travel

Foodie Fieldtrip Friday: Outsider Tart

~ Harper220

Today is Labor Day in the U.S.A.  Though I have lived away from America since 2008 I am still keenly aware of all the holidays and traditions that go with it. I miss my family full stop! Thank goodness for FaceTime and especially trips home. But my visits back don’t always coincide with certain holidays and I actually pine for the many activities associated with them.  Okay let’s face it I mainly miss the food associated with the holidays. And to me Labor Day means the end of summer and eating things such as BBQ, pulled pork sandwiches, salads galore, and some gooey, naughty treat!  While I won’t be able to do that today, I did get to recreate an early Labor Day meal recently at the incredible Outsider Tart here in London. Continue reading →

A Royal Experience

~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Groundbreaking, inclusive, romantic, unique, personal, different, and untraditional were many words I heard while watching the television coverage of the Royal Wedding. But the word I heard most often was modern. May 19, 2018 is a day many will remember for years to come. As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their love publicly at the Windsor Castle wedding, it is estimated that billions of people watched along with them. And while I wiped away many a tear, I also cheered as indeed it was beautiful, touching and MODERN!

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Dad, Divine Mercy and the Missing Strap

~ Harper220 ~ 2 Comments

Today is the 34th anniversary of my dad’s death. He passed away four days after his 46th birthday. This year his birthday fell on the same day as my Woman Crush Wednesday episode.  I had planned to do a little Firefighter Fieldtrip as I do each year to honor his birthday.  However, my cooking tutorial took a bit longer and the museum I wanted to visit had already closed. So I went out and about in London yesterday and saw a few cool sights that helped me feel that much closer to my dearly missed father.

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Havana a Ball!

~ Harper220

I couldn’t help the play on words when I came up with the title for this blog post about our trip to Havana.  I could have titled this “Havana a Laugh” but to be honest our trip wasn’t all fun and games.  But bottom line we did have a ball in Havana.  While we were there for the Havana Film Festival, seeing on average three films per day, we did squeeze in some sightseeing. It really is a fascinating place, with a rich history and culture. Continue reading →

A Heart Swell for Guardastelle

~ Harper220

I’m back to share more of our recent Italian adventures with you!  If you’ve read the first two posts about our edible escapades (here and here) you’ll know we were on a foodie fantasy.  Hubby booked us in for a couple more days of R & R before we had to be at the Venice Film Festival.  Guardastelle was the perfect place to soak in the warmth of the Tuscany region. And I don’t mean just the sunny weather!  We were shown incredibly warm hospitality by the owners of Guardastelle, Susanna and Fausto.  In fact we arrived a bit earlier than we thought and while we waited for our room they brought us each a glass of their own tasty wine and sumptuous bruschetta. Cue heart swell! Continue reading →

Recipe: Penne For Your Thoughts

~ Harper220

Pasta is one of the best things ever invented. While historians argue about who can take claim for the honor, I am grateful Hubby booked us into a private pasta making class while we were in Italy. We made penne, my Hubby’s fav, as well as fettuccini and the most gorgeous spinach and ricotta tortellini and ravioli.  Not only did we get to learn from the pasta queen herself, Wilma then served us a delicious lunch of the pasta we helped make.  Continue reading →

Eataly in Italy

~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

It is exactly two weeks since Hubby and I returned from our amazing trip to Italy.  You may be asking yourself why it took so long to publish a blog post about our adventures.  Well the answer is two fold.  First, just a couple of days after we landed in London I boarded a plane again to come over to the USA to visit family, where I am now.  And secondly, when you literally eat your way around the culinary Mecca of Italy, it takes time for it all to digest (literally and figuratively) before putting thoughts into words.  There is so much to share I decided to break the glorious task up into several posts.  I already shared our Cuppa Critics reviews of the films we saw at the Venice Film Festival in the last post.  While the time in Venice took up eleven nights of our two week trip, we packed in loads of fabulous foodie experiences the first few days.  So if you plan to go to the Tuscany region of Italy, you may want to take notes.  Continue reading →