hira: storia di un grande amore

while everyone else is frantically searching for cheap flights around europe, planning extravagant weekends in barcelona, madrid, paris, and munich (oktoberfest! too bad i hate beer...) i am seeking something else. you know why i'm here. to learn italian. to be in torino. to BE in torino. hopefully, by wisely investing my time and money, i will come out of these four months with some perspective. every day, i think about what you said to me just before i left: 'there is no way you can go to italy for four months and NOT be changed'. i see it every day.

throwing myself into learning. in the last two weeks, i have gone from knowing absolutely NO italian to writing short essays and compositions. miraculous. recently, i purchased a childhood favorite, written in italian. my goal is to read five chapters a week and learn pages and pages of new vocabulary. the inside pages are already covered in my notes.

another way to learn italian? go to a calcio (futbol/soccer) match. on thursday, i went to the Juventus match at the stadium--i had purchased my ticket earlier than my friends, and so i was seated in a different zone. turns out, i loved being surrounded by screaming italian fans and the energy was flowing. they taught me the words to the juventus song that was chanted at various times throughout the match---juve, storia di un grande amore...

i went into this weekend with no plans. turns out, thats the best way to live in torino, because plans will evolve. i promise. friday evening started with a trip to the Bicerin, a tiny cafe in the middle of torino that serves up torino's traditional signature drink, the bicerin. there are only five cafes like this one that still serve the drink; the one we visited is the second oldest. bicerin a warmed concoction made up of coffee, dark chocolate, and fresh cream. so delicious. i can imagine myself here quite frequently when it starts snowing, but this can certainly keep me happy year-round..

later that night, the torino nightlife at its finest---i guess everyone is back from august vacations (people in italia like to take the month of august off and usually, the entire family heads south for the month, returning in the beginning to mid-september). lets just say that the sunrise looked beautiful over the river Po...

after a late night out, the best remedy for fatigue is found outdoors. long walks on the weekend have been keeping me healthy and happy (the pedometer you gave me works SO well--i love the stats and use it on my runs and long walks). heading over to piazza castello and piazza carlo felice, we come to the city center--alive with music and festivities. another day in the piazza. normal. 150 years of a unified italia coming right up.

appreciating young talent.

books festivals, CHOCOLATE festivals. free samples everywhere--the best local chocolatiers. i'm a lucky girl.

girl, put down that map. lets just wander through the piazzas.

i love my life.

elyssa: a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils

location: on the commuter bus (toronto to hamilton)

week in review:

it was quite the week. school finally started rolling - and the boy and i happily celebrated our 3 year anniversary. having been prone to anniversary meltdowns in the past, this year went entirely unplanned, except for the meal. i planned that in meticulous detail. i had my heart set on butternut squash soup, bison burgers, and homemade creme caramel. i dragged my non-morning person self out of bed at 6 am for circuit training and a stop over at whole foods for the dinner ingredients. by 9 am, i was extremely proud of myself - but exhausted. ergo, why i don't do mornings. i lack the stamina. never again.

note: there are no pictures of the above mentioned meal because it didn't happen. fine by me. the bison went into the freezer, and the boy and i set out for a fancy soirée to which he had been invited. in the midst of toronto's rich and skinny (i won't say famous - because we're talking canada here) - i devoured skewer after skewer of caprese tomatoes, braised lamb, roasted eggplant, and fresh figs. picture me - sitting in the corner marveling over the quality of high society food (that nobody was eating!) - while the boy did his best to mingle and do his thing. hilarity ensued. we came home to a shared creme caramel from whole foods with a side of you've got mail (a timeless classic). greatest movie quote ever? 'if i knew your name and address, i would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils'. all in all, the strangest, perfect day.

apart from our galavanting, this week saw more fall soup frenzy. this time -

chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and bell pepper. paprika. mmm. frozen and stored for those busy december days.

also, with the return of school, i'm always in need of portable snacks. this prompted me to try my hand at angela's salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas (leftover from the huge batch i made for the soup).

boiled in vinegar. tossed with olive oil and sea salt. roast.

dinners have been fast and easy. quick chili being a new fave.

scrambled tofu. tomato. beans. cumin. paprika. cocoa.

spinach tossed in at the end.

and of course, orange pumpkin bread to take to the boy. i made up the recipe - so i won't tell you it, because i can't remember it.

another triumph for ad hoc baking.

new challenges:

the general theme of last week was exercise hard, eat moderately. it worked. the one time i forgot my gym shoes, i switched over to yoga - no guilt in sight. i worked hard, but not too hard - and that is key. i found myself pondering: why do i exercise? the answer came to me quickly: because i love it. it has been 4 years since i first embraced the gym - and i'm finally reaching the place where i go simply because it makes me feel good.

this past week, a gust of honesty seemed to sweep over the blog world. there were posts on budget problems, weight gain, and a whole variety of 'imperfections'. it is the awareness of the shared struggle for healthy living - more than the success stories - that helps me through my day. it's that feeling that i'm not alone when i spend $11.99 on chia seeds or wake up at 6 am to hit the gym.

i had a bit of a revelation on calorie counting. the absolute worst thing i can do to myself - and the reason for many of my downfalls - is count obsessively. natural moderation is clearly the goal here. however; because i am intensely physically active, i need to have some sort of ongoing count of my protein/carb/fat ratio and my overall intake. for this reason, my new goal is to eat without counting during the day to cultivate this natural sense. at night, i plan on adding up a quick tally (i remember what i ate anyways) in order to see how i did and to plan accordingly for the next day.

blog moment: the sprouted kitchen explains why we bother to eat well

current obsessions: peanut butter (more than ever).

raw organic food bar. my indoor herb garden. gossip girl!

hira: EATaly

whats a girl to do when there are no Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or My Organic Markets around? If you're anything like me, you go to EATALY. Like everything else that is slightly amusing, i am obsessed. everywhere you turn, there are rows and rows of the days best produce, hanging racks of fish and meat, baskets of fruit and shelves of balsamic and olive oil. Nestled in between the rows of cheeses and sweets, there are several places one can sit and eat, each bar concentrating on either pasta, meat, dolce, etc.

today, i'll let some photos tell you a story. im on my way to a calcio (soccccer JUVENTUS) match :)

elyssa: midnight muffins

it was a great day.

i ran into my teenage idol - scott speedman - as he was jay-walking across the street from my house. i've seen like 5 A-list celebs in 2 days and i'm stuck on scott..

hey-ay camera phone

AND i passed the part of the bar exam that i took in august!

after an exhausting kickbox + yoga combo, i came home, plopped on the couch, and realized i really really wanted a muffin. i assessed the feeling: 'hmm. a muffin? really? this is new in elyssa world'. after verifying the legitimacy of the craving, i proceeded to make my muffin(s). i figured it was better than scrounging around the kitchen and eating something i didn't want to eat.

revelation: ad hoc baking works. my theory is that people are either natural cooks or bakers. people that are bakers, cook like they bake - lots of measuring and very precise. cooks - on the other hand - usually can't bake to save their lives. i thought this was me - until i started allowing myself to bake creatively. i feel like the world was keeping this secret of imperfect baking from me. conspiracy theory?

i found a food network recipe for orange muffins and went about making it my own. inspired by angela's approach to experimental baking, i cut the recipe in half (preventative measures). substituted earth balance for butter. almond milk for the milk. turbinado for regular sugar and whole wheat for regular flour. lastly, i tried my first flax egg replacement (courtesy of the fitnessista) - 1 tablespoon milled flax seed + 3 tablespoons water. oh and cinnamon goes in everything these days.

fluffy. orangey. aromatic. comforting.

as you can see - this week, i'm going easy on myself. i'm eating muffins in the middle of the night for goodness sake. why? because the last few weeks have been rough. adjusting to life away from the mountain always is. i've been putting incredible stress on my body and my mind ever since i returned to toronto - and now i'm working on a little inner peace.

listen now: try a little tenderness

inspiration du jour: sookie st. james, gilmore girls. i want to be her when i grow up.

hira: carbed-out

current location: torino, italia--semester abroad

is there such a thing? i'm starting my second week in italia and i have to say--they eat A LOT of breads, pastas, and cheese. obviously, its soo delicious but geeez, put a carrot stick in my mouth that isn't covered in olive oil. fortunately, there are multiple outdoor markets going on every day from 8am - 1pm, featuring local vendors with a plethora of colorful vegetables and fruits, wheels of cheese and all kinds of breads. the best thing about shopping for food and cooking in my tiny apartment is that i can go every day or every other day, pick up small amounts of fish and bread and produce instead of a bushel of apples or an entire loaf of bread. just the perfect amount.

don't worry dear--all in moderation. we've been creating lovely meals with amici including:

on sunday, a group of us decided to take a train to a nearby town called Asti for the famous festival delle sagre, a foodie and wine lover's paradise. following my usual paradoxical personality, while i don't really care for large parties and drunken fiascos, i do enjoy wandering around various vendors and sampling local specialties. something about very genuine energy is mesmerizing. it pulls you in, makes you taste life.

savoring moments with new friends and indulging in gelato. yes, i walked all the from porta nuova, way down via roma and over to via garibaldi to visit my favorite gelaterria GROM--when a friend pointed out there was a GROM location right in front of my face.

and every day, i look out my balcony to find this:

yes, a shirtless man singing a variety of american acoustic songs, inclusing jason mraz and jack johnson. he's quite entertaining, waves back at me, and lets me take awkward pictures.

new challenges: use my outdoor running times to explore more of the city, take advantage of my balcony for some daily yoga. (you're welcome for introducing you to yoga darling--i share only the things that are closest to me). daily salads. obviously, i have to balance all of the gelati.