Experimented in the kitchen with apples from apple picking at Soon's Orchard. I learned the key to a good apple pie is to use different kinds of apples. I think I'm using about 4 different kinds here. Unfortunately, I can't seem to remember the kinds of apples we picked. Saved three apples for the filling and cut/cored the rest. Laid them out on a cookie sheet with some cinnamon. Roasted for 20 minutes.
Important note: When roasting, make sure apple juice doesn't drip, caramelize and burn onto the bottom of your oven. I learned the hard way this will make your oven very smokey and your kitchen unpleasant. Ended up spending an hour scrubbing my oven clean :(Pureed them with their skins in the blender. Best roasted applesauce ever! Sweet with no added sugar! Got super excited after sampling and immediately made filling with remaining three chopped up apples.
BEST APPLE PIE EVERRRRRR!!!! :D Me + this pie + fork = happiness.
[Ayyyyy~~]
Our tour guide informed us gondoliers can earn up to 300,000 Euro a year. WTF?! Where can I sign up? Who needs a GED when you can push a skinny boat through murky canals while singing "O Sole Mio"? Screw being a lawyer, a doctor, or a business tycoon. Mom, I wanna be a gondolier! :D
[I hold the Pisa.]
Everyone says the same thing: Good thing it wasn't your passport.
In the first song of Disney's animated feature, "Beauty and the Beast", Belle walks through a sleepy town just waking up as she sings how "there must be more to this provincial life." While strolling through the medieval town of San Gimignano, I couldn't help but to expect wood panel windows to fling open and people breaking out in musical song and dance. It was hard to believe people actually lived here! This town was a breath of fresh air and I was able to relax a bit from the hustle and bustle of Rome and Florence. I was able to breathe.Italian gelato is richer and creamier than ice cream. They come in skinny cones which kinda sucks because the gelato is simply piled on top with nothing left for you when you reach the cone. Sampled world champion gelato at Gelateria di Piazza. We've had enough gelato in Italy for a proper control. The consistency and flavor of the gelato in San Gimignano were no comparison. Their secret ingredient must've been crack because it was by far the best frozen treat I've ever had. I'm not much of a foodie but I'll tell you for sure, I will dream about this gelato. If I ever have a near death experience, this gelato will flash before my eyes. If I was on death row, I'd want this gelato as part of my final meal.
My only regret is not having a second... and maybe possibly a third. If only we had another hour or two in this little town tucked away in the Tuscan hills. I would've had one more for the road... and the plane ride back.
*sigh*
