Titina's Awesomeness: A Cooking Class Review (with Recipes!)

Listening to "Keep Your Hands To Yourself," The Georgia Satellites.

Special Edition of Class and Coffee:
Cooking with Titina!

I do apologize for the picture quality; I was using my phone camera
(which actually did a great job! Thanks, Sony Ericsson!) and I was
FAMISHED by the time we finally ate... so pictures were not my
first priority lol.

We got to wear "Cooking with Titina!" aprons!! I liked
mine a little more than Matt liked his...


Titina is such a big deal-- she has her own brand of
canned tomatoes! Seriously!


We started with a champagne drink that mixed some
sparkling wine with fresh peaches (YUM! and simple!
Food process some fresh peaches for a hot second
and then add champagne!), and then bruschetta!

She baked the bread first then added the room-
temperature tomato, basil and olive oil mixture. Her basil
was fresh from her garden and smelled heavenly!

~*~*~


After the bruschetta, she asked me to come help! There
were 12 of us in the class total, and she asked each of us
to come help with something.

Matt was making fun of me because all I was really
doing was stirring... but I was stirring the sauce for
the Cavolfiori al Gratinati, or...

Cauliflower Gratin!

I had to stir really fast...
first a butter (4 Tbsp.) and flour (4 tbsp.) mix,
boiling over the stove top (loved her oven!)
and then after that got really hot we gradually added
milk (1 1/4 cup whole milk). We sprinkled the top
with salt and nutmeg, and I kept stirring till it was
bubbling and thick. It took a while! Then we added eggs
(2 beaten) and poured the sauce over cooked cauliflower
florets, arranged in a baking dish. We topped with
breadcrumbs, Parmesean, salt and pepper, then baked at
350 for 20 minutes!


So. Good. Yummmm yum yum. Creamy delish!

~*~*~


Next Matt was called to help! I was so excited.
He got to do a little more work than me, which
I was totally fine with. He helped with the Bomboloni
Capresi, or the...

Friters Filled with Mozzarella and Ham!

For the Dough: Place yeast (1 Tbsp.) in a bowl and add
warm milk (1/2 cup), flour (1 cup) and sugar (1 cup).
Stir in with fork; allow to stand for 5 to 6 minutes.

Next, sprinkle work surface with lots of flour and
add yeast mixture. Kneead, slowly working in
additional flour (2 1/4 cups), butter (6 tbsp.
room temperature), warm milk (1 1/2 cup) and
salt (1 pinch).

Dough should feel soft and smooth. Allow to
rise for 30 minutes.



Once the dough is done its risin', you're gonna
add about a tablespoon of "filling" to a little
ball of dough. Flatten the dough, add the filling
(2 lbs mozarella cheese, chopped, and 1 lb. ham,
chopped), then fold the dough over and seal with
the top of a glass *like Matt's doing!


You've gotta seal them well because you're going
to fry these babies!

Just a few minutes; they cook quick! Careful!

We made a special garlic, chopped tomatoes
and oregano sauce for this-- which was really
good!-- but I think you'd be fine covering these
little guys with some good ol' Ragu.


See the Mozzarella ooooozing out?? MMMMmmmm.
Honestly, it was one of the best things I've ever
tasted! I wanted to eat 12 of them!


~*~*~

(Warning: Worst picture of the night-- coming up!)

Pollo alle Castagne, or-- Chicken in a Chestnut
Sauce! This chicken was amazing.

Unfortunately, my picture is not.




See... I was one of the last people to be served this
dish, and I was so hungry that I literally snapped
and grabbed.

But it was an AMAZING dish. I'll give you the serious
recipe... Pollo alle Castagne:

1 cup shelled chestnuts
4 chicken breasts
1 small green pepper, diced
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tbsp chicken stock*
(*we used 1/2 bouillon cube instead)
1/2 cup HEAVY cream (like, Italian heavy
cream. It looks like yogurt!)
salt to taste

Season the chicken with salt and dredge in flour.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter over
medium heat. Cut chicken into tenderloin-size
pieces, 1 inch wide and 4-6 inches long. Add the
chicken, cooking until golden, then add the wine.
Lower heat, cover pan, and let simmer for about
20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to platter.

The Chestnut Sauce: Deglaze the cooking
juices with the chicken stock, scraping pan well.
Add the heavy (I'm not kidding-- HEAVY) cream,
chopped chestnuts and green pepper, and simmer
gently for about 5 minutes

Pour (amazing) sauce over chicken.

~*~*~

Now, when dinner time came, we all sat down around
a huge dining room table. Titina's husband came in
to eat with us as well, and they spoke together in quick
Italian while we all served ourselves this amazing food. Most
couples brough their own bottle of wine, and we all DUG IN.
In between the amazing bites of awesomeness, I did get
to ask Titina a couple of questions.

Her and her husband owned three restaurants in Capri,
Italy, in the southern part of Italy, right on the beach.



They lived in Capri, running their restaurants, for most of
their lives, until their sons came to America. They decided
to come too, and they've been running Capri Flavors
for 12 years.

Her and her husband have been married for 49 years.

It was so... lovely to hear them talk about Italy.
Definitely helps make food taste good when you're
enjoying it with good conversation.

~*~*~

Dessert:



Chocolate almond cake with chocolate gelato.
Nothing to write home about, but a great way
to end the meal... and then of course espresso...
I was in heaven.

~*~*~



Definitely one of my favorite presents ever!

Thanks, Matt!

(Notice he still has his apron on. It must have
grown on him...)

~*~*~

Your enjoying-the-rain, still-in-PJs,
excited-for-football, loving-September!!,
looking-forward-to-Labor-Day,
knit-and-grad-school-updates-next!,
New Girl Blogger.

Class with Titina and a Capri Menu Preview! + School Update

Listening to "Vegetable Car," Joshua Radin.

Comments:
Thanks so much for all the encouraging comments! It really seems like everyone's hit that wall where, suddenly, they feel like they may have signed up for a liiiittle much. But I'm over the wall, people-- scaled it without looking back. It's going to be a great semester, and I'm just going to do my best to keep my head above water. All they can ask for, right? Thanks again :)

Tamela, that to-do list idea was great. I've been organizing my tasks with the most important ones on top, and it helps me focus (and avoid procrastination...)! Haha and Pegs you're right, three classes has felt different than last semester's two classes. JeremyandGirls-- your comment was so sweet. It definitely gave me a big smile. When I get stressed I just need to remember my dream of being a professor. It always makes me feel like the hard work is worth it! Stephchows-- haha I know; where did the summer go?!?! Kim-- I can't even tell you how excited I get when I think about us both going through these crazy academic experiences together :) DuoDishes-- the high school I used to coach lacrosse at, Laney High School, is the same high school MJ went to!! Cool, huh?! But... I never did meet him. Did get to see his locker :) If I ever run into him I'll tell him y'all said hello. Samantha-- I feel like everyone needs a Connie!!! Your Mom sounds like an amazing example. ACE-- hahaha loooove lowly (or should we say lovely!) blog stalkers :) Karine-- the age thing is weird! I've found it makes me feel better if I wear nice "teacher" clothes haha. Chadski-- always nice to not be the only one freaking out :)

Thanks again, everyone!

~*~*~

Class with Titina

Tomorrow, Matt and I have a dinner date with Titina.

Titina Vuotto, chef de cuisine & author
of "Aromas and Flavors of Capri"

Last December when I graduated from UNCW, Matt bought me a gift certificate for two to take a cooking class with Titina. But it was hard, with CFP and my classes and his work and all the other blah, to schedule a great night!

But we'll be there tomorrow, and here's the menu:

---
CAPRI Menu

Limoncello
Lemon Liquor

Bomboloni Capresi
Friters Filled with Mozzarella and Ham

Pollo alle Castagne
Chicken with Chestnut Sauce
Cavolfiori al Gratinati
Cauliflower Gratin

Torta Caprese
Almond and Chocolate Cake
---

Are you drooling?? I'm totally excited.

I won't tell you too much about it, since I'd love to do a review when we're finished... but I will tell you that I CAN'T WAIT, and that unfortunately, I already know how much I looooove limoncello. Mmmmmmmm.

Also, Titina encourages couples to bring their own bottle of wine to the lesson, so that there is lots of merry drinking and cooking.

Titina, I think we're going to get along fantastically!

~*~*~

Grad School Update:

OFFICIAL. Except the ID girl thought I
was a freshman lol, tried to get me to pay for a
new undergrad card...

I'm almost finished with my first week--- and I've survived!

Phew. There is a lot to read.

Haha!

But I knew that... it's just a matter of getting it done :)

Speaking of... back to work!

I will say that I really love my classes, and that meeting my professors, talking over the syllabus, and having time to think about all the projects has actually helped me feel like I can handle it.

I miss you guys, though; I feel like this week I've been awful at catching up on the blog world. But I have tomorrow off and plan on doing a lot of catch up :) ...and homework, of course!

Enjoy your almost weekend!

~*~*~

Your capri-anticipatin'
forgot-how-to-knit-by-now,
can't-wait-till-Friday!,
New Girl Blogger

I wanna be Like Mike! Graduate School Freakout

Listening to "Homecoming," Kanye West ft. Chris Martin.

Hi blog.

You're a little behind on my life.

See... last week I had orientation, and then the first day of class, and now I'm reading a million pages of required readings... throw work into the mix, and you'll see why didn't update you at all!

I'm so sorry. Last week feels like a million years ago and 2 seconds ago all at the same time.

But, ladies and gentlemen, I have a small, semi-interesting post prepared if you have time :)

So last Tuesday was the big New Graduate Student Orientation at NC State...


...I walked in to the conference-style McKimmon Center, tightly balling my fists with excitement. The overwhelming number of people and insane amount of air conditioning hit me at the same time, so I took a deep breath as I searched for a seat. I had barely chosen a pen from my new pencil pouch before someone got up to speak. Projector screens lowered, and over 1,000 graduate students looked to the same podium...

The speakers were nice, quasi-inspiring and, at some points, speaking precautions. Manage your time. Don't take on too much. Establish a good relationship with your Advisor. Manage your time. Manage your time...

At lunch I found a couple friendly girls in the excessively long bathroom line. We swapped stories about our soon-to-be graduate programs, our undergraduate experiences, our boyfriends... it was nice to meet new people. Most of the girls impressed me with what they'd been doing over the summer, from internships to taking classes... What had I done over the summer?

After lunch we split into groups. The graduate students with TA positions were herded into one room. We had a great speaker who regaled us with tales of his teaching experiences. He was fun, energetic, and you could tell he gave everything he had to his teaching profession. He was my hero, the best of the best... to me his name was Mike--- I really wanna be like Mike.


After he spoke we had a young woman who had just finished her Teaching Assistantship last May. She was really great as well. She opened up the floor for questions, allowing us all to reveal some of our fears.

How do I get the students to take me seriously-- I'm barely a year older than they are!

Do they call me by my last name or by my first?

Should I allow them to add me as a friend on Facebook?

After some of the questions were out of the way, she told us about her experiences. How she managed it all, some of her tough situations, advice... it was great and I was taking notes. I was so impressed.

After it was all over, I left the murderously cold air conditioning, took my new knowledge and new notes, and drove home. But something happened on the way.

I freaked out.

Seriously, I freaked.

I started thinking about my laundry list life. All the things I have going on. I thought about school, the classes, the readings and the papers, the teaching assistantship, work, the new marketing program, tutoring... it all hit me at once. When will I sleep? When will I cook? I just finally met all these nice people... will I have time to have a life???

Sometimes, all a freakout needs is a little organization. A little de-cluttering. It's worked for me before. I got home and straightened up the apartment, putting schoolbooks here, new notebooks there. It didn't help.

I sat down at the kitchen table, armed with my planner, and tried to plan out my semester. It didn't help.

I talked to my Mom and Tom a little, who both called to see how my big day had went. I let them know a little about how I was feeling. They both said similarly wonderful things, about how I had managed in undergraduate and how I would again, and both times I really did start to feel better. But then I would look at my planner... and those time constraints were still staring me in the face. Only 24 hours in a day, only 7 days in a week.

Matt got home, and we talked about everything in a roundabout way... eventually he just sat down with me and my planner and asked me to try and tell him how I felt. And like a total baby, I tried to say it but cried instead.

Big 'ol crocodile tears.

I tried to explain through my blubbering... I was scared. I had signed up for too much! Everyone thinks I can handle this and I can't. It's too much. I'm not as smart as everyone thinks I am. There's no way.

NO way.

He calmed me down, and very pragmatically went through my schedule and the next two years. It was nice.

If you have to, you'll quit your job, he says. We'll make this work.

I start to feel better. When I comment on my immature tears, sheepishly wiping my face with a kleenex, he smiles.

That's why this is going to work, he says. You care so much, that you're crying on your planner. You're going to make this work.

I felt better immediately, and got my excitement back as the night went on. And then I thought of my inspirations.

Sure, I wanna be like Mike. He was amazing, captivating, inspiring... but is he really my idol? I want to be a great teacher, but I'm going to be my own great teacher. I thought of my real inspirations, and came up with a pretty good one.

My friend Connie.

Actually, she's my best friend's Mom. She just went back to school this past year. She also has a son in high school and a brand new granddaughter (Abby!!). She's still working full time, but has received ALL A's in her classes so far. She's on track to complete her graduate degree by this April, because she's refused to take any time off school since the day she started.

I think it's great to have heroes in your profession, people to look up to, characteristics that you may strive to embody. But in the end, it's your real heroes, your family and friends, who help remind you that you can achieve. That an everyday goal can be accomplished with everyday courage and everyday fortitude. That you don't have to be a superhero to do it all-- you just have to care. To really want it. And I do.

~*~*~

Now, this wouldn't be a Class and Coffee post if I didn't say something about knitting or cooking. And I haven't touched my knitting needles all week! But, I can share something about cooking:

The Sunday Sandwich Maker!

When I was babysitting on Sunday night (yesterday!), Matt made all our sandwiches for the week. They're here wrapped up and just waiting to be grabbed so that we'd save time. He made mine with American cheese, my favorite :)

Life is good.

~*~*~

Next post: My first day of school!

~*~*~

Your no-longer-freaking,
graduate-school-loving,
required-readings-reading,
wondering---who-are-your-heroes?
New Girl Blogger

Just to make sure you heard me... more about BREAKFAST!

Listening to "Hide and Seek," Imogen Heap.
(Impossible to get sick of this song)

You crazy breakfast-skippers!!

So many of you commented about busy mornings filled with granola bars or--WORSE--nothing!!

And, of course, others of you acknowledged the awesome power of breakfasts :)

And other comment notes... Ali-- that award was for you too! Thanks for all your great comments! And April, from JeremyandGirls, CONGRATS!!!!! GOIN' BACK TO SCHOOL!! YOU'RE AWESOME!! Don't be nervous; you're going to be awesome and I can't wait to read about it. Congrats again! Debby, I definitely think this quiche would be a good lunch dish as well :) Brett Alexandra-- I have a canon digital rebel xt that I loooove. And Kathy-- You're a busy Mom!! Get someone to make this quiche for you :-D

~*~*~

Cooking Update

So, for all you breakfast skippers, I thought I'd tempt you one more time.

Quiche, Take 2

Meet the cheesy potato-onion quiche, with a strawberry & blueberry side.

MMMmmm, right?!

Sunday Preparation for Cheesy Potato-Onion Quiche:
-Chop 2 medium-sized potatoes; try for smaller, square pieces. No need to peel or cook first! Easy-peasy!
-Chop 1 white onion
-Dice up some scallions / green onion (aren't those the same thing? I'm never sure)
-Mix onion, potato, scallions and 1 cup shredded cheese (pick your fav! We used cheddar) in sprayed pie pan/dish.
-In separate bowl, mix 3 eggs, 1 1/4 cup milk. (No need to add biscuit mix this time; potatoes help to bring balance to the dish)
-Pour mixture over potato/onion mix in dish.
-Top with a little salt and pepper, then add a top coat extra cheese
-Bake at 425 for 20 minutes; cut "X" in the top cheese (which should be baked hard), then bake for additional 10 minutes.

YUM!

Fruit Tips:
-On Sunday, grab some of your favorite fruit from the grocery store.
-Clean, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Put into freezer bag and store in fridge.
-Each morning, take out a cup of your mixed fruit!
-Like it sweet? Sprinkle fruit with a half packet of Splenda or Equal!

Now if that's not an easy, yummy morning... I don't know what is!

~*~*~

Now, this week is jam-packed for me.

Because...

IT'S THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!

Just picture me jumping up and down.

I'm so excited.

On Sunday morning I made Matt look at my binder and all my hole-punched syllabi.

CAN'T wait!!

On that note-- off to do some more reading :)

EAT BREAKFAST, PEOPLE!!

~*~*~

Your running-around, breakfast-obsessed
loving-orientation, smiling-for-my-new-student-ID,
TRYING TO FIND TIME TO KNIT and BLOG READ,
New Girl Blogger

Attention Breakfast Skippers!! Also- Pictures with Grandma, Vol. 2

Listening to "I'm Not Over," Carolina Liar.

An award, another Grandmother visit (this time, Matt's grandmother!) full of pictures, and yummy breakfast dishes. Think you're up for it all?

~*~*~

But first--
Comments!

Thanks so much for all the great comments!

To answer some questions... Amy, I used a pork tenderloin. It was very easy to marinate in the fridge and then to cut into pan-sized pieces! LK, I have seen those binder clips!! I went to Staples after my school-supply splurge and had to seriously control myself... I wanted everything! :) Burpandslurp, no worries-- I will definitely be updating my blog full of TA stories once everything gets underway. Brett- I haven't seen Julie & Julia-- YET! My Mom and I have big plans for that one. I know I'll love it! We've been YouTubing Julia Child lately haha.

ALSO: Sounds like I'm not the only school supply fan :) Don't you wish they had lunchboxes like that back when we were kids?!?! And as for the Asian-style cooking advice-- seriously appreciated :) Thanks!! Oh and Chadski-- first meal in the apartment sounds great! I'm always looking for easy pasta sauces that don't require much effort or much money (Alfredo sauce is so expensive at the store!). That sounds like a keeper!

~*~*~

Award!

I didn't fulfill my award responsibilities last post! Sorry! So here it goes!

Thanks again, Ace!

Here’s how it works: USE ONLY ONE WORD!

Tricky, tricky!

1. Where is your cell phone? hiding

2. Your hair? chameleon

3. Your mother? bright

4. Your father? Army

5. Your favorite food? carbs

6. Your dream last night? strange

7. Your favorite drink? coffee

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. What room are you in? living room (compound noun should count as one word, yes?)

10. Your hobby? myriad

11. Your fear? loneliness

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? teaching

13. Where were you last night? kitchen

14. Something that you aren’t? mathematician

15. Muffins? Mmm.

16. Wish list item? Wii

17. Where did you grow up? Everywhere

18. Last thing you did? eat

19. What are you wearing? Comfortables

20. Your TV? Matt's

21. Your pets? Soon!

22. Friends? lovely

23. Your life? starting

24. Your mood? excited

25. Missing someone? Madden...

26. Vehicle? tired

27. Something you’re not wearing? contacts

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? ambivalent

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? Unsure

32. Your best friend? Many

33. One place that I go to over and over? Mom's

34. One person who emails me regularly? Bookstore

35. Favorite place to eat? out

Pass the award on:
Hey, commenters! Thanks again for all the great comments! Feel free to accept the award!

Or, just enjoy some one-word contemplation and try the word challenge!

Ashley, Ali, Amy --- Just A Titch, Samantha, Kym, Trina, Ace (Feel free to re-accept! :-p ), Kim, Mary, Peggy, Sarah, Amy, The Duo Dishes, Chow and Chatter, LK - Healthy Delicious, Tony, Ron, Thegamerswife, Clelia, LiLu, Ella Everywhere, burpandslurp, Iva, stephchows, nora@ffr, Brett Alexandra, chadski

~*~*~

All About Breakfast

What are your breakfasts like? Enjoyable? Rushed? Coffee-drenched? Or, (hope not!) SKIPPED???

If you're anything like my boyfriend, you just may be busy in the morning. Trying to sleep in till the last possible second, then breezing out the door with office files and a game plan for the new day, some busy-bodies skip breakfast in attempts to save time.

No more, I say!

I love breakfast. I love cereal, bagels, fruit cups, muffins, eggs, sausage, bacon, and yes-- coffee. Breakfast is my favorite meal! I don't skip breakfast for anything. If I wake up at 2pm (Promise, that hasn't happened since college! But IF...), then lunch may get skipped. But NEVER breakfast!

BUT Sarah! I have no time!
I can't make breakfast in the morning!

Well... then don't make breakfast in the morning :) Make it on Sunday, and enjoy it all week!

Delicious, Nutritious Quiche!

Version 1: Veggie Quiche with red and green peppers, onion, and scallions.
adapted from recipe found on GroupRecipe.com

MMMmm...

Simple Sunday Preperation:
Preheat oven to 425. Chop veggies and put in sprayed pie dish. Should be enough veggies to really fill dish! In separate bowl, mix milk (1 1/3 cup), biscuit mix (2/3 cup), and 4 eggs. Pour mixture over veggies. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then poke holes in top crust and bake for 10 more minutes (keeps quiche from being too runny by allowing moisture to escape. Learned that the hard way...)

Why I Love It:

• Easy to grab and heat a slice before work; you can even tupperware some and eat at work! Or, enjoy at home! Dress it up with sides of salsa or sour cream, or even wrap it in a warm tortilla!
  
• Filling, but healthy! Energy throughout the day!
• Adding biscuit mix-- sometimes I find eggs to be a little... unsettling on the stomach. I don't know why, but I just can't handle too much egg in the morning. But, by adding the biscuit mix, it makes the dish a little less "egg-y" and really, really yummy! Also, you can afford to add the calories since the dish has no high-calorie crust.

Next Post- Version 2: Potato & Onion Breakfast Quiche!

~*~*~

With that, here are some fun pictures of our weekend with Matt's grandmother and parents!

~*~*~

Your hair-dyin, quiche-enjoyin,
school-supply-organizin, sore-after-tubing,
New Girl Blogger