Recipe Spotlight: Italian Easter Pie

In honor of my Italian family members who have supported my attempts at blogging, and my Italian grandmother Madeline who supported my love of travel and youthful attempts at cooking (hello, BBQ tuna sandwiches and fat-free cheesecake), my first "Recipe Spotlight" is Italian Easter Pie; it's perfect to serve at your Easter gathering and is delizioso!

The only thing missing from our traditional Italian family recipe is a grandmother hovering over you at the kitchen table, urging you to have a second piece and yelling "Mangia!" while simultaneously cleaning up the kitchen and planning what to serve for breakfast the next day...or does that only happen in my Italian family?

Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 2 tablespoons shortening 
• 2 eggs slightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Filling:

• 1 cup bulk cooked Italian sausage (hot sausage is recommended)
• 3 cups ricotta cheese 
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheese
• 4 beaten eggs

Mix filling and set aside while preparing crust.

Combine flour, salt, margarine, and shortening and mix well, then add eggs and water.  Combine together like pie crust.  Divide into 2 and form into balls.

Roll the first dough ball into a rectangle large enough to fit in the bottom and halfway up the side of a 9x13 baking dish.

Prepare filling and put over bottom crust.  Roll second ball and place over the top of the filling.  Seal edges of both crusts together.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Destination Spotlight: Giverny, France

Vive le France!  This "Destination Spotlight" is dedicated to a colleague's daughter who is going to France for her 13th birthday.  I know, right?!  For my 13th birthday, I was probably still asking for the EZ Bake Oven that I desperately wanted when I was 10, but never received.....and never, ever did.

Nestled in the idyllic French countryside about two hours from Paris, the Town of Giverny is probably most famously known for being the residence of Claude Monet, the founder of French Impressionist painting.  You can take a tour of his brightly colored house that seems to fit right in with the colorful flowers that surround it, walk in his gardens, and see the lily pond and bridge that are featured in his "Water Lilies" series of paintings.

Unfortunately it was raining when my mother and I visited Giverny, so a lot of my pictures are full of overcast skies and the tops of umbrellas, but the scenery was still gorgeous and it was a wonderful experience to have.  Another wonderful experience?  The Monet House gift shop!  I bought two prints of Monet's kitchens (yes, he had multiple kitchens in his house) and framed them to hang in my own kitchen, as well as a unique poster of Monet's house and gardens sponsored by the Fondation Claude Monet and Academie des Beaux Arts.

After touring Monet's house and gardens, don't forget to tour the Town of Giverny, as it is delightful to walk in and filled with quaint gift shops and quintessential French cafes and bakeries.  Vive le French bakeries!

My mother and I booked our excursion to Giverny the day before in Paris through a tour company whose offices are by the intersection of the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries.  Another option is to pre-book a Giverny excursion before you leave for France through viator.com.  Once it's finalized, you print out your email confirmation vouchers and bring them with you to the meeting spot in Paris that is listed on your vouchers; simply give the vouchers to your tour guide and away you go!  Bon voyage!

Grocery Store Goodness!

When in Europe, what are my two favorite words?  No, not "free gelato" (although that would be epic!); the answer is "grocery store!"  I've been known to email our hotels in advance to ask where the nearest grocery store is located.....and to make my mother walk up a steep hill in Lisbon, Portugal twice in the same day to go to one.  Why would I subject myself to Italian mother guilt?  Here are my reasons:

• Chocolate, Honey, Chocolate, Tea, Chocolate:  In my experience, the European grocery stores are the best place to buy chocolate, cookies, olive oil, tea, coffee, honey, jam, and other local specialties to bring back home; the selection is large, while the prices are low.  I found this to be especially true when buying the famous Mozartkugeln in Salzburg, Austria; the grocery store prices were much lower than the gift shop prices.

• Toiletries and Cosmetics: If you forgot to pack your toothbrush, or are a product junkie like me, the grocery stores have you covered.  When in Lisbon, my mom and I stocked up on the famous Portuguese soaps at Jumbo, i.e. the grocery store that will forever be known to me as, "Elana, I'm not walking back up that hill again today!" 

• Quick and Inexpensive Meals: Stretch your travel food budget by grabbing a sandwich at a grocery store; don't forget the inexpensive bottled water!  When in Madrid, Spain, my mom and I got an inexpensive yet delicious dinner consisting of a roasted chicken and two side dishes at the grocery store located in the El Corte Ingles department store; it was the Spanish equivalent of the original Wegmans $6 meals!  

• It's Fun!: Seriously, is there a better bonding experience for you and your travel partner than taking secret pictures of them analyzing which Dutch licorice to buy at the Albert Heijn grocery store in Amsterdam?  Mom, what do you think?  

Plus, I was psyched to find my name on a box of laundry detergent at a grocery store in Seville, Spain!  How cool is that?  See, the European grocery stores really are good, clean fun!

Bom Dia, Hola, Ciao, and Hallo to International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day!  I'd like to give a shout out to all of the fabulous women that I know, both American citizens and those from Spain, Finland, Poland, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Canada, China, and Malaysia!

Speaking of fabulous women, my mom is my favorite international travel partner; this is a picture of us at Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal.  Where will we travel to next?***

***I know where we're traveling to next, but I'm not telling yet!

EU To You is New!

After you say the title of this inaugural post three times fast, I'd like to welcome you to my blog; I'm excited to share my love of Europe with you!  To me, the European Union (EU) is more than a place....it is a source of inspiration for dressing, cooking, decorating, and living "la dolce vita!"  This blog is dedicated to my late grandmother and original travel partner, Madeline, who gave me the travel bug at a young age.  Grazie, Nonny!

I realize that not everyone is able to travel to Europe, which is the purpose of my blog: to bring the EU to you!  In addition to sharing my personal experiences and travel tips with you, I'll also be featuring traditional recipes, European guest editors, and ideas to inspire you and hopefully convince you to try something and/or travel to somewhere new!  While the majority of my posts will be about countries that are part of the European Union, I'll also incorporate those that aren't part of the EU at this time, such as Switzerland.

Speaking of Switzerland, it is one of the many European countries that I've been fortunate enough to travel to, along with Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein.  Am I a trust fund child?  No, I've traveled to these fabulous places by budgeting and saving my money; it's as simple as that!  To quote my mother, "once you return from a trip to Europe, you will start saving your money to go back again!"

Why do I love Europe so?  Is it the mouth watering cuisine, indulgent gelato and chocolate, cutting edge fashion, historic places, and the ability to observe and interact with other cultures?  Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes!

A few housekeeping notes: all of the pictures from various European countries on my blog were taken by me, my mother, and our travel friends.  Please do not use any of my pictures without my permission.  I am not paid to write this blog; it is a fun hobby and I do not claim to be a European Union expert.  If you would like to leave a comment, please keep it positive.  I'm also happy to answer your questions and help in any way that I can!