Summer: less baking, more riding!

Since I have my new De Rosa I have been baking a lot less...
It's not just because of my new passion, it's also the heat that makes you not want to turn on the oven.
Since a week or two the sun heats Como up till 32 degrees C! Baking is not an option in these temperatures so I tend to buy the delicious home made cakes from the bistro at work to stock up on calories for the weekend.
I have a new computer on my bike and it tells me exactly how much calories I burn and how much fat.
And the weird thing is that it just makes me want to eat more...I had no idea you could burn twice your daily allowance of calories in a day, cycling up some mountains!
So eating carbs is not just a way of comforting body and mind but became a real necessity.

After my first ride on the Cornizzolo, I've been trying to get myself trained for any future races and rides with the group that my Love rides with since a long time. A varied mix of younger and older man and one woman, but she rides just as fast as the men and inspires me to get faster so I can keep up with her.

One good training was the Gran Fondo (amateur race) Felice Gimondi in Bergamo. We drove to Bergamo the night before because the start was at 07:00...Why so early??
And stayed at this strange 'do it yourself' bed&breakfast, without breakfast. We were all confused by the codes on doors, no keys, which means that you have to remember the code when you go to the bathroom in order not to lock yourself out. I'm better with old fashioned keys, but it seems this is an upcoming thing in Italy.

Weather forecasts have always been unreliable since I moved here, only when you don't want it to be reliable it is....like the day of the Gimondi. It said thunderstorms on meteo.it and as soon as we opened the shutters at 5am big fat drops of rain came from the sky.
The rain never stopped that day and I rode for 4 hours, soaked until the inside of my Giro d'Italia socks, to make it to the finish after 101km.
Still it's one of the best rides I did. What an adventure to leave the start with so many people at the same time, all with one goal..to finish first.
I finished second in my category and ninth overall. But seeing my name halfway the list of all  participants made me even happier, I beat about 500 men went through my head. I was a bit shocked about the competitive side in me that raised to the surface.

I even started a list in excel with all my rides, just to keep track of what I've done and to see any progress....

At the foot of the Mortirolo. We were there just before the Giro d'Italia did the same climb.

My 'rides' file

Sunny day in Toscana

Tuscan tagliere di salumi

Breakfast

The hills of the 'Crete' south Toscana

Gelato in Siena

The pleasure of a new bike...

I bought a new bike...not just some old bike, no, it's a really beautiful black and white De Rosa King 3 racing bike in carbon fibre!
I bought it second hand at this bike shop called Conti in Lecco. They have a lot of old/new bikes as the men in this area like their bike to be the latest in fashion and in the newest/lightest materials. So after a year or two on a brand new bike they replace it with something even newer.

When I picked my bike up, a week after having ordered it, it looked so pretty and fast with the white handle-bar tape and the white saddle, black wheels and tires! I couldn't wait to take her to the road.

The day after it was Saturday, sunny and 28 degrees outside, the perfect conditions for an inauguration!
I rode to Menaggio to meet my Love and his cycling friend, they took the boat from Bellagio, a beautiful way to see the lake!
The next day our friend who is the owner of the Mitchumm Cycling Team invited us to do a race in Erba, 20km from Como. This would be my very first race, but I was feeling confident with my feet clicked into some fast pedals, so I joined.
After mistaking the road and being escorted back to the bottom of the climb by the last motor, I started to make my way up to the 12km long track to the top of the Cornizzolo. One of the steepest climbs in the area.
Nearly at the top with my tongue on the floor the guys came see how I was doing and guided me on my last meters to the top. After proudly passing the finish I dived into the pieces of banana, warm tea, cookies and slices of fresh blood orange to reload myself with energy before descending back home. Delicious!! It's a whole new way of enjoying food, the real need for it makes it taste so good!

I have the feeling my next post will be a foody one...

Oh, and I have to tell you all about the garden..it's starting to look pretty now!

My investment in FUN: De Rosa King 3

In cima, view from the Cornizzolo

Opening of the Villa Olmo 'summer exhibition'

Cappuccio in Milano

Pretty notebooks at Spazio Rossana Orlandi,  Milano

Piet Hein Eek at Rossana Orlandi

Fresh violets from the garden

Frangipane apple tart, freshly baked today!

Spring is coming!

Como has been my home for the last two and a half years now. I've experienced the change of the seasons quiet a few times now, but every time spring comes it surprises me. It just pops up one day, smelling delicious and making the birds sing out loud again!
I smelled it for the first time this year on the 14th of February, Valentine's day. I don't do Valentine's day, to me it's just a commercial feats, I celebrate being with my Love every single day. And I don't need to buy him presents to show him that I care.
But still it made the start of Spring a little more romantic.

Immediately I started to work on my garden, we planted some roses in pots and I cleaned out the little patch of ground in front of our house. Ready to be filled with some white and blue Hortensia and maybe some vegetables. I will have to find out how they will grow here in my new garden.

But first we have make the most of the winter and try to go for 1 or two more skiing trips! We often go to Livigno where they have beautiful slopes and stunning views. But last week we went to Andalo, to meet our family. We took al long weekend to enjoy the bright sun on our noses and the sauna and outside pool in the Spa of the hotel. It seemed that we had been away for a week!

As spring is still trying to make it's way through, I will now jump on my bike to say good morning to the sun!

Beautiful grappa bottles in Livigno, where we often ski.

Andalo Dolimites.

Garden in wintertime.

Just got out of work!

Lago di Como

Spring, 18 degrees!

Pots and plants

Café, Caffè, Coffee, Koffie.

Coffee-break, I need a coffee, Let's have a coffee.

How many times a day do you think this word is said? How many cups of it do people drink a day?
Is it healthy or not at all? How many kinds are there? How do you drink it best? With what..?

So many questions I can think of when I think about this beverage which was introduced in the 15th Century. Originally from Ethiopia.

The English word 'Coffee' derived from the Ottoman Turkish 'Kahve' through the Italian 'Caffè'. The Turkish word came from the Arabic qaha, meaning 'to have no appetite' as it was supposed to stop you from feeling hungry.

There are so many ways of preparing this drink. The Turkish coffee, which is boiled ground coffee. The sediment needs to rest and sit at the bottom of the cup before you can drink it.
I always wonder how long this takes, and is the coffee not cold by the time the coffee sank down..?

Then their are all these cool looking machines and devices like the Moka pot, the French Cafetière, the perculator. And of course the Italian espresso machine, my favourite I must say.
The water is pressed through the freshly ground coffee with high pressure and creates a lovely creamy layer on top of your espresso, called 'crema'.

At work I drink a caffè latte every morning with a freshly made brioche filled with marmalade. Our barman Fiorello, yes that's his real name but everyone calls him Fiore meaning 'flower', makes the best coffees.
Sometimes when he's in a happy mood and I feel like a cappuccino, he makes me a flower or a heart in the velvety foamy layer.

This fall I discovered a new coffee type, the Marocchino. I had never had it before in my life and I love it!
They say every Barista (coffee maker) has it's own way of making their marocchino. I had one in Como which was made with a layer of chocolate creamyness, then espresso, then milk and milk foam and topped off with a dusting of cacao.
Then I had my next one in Milano, in a very crowded coffee bar. It was cold and I needed something warm and soothing. This one was made with a dusting of coco powder in the small cup, the espresso, then milk foam and again a dusting of coco....MMMmmm! Delicious. I added some cane sugar, cause this version was not sweet at all. I think it's my favorite new winter drink!

Marocchino in Milano

Breakfast at work, with cappuccino

Update..

Dear Reader,

I have to give you my sincere apologies... For not writing, for not uploading pictures of at least some nice food..For totally abandoning my blog for the last couple of months.

...Please forgive me, let me make it up to you, again...

Ok, that said, I would like to spent some of my energy, I have left over after a day of work or my spinning class on Tuesday and Thursday, on getting back to writing.
Pictures I have, enough to fill my phone completely so I had to delete half of my Itunes library...
If I upload them on my blog and actually write about them, so I digest and relive the experience, I can delete them from my phone and make some room for new stuff!

The big news is that we moved to a wonderful new place in Como! We're not anymore in the city centre. We left the noise of the hospital across from us, the cars and the smell of that always empty restaurant around the corner.
We moved to a more quiet place on the hillside along the lake...YES, with lake view!
The house was built in 1600, imagine haw that must have been! But is totally renovated by the landlord and we're the first to live in it!
We have our own little garden, a bath tub (to me amazingly luxurious as I only had a bath when living with my parents, which is a while ago) and a jaw dropping 5,5 Meter long (!!!) kitchen.
Can you imagine how my brain is going wild with thoughts of fragrant cakes from my oven on eye height. Or steamy risotto's on the hub! We even have a dishwasher so I can be lazy and my love too. As he will not have to clean up behind me so much.

I just wanted to show you some pics of one of our first meals here in the new house.
Risotto alla zucca with some flat fish I don't remember the name of. And our little aperativo plate with onions in vinegar, fresh goats cheese and date tomatoes.

Now I need to get up and going. I need to prepare a sofa bed for my first guest!

Ciao!

It's been a while...

Dear reader,

It seems that combining work with blogging is harder than I thought...

Since I started my work last may in Switzerland I have been mostly busy working and getting things back on track.
But also with enjoying the weekends and the great weather in Como...even though it has been raining for the last week and a half.

I have to say that my performance on the cooking front isn't what it's supposed to be. The kitchen at my work is so great! They make their own fresh pasta, fresh bread and all the vegetables are organic.
You can even take home dinner which they prepare for you in nice bags. And I must admit that last week I couldn't resist to bring home the Fajita, which I already had at lunch. My excuse was that my man at home had to try it as well. And yes, he loved it too.

So it's not that I haven't been experiencing any fun stuff lately. It's just the same old lame excuse that everybody uses when they don't do something they should do...too busy. (at least, I do)

From now on I will try to do better and pick up my cooking and writing again.

Here are some pics to make it up to you...

Wistaria wonder!

I think, well I know it's the biggest Wistaria I've ever seen. And I've caught it in the act! I'm house sitting at the moment, or let's say plant sitting at a friend of mine and that's where the blue wonder is happening.
Every day I return it's become bigger, bluer and more fragrant. And I can't stop making pictures of it.

I'm very happy to be there as I can sit outside, do some light gardening and have lunch on the balcony, in the sun. Today it's about 30 degrees Celsius in Como, you can feel that summer vibe hanging in the air....Mmm!

lunch on the balcony

oldy at our favourite tea place