Live What You Love

Today marks the beginning of my Summer 2011 trip to Germany and Italy. Super excited to experience my 4th time in Germany and a 1st for Italy. Many may ask why I would spend that amount of money in going to a place in Europe that I have been several times and why not explore else where. My reply: Heidelberg is a must on trips to Europe as a piece of my heart was left behind there 1 1/2 years ago and it feels like going home. Therefore, I will start and end there with 10 days of Italy in the middle.

It seems a bit surreal that I am going as I have barely even had time to think about it since I purchased the tickets a few weeks ago. It’s off to a great start....this morning I volunteered my seat on the first leg of my trip in exchange for a $425 voucher and a chance to still arrive in Frankfurt on time. At this rate, I just may MAKE money on this trip :)

As I cross the ocean I have a million emotions and thoughts crossing my mind. Excitement, joy and confidence as well as a little fear, slight anxiety and uncertainty...am I crazy to follow this path? Is it unrealistic?.....the smile on my face every five minutes, the skip in my step, the calm quiet reflection and the strange subconscious confidence and sureness that overpower the questioning still tell me it’s right. I can’t explain it any better than that.

Do I sleep? (God knows I haven’t been doing much of that since I have been couch surfing for the last two weeks and living out of my car while trying to work on editing our film project before leaving as well as finishing up at my job.) OR - Do I start planning my trip through Italy? The only thing I have done is vaguely map out a little route through Italy and back up to Germany while picking a couple hub cities to make sure I hit on certain dates. I was hoping to get some time to do a little advanced research but with the unsettledness in my unpredictable life and spontaneity in the decision to travel this summer, time got away from me. And although it’s quite an enjoyable read, I’m not sure the first few chapters of "Under the Tuscan Sun" that I read this morning would exactly qualify as advanced research. So with an iPhone Rome Guide App and the Lonely Planet Italy book, I should be able to get started and the rest will be research in the moment.

The responsible, practical part of my brain says I should probably get to booking places to stay and make an agenda but since when has that part of my brain been getting any use; do I really want to start now? It seems to be the spontaneous and whimsical part of my brain and/or the depths of heart that gladly takes over and reassures me it’s all good and it will all fall into place as I go cause this is what I’m meant to do.

This trip has been declared a food tour with the idea of exploring the food culture and documenting it both in writing and in photo, maybe even a little video. I actually went as far as telling the person sitting next to me on the first plane that I was traveling for fun but also as a food and travel writer and owner of a production company creating a film series on food culture. It just sort of came out. It surprised me and caught me a little off guard as it rolled off my tongue with ease and confidence. Felt a little scary for a second but it also felt GREAT! Guess it’s all a part of putting it out there and taking ownership of my vision. This is the beginning of the food and travel journey with high hopes of it becoming my profession one day, somehow.

Although I am looking forward to seeing the tourist sites, art, and architecture, my main interests lie in the local people, home cooking, food markets, street shops, farms, bakeries, gelato shops, and vineyards. As far as the route plan goes, the first couple days I will be in Heidelberg, Germany visiting my dear friend Carolin and of course other friends and family from when I lived there. Then the the train ride begins with the first stop in Rome. I purchased a Eurail pass to get me around while I’m exploring. It’s a great way to travel and is way cheaper than buying separate train tickets if you plan to hop around the country. After a few days in Rome, I will make my way up to Florence for a few days, all the while hoping to explore the surrounding areas as well. After Florence I will maybe hit up another small area and then make my way back to Heidelberg around the 8th or 9th just in time to celebrate my birthday with friends and wrap up my trip in Germany before the return trip back to Chicago and on to Montana.

Enough about the minimal travel plans; lets talk about the main event: FOOD. My first meal of the trip......the in-flight meal. With choices of chicken or pasta, I decided that I better prep myself for Italy with a little pasta. Don’t worry I wasn’t going to even pretend it would stack up to the real thing.

The curly white noodles were soaking in a pesto cream sauce and garnished with a few canned chopped tomatoes; I’m not so sure Italy would have approved. In-flight meals are always a special surprise, aren’t they? You never know what you’re gonna get steaming in those little black plastic hot boxes. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my usual bag of travel snacks; the fridge in my house (aka: car) was out of order due to summer weather. Setting aside my pride as a nutritionist, I scooped up and stomached a few bites of the soggy pasta before calling it quits and settling for the 4 pieces of romaine lettuce, 1 cherry tomato, 1 slice of cucumber and a soft whole wheat high fructose corn syrup roll with few dips of creamy italian dressing. That should hold me over until I get to Germany where the fun begins.

Destination: Germany and Italy

Mission: Fun, Food, Friends, Wine, and Culture

Head in the Clouds...Feet on the Ground

I bought a ticket today! Off to Germany and Italy for 2 1/2 weeks on June 26th! Here we go. You better be ready for a little adventure and some rockin food pics!

I took this photo with a group of my class participants this last weekend but of course I can't show other faces without consent so hence the cloud like structures on top. After I was playing with the photo a bit, all I could think of was the phrase "head in the clouds". Funny...that just so happens to be right in line with how I'm feeling these days. The difference is that I also feel like my feet are still grazing the ground. (Some may argue that and think I'm WAY up there , floating along, but what do they know.) I decided to google it and found this great article in The Huffington Post.

"Keeping your Head in the Clouds and your feet on the ground" HOLLER!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-robbins/keep-your-head-in-the-clo_b_559814.html

A Touch of Madness?

Sometimes it requires a touch of madness to take the next step. If you really believe in something or want something to occur in your life, I am a firm believer that you must take steps toward that goal in order to make it happen; no sittin around. I suppose that is what my touch of madness is these days. After some contemplating, reflection, and a ton of conversations with the big man upstairs, I decided to take one of those steps. I can’t explain how this is going to all turn out but I am having faith in good things. I decided to quit my job and do a little traveling this summer and then put my heart into this passion of blogging, cultural exploration, travel, food experiences and filming. Don’t ask me any questions because I know no answers. All I know is it feels like the path that I am called to be on. Come on people! You really can’t be that surprised. It’s Becky Bowler we are talkin about!
After making that decision, I went in to my boss’ office on Monday and gave my two weeks notice BUT something happened that I didn’t expect. She actually asked if I would just take a temporary leave of absence for this summer and then when I return I am welcome to take my job back part-time or full-time if I so desire. What! That’s a comforting thought and possibility for some income while I’m pursuing a dream. Sort of reminds me of when I had to quit my job 4 years ago in Seattle and had no idea what I was going to do but they offered that I work from home for a couple months. 2 years later as I was STILL working from home with that same “temporary” job, I had gone back to school and set myself up for a new incredible career and new passion. I love knowing that things happen for a reason and we are all in the space we need to be at any given time.
Now that the whole day job thing has worked itself into something unexpected, there are still some uncertainties such as where in the world and exactly when I (and hopefully Sari) will be going for a couple weeks of travel before I head back to Montana for a couple weeks; where I will be living, as I may need to move out without any income; and what will come of our TV show project. All I know is that I am taking the steps, moving forward, scared as hell, but extremely excited to be following along. Opportunity awaits, the doors just need to be tapped on and opened. It isn’t always comfortable, but what is when it isn’t in your control and nothing really EVER is in your control. I like what Ran Zilca, writing for Psychology Today, says about comfort:

"We live in a society where comfort has become a value and a life goal. But comfort reduces our motivation for introducing important transformations in our lives. Sadly, being comfortable often prohibits us from chasing our dreams. Many of us are like lions in the zoo: well-fed but sit around passively stuck in a reactive rut. Comfort equals boring shortsightedness, and a belief that things cannot change. Your comfort zone is your home base, a safe place not to stay in, but to return to, after each exhausting and exhilarating expedition through the wilderness of life. Take a look at your life today, if you are enjoying a shelter of comfort, break through it and go outside where life awaits."

So....here goes! Comfort zone MIA.

If you could do anything in your life right now, what would it be? Envision it, grab it by the horns, ask for some guidance and take the first step! Fear is a good thing ;)

That's A Wrap!

Sunday we finally completed the last of our filming in order to put together our final product….a 7 minute trailer for our TV series proposal. It was great! It was a beautiful day, so we were able to shoot some footage on the 11th floor balcony facing the awesome Chicago skyline. Don't worr you won't see my feet in the shot ;)


The happy directors, Ted and Sari, enjoy the sun while bossing Dave and I around :) Just play'in! Love you guys!


After about an hour outside the remainder of the day was spent doing a one person interview segment, set with our kitchen in the background.



It was such a fun day; shooting footage, hanging with the crew, having a summer afternoon cocktail, eating Royal cake and talking about and expressing what I love most....Food, Culture, Family and Travel.......Editing and finalizations are now in progress in hopes of completion by the end of the month and then the pitching begins!

Royal Treat

So I finally whipped up the Chocolate Biscuit Cake. Only a few ingredients and super easy. I just might need to take a cake decorating class though. I decided to make it on Sunday before we starting filming when I knew we were going to have people over. I don’t like making something when I know I won’t eat (or at least don’t want to eat) all of it but want to try the recipe for fun. It turned out great! Everyone loved it just as much as the Queen! Tastes a bit like a Kit Kat bar. All I have to say is you can’t go wrong with chocolate. And yes the egg was raw but I made sure it was organic and cage-free ;)
The production crew and guests gobbled it up with pleasure and I brought a piece down to one of my favorite doormen. Overall success! Thank you Prince William for getting married and introducing us to this Royal Sweet Treat.




CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE

Ingredients
1/2 tsp. butter , for greasing
8 ounces Rich tea biscuits
4 ounces unsalted butter , softened
4 ounces granulated sugar
4 ounces dark chocolate , for the cake
1 egg
8 ounces dark chocolate , for coating
1 ounce chocolate , for decorating
Directions
To make cake: Lightly grease a 6" x 2 1/2" cake ring and place on a tray on a sheet of parchment paper. Break each of the biscuits into almond-size pieces by hand and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture starts to lighten. Melt the 4 ounces of dark chocolate and add to the butter mixture while constantly stirring. Beat the egg into the mixture. Fold in the biscuit pieces until they are all coated with the chocolate mixture.Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake ring. Try to fill all of the gaps on the bottom of the ring because this will be the top when it is unmolded. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. To coat and decorate: Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it stand while you melt the 8 ounces of dark chocolate. Slide the ring off the cake and turn it upside down onto a cake wire. Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and smooth the top and sides using a palette knife. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature. Carefully run a knife around the bottom of the cake where the chocolate has stuck to the cake wire and lift it onto a tea plate. Melt the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate and use to decorate the top of the cake.

European Delight

I think I am a European girl at heart. I love the atmosphere over there, I love the food culture (with the exception of some of the British food), I love the architecture and I’ve always just felt so drawn to the overall European lifestyle. Last Sunday as I was enjoying one of my first days off at home, I just may have been sucked into a little show on the Lifetime Channel called “William and Kate”. Arrrrggh….it has always cracked me up how the quality of the Lifetime movies is not so good but we all have found ourselves getting caught up in them from time to time. I recall several weekends in college doing Lifetime marathons and this last Sunday pleasantly brought me back to those days. Anyway, after watching the “intriguing” story on how Prince William met his now wife, Kate, I had to proceed to watching the Oprah show that Sari had recorded on the day of the Royal Wedding. I loved living in London back in 2002 and it gave me such an exciting feeling to see Buckingham Palace, hear the accents, and remember everything from the time I spent there. On Oprah, it just so happened that one of the retired Royal Chef’s was a guest that day and, for the audience, he had made the Chocolate Biscuit Cake that was a replica of Prince William’s groom’s cake. This chef had made that cake in the palace several times for when the Queen would have afternoon tea and cake with the boys and it is said to be one of the Prince's favorite childhood desserts. Being the cultural foodist that I am AND a European at heart, I have decided I am going to try making that special cake just like millions of other vewiers and crazy Royal staulkers. Don't worry I won’t be making any nutritious ingredient substitutions. First step….gathering ingredients.
Yesterday I made my way up to this cool little European Market called Gene’s Sausage and Delicatessen where they sell several European goods and products. The Chocolate Biscuit Cake calls for Rich Tea Biscuits so I figured they might have something of the sort. (In England, biscuits are cookies, not big fluffy muffins that you eat with gravy for breakfast.) I found a small package of them and they really were called Rich Tea Biscuits; I love it when products just go ahead and state the obvious. Cake creation will begin soon…stay tuned.

I also have been haveing a craving for this senf (mustard) that we always ate when I was in Germany. I thought I would explore my options while I was there. GUESS WHAT!!!!

I found the exact one! I was sooo excited! Even though I’m sure I paid double for it, I can now enjoy the flavor and be reminded of where I first had it.

So with Thomy senf and Rich Tea Biscuits in hand, I left the little shop and returned back to America once again.

Health Claims

One of the things I teach people about when grocery shopping is never trust packages with health claims. Things that say "lose 4 inches in 6 weeks" or "Guaranteed to Lower your Cholesterol" or "Includes New Patented Probiotic Straw" (I found that claim on some kids juice boxes...funny) The product below just might be one exception. I thought it was hilarious. You KNOW some people buy this product just because of the name. LOVE IT!