! Last night Cortina made it through the first round (beating Fassa 5-0, 5-2 and 5-1 in a best of 5 series).

The second round starts next Thursday. In true Italian fashion, the second round is completely different from the first round. While eight teams entered the playoffs, you would think that after the first round, there would be four teams remaining. Wrong. There are six. You can follow along on the team's website (here) or Pointstreak (here). Ryan has been on fire this playoff season with 11 points in 3 games....this picture sums it up perfectly:

Image via Cortina Hockey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canals