Back To Bologna

     In a few weeks I'll be headed back to Bologna, one of my FAVORITE Italian cities. Bologna is the kind of place I could live...when I'm there I feel at home and I don't want to ever leave. The people are warm and friendly, the food is good, and there aren't many tourists.
     Did I mention the food? The food is fabulous! The picture on the banner of this blog is Tagliatelle Bolognese that I learned to make at CIBO in Bologna...very tasty!
     Here is a picture of a typical shop in Bologna...doesn't it look inviting?

     This trip I'll be attending an Italian language school. I've spent enough time in Italy that I think it's about time I learned the language. I know bits and pieces, but I'm hopeful that Cultura Italiana will help improve my skills.
     Maybe I'll also get to attend a truffle festival, or maybe an antique market. There is so much to see and do in and around Bologna, and it's fall...my favorite time of year.
     I'll be blogging from Italy, so please check in.
     Have you ever been to Bologna?

It's Too Early To Think About Christmas, But...

I know it's too early to think about Christmas, but North Pole City is open for the season so Marc and I just had to take a look at all the new Christopher Radko ornaments. We made a pact to just look and not buy. The idea was to drool over them and come back in November when we've had a chance to decide which two we wanted for this year.
An hour later the pact was broken and we purchased FOUR new ornaments! I guess we should've left our wallets at home...clearly, we can't be trusted. The Christmas tree doesn't go up until after the turkey has been eaten on Thanksgiving Day, so I guess we'll just store them until then.

Are you thinking about Christmas yet? Do you have any special Christmas decorations that you collect?

French Baking Class in Paris

Don't you just love croissants? I do, and now I can make them...thanks to COOK'N WITH CLASS in Paris, France! I took their hands-on Baking Class and learned how to make croissants, pain au chocolat and a few other pastries.

Croissants take about two days to complete, so we made the dough and put it in the refrigerator for the next class, and used the dough the last class made.

It was very interesting making the dough with so many layers of rich creamy butter. There were only five people in the class, so we were all involved in the entire process.

When we were finished baking, we had a feast of warm, flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness! 

We each went home with a bag of pastries, and by the time Marc and I returned to our apartment, our instructor, Emanuelle, had emailed us the recipes, written instructions and a video showing each step of the process.

If you like to bake, and Paris is calling your name, I encourage you to check out this school. I can't wait to take more of their classes!