Garden progress and Bruschetta

So despite having no job and no car (I have inquired about both though), I have been up to a lot lately.  I planted my garden, made my own laundry detergent, got a new iPhone 6, cooked a few new dishes and even made up one of my own.

Peter has been busy beautifying the outside and has done hours of yard work.  Just tearing down stuff and bagging leaves and cutting hedges.  Everything looks really nice.  All of that below was overgrown with vines and leaves and you couldn't even tell that there was brick there.

I'm thinking about planting something in the corner, but I'm not sure what to put there because that area gets little to no sun.  I'll figure it out though.  I made my own laundry detergent out of Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda 2 bars of soap and essential oils from THIS "recipe" that I found on Pinterest.  When you do the math, it ends up costing only 2 cents a load of laundry.  The recipe makes a HUGE amount.  If I were to do this again, which I probably will, I would add more essential oil because my clothes come out clean, but they don't smell like anything.  I guess that's not a huge deal but I like it when my clothes smell good.

Also, I finally got around to filling in my raised garden bed.  I seriously think that using an old bookcase as a raised garden bed is the best idea ever.  It is perfect for the lazy or carpentry-challenged gardener! All you have to do is reinforce it if it's a little bit wobbly and you are good to go!  I feel like it my responsibility to inform everyone in the world about this so I'm going to pin this on Pinterest.  There isn't really a "how to", you just rip off the back and the shelves and put it on the ground.

You can see from the picture that I have kale, spinach, basil and tomatoes growing.  I bought all of those plants because I wanted something to take care of.  But what you can't see are the onions, garlic, arugula, carrots and green peas.

The carrots and green peas poked out of the soil today and I think I got more excited about that than I have about anything in a very long time.  Look at them! Aren't they cute?!

If I was to ever describe a plant as "adorable" this would be it 

Eeeee they're so cute and small

I put the tomato in the ground two days ago and it's already grown a pretty decent amount.  I am a proud plant-mother.

In other news, I came up with a recipe for bruschetta.  If anyone knew me in Naples, my favorite pizzeria that isn't Da Michele's or Di Matteo's is Panda Pizza.  It is a 2 minute walk from my house and I've been eating there for years.  The only thing that they do better than pizza (in my opinion) is bruschetta.  I compare every bruschetta that I have to Panda's bruschetta.  There are a few that come close, like Cerbero's or Old Friends and there are some that taste like garbage... I'm looking at you Fratelli la Bufala.

I always say that I'm going to try and come up with something similar, but I never actually have.  This is my attempt and it was pretty darn good.  It wasn't the same as Panda.  But let's be honest, nothing will be the same as Panda.  Their bruschetta has a zing to it, that I have determined to be white vinegar.  

Bruschetta alla Pomodoro 

A few tomatoes - diced (I used 5 plum tomatoes)

A loaf of crusty bread cut into slices about 1 inch thick (I prefer sourdough)

a bunch of fresh basil finely chopped (I used the plant from my garden... so fancy) 

1 clove of garlic, halved

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

EVOO

3 tablespoons white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the tomatoes, vinegar, basil, about a table spoon of olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Let the mixture marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, stirring occasionally.  I know this isn't how you make traditional bruschetta but it's worth it! Trust me.

When you're ready to serve, toast the bread on both sides.  Rub the clove of garlic on the side that you will be putting the tomato mixture on, then drizzle with olive oil.  Spoon the tomatoes on with a slotted spoon and you're done!  I like to splash a little bit of balsamic vinegar on it.

very sharp and new knife!

Peter did this. So fancy.

I can't wait until I have my own tomatoes to make it with! Enjoy!

Ciao ciao
xo Katelyn

A short tribute to Italian food

So again, I have fallen behind on the blogging.  It's not that I don't want to blog, because I do, and I think about it all of the time.  I think it's mostly because most of the stuff that I do, I don't think anyone would want to hear about.

I wasn't sticking to vegan as stringently as I usually do out of pure laziness and I was tired, my skin was breaking out and my body just wasn't running optimally.  I would justify it with "Oh well I'm not going to be in Italy much longer so I might as well just eat this parmigiano" or "Where else am I going to get real mozzarella di bufala?" I think I was kind of denial that I went vegan for health reasons as well as ethical ones.

It's easy to forget that Italian cuisine isn't all cheese!  Whenever I go to Il Cerbero, a restaurant within walking distance of my house, all bets are off the table, and I'm getting Penne alla Siciliana, which is penne cooked al dente with a sauce of eggplant, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.  I always feel really terrible (physically and emotionally) afterwards but I still did it.

I decided that I needed to cut that out and this time I got Spaghetti alla Pomodoro which is just spaghetti noodles with a sauce made out of fresh tomatoes and a basil leaf or two.  It was so amazing and just what I needed/wanted.  I've never raved about a plate of spaghetti but this was so perfect.  You could taste how fresh the tomatoes were and the pasta was cooked in salted water and ooooo boy it was delicious.

A bunch of typical Italian dishes are vegan. You can veganize basically any pizza by omitting the cheese. However, I don't think Quattro Formaggi pizza would have quite the same effect.  Whenever I go to Panda Pizza, by my house (Which is honestly at least twice a week because it is my favorite pizza in Naples and the surrounding area and it is also walking distance distance from my house.  If you want to get there, put in the coordinates (40.861719, 14.065153) and it should be on the same side of the road like two mins up the road.  Go there! Get their bruschetta and pizza! You won't be disappointed!) I get bruschetta, their mixed antipasti plate (vegetarian so Peter can eat the cheese) and some variation of pizza marinara.

The best bruschetta I have ever had in my life

Panda's bruschetta is on a different level, one day I'm going to recreate it, or get the balls to ask them for their recipe.  There's definitely a little bit of vinegar in it.  I'm going to figure it out some day.  Their antipasti plate is also great.  My father said that it was a rip-off because it's basically just pizza toppings but that is incorrect because they have grilled and marinated eggplant on it that is to die for.  There's also zeppoline, which is a Neapolitan appetizer that is fried balls of dough and seaweed.

The pizza at Panda is amazing and you might think that as a vegan, you are only limited to Pizza Marinara, which is pizza with tomato sauce, garlic, oregano and a few basil leaves, but you're not.  Sometimes you might want to stick with the classic like I did last night, but in Italy, you can get basically anything on your pizza.  Here are a few things that I have seen people get on their pizza: Rucola, friarielli, french fries, olives, peppers, corn, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, artichokes, eggplant, zuchinni and the list goes on.  If I'm not getting normal marinara, I like to get it with rucola, peppers and mushrooms.

Pizza marinara

Another one of my non-vegan weaknesses is Subways's Chipotle Southwest sauce. If I'm getting Subway, you better believe I'm getting SW sauce.  Southwest sauce is basically a mixture of ranch/mayo/something mildly spicy/red food coloring. Hold the cheese, but please smother my meal in Southwest sauce, thanks. I realized that this is completely ridiculous  and I need to cut it out. I've found a solution in bringing a bottle of "creamy" vegan salad dressing with me when I eat at Subway. Lately  I've been using Organicville's Non-dairy ranch and  I've been Southwest sauce clean for two sandwiches now.

If you too are trying to kick your Southwest Sauce habit, check out this copy cat recipe here and look at how gross it is.  Recipe Here.

Anyways! Changing gears here.  I devoted an entire blog post to my favorite Italian meals because I'm not going to be eating it for much longer.  That is correct, I am leaving the nest for a second time and finally moving out of the house.  Peter and I are moving to Pensacola, Florida.  I've never been so I'm super excited.  I'm going to keep doing UMUC online and then maybe I'll apply to UWF in the spring? I'm not really sure, I just know that I have to get a car and a job and I'm a little scared but a lot excited! If you're in Pensacola and want to rekindle our friendship, message me! Peter will be taking classes so I'll probably be bored until I get a car or a job!

Ciao ciao!
x - Katelyn

ps.  On Thursday I received my Erin Condren life planner and it was the happiest moment of my life and I cried a little bit.  About six hours later, I left it outside of my house on a ledge, never to be seen again.  Probably picked up by our trash guys.  After a few temper tantrums, I got a new one but I probs won't get it for a month.  I was so excited about getting myself organized and I LOST IT. I didn't even have it for more than 24 hours.  I hate myself.  It was so beautiful.  RIP Planner.

If you too would like a planner like mine, click HERE.  I got all of the add ons, like the pens and the pen holder and the thing that holds it closed and now they are all GONE. Kill me.