So, I’ve been in New York for more than a week now, and while I’m very happy to be back and getting in the swing of things (work, prepping for the next round of summer classes), I do find myself wishing at times that I was still in Italy with some of my lovely travel mates. I’m beginning to sound like that kid you grew up with who always talked about their “camp friends.” 

This feelings sets in most strongly around dinnertime…

Over the past few days, I’ve had some Tuscan-themed dishes. On Fathers Day, my mom made a pappa al pomodoro that was quite delicious (and even better as leftovers!), and then the last night, I made a dish using pasta I bought at Alce Nero. The farro fusilli went quite nicely with the white beans, sun-dried tomato, onion, garlic, spinach, and basil. The wine and bread were painfully absent, but I still really enjoyed the meal. Though I obviously can’t recreate the dishes I had in Italy, I like to think I can at least apply some of what I learned…

For dessert, I made a very un-Italian frozen banana soft-serve with a little of Chris’ homemade granola on top. I got to have the best of both worlds.