Damn! It’s not often that I am jealous of myself, but after looking for something to post today (Flashback Friday) from my old private blog “Starting Fresh: From Joisey to Rome,” it was hard not to drool over the photographs below.

Was there really a time in my life when we’d lollygag about the whole day photographing Roman animals in the majestic countryside for the sheer joy of it? Did we really used to make elaborate four course vegetarian meals presided over by a fresh bouquet of flowers and candlelight? These days just eating dinner at an actual table is cause for celebration. Rome is a garden of delights particularly for the young and unencumbered. Oh well. The good news is now I finally have the name of the park we went to and we can discover it all over again, this time with the kids.
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Post from March 9, 2008

Yesterday Michael and I went to Caffarella/Appia Antica Park which is right near our friend Mina’s apartment in the neighborhood of San Giovanni. We were actually going to give her a call, but soon we found ourselves racing against dark and scary rain clouds after an afternoon of photographing the animals and countryside that exist past an invisible line where the city of Rome ends. Instead of lingering, we headed back to our neighborhood of Monteverdi Vecchio.

All the photos are by Michael:

Old Fountain

Old Fountain

rooster

Rooster and Hen

sheeps

Shepherd and Flock

Sheepdog resting

Sheepdog resting

horse

Horse

hut

Recreation of a Peasant Hut

Sheep escaping approaching rain

Sheep escaping approaching rain

dinner

After we went home we looked through this amazing new vegetarian cookbook we bought. Michael made, what was perhaps the BEST meal of my life. (-and he has some stiff competition, especially here in Italy.)

He made Turkish baked eggplant with an onion and tomato sauce. On the side were tomatoes stuffed with cous cous with vegetables and feta cheese. The salad was an endive salad with mandarin oranges, apples, and tomatoes in a yoghurt sauce. These were all foods and combinations I had been craving for ages. Plus it was all ridiculously healthy so no guilt.

As amazing as the Sardinians and Sicilians cook, they keep piling on the food and as wonderful as everything is, you start to get overwhelmed and don’t wish to offend by turning anything down. For the reasons of ingredients, creativity, flavors, portions, and lack of filling cheeses and pasta, not to mention the identity of the chef; Michael’s meal yesterday tops my list to date.

eggplant

Eggplant

Pictures don’t really do it justice. You’ll have to trust my taste buds. Mmm! Mmm!!