Why go out?

Seriously, when you've got this at home, why go out? My guy's creation, squid blackened rice with prawns topped off with a touch of tomato sauce and Sicilian ricotta cheese.  He comes from Sicily so he wanted it to look like an erupting Mt. Etna :)

A dog's life

we're not spoiled

Japanese in Milan

Omakase , one of our favorite Japanese restaurants in Milan. I love their minimalist decor

This was my favorite appetizer mix yet

Always get their tuna croquettes

Anybody else get sushi for the wasabi?

too dark to see the lovely green tea creme caramel, soooo good

A day in the mountains

   

me and the doors?  don't get me started

but look at that detail

this was the only place open, we had never tried this one , turned out to be a great little find and you can't beat the personal service

the chef/waiter/cashier/owner prepared these yumm homemade ricotta ravioli with a dash of aged balsamic vinegar 

always wine, I live in Italy

the tagliata was perfect

Passito, lovely licquer 

cute town on the lake, then we made our way up to the house, thank God they cleared the snow on the scary road up

that crazy African girl loves the snow

she really loses her head sometimes

a friend made this adorable pinecone mirror for our temp bathroom

the start of my project, still looking for the "head"

that really is the view, no photoshop there

that's the lake under them there clouds

so cyute in the snow

movies

so......we went to see the new Mission Impossible movie because it was at the IMAX theater.  What can I say, anything on the IMAX screen is cool to watch.    Action Action Action, my head spins. We get movies here later than in the States, remember.  We've seen lately:

Perfect Sense,  a different approach to an epidemic.
Bridesmaids ,  I love Karen Wiig,  it got me laughing.
Descendents    3 thumbs up, how good was Clooney?
The Dangerous Method  got me excited, anything with Vigo, Ms. Knightly was amazing in this role
Another Earth   good movie
Rum Diary   Johnny Depp is always amazing, liked the film too
The Road  LOVED that film but I was a bit disappointed with the ending, I think it could've been less cheesey.


Films I've liked:

This is Spinal Tap
Limitless
Enemy at the Gates
Memento
Team America
Essential Killing          aaaaahhh Vincent Gallo
The Next Three Days    (for that kind of film, it was good)
Enemy at the Gate
What's eating Gilbert Grape ( I saw it in Spain and I had no idea who Leonardo DiCaprio was, I thought he was truly a mentally ill  challenged actor like that down boy on tv, THAT'S how good he was)
Captains Courageous  (makes me cry EVERY time)
Wizard of Oz  (of course)
When a Tree Grows In Brooklyn
To Kill a Mockingbird
12 Angry Men
Young Frankenstein (one of my all time favorites)
2001 A Space Odyssey
Shawshank Redemption

Italianese, Chinese, look at these

Milano's Cantina Isola, wine lovers' paradise

Barolo (Tomasi) 2004 & pecorino cheese, we finished it off with a Barbaresco (Gaia) '97

Europeans don't feel cold

I know, Chinese restaurant while in Italy??!!  This dive is the bomb. Always a line of Chinese and Italians.  Just reeeeally good and always fresh. 

fancy shmancy Chinese decor

I did NOT order these nasty chicken feet. Won't go there, won't do that.  

Something's tongue, I can't even look at them.

Chinese beer mmmmmm

YYYUMM grilled ravioli

I come here for this dish, their homemade crazy long pasta sauteed with vegetables.

sauteed snow peas

punk kids