Bienvenidos a Barcelona!

At 7:30am, local time, Aeropuerto de Barcelona welcomed us to the Catalunya region. We toughed it out for our first several hours in the city by consuming a caffe and baguette con jamón. But later, after an hour of wandering through the labyrinthine streets in the Barri Gòtic with all our luggage to find our short-stay apartment (more on this later), we found ourselves fast asleep within 30 minutes of arrival.

...fast forward 5 hours...

We leave our apartment, which is situated on the edge of sketchy town. Or as Rick Steve's would say, "These characters don't need the palm trees to be shady." But not to worry Mom, we feel very safe and are enjoying the diversity (and keeping our own hands in our pockets).

We are staying in the heart of the "Old City". The architecture here is medieval and the sites are nearby. Above we are posing in front of the Christopher Columbus monument.

Just beyond Las Ramblas (the main drag in town, Champs Élysées-esque) is the harbor, which was apparently beautified for the 1992 Olympics. Beautiful it was. Imaging we were 45 years in the past, we drank sangria and ate tapas on the harbor - just as my father did when he was last here.

Later, we did what every other person in Barcelona was likely doing: drank sangria, ate tapas, and watched world cup. Thank goodness Italia at least tied - otherwise I would have had a very angry Italian-American on my hands. Tomorrow we plan to watch España play Switzerland. I have high expectations of over-the-top enthusiasm from Spanish fans.

Half way to becoming a master

In the summertime...

It is official - school's out for summer and I am half way done with my master degree. This school year has flown by and all the changes that came along with it seem like stability now. There were lengthy  papers and endless articles; big achievements and frustrating errors; friendships made and beaches walked. Goodbye first year. Hello summer!

As I previously mentioned, I have quite the summer ahead of me. First things first - board an airplane headed to Barcelona in 5 hours. Next post will be one with sangria in hand. SALUD!

PS: I mistakenly deleted comments made on the last post. I had weird settings and several drinks and it was confusing. Comment again! They make my day.

(crickets chirping) Anyone still there?

Seven months ago I told you about my fascination with the breakfast burrito and then.. I left, without explanation.

Well, today - a day or two after a massive six-month project on homeless youth suicide was turned in, and a day or two before my last finals for this school year - I have returned to the blogosphere. For better or for worse. Graduate school has been shockingly time consuming!

Brief update on what I have been doing since we last talked:

1. Grad school.



Things I plan to do this summer:

1. Go back to Italy, with a quick stop in Barcelona (and Montreal, don't ask). Vince's brother is getting married in Sicily. Tapas & Vino anyone?

2. Summer internship. More updates on this when it is an officially sealed and finalized position.

3. Bike to the beach. HELLO, Santa Monica!

4. Train for a 5k. I am getting my Masters degree in Public Health. Time to healthify.

5. Read something other than academic articles on suicide & homeless youth.

6. Find a location for our wedding.


I'll be back in a couple days with more deets on Italy.
Until, then. Glad to be back.

Twisty Turny = Yum, or the "Left-over Breakfast Burrito" Phenomena

The other night I made a slightly inventive fall stew. It was not the best dish I'd ever made, but none-the-less it was yummy.

Using what I had in the fridge and pantry:

butternut squash - such a handsome fella

I roasted some butternut squash, onion and garlic, greased up with olive oil and seasoned with white pepper, salt and a pinch of cumin.

veggies going in to the sauna

Meanwhile I sauteed up the ground turkey with more onion & garlic and a squeeze from the handy tomato paste tube, then seasoned with s & p. Mixed in a can of diced tomatoes (I know, so lazy when the front yard is abundant), a can of garbanzo beans, and a 1/4 cup of water. I seasoned this with chili powder and cinnamon.

Once the the meat was all brown and the tomatoes were looking bubbly, I added in the roasted veggies and let it all meld together for a couple minutes. Spooned into a bowl with a glob of sharp cheddar on top - this dish made me want to pour a glass of red wine and light up the fireplace (so I did! But minus the fireplace since we don't have one).

So this was all good, not shabby - but Vince and I agreed that it needed a twist. We thought about it ... but not too hard.

The next morning Vince, with his man-ingenuity, gave this fall stew it's needed twist.

"Hey Elyse, come try this".

"No thanks, Dear. You know I only like coffee for breakfast".

"Fine, I didn't really want to share anyway".

I walk into the kitchen to find a fall stew with scrambled eggs and cheese and hot sauce breakfast burrito.

I ate it a l l regardless of my coffee-only breakfast rule.

And it was..........

soooooo yummy.

See for yourself below:

Excessively Southern Californian? Eh, who cares! It was good!

I suppose you could call this the "left-over breakfast burrito" phenomena. Even I, EHo, will break my coffee-only breakfast rule for a breakfast burrito made from last night's goods. Try it.

Foodie Things

Three topics for today's blog entry:

1. Has everyone heard that Gourmet magazine has shut down shop?
Just last week I was telling Vince, "You know Dear, I am a real foodie now and need a real high class magazine to accompany this status. Thus, I need a subscription to Gourmet for Christmas!" I bet Gourmet magazine might have changed their minds had I subscribed sooner...

Sad, sad loss for the food magazine world.

2. I found this very entertaining and motivating article about the Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver and his most recent project. I have always been ambivalent about him, but I now have a greater appreciation. Plus it totally addresses the ever relevant Public Health topic! Check out the article:

Putting America's Diet on a Diet

3. Today our landlord/next door neighbor told us to help ourselves to her harvest- she just can't eat it all fast enough. To this I said, "OKAY!!!"

Tonight's dinner is consisted of tomatoes and basil from the back (and front) yard.





Next week I start consuming the Japanese eggplant and red peppers! Suggestions?

Welcome to my new kitchen!

We MOVED!!

We have uprooted ourselves from perfect San Diego and ended up in Santa Monica - a not so shabby little nook of Los Angeles - while I attend grad school at UCLA. We now live in half of an old Craftsman-style home not very far from the beach. The duplex has old funky quirks and lots and lots of hardwood!

The kitchen is smaller than I was used to, but that's not saying much!

The weather has just barely started to cool down, so I think tonight I'll roast up some garlic and beets - and maybe even a batch of pumpkin bread!

Procrastinating studying? Yes.

Refrigerator Revelations

Does this look messy or cluttered to you?

Because sometimes I feel that way; that I should strip my frigde clean and have a blank slate to look at before I ponder dinner. But this evening when I was lingering over ice cubes I noticed that I love my fridge! And what I love about it is the little notes and pictures and invitations that I have left up to remind me what a wonderful community and family I surround myself with.

Below you can see that I decorate my fridge with beloved photos of my sweet nieces and nephew, invitations from fantastic weddings (Todd and Erin's) and memorable 40th anniversary parties (Mom & Dad). Most these items are suctioned to the fridge with a set of italian poetry words that Rachel gave us one Christmas. On this fridge I also have the Monterey Bay Aquarium's sustainable fish list (good find, check it here) which reminds me of my 5 year anniversary road trip up the California coast with Vince; an angel magnet my mother gave me one year that makes me smile every time I see it; a Homel family contact card - fantastic back story, another entry!

But as I stood there this evening, while refilling my ice tea, I thought to myself - look at all these wonderful people. I looked down the list of names of Homel family members (on the contact card) and it brought a huge grin to my face to think about each person. I have an amazing family and I feel so blessed to be able to clutter my refrigerator with their faces and the knick-knacks that remind me of memorable times.

I also have some other items up there that should probably come on down, but I hate removing an item from the fridge because... well, because I am just sentimental like that!

What does your fridge look like?