the traveling cupcake: trvlngcupcake

Showing posts with label trvlngcupcake. Show all posts

Friday, January 13, 2012

Hotel Mayr - Italy

Even though we don't even own our first house yet, we already know where we want to own our second house. Yes I realize I am putting the cart before the horse here, but stay with me. The first time we went to the Dolomites in October 2010 we fell in love. We fell in love hard. We had a full on affair with the Dolomites, returning there for Christmas 2010 and 2011. We would have gone back a few more times last year but we forced ourselves to explore new places.

Whats so magical about the Dolomites?

*read more*

Friday, December 30, 2011

2011 - A Year in Review

I can't believe it's that time again. Time to say good-bye to one year and hello to another. Is it just me or do the years go by faster and faster the older we get? No? Just me? Thanksgiving is usually the time when most people reflect upon all the things they are thankful for. For me New Years is also that time. It's a chance to look back at your life during the last 365 days - the good, the bad, the sunny and the rainy - relive the memories one last time before looking ahead to the next 365 days of your life.

And although I am VERY excited for everything that 2012 is going to bring, I'm not quite ready to shut the door on 2011 just yet. Anyone want to take a trip down memory lane with me?

*read more*

Monday, November 21, 2011

Why I have been MIA...and some big news!

Last week I sent out a tweet apologizing for being such a bad blogger lately. I'm sure you've noticed that my posts have been somewhat lacking lately. I went from posting 2-3 times a week to barely once a week, if I was lucky. Hopefully you'll forgive me though, now that I can finally share my exciting news!

I'm pregnant!

15 weeks!

I am just about 15 weeks now and into my second trimester. Wondering why my food posts went from 100 to 0 in no time flat? Blame that on the nausea which has finally (and thankfully!) subsided. Curious as to where my Friday Favorites and travel posts went (apart from the couple that I managed to squeeze out from our weekend in Italy)? Blame that on the lack of energy and constant need for sleep that I had for about eight weeks straight. I could barely stay awake long enough to eat dinner let alone troll the internet for hours like I normally do. I can now make it through (most of) a full day without needing to sleep under my desk from 2pm-4pm, though just barely.

Baby is growing big and strong and all of our appointments have gone smoothly so far. We have our 16 week appointment next week and we can't wait to see our little one again! Baby is about the size of a medium apple this week and is growing bigger every day.

If you're interested in keeping up with our babys progress and other exciting (well, at least for me as a first time mom!) updates please visit my NEW blog - the mini traveling cupcake! If you would rather not know all the details (I totally get it, it's not everyones bag of chips) then stay right where you are - now that I have my energy back I will be posting as regularly as possible.

Apart from being pregnant and adjusting to that huge awesome news, I have also started a new day job and my weekends have been booked up with children's photo shoots - so I have lots of exciting recaps from those to share with you. We also have some awesome trips coming up (including the ultimate Christmas Market trip) and I can't wait to fill you in once we are back! And now that am back in the kitchen making something other than a bowl of cereal (seriously, I have consumed so.much.freakin.cereal in the last nine weeks) I'll be sharing what I've been busy baking - just in time for the holidays!

Thanks for staying with me while I was so MIA. Here's to a great winter, fantastic holiday season and a healthy mini cupcake!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Friday Favorites...Anniversary Edition

Happy Anniversary!!

Three years ago this week we packed our bags and moved across the pond. Can you believe that?! Where does the time go...

I thought it would be fun to do a special anniversary edition of Friday Favorites in honor of the last three years - three action packed years at that. Our primary reason for moving was to take advantage of a new continent at our door step, and I think we've been doing a pretty good job...

Here are some of our favorite trips from the last three years -

*read more*

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Locanda Al Colle

To be perfectly honest, I didn't do much planning for our trip to Tuscany last weekend. A friend had already booked the trip and invited us along with them, so my flights and hotel were already chosen for me. Bonus. All I needed to do was show up.

Things that I can do in life:

1. Show up for a trip to Tuscany

2. Eat cookies

Sadly, our friends had to cancel their trip. We figured we might as well still go, heck the trip was already booked. But now...now I had to do some actual planning.

What airport were we flying in to?

Where the heck is Camaiore??

What kind of pasta am I going to eat?!

See? Things were getting scary, real fast.

Luckily, one thing I didn't have to worry about was where we were staying.

Enter Locanda al Colle.

aka - a little piece of heaven in the Tuscan country side.

My friend found this hotel through Mr and Mrs Smith (seriously, check them out ASAP if you think I am talking about a movie rather than an awesome boutique hotel website) - and let me tell you, the Smiths did not steer us wrong. Neither did the awesome reviewers on TripAdvisor - every.single. reviewer for this boutique hotel on TripAdvisor gave it an "Excellent" rating and wrote a glowing review.

So, did this place live up to all the hype?

You bet your boots it did.

It was more than what we could have imagined or hoped for from a place to rest our feet at night.

Upon arrival the first thing I noticed (besides all of the cute and welcoming nooks on the front patio that just screamed COME HERE AND DRINK A GLASS OF WINE! and all of the amazing flowers blooming around the entire property) was that there wasn't a check-in desk. There was no formal computer system or line of other guests waiting anxiously to get to their room. Instead, I was greeted by softly playing music as I stepped in to the hotels living room. Arianna appeared from nowhere and welcomed me right in. Within moments of telling her my name she had our room keys in hand and was showing me the way to our room.

Immediately upon entering the room I felt at home. I was hard for me not to kick off my shoes right then and there. After a quick tour of the room she was off again, and I was left to my own devices. As I usually do when I first get to a new hotel room, I went through every nook and cranny in the place. No drawer was left unopened, no door was spared from being opened. I read all the welcome pack information as well as had a peak at all the bath goodies and the rain shower in the bathroom. And then, I sat down and took it all in.

The room was impeccably decorated with vintage furniture, interesting mismatched pieces that perfectly fit together in a way that I could never replicate in my own home. The room was a calming mixture of taupe and sage green, eggshell and muted gold with pops of orange and wood furniture. The bathroom was divine. Bath products made from local olive oil, plush over sized towels and the biggest rain shower I have ever seen in my whole life nearly made me want to move right into the bathroom itself.

Of course if I had done that I would have missed sleeping in the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on in Italy. Not only was the bed comfortable and the bedding luxurious - but the pillows! These were the biggest, fluffiest, squishiest pillows I have ever slept on in probably all of Europe. Typically in European hotels (apart from all the big chains, obvi) the pillows are some sort of an after thought. Or maybe, Europeans don't really care about the quality of their pillows too much. All I know is that they usually leave us with a sore neck the next morning. But no...not these....

And the view....

Oh, the view....

If you look hard enough you can just see the coast and Mediterranean in the distance. I was surprised at first but then realized that we were only 5km away from the sea. Amazing, considering it felt like we were a million miles away from everything.

Locanda al Colle is nestled in the Northern Tuscan hills, about thirty minutes drive north of Pisa. Lucca is close by as well as many charming small towns, and the ritzy summer seaside town of Forte dei Marme is a mere ten minute drive away. Normally we stay in Southern Tuscany, so I was a little apprehensive about how we would like this area. I should never have feared (duh, we were in Italy after all). There are more than enough things to do here, I wish we could have stayed for a week rather than just the weekend.

In addition to our perfect room (next time I want to check out one of the Deluxe or Suite rooms which come with private outdoors space) the entire hotel (not that it's that big, there are only nine guest room in total) is decorated impeccably. Much of the furniture was picked up by Riccardo on his travels around the world and many pieces are vintage, perfectly preserved or restored. There is an odd mix of old and new, contemporary and vintage, but somehow it all just works.

The hotel also features artwork by local artists, from paintings to sculptures, displayed inside and out. Find a piece you really fancy? Just ask Riccardo for the price list and he is happy to indulge.

Speaking of indulgence - I haven't even started telling you about the food. Included in the rate was daily breakfast - served only from 9am to 11am (my kind of place - you don't have to worry about getting there early before all the good stuff is gone!) - and is a casual affair served in the communal kitchen. There are fresh breads with jam, cereals and yogurts, usually one sweet and one savory baked item and fresh fruit. Fancy some eggs? No problem! Place your order and Arianna or Riccardo will fix them right up for you, often times sitting down to join the guests for breakfast.

And if you are lucky enough to stay at Locanda al Colle on a Wednesday or Saturday night, you MUST take advantage of the home cooked dinner that is served. The chef (who used to work in a two star Michelin restaurant I might add) cooked us, and the other hotel guests, a delicious four course dinner. The evening starts with a glass of prosecco and canapes in the living room while you mingle with other guests or admire the artwork. Moving into the dining room you have your choice of wine (or more prosecco if that's how you want the night to go down) and then the courses start flowing.

While we were there we had a delicious polenta starter, followed by an artichoke and spec risotto and ended by pan fried sea bass with seasonal vegetables. Each bite was divine. And then, we had dessert. Arianna made an orange tiramisu that was out of the world. The orange flavor was so delicate and it was such an interesting and inventive twist on a traditional Italian dessert. We had an excellent time chatting with the other guests and learning more about Riccardo and his amazing hotel.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot to mention!

Don't forget to bring your bathing suit (like I did). There is a heated pool that is open year round.

Overall I have to give Locanda al Colle is glowing five star review (As if you couldn't tell that already). Not only is the hotel beautifully decorated and as comfortable as your own home (if not more!) but the hosts Arianna and Riccardo really do make this place special. They were both so helpful in recommending local restaurants and things to do, and were more than happy to print out ferry schedules and add their two cents on how to make our stay even more enjoyable. It is amazing to know that this place has only been open for a year and a half - when it seems like they have been doing this all their lives.

The value for money here is outstanding - but you better hurry up and go...this place won't stay a secret for long!

Locanda al Colle
Via della Stretta, 102
loc. Capezzano Pianore
55041 Camaiore (LU)
Phone +39 0584 915 195
http://www.locandaalcolle.com/

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Project 52 - week 28 and 29, and other random thoughts

This is a bit of a hodge-podge post today, stay with me! I have a few things on my mind and you get to hear all about them! Grab a cup of tea and settle in...

Random Thought #1: Screw New York
A friend of mine sent me a link to an article from a blog I had never heard of, Thought Catalog. And now I have a new obsession. The blog is a collection of posts on what appears to be random subjects from a big group of contributors. You never know what you're going to find, and it is constantly updated so there's always something interesting to read about. The link my friend originally sent to me is called Screw New York. At first I didn't know what to think, why would I want to read a negative article about my first love, New York City?! But I decided to go for it. And then, every emotion and thought that I have ever had with my love/hate struggle with NYC was right in front of my face, in black and white, laid out so clearly for the world to see.

If you have ever lived in NYC, either currently or in the past, you need to read this article. Do it!

And while you're there - check out this video on Google+

Random Thought #2: Pinterest
It's really starting to be a problem. If you have ever wanted one online space to keep any visual inspiration you have for food/clothes/style/beauty/travel/books/DIY - ANYTHING, you need to join Pinterest ASAP. Actually, I take that back. DON'T. Run for your life. Otherwise Pinterest will suck you in and you will spend hours with your eyes glued to your computer not blinking or moving or barely even breathing.

The first time I heard about Pinterest I heard about it four times in one week. I thought that was a bit odd and anything that I heard about multiple times in one week is bound to be awesome (except for Twilight, I'm sorry I still can't bring myself to be interested). Anyway, I went online, signed up and had a look what this new fangled site was all about. In the most basic sense it is an online space where you can create boards to house things that interest you. But really, it is so much more. You can repin other peoples inspirations, you can add a bookmark on your tool bar that allows you to pin nearly anything you want from the internet, AND you can download and app for your iPhone/iPad for mobile pinning. Basically I love this site more than facebook and twitter combined.

And because I can't post anything on my blog without a picture included, on to Project 52. I have to admit, while I still LOVE this project, I have been slacking mah-jor. I find my self using photos that I have randomly taken during the week to fit the theme of the week. At least that means that I'm consistently using my camera, what it also means is that I'm not actually challenging myself to think outside the box and take pictures of that weeks theme on purpose. So, thats my renewed challenge to myself.

Project 52 - Week 28 Sweet Release

These Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats fit the theme perfectly!

Project 52 - Week 29 Get in Close

Taken at the Louvre last weekend while I was in Paris. Any closer and we'd be right in that guys mouth!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Vanilla Scented Granola

*Like what you see here? Sign up to receive new blog posts via email and they'll be delivered to your inbox, free of charge! Sign up on the handy tool bar on the left. Want even more? Follow me on twitter @trvlngcupcake. And lastly I want to give a big THANK YOU to the folks over at Conversation for creating the awesome new banner for The Traveling Cupcake - check them out here *

I have been wanting to make homemade granola for about the last forever. The reason it took me so long to actually make a batch? Self control (or my lack there of). I can't have a box of granola in the house for longer than 24 consecutive hours, no matter how hard I try. When I was studying abroad in Italy I became addicted to this amazing granola that had hazelnuts and milk chocolate chunks in it. I ate so much of it that I actually think that's why I started gaining weight (it certainly couldn't have been the pasta or gelato or red wine!)

Even though that was seven years ago *cringe* I still have a hard time stopping at one bowl.

To be fair, it usually starts out innocently enough...

"I'm going to buy granola and start having a healthy, filling breakfast!" I say to myself,

"I will pair it with yogurt or milk and add fruit too! Look at me, being all healthy and whatnot!"

And then somewhere between pouring the milk over the granola and taking that first crunchy bite the room goes fuzzy and dark and the next thing I know I am waking up to an empty granola box and crushed milk carton by my side. And I'm pretty sure thats not healthy (the eating-a-whole-box-of-granola thing, not the passing out thing).

Yet no matter how hard I try to distance myself from granola it always finds a way to sneak back into my thoughts. I finally decided that the only way I could get it off my brain would be to make a batch myself. I even reasoned to myself that if I made it myself I could at least control the ingredients and what it was made of (no yuckies!). Suddenly, the possibilities seemed endless - oh the granola I could make!

I could add almonds, hazelnuts or pecans!

I could add raisins or craisins or dried apricots or, hey why not, a little dried mango or pineapple!

I could add dark chocolate or milk chocolate - as little (err...) as I wanted!

But for my first time around, I decided to stick to the basics. I found a great recipe to use as a base for all future granola creations. It has vanilla and sliced almonds, and just a hint of cinnamon. Its perfect on its own, but the best part about it is how adaptable it is. You could fix it up any way that you liked, whatever your little heart desires!

This, my friends, is dangerous.

Vanilla Scented Granola
adapted from Bon Appetit via Epicurious.com

4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey (or agave nectar)
2 tbsp sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract (go on, use the good stuff!)

- Preheat the oven to 300*F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease with nonstick cooking spray

- Combine the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a small pot heat together the vegetable oil, honey and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to evenly coat.

- Spread granola out on the cookie sheet and bake until golden brown. I baked mine for 30 minutes total, stirring after each 10 minute interval. After 30 minutes I turned off the oven, patted the granola down tight into the pan and put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Once cool, break up the granola into chunks, immediately shove a handful of it into your mouth and then store in an airtight container.

Extras!

After my granola was done cooling I added chopped dried pears and small pieces of dark chocolate (72%). These additions are super yummy in this granola as they add another layer of flavors and texture but don't over power the delicate vanilla taste of the granola! What do you like to add in your granola? Tell me in the comments section!

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Weekend Recap

It's been a busy weekend here in London - half of which included getting out of London! Yesterday we took a little road trip (and by little I mean a three hour car ride) to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove. I'm going to tell you aaaalllll about our trip soon (it involved a seven mile hike, picnic fried chicken and a mexican chip butty) but here's a sneak peak -

There has been a flurry of summer recipes on twitter this past week that have caught my eye. The weather is still pretending to be summery so I took full advantage of an empty house this afternoon and spent a few hours cooking up a storm.

Strawberry Vodka via David Lebovitz

Strawberries + vodka = perfect summery drink! This time next week I'll be sipping on a cool cocktail made with some of this lovely pink stuff (and it's so easy you won't believe it)

Honey Rosemary Lemonade via Shutterbean

A refreshing non-alcoholic option for these hot, humid days (I'm still waiting for some of those, but I'll drink this anyway - try adding some sparkling water for a little fizz).

Caprese Quinoa Salad via How Sweet It Is

This went PERFECT with our grilled BBQ chicken tonight. Anything with tomatoes, baby mozzarella and basil is a winner in my book. The basil olive oil in the recipe is amazing, and it's so easy to make - I can tell it's going to be a big hit in this house all through the summer!

Rosemary simple syrup (L) and Basil Olive Oil (R)

I also spent an enormous amount of time trying to make these lovely red velvet cupcakes by Pinch my Salt. I think there is a curse on me that prohibits me from being able to make red velvet cupcakes, because these did not turn out at all. The recipe is totally fine, I was just being a complete spaz by the time it came to make these. The batter came together nicely and then I was too busy dancing around my kitchen to notice that I filled the cupcake liners all the way to the top, so when they were baking in the oven they totally spilled out of the liner and all over the top of the pan. Then I decided to make cake pops out of them and that was such an epic fail I won't divulge in the details for fear of making you close your browser in disgust. The last time I tried to make red velvet cupcakes was a couple of years ago for Valentine's Day. Lets just say that I used two bags of powdered sugar and all I could get the frosting to do was curdle. So, it looks like it will be another couple of years before I try making these again!

I hope you all have a wonderful July 4th holiday if you celebrate that kind of thing. July 4th actually might be one of my favorite holidays, and one that I miss the most living in London - BBQs, fireworks, hot summer weather, small towns dressed up in red, white and blue, cold drinks, spending time with friends and family - yeah, that sounds like a pretty good holiday to me!

How are you celebrating this holiday weekend? Drop me a line in the comments section or send me a note on twitter (@trvlngcupcake) - I love hearing what my readers are up to! Have a happy and safe fourth of July!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

tweet, tweet

HHEELLOOOOOO WORLD!

I did it.

I finally bit the bullet.

Be my friend! And tweet along with me!

@trvlngcupcake

Friday, April 22, 2011

Introducing...

Change, so I hear, is good.

So, change there will be.

I'm makin' some changes around here...starting with my name.

Not my real name of course, just the blog name.

Although if I were to change my real name, I would probably change it to one of those crazy names that celebrities are naming their kids nowadays - like Apple or Tallulah. I'd be so fancy.

Right, back to the blog.

I thought it was high time this blog got a real name. Its been growing and evolving ever since I started it over two years ago. Its really coming in to its own, and I have more plans for it in the future. So, a new name.

the traveling cupcake (thats me!)

New address - make sure to save it to your favorites - http://havecupcakewilltravel.blogspot.com (better yet, become a follower and get my blog delivered to your inbox free of charge!)

Unfortunately 'the traveling cupcake' domain name was already taken on blogger. Can't win 'em all.

As I mentioned before, there will be some more changes coming up, so look for those soon!

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Photography 101

When I was in high school I was what you might call a bookworm/creative type. Sports? I left that to my sister. Academics? My grades were decent but certainly not at the top of my class. But give me a stack of books or a drawing pad and I could keep myself occupied for the rest of the day. I took a lot of art classes and for the most part I enjoyed all of them (though working with clay was never my strong suit). Perhaps the class that I loved the most though, was Photography.

I took a few photography classes in high school with my dads old Pentax SLR camera. Pretty much from the first click I was in love. The sound of the shutter is music to my ears. I especially loved the developing part of photography class (yes - this was back in the day when we used film cameras, not digital!). I loved being in the dark room - so dark, quiet and peaceful. Developing the film and seeing your images on that first contact sheet. And the best part - watching your photos come to life in the developing chemicals. The image literally appears before your eyes.

Central Park 2004 - taken with my SLR

In college I had to get serious though - time to focus on classes for my future career! I had a limited number of elective classes that I could take, and I saved those for when I studied abroad in Italy. I knew that being in Italy would be one of the best places to take a photography course. And man, was it ever. My skills had waned a bit by that time - it has been over 3 years since I had been in the darkroom. But I still have many of those images hung up around my apartment today.

Marist College - Florence 2003!

Right, back to the present. As you might notice from my blog - I still like to take pictures. Though I can't take credit for all of the photos on this site - my husband has a very keen eye for photography as well - hopefully it is very clear that I really enjoy it. After receiving a dSLR camera from my brothers in-law for our wedding, I was thrilled to get back in to the mechanics of taking pictures.

Did I mention that the last photography course I took was in the spring of 2003? That would be SEVEN years before I got my hands on another SLR camera (which makes me sick to think that it was seven - oh wait now EIGHT years since I was studying in Florence). To say I had forgotten how to use an SLR would be an understatement. Sure, I knew what the aperture and the shutter speed did on a camera - but did I remember how to set them properly to take a good picture? Not even a chance.

After a few months of playing around with the manual settings on my own and getting fairly frustrated, I knew I needed some help. So, I decided to take a photography course. I didn't want to take a semester long course at college, really all I needed was a refresher. And thats when I found LSP. London School of Photography. They offer short courses (either one weekend or four nights after work) for beginners, intermediates and in special topics.

Finally, my week had come - I was going back to school! It was a little hard sitting in a class room for 3 hours after a long day of work, but once we really got in to the material the time literally flew by.

What did we learn about?

Besides all of the obvious stuff - the bones of a dSLR, what photography is (playing with light) - we learned about...

Capturing light in dark rooms...

Painting with light...

I managed to get this image by myself by setting the camera on the kitchen table, pushing the button and then running in to position to make the heart shape with the candle I was holding...all in the dark

Ok - this picture didn't have anything to do with lessons learned in class, but I was dog sitting that week and he's just too cute not to take pictures of!

Back to the lessons...
We learned about capturing moving objects and objects in motion...

Is it just me or does the guy on the bike look like a ghost?

Panning to capture moving objects...

Depth of field...

And all of these lessons rolled in to one!

On the last day of class we were each given individual assignments and then we went down to Chinatown to shoot images for this assignment.

My assignment was "details".

Go figure.

I think my teacher caught on to my macro setting obsession.

Here are my final photos from my final project -

Overall I was very happy with this class. It wasn't too intense and didn't move too fast. I got a really good refresher on all of the parts of the camera - and most importantly - I felt in control of the camera again.

Most times...

Ooops....

Like what you see?

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday, December 30, 2011

Monday, November 21, 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Tuesday, March 01, 2011