Hungry Times Two

There's the bottle of Incantate red wine on my sideboard, the Venetian mask resting on top of my dresser, a few Euro coins mixed in my jewelry box,  and a linen wrap dangling from my closet door knob -- nice little reminders of an unforgettable trip to Italy My bags may be unpacked and I may have returned to work and the day-to-day routine, but much of my heart and thoughts remain dedicated to the fine occupation that is travel. A co-worker told me before I left for two weeks in Italy with my mother that she loves travel for the perspective, to know that there are other places out there, with customs, languages and landscapes that are so different. I found that in two weeks, traveling tested me - my routine, my expectations, my tolerance for crowds and noise, my tastebuds -- and I loved it. First admission: this trip was on a tour with 31 strangers and my mom, via the Globus tour group. We ate together, took ...

In January I proposed a few ambition s I'd like to take on in the culinary wonderland this year. Thus far I have 1) roasted a chicken, 2) eaten less crap, and 3) traveled to Italy. (Still need to blog this...ugh, my bad.) On my to-do list: 1) Buy the skillet (but only after we move...another sore spot) and 2) fry up a chicken, 3) fix a real curry, 4) Get schooled on wine, and 5) entertaining more. A real proper curry may be the next thing I try. I am also adding "pickling vegetables" to the list. Pickled cocktail okra, anyone? I just made myself hungry. Yum...lunchtime.

TGIF, my friends, TGIF. What a long-ass week this feels like. Anyone else agree with me? I didn't accomplish very much in the culinary arena this week, as you may have determined from my earlier post on the evils of bad food. We were busy, we were tired, and I am more than just a little bit lazy due to the winter blues, so I need to work on my motivation. However, I did achieve one of my goals for 2011 , which was not super lofty, nor sexy, but it is what it is: roasting a chicken. (Crappy photos to come!)