Indian and Thai Cooking Classes

Brian and I wanted to find a way to meet people here in Bury and have some fun, so Brian started looking at our local college and found some fun cooking classes we could each take.  Brian ended up taking Oriential Cooking, and I took Indian Cooking.  We both had so much fun in our classes and found out how to make some really fun, great-tasting dishes!

In my class, I made a bunch of different curries with prawns, chicken, and lamb meatballs.  I also made a great vegetable rice as a side dish.  Indian is definitely the big food over here, so it's fun to be able to learn how to cook it at home.

Brian made Thai Fragrant Chicken, Beef Curry, Pad Thai, Tom Yum Soup with Chicken Won Tons, and SUSHI!!!  Since you've probably heard me complain about not being able to get good sushi in the UK (and not being able to get any at all here in Bury!), you know what a big deal this was for us.  Here's the rolls Brian made in class:

We actually put his cooking skills to the test this weekend and made sushi at home for the first time.  Brian was a great teacher, and together we made 3 solid rolls using tuna and prawns and other fresh veggies.  When we come home, we will definitely be throwing a few sushi parties!  =)  What do you think?!?

I am continuing on to Indian Cooking 2 starting this week; unfortunately Brian's class doesn't have another level.  We'll keep you posted on any other new cooking adventures!

Ciao from Roma!

Brian and I finally made it to a destination I have always wanted to go to: Rome!  Brian studied there in 2002, and he has wanted to take me back there since then.  We headed over to Italy for an early Valentine's Day / 5-year anniversary celebration, and it was amazing!  We stayed in the greatest little B&B right near where Brian studied and near the Piazza Navona and other fun areas we could easily walk to. 

During our trip, we of course enjoyed the Italian food and vino!  The pizza and pasta is so good, and wine is as cheap as water and is a must-have accompaniment to every meal.  We also visited several gelaterias around town to get our favorite gelato flavors every night.  Luckily, we didn't gain weight from all of this great eating because we walked so much while we were there!

We were able to visit the major sites like St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon.  What amazed me was how much bigger these buildings were in person, especially the Pantheon.  Honestly I didn't really get what the big deal was until I actually walked in there and looked up to the massive hole in the ceiling!  We also saw something that Rome hadn't seen in 24 years - a really good snowfall!  It was really beautiful to watch!

All in all, this will go down as one of our most special trips.  Rome is definitely a place everyone should go - the people are friendly, the food is amazing, and the ancient sites are unparalleled. 

As a new addition to our blog, we have created a movie about our trip to our favorite Italian song by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.  Click below to view and let us know your thoughts!



I'm also including some of our favorite photos below.  Ciao for now!

Foods We Miss From Home - Eating In

As a continuation on yesterday's theme, we thought we'd share the groceries we miss most from the States.  Honestly, we didn't think about the fact that when we went grocery shopping over here, we would not see the same brands.  We miss our Publix dearly!  Our supermarkets don't have the most random American things that you sometimes really want.  For example, I had a heck of a time finding maple syrup.  When I did find it, it was insanely expensive (about $8) and it wasn't even Aunt Jemima!  =)

Our American recipes don't really work over here because half the time, you can't find the ingredients you need.  (The other half the time, you can't figure out how to convert the measurements!)  Here's a list of the groceries we miss the most; luckily we are able to get some of the non-perishable items when people come to visit and when we go home.

• Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Yes, I know it's a "kid food," but it's my comfort food and they don't have it ANYWHERE over here! 
• Honey Smacks Cereal - Brian got really excited because we found Smacks in France, but they were NOT the same at all.
• Mott's Cinnamon Applesauce - A great addition to dinners!  We got semi-close when we found Bramley Applesauce over here, but it's still not the same.  =(
• JIF Peanut Butter - Can you really use any other brand to make a good PB&J?  Luckily we got a good stash when our friends Darrell and John came to the UK so we should be good until we go home again.  Thank you guys!
• Betty Crocker Cookie Mix - They have Betty Crocker over here, but the recipe doesn't even use butter and the cookies look and taste completely different!  
• Zatarain's Rices - They do a lot of the instant and plain rice over here, but we can't get a good rice mix to throw chicken in or anything.  (We specifically miss the basic Yellow Rice and the spicy Jambalaya to give us a Cajun kick!) 
• BBQ Sauce & Ranch Dressing - Two key ingredients for wings and any good football party! 
• Milk Chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast - Brian's favorite breakfast drink.   

Every time we go home now, we try to leave space in our bags for our favorite brands.  (Please note that although a lot of these items aren't healthy, we actually eat pretty healthy - you just miss things and crave them more when you can't get them!)  Of course that is getting tougher now with the new 1-bag limit on Virgin Atlantic and British Airways!  We're totally willing to sacrifice clothes though for food!  =)

Foods We Miss From Home - Eating Out

When we moved to England, we knew we would miss our family, friends, and home.  HOWEVER, we didn't factor in how much we would miss familiar foods that we have grown up with all our lives.  Brian and I have always lived in Florida, so this was a new experience for us.  We can't go to the grocery store and get our normal brands and cook our normal dinners.  We can't go out to our favorite restaurants.  (And if you've been a follower of our blog or know us well, you know how much we are missing Mexican food and sushi!!!)  Now we are not trying to complain - we are very thankful for this opportunity and are enjoying trying British food (Indian is our new favorite!), but some days we sit back and think, "Gosh, we miss food from home..." 

In case you are curious, here are the restaurants we have been missing the most and the ones we RUN to every time we go back to Florida...  =)

• Amura, Fuji Sushi, and Seito Sushi - The lack of good sushi in this country is disturbing!
• Chipotle, Moe's, and Tijuana Flats - Again, have they never heard of good Mexican food?!?  Can someone please figure out how to send a Fajita Burrito or Joey Bag of Donuts our way?
• Chick-Fil-A - A chicken sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, waffle fries, and any breakfast item would taste so good right now...
• Five Guys - Yeah, good burgers just don't happen in this country...  Remember Mad Cow Disease?  Need we say more?
• Cindy's Tropical Cafe - Yummy Cuban food near Florida Hospital - we estimate that 98% of Brits don't even know what Cuban food is!
• Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ - This is courtesy of Brian of course, although I have to agree that we CANNOT find any decent BBQ or even BBQ sauce over here.  They have salad cream covered, but they can't make a decent BBQ sauce.

Now we have to admit Britian does have a few American restaurants.  We can go to McDonald's, KFC, and Subway as much as we want, but those aren't our favorites back in the States and they don't do much for us here either.  =)  Here are pictures of "tastes from home."

The food challenges aren't just around town; they are also in the kitchen.  Tomorrow we will share the groceries and dinners-at-home we miss the most. 

Madrid: Exploring the Capital of Spain

Brian and I ventured back to Spain this past weekend to see the capital city of Madrid. Once again we had an amazing time in the land of tapas and sangria! More than anything, we enjoyed just walking around the city (and feeling the sunshine on us for the first time in a while!).

After arriving in Madrid on Friday afternoon, we went to a neighborhood tapas bar when we tried our Spanish and ordered an afternoon snack. We honestly weren’t sure what we were going to get and we ended up with an extra dish we didn’t remember ordering, but we had a great time and enjoyed our tapas! Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to take the traditional Spanish siesta. That evening we explored the city more and ended up in a food market hotspot where the locals were to enjoy dinner and drinks. Near the fresh fish stands, we found something we don’t have in Bury St. Edmunds: SUSHI!!! And what was even more fun was that you ordered it tapas-style and could get a piece of sushi from multiple rolls to make your own special selection. After our amazing dinner, we found some sangria to finish off the evening.

On Saturday, we did a bus tour of the historic part of Madrid and continued exploring on our own around the city. We visited the Royal Palace and the National Cathedral – the Cathedral was especially interesting because we are used to seeing very old cathedrals now when we travel but this one was finished in the 1990s, and you could tell that it was “new.” It was very beautiful though. Saturday night, we ate a traditional Spanish tapas dinner – we ended up ordering way too much food, but it was fun to sample a bunch of different dishes! We also enjoyed a pitcher of red sangria, a favorite part of coming to Spain!

On Sunday, we did the bus tour of the modern part of Madrid and then walked around the city some more to take in more of the culture, architecture, and of course the sunshine! Spain has definitely turned out to be one of our favorite destinations – the people are nice, the food and sangria are wonderful, and the cities we have visited have been beautiful and vibrant. See our pictures to see what we mean. Adios for now!