Reunion Weekend

The Wolf in front of NC State Alumni Center.

In the fall of 2011 Dan and I toured Italy with a group of NC State Alumni.  We've stayed in contact with most of the folks who were on the tour, and this weekend we had a reunion here in Raleigh of all sixteen folks who were in the group.  It was pretty special that all sixteen could be here for the reunion.

The entire group.

It was a full and fun weekend.  We began with lunch on Saturday at the Alumni Center over on the Centennial Campus.  After lunch everyone enjoyed the State/Carolina football game via the large screens set up in the bar at the Center.

Gray and Susan Lewis and their daughter Cassia, an NC State sophomore.  We were happy to meet Cassia.

Shelley and Paula at lunch.

 After the ballgame we had dinner over at the NC State University Club.  We had fun reminiscing about our trip to Italy last year, and it was fun catching up on everything folks had been doing this past year.

Barry and Jesse at the University Club Bar.

Caprese salad skewers with balsamic vinegar in keeping with the Italian menu theme.

Dinner at the University Club.

A.D. and Susan talking with Becky and her husband, Frank.

On Sunday Mary Todd, with help from Betty Stagg, hosted the entire group for brunch in her lovely home here in Raleigh.

Hosts Betty and Mary with their aprons they bought in Italy.

Brunch goodies.

More goodies.

Barry and Patsy enjoying Mary's lovely porch.

Barbara and Becky having fun conversation with Barry and Patsy.

 We enjoy each other so much that we hope to travel to some exotic place together in the future or at least get together again next year at some place here in the U.S.

Capri Flavors, Morrisville, NC

When we were in Nova Scotia this summer, I made manicotti several times using a recipe I got from Lynn Zimmerman.  Back in NC I decided yesterday to make manicotti with yet another recipe I found in one of my new cookbooks.  After checking with several local grocers---Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter-- I could find no dry manicotti pasta.  After finding manicotti pasta in Sobeys in the small town of Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, I was exasperated that here in a big city I could find no dry manicotti.  Do Raleighites not make stuffed manicotti from scratch?

And then I remembered the Italian food market over in nearby Morrisville,  CapriFlavors.  Costanzo and Titina Vuotto are the proprietors of CapriFlavors.

Costanzo and Titina Vuotto are the proprietors (Photo from their website.)

A really, really big jar of Nutella.

I scurried over and it was like being in Italy again---so many good Italian products. They even have the really big jar of Nutella that I saw in many stores in Italy.  I found lots of goodies in addition to the manicotti.

Lots of different cheeses.

Cookies and other sweets.

Titina teaches cooking classes, and I intend to sign up for one this fall.  I can't wait.

Titina in the kitchen. 

The next time I'm looking for ingredients for an Italian recipe, I will head right over to CapriFlavors.

Brunch at Brio Tuscan Grille

Food is everything in Tuscany, and we fell in love with it while in Italy last fall.  I suppose the closest thing to Tuscan cuisine we have here in Raleigh is at the Brio Tuscan Grille. We had brunch there last Sunday.  The bread here is very good and rivals any we had in Tuscany.

Basket of bread at Brio.

My entree choice was the Eggs Oscar: Two poached eggs, a crab and shrimp cake, potatoes peperonata, grilled asparagus, artichokes, spinach and lemon butter. Finished with housemade Hollandaise.  Dan chose Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Oscar.

I really wasn't in the mood for dessert but their Peach Bellini sounded divine, and I let that be my dessert.  This Venetian treat is served frozen with peach nectar, peach Schnapps and Prosecco. Dan chose creme brulee.

My peach bellini.

Dan's creme brulee.

The ambiance of the Brio Tuscan Grille is reminiscent of Italy.  So for a couple of hours on Sunday we pretended we were back in Tuscany.

Decor reminiscent of a Tuscany restaurant.

Guest Blogger: Shelley Fink-Brackett

Shelley and her husband, Jesse. were among the NC State Alumni group that toured Italy with us in September.   Shelley is a great photographer, and today she is a guest on my blog sharing some of her photos and comments.

Shelley and Jesse in Florence. Photo by Gray Lewis another member of the tour.

Shelley and Jesse are on the Ponte Alle Graczie over the Arno River with the Ponte Vecchio in the background.  They were on their way to a restaurant recommended by a neighbor from Newport News.

Photo by Shelley Fink-Brackett.

"Horse drawn carriages are the gondolas of Florence.  They are everywhere waiting to carry tourists around the city.  I had heard the expression 'strapping on the feed bag', but had never seen one.  After many photos of carriages and horses I came upon a horse fully engrossed in the contents of the bag.  The white horse looked on with envy as if to say 'why are you getting food and not me'." SFB

Photo by Shelley Fink-Brackett.

"These two dogs were in the Piazza Grande in front of the Hall of Justice in Perugia.  They were oblivious to the frenzy created by the world renown murder trial going on a few blocks away." SFB

Photo by Shelley Fink-Brackett.

"Assisi was the home of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals.  One of Francis' pigeons joined us for lunch at a sidewalk pizzeria.  Pigeons kept their distance unless invited for a piece of crust, but were quick to check out tables vacated by diners.  This pigeon didn't find much on the table beside us and glared at us hoping he could make us uncomfortable enough to cut lunch short and leave behind something more appetizing." SFB

Thank you Shelley for sharing your photos and comments.

Montecassino and the Restored Abbey

The restored abbey of Montecassino.

As we traveled from the Amalfi Coast to Rome on our recent Italian tour, we stopped by the town of Montecassino.  Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about 80 miles southeast of Rome, and it is where St. Benedict established his first monastery circa 529.

During the Battle of Montecassino in February 1944 the abbey was almost completely destroyed in a series of heavy Allied air-raids which were ordered in the mistaken belief it was a German stronghold.  The abbey was rebuilt after the war.

The Peace Door.

There were lots of steps to climb.

Doves in the fountain.

The pattern of the sun shining through the arches.

Statue of St. Benedict.

Everything Comes Out in the Wash

The floor mat in our laundry room, Chatfield.Rd.

I love washing clothes when I am at Chatfield Rd, because I can hang clothes on the line to dry.  In Raleigh we don't have a clothes line.  The only place we could put one would be in the front yard, and I'm not sure that would be acceptable in our neighborhood.  But think how much energy can be saved by using "solar energy" to dry our clothes.  And I love the crisp fragrance of clothes dried in the outdoors.

Our sheets drying on a sunny day, Chatfield Rd.

I was at a craft show here in Cleveland County yesterday, and one of the potters, Ron Philbeck, uses clothes lines as a theme on his pottery.  I couldn't resist; I bought this delightful little dish

Pottery dish with clothes line theme by Ron Philbeck.

I'm so intrigued  by clothes lines I take photos of them whenever I'm traveling.

Clothes drying in Port Hawkesbury,  Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Somewhere in Italy.

In Venice.

I wonder what the neighbors would say if we installed a clothes line in our front yard in Raleigh.  Maybe we could start a trend.

"I'm not late, I'm just slow"

Three quotes from folks in the tour group of our recent trip to Italy stick in my mind.  Dania our tour guide was explaining to us that in some of the regions we would be visiting she would not be allowed to give us information, but that we would have to rely on guides in the region who were authorized.   Apparently guides have to be authorities for the regions where they are giving information.  One of our tour members, Jesse, told Dania, "Oh just make it up!"  Now whenever I or someone is just "making it up" I refer to that as a "Jesse-ism"  or to "Jesse's version".  (You might want to check my blog of September 28).

Dania, our wonderful tour director.

Jesse said, "Oh, just make it up."

One evening most of the group observed a young lady that was really "dressed up"---tight dress, spike heels, flashy jewelry--I didn't actually see her, but others were talking about how she was dressed.  Paula said she was "dressed like a stolen car!".  I never heard that expression before.  I'm sorry I don't have a photo to illustrate it.

Paula used the expression, "dressed like a stolen car".

"I'm not late, I'm just slow."

On our way to Venice, Dania explained that the Venetians were very laid back and casual.  She mentioned a Venetian friend from college who was always late.  When asked why, the friend said, "I'm not late, I'm just slow."  Now when I or others are late, I'll have to think "Oh, we're not late just slow".

Ravello, Italy

View from road up to the hilltop town of Ravello.

 
One of the most spectacular views we had on our trip to Italy was from the hilltop town of Ravello which is 1100 feet above sea level and which provides a stunning panoramic view of the Amalfi Coast. Although it had rained that morning (September 18), the sun came out and it was a beautiful afternoon.

Ravello auditorium designed by Oscar Neimeyer.

This auditorium is built into the side of the hill on the way up to Ravello.  It was designed by Oscar Neimeyer, the famous Brazilian architect, and the white concrete auditorium is set into the hillside to blend with the natural cliffs when viewed from the sea.  It is quite a work of art.

Olive tree in Ravello.

Three members of our tour group, Minnie, Betty & Mary, in Ravello.

Pat and Dan having lunch in Ravello.