Lucerne Switzerland

Our trip to Switzerland was amazing!!

I'm so grateful to be able to see this beautiful country.

We went there by bus. 

8 hour drive which was not bad. 

We got there morning and of course. 

Coffee stop is a must!

..And breakfast. :)

When we got there it was sunrise and Switzerland welcomed us with it's beautiful 

view of the alps. 

Just breathtaking.

A little windy.. well not really. 

It was really windy!

But, it was just so beautiful.

We drove to lucerne a little bit more and more beautiful views on the way!

I love how some houses is set up on the hills. 

Just beautiful.

One thing I learned about Switzerland though. 

That this is the land of luxury,

Everything here is expensive. 

So, If you are planning to visit don't be shocked about that. 

We got to Lucerne just before lunch time our first stop is the Lion monument, 

So much history and just amazing how you can feel it...
How much history it has when 

you see it yourself.

I don't even think taking selfies here is appropriate but everyone does it.

Oh well. that's just me. 

Some views on our way out.

We headed downtown and explore.

..And went to walk at the famous Chapel bridge.

They said you have to walk through it at least once. 

Full of history if you like that kind of stuff you will like it here.

How beautiful is this?!! 

It was such a beautiful day too.

I'll take a windy day than a rainy day. :)

View from the bridge.

Our tour guide.

She was such a nice lady. 

More views from downtown. 

Everywhere I look at here is just amazing. 

The clock tower.

We went for a walk more the rest of the day. 

So many interesting thing to see.

 We had an awesome lunch too just in downtown.

 Lucerne was awesome. 

Have you been there? 

xo

I'm in love.

I'm in love..

with cities I've never been to.

..and people I've never met.

Pordenone, Italy.

Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Sauce

We just got back from our trip to Switzerland!

I had an amazing time.

I'm so grateful to be able to see that country.

I want to share with you guys our trip but first,

I want to share this recipe. 

Swiss food is awesome but I was really looking forward for a home cook food.

Hubby loves white sauce, I do too. 

So this kind of dish is my go to when we want something creamy. 

This recipe is so good.

I hope you guys like it too.

Let me know what you think!

xo

Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Sauce

INGREDIENTS: 

• 6 bone-­in, skin ­on chicken thighs 

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 

• 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped 

• 16 ounces baby Dutch potatoes, halved* 

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 

FOR THE GARLIC PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter 

• 4 cloves garlic, minced 

• 2 tablespoons all­purpose flour 

• 1 cup chicken broth, or more, as needed 

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

• 1/2 cup half and half* 

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 DIRECTIONS: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

2. Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste. 

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin­side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2­3 minutes per side; set aside

4. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet. Stir in spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to wilt, about 2 minutes; set aside. 

5. To make the garlic parmesan cream sauce, melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1­2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. 

6. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1­2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1­2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

7. Place chicken in a single layer into the prepared baking dish. Top with potatoes, spinach and cream sauce. 

8. Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-­30 minutes.

 9. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Enjoy!

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Once in a while I love having seafood. 

It just sucks that it's hard to find fresh ones.

I might need to go to Italian market in town one of these days. 

Shrimp is definitely on the top of my list.

I love love shrimp. 

This is my favorite way of cooking it especially when I get tired of fried seafood.

I highly recommend this recipe! Really easy to make.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• Juice of 1 lemon, or more, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
3. Add garlic to the skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in remaining 6 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until melted and smooth.
4. Stir in shrimp and gently toss to combine.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley leaves, if desired. Enjoy!

It's Okay to go at your own pace.

"There's a difference

between challenging yourself

and overwhelming yourself.

It's okay to go at your own pace."

#notetoself 

Chicken Carbonara

When it comes to pasta, Hubby makes the best one.

But, I decided to try to make one myself.

I had a little help from him. 

But, so proud of myself for making this!

I highly recommend!

Chicken Carbonara

Ingredients

4 chicken breast, marinated, grilled or sauteed in a pan,sliced
12 oz pack of bacon, diced small
1 onion, diced small
3 cloves minced garlic
4 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 cup of frozen peas
16 oz pasta, cooked al dente with 1/2 cup pasta water reserved


Instructions 

Fry bacon until extra crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Remove all but 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan.

Over medium heat, saute the onions in the remaining bacon grease for 5 minutes.

 Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Drop the pasta in boiling water and cook until Al Dente, according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, salt and pepper until smooth.

When the pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta and placing it back in the hot pot.

While the pasta is still really hot, slowly drizzle in half of the egg mixture, stirring the pasta the whole time. The sauce will become thick and should coat the pasta.

After adding half of the sauce, add the frozen peas, bacon, and sauteed onion/garlic.

Finish adding the sauce, stirring until it’s all combined. Then add the reserved 1/2 cup of the pasta water to help with consistency. Toss with grilled chicken and enjoy!

Lake Barcis

Last Saturday, We went to Lake Barcis!

It's one of those places that I'm really looking forward of seeing. 

Seeing the pictures of Lake Barcis before makes me wonder if it can

get more beautiful in person. 

Capuccino stop before we left.

It was such a beautiful day to go to Lake Barcis.

It wasn't that cold.

It sure got a little cold when we got there but, It wasn't that bad.

Ahh.. So beautiful!

It was a quiet day at the lake.

I see some people but not much.

The water is so blue!

There is a playground, walking trail by the lake.

We spent couple of hours enjoying this view.

I definitely want to come back when the weather gets better.

Have a picnic and just enjoy the view.

What an incredible view!!!

xoxo

Dancing in Venice

Missing Venice already. 

Valentine's 2017

Hello everyone, how was your Valentine's?

Ours was awesome,like always.

Since it was on a Tuesday this year.

We celebrated it early.

It was really good!

I've  been wanting to do something outdoor but its still winter here.

So we decided to try the indoor family park in town.

It was actually nice.

Definitely perfect for weather like this.

My boys loved it!

After that we headed to dinner.

I was craving for sushi since last weekend and I'm glad we

picked this place.

Guys, this is the first time of the year that we ate out!

That's a record breaking. haha!

We have this goal to eat better and eat out lesser that we used to. 

So far, it's been good! 

Feels good to not cook for a night.

Anyways, this place was so good.

Delicious sushi. It tasted fresh and they have more than sushi in their menu.

I had Proseco with my dinner which made it even more good.

If you are going to visit Italy make sure you take advantage 

of Proseco because it's so good!

It's basically a sparkling wine.

If you are a white wine lover like me you will love it.

I don't think you will find it easily in the US.

I will definitely miss it when we leave.

But, that's okay I got plenty of time to enjoy it! 

I can't remember all the name of the sushi,

But, I definitely recommend this restaurant!

Shrimp Tempura.

Chicken tereyaki and Fried rice.

Random Valentine's gift that hubby got me.

He's such a sweetheart.

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken

Hello everyone!

It's definitely been a while since I posted.

Life here in Italy has been awesome. 

Today marks our 1 month in our new place.

So far, it's been good! 

I just cannot wait for spring, I'm really getting tired of cold,

Anyways, I finally got to cook something blog-worthy. (haha!)

I highly recommend this recipe!

So easy, and so good! 

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken 

Ingredients:

cooking oil spray 

6 skinless bone ­in chicken thighs (or breast fillets) 

1 tablespoon (4 cloves) minced garlic

 1 cup (250g | 9oz) reduced fat cream cheese 

1 cup (250ml) chicken stock/broth 

1 can (14 oz each) artichoke hearts in brine/water, drained and roughly chopped 

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

 Salt to season 

¼ cup Parmesan cheese 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C | 400°F. 

2. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste. Spray a large oven­proof skillet with cooking oil spray to coat; heat over medium­high heat. Add chicken, flesh­side down, and sear for 2 ­ 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; drain any excess fat.

3. Stir garlic through and fry until fragrant (about 1­2 minutes). Add in cream cheese and occasionally stir it until it begins to melt down and become thinner in consistency. Pour in the chicken broth and add the parmesan cheese.

 4. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Stir through artichokes and spinach; simmer until the spinach has just started to wilt.

 5. Place the skillet into preheated oven and continue to roast for 15-­20 minutes (or until completely cooked through). Serve over rice or pasta

Enjoy!!