A Facial and Breakfast

Today was another

lazy day. 

However, this time I showered and actually 

put on clothes. 

And did stuff... like clean my closet

and my tiny house. 

I've been feeling a little 'blah' since I've returned home 

and decided my skin might need a little pick-me-up.

This morning after I got out of the shower I decided to use

some ingredients from my kitchen to give myself a facial. 

I have very sensitive skin that's prone 

to breakouts, rash, crappy texture, and my skin has lots of 

scarring and dark spots. 

 The best thing for these problems is in a little white container next to my 

strawberries; greek yoghurt. 

Yoghurt contains lactic acid, which helps slough off dead skin and 

brighten overall skin tone. 

The best part is when I whip us this mask I can eat the leftovers...

ha!

Recipe for facial mask... or breakfast :)

1/4 cup greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons of honey

A pinch of raw sugar granules (for exfoliating)

Put ingredients in a small bowl and mix together; apply to cleansed face using circular motions. 

Leave on for ten minutes. 

Rinse with warm water, pat skin dry. 

 

Pasta a la' Stacey

Today is a lazy day. 

And by lazy day, I mean I haven't changed out of my pajamas.  The past couple days at work have completely worn
me out... therefore for the first time in weeks I

am dedicated to being a lazy bum.
I look like a transient. 

I haven't hardly gotten out of bed except to use the bano 

and to cook pasta.  

On days like this my books,
my kitchen, and my bed are the best things in life!

I'm still resolutely clinging to all things Italian, 

so I perused the aisles at Trader Joes yesterday. 

I did not find pecorino cheese or buffalo mozzarella, but 

I did get prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes, pappardelle pasta, 

and veggies. I didn't buy anything with any particular dishes in
mind.

So I opened my fridge this afternoon, and decided it was full of possibilities for a meal. When I make pasta this way, I never make it the same way twice. It's usually because 

I never have the same ingredients on hand. 

*You'll need: 1 package TJ's lemon pappardelle pasta (or any pasta you fancy), handful of baby spinach, olive oil, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1 small yellow squash sliced, sundried tomatoes, pancetta (fancy name for cubed bacon), vodka sauce, sea salt and pepper.

-Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add pasta noodles and cook to recommended time; I cook my TJ's for about 6 minutes so it's al dente.

-In the meantime, add about 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet. Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and add to oil. Turn heat on low-medium to sautee for about a minute. 

-Add 1/4 cup of pancetta to skillet; cook about two minutes

-Add a handful of baby spinach to garlic, pancetta and oil, allow spinach to wilt. 

-Add sliced squash and sundried tomatoes, allow to cook until inner part of squash is translucent. 

-Add 1/4 cup of vodka sauce, heat until entire mixture is hot; one thing I learned in Italy is they don't drown their pasta in sauce, which I am a fan of. You can appreciate the individual flavors of the veggies, pancetta, and noodles much better!

-Add sauce to noodles, use cracked pepper and sea salt to taste (maybe even a little cheese if you have some on hand!)

And there you have it.

   

 

   

   

Chilaquiles

 

Still adjusting to being back home. 

I spent the 4th of July in Phoenix with friends watching fireworks 

and wandering around the Phoenix Art Museum. 

They had an exhibit on Hollywood Costumes; 

I saw the suits from the Blues Brothers, Darth Vader's suit, the robe from the Big Lebowski, Marilyn Monroe's white dress in the Seven Year Itch, and a lot of other really cool stuff. 

I also started back to work this week 

and it took most of my first day to get back into the swing of things. 

It took me almost 15

minutes to put in an IV in a sweet little old 

lady. Luckily for her it was a one stick job. 

Today I am reveling in the taste of chilaquiles from Crema Cafe in Old Town. Delicious tortilla shreds with fluffy eggs, queso, black beans, crema, red salsa, and carnitas. 

I'm not sure how long this traditional Mexican dish has been around, and it's often confused with Tex-Mex migas... but it's 

probably one of

my favorite breakfast foods here in Arizona. 

I miss the food in Italy terribly (especially the pecorino cheese) but I can't live without salsa and chiles! 

 

Post-Italy Blues

I am now back in the States... and feeling strangely a little out of place. Yesterday was my first day back and I don't know what to do with
myself. 

I spent the day cleaning, grocery shopping (buying only cheese, bread, tomatoes, oil, and wine), and generally just listlessly wandering around
my neighborhood walking the dog and trying to adjust to being back home. 

Today I went in to work and was greeted by all the nurses and doctors who asked how Italy was... and all I could say was 'It was so great... I wish I didn't come home!'. When people ask about what I did or want me to tell them about it, I don't even know where to begin because there's so much to say! I also am now superbly annoyed I can't walk anywhere to get groceries or do anything. I already miss walking and finding good espresso on every corner. Le'sigh. 

I did go on a hike this afternoon and was struck at how beautiful the Verde Valley is and why I love it so much. I guess with these kind of views 20 minutes away I can't complain too much :)