Coming backAs I sit here at my laptop, I think ... "How am I going to do this?" Where do I start? What am I going to talk about? HOW am I going to even begin writing about the journey that I have been on?
Countless times have I started typing and set aside a few words, a paragraph or two, or even a whole page. Though, I never did post. I didn't think I was ready. Thoughts, feelings, insights, etc... entries in my email or journal, in personal texts, on scraps of paper, or swimming in my mind. And I am finally deciding to bring it all together. To share my burdens, my joys, my strengths and weaknesses, my insights, ... my life; this blog is no longer just about food. And if there's an ear out there, I am blessed. And perhaps I can bring truth to your world, as God has brought it to mine. Truth. About our purpose here. Truth. About my struggles. Truth. About my joys. Truth. About health. Truth. About our world. There are so many lies we were born or taught into believing and their manifestations are far beyond UgLy. But when we learn the Truth, we can make the changes we need to be better for our Lord and Savior. The changes that perfect us and make us new. I am becoming new. It is no easy journey and I am certainly not through, but I will no longer let the waiting period dictate the postponement of sharing my story. And so let it begin. This is my story... |
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight." |
Hello friends! As promised in my previous post, I have ventured out to Epcot's Via Napoli Italian Restaurant with a friend to experience a very simple, yet spectacular lunch! Now I've been here once before with my sister for my birthday last year and that was equally just as satisfying! This particular restaurant is tucked in the back right corner of Epcot's Italy. The entrance consists of a host stand with several benches lying flush against the walls. Seating is both inside and outside and can be viewed from within the waiting area. Inside, the walls are dressed with hues of oranges and brick reds and browns. Others are canvases of blue sky and green grasses and leaves with a soft peach interrupting every so often. The center of the restaurant contains a long table that could seat about 25 people but on opposite sides are server stands where bread and appetizer plates, water pitchers, lemons, silverware, etc. are set up. Hanging from the ceiling are lanterns as well as copper light fixtures (though the latter is placed above that large party table). Chairs may be as simple as wood, but some contained colorful stripes of fabric. Or you could have sat in a booth (we did a chair/booth table). Now the rule for working in Epcot's World Showcase? You have to be from that country. So everyone there was Italian. Our server was specifically from Rome. She was very helpful with guiding us through her favorite pizzas (because we were going for a pizza to share! Cheaper!). Though we decided on the broccolini white pizza (4 cheeses, broccolini, and tomato). Sometimes the most simple are the best. You see, these pizzas are baked in their wood-burning pizza ovens. And on top of that (rumor has it), since Italy is not actually owned by Disney, but rather contracted, they ship in a lot of their ingredients from their home country, Italy. So when you get your pizza, it is hot out of the oven, cut in eighths, and served on a pizza pan, centered on your table. Digging in immediately, the cheese just stretches from the whole pie to the piece, with steam revealing the pizza's hot, bubbly character. Having been baked in the wood-burning oven, there is a slight blackened char (sparse, yet present) on the underside of the pizza. The crust is already a thoroughly-cooked, yet soft and doughy texture, but this slight char adds a beautifully rustic flavor that many pizzas fail to acquire. I've had many me a pizza and thisa pizza isa gooooood!!! (But seriously, one of the best pizzas I've ever had in the world, speaking from my experience in May when we ate the Capricciosa pizza (with eggplant, artichokes, moz cheese, ham, and mushrooms). It was SUPER juicy and ... just ... if I wasn't in public I may have cried. With this pizza experience, the pizza was just as good, but I'm a saucy person so I ordered some homemade sauce (free!). And you could TELL that this was homemade because of the freshness flavor, but also the chunks of vegetables that were no entirely blended in. I could have drank that in a second (but I knew I'd get some weird looks so I just spooned it onto my pizza!) So if you like Italian food and you want to go to Disney? Well might as well make a pit stop at Via Napoli! Splitting a pizza certainly cuts costs in addition to eating there during lunchtime, because we all know that dinner prices are ever-increasing! So I've not yet talked about my Valentine's Day! WELL. LET ME TELL YOU! My Valentine has been my dad<3 for over a decade so Travis was my first non-familial Valentine in a LONG time. It all started in the morning. After having breakfast together, we helped our friend out with her farmer's stand in St. Cloud. We washed carrots, radishes, greens, etc. and helped sell them to the locals. Around lunchtime, we left and Travis took us to Kissimmee waterfront for a picnic! He packed rose wine, peaches, honey, dark chocolate covered raisins, olives, crackers and a cheese spread of Havarti, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Smoked Cheddar, and Herbed Goat. Now for those who know me, I was completely floored. Almost to the point of having to grab a spatula and detaching me from the ground. It. Was. Beautiful<3. .... Our afternoon was spent hanging out in the sun, visiting a friend, and just enjoying the day. Once dinner came around, I started cooking! London broil (medium rare) that was marinated and then cooked in rosemary, garlic, crushed peppercorns, and beef broth (which was then turned into a gravy), garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus, all with red wine. For dessert? Homemade cheesecake with strawberries and a fig balsamic reduction. Divine<3. I've never had a Valentine's Day quite like that. With so much produce and cheese left (still working on getting through it all!), Travis and I have had many fun and healthy meals. This past weekend, we cooked an Autumn Chili (see photos for recipe). It was a sweeter chili and we topped it with sour cream and cinnamon before handing it out for our church's chili cook-off (we did not win, but we weren't in it to win it). The next day, we went out with our friends to this adorable Italian place called Bruno's. The staff that work there are these big, Italian men with a great sense of humor. The prices are very affordable and entrees include bread and a salad (which is often hard to come by these days)! You'll see the pictures and descriptions below. Overall, a great weekend. And today I've just been cooking, shopping, cleaning, and now blogging. Until next time my friends.
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Ladies and gents, I have been WAYYY behind on my blogging and I would apologize, but why? I am living life so fully that I don't have much time to sit at the computer and upload 130 pictures, sort through them, add them to a new post, comment about them, and then write about each and every one of them. Thus, I've been doing this in increments and I'm finally at the end. I'm going to make this easy for the both of us and am going to give you the quick run-down of what moments my life has captured since we last met. After returning home from PA, I went back to work, but no sooner did my mother, sister, brother, and friend arrive to stay at Ft. Wilderness and enjoy Disney. The Resort is expansive, with room to walk, bike, hike and run, horseback ride, and just get lost (which did actually happen). We spent our days in the parks, at Downtown Disney, relaxing at the resort, or just perusing wherever we felt. One of our last nights we went out to Boma for dinner. It's situated in the Animal Kingdom Lodge and upon descending down the stairs post entrance, you pass the bar mid-level, and arrive at the Boma restaurant. It's a buffet-style restaurant offering American and African-like fare. There were several salad and soup options, proteins (chicken, steak, salmon, beans and legumes), pilafs, vegetable dishes, a mini hummus bar, and then fun little African desserts. I was filled to the top! Buffets are nice in that you don't have to wait for your food, but I do prefer a la carte venues, since they portion out how much you're eating. Thus you can keep track of how much you're consuming! I've uploaded many, many pictures from Boma so that you've an idea as to what they offer. Sorry some of them are a bit fuzzy! Apart from time with family, I've been enjoying the Florida weather, hanging with friends, going on dates, and just loving life (well and enjoying food, of course!) MY days have been filled with exercise and prayer, beaches, camping, dining out (and in), picnics, and so much more. Today I am headed out to Epcot to hang out with a dear friend and eat lunch at Italy's Via Napoli. I'll let you all know about that restaurant in my next post! Enjoy life and, single or not, enjoy Valentine's Day! Make yourself (or friends or a significant other) lunch or dinner or take yourself out (I've done it a million times myself!), go for a walk or run, watch a movie or your favorite show, sneak a few surprises in here and there, and just love life. Life is too short not to. Love where you are and if you don't, make it lovely<3. |
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February 2017
"Food is an infinitely rich subject, and there's always something about it to understand better, something new to discover, a fresh source of interest, ideas, and delight."
From Pennsylvania to France to Washington DC to Florida, I've had myself many an adventure. Now it's time to indulge in the life of a Floridian. With great food, great friends, and great experiences, I offer you stories and pictures to take you away, into my world at Disney. Categories |