Today is Friday and I was tested on Monday night. Why did I get tested? I had stomach issues, a headache and a low grade fever Sunday night into Monday night. So I got tested… Work is trying to find someone to cover my shifts, my college kids couldn’t go back to school or work, my husband is home and my youngest had to miss her two day hybrid schooling. I am stuck in my room, losing my mind. I feel perfectly fine now and assume it was all for nothing. Yesterday, I went outside by myself and had a bonfire and I might go for a solo walk (with a mask) in a bit, but I feel horrible for inconveniencing my family. It is my eldest’s birthday this weekend and she wants to be with her roommates enjoying herself. Kids today have so little to look forward too and I have taken this away from her. It is her senior year and so many “events” have been cancelled and now I am ruining her birthday. A while back, I had cancer and thought I knew what all this quarantining was about, but that didn’t restrict my family from living their lives and I could leave my room.
I have thought a lot this week about the pandemic and how people are handling it. When I had cancer, people bent over backwards to help me and I believe if I asked them to wear a mask around me, people would have. Everyone said, “go to the best doctors, do what they tell you, trust them.” This pandemic is like a cancer and we all need to do our part, trust the doctors and have patience.
Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.
Unknown
What have I done to handle the confinement. Downloaded books, which I did not read. Sorted through the Christmas presents hidden in my closet and changed the whole look of my blog and watched a lot Food Network, Travel Channel and Hallmark Christmas movies. In addition to all of this… was an undeniable craving for Bruschetta. I cannot wait to get out of here and make it.
If I could have found a rapid test, I would have done that. I worry that people are not getting tested because of the wait time for results. This is really quite hard. Being stuck in your room for 24 hours a day, most likely for nothing. But I will do it, because we all need to do our part. I think of what my grandparents went through in World War II and the sacrifices that they made. Are we living up to their example? Will anyone ever call us the “Greatest Generation?”
Update: The Covid-19 test came back negative! Yeah. What to do now….cook. I have made eggplant parmigiana, stuffed peppers, caprese salad and Bruschetta. I dreamt of the Bruschetta all week and it was great. It is funny the stuff you think about. My late father would always make this for me and I have not had it in years. It will be regular from here on in.
Bruschetta
Ingredients
Method
- Diced up everything except the bread and combine. Let sit in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to come together
- Slice the bread and put on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. Take out and rub bread with a fresh garlic clove and brush with olive oil.
- Put back in the oven for a minute
- Serve bread topped with the tomato mixture.
So… I stumbled across these in the grocery store a while back and thought I would give them a try. 
Spice & Wine Bistro located in the heart of Trastevere, Rome was a place we just wandered into one night when we were caught in the rain. I was a bit apprehensive as we had not done any research beforehand regarding the food allergies. I like to do research on the restaurants that we go to in advance about how they handle food allergies, so this was a gamble, but they took it all very seriously and were very helpful. (We have allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, carrots, cucumbers, legumes, soy, eggplant, zucchini and gluten) We were seated at a lovely table in the back corner and I felt the place was warm and inviting.
have this cabinet thing where they collect all the corks from the wine bottles and I just had to get a picture of it. The waiters jumped in and made the pictures great. We had the caprese salad, bruschetta, meatballs, spicy penne, cacio e pepe and carbonara. There were no complaints. In fact, my two older daughters dream about the spicy penne, they loved it so much.
I saw that there were bad reviews on TripAdvisor for this restaurant about the staff. My experience was the exact opposite. I gave them a good review on TripAdvisor. They were wonderful and fun. If I ever have the privilege of visiting Rome another time, I would go back there again, it was very good.
In another big pot add the chicken broth, chicken (if you don’t have leftover chicken for the soup, you can leave it out or add a raw boneless chicken breast and poach it in the broth until its done, then remove it, shred it and then add it back) and spices. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and then add the spinach. It will seem like too much but it wilts down to nothing. Simmer for a few more minutes. Put the tortellini in a bowl and spoon the soup over the tortellini. Top with a little Parmesan cheese and serve with some crusty bread.
I know this sounds silly, but ever since someone told me about this trick, I use it every time. As a parent of a child with food allergies, I always bring the snacks….so I make a lot of brownies. I tend to cook brownies a bit underdone on purpose, which is our family’s preference. The trick is to use a plastic spoon when cutting them. The edges come out perfect and clean and the brownies do not stick to the knife. It is miraculous. Give it a try next time you are making brownies or blondies, you will be amazed.
As we were walking back from the Pantheon one night on our recent life-changing trip to Rome, the kids were starving and I didn’t have any idea where we could eat. Before our trip I studied and searched for restaurants that would accommodate our family and their food allergies (Peanuts, tree nuts, carrots, cucumbers, soy, gluten, legumes, eggplant and zucchini). Italy is known for being very food allergy friendly but information on specific restaurants is hard to find, so I tried to find blog information and there was a few, but it was outdated and limited. So I looked for restaurants that were recommended by friends or had good reviews and reached out to them. Then I made a master list of the places that I wanted to visit and nearby restaurants that were food allergy friendly. (We made the food allergy cards and they were great but only used them once). It was good old fashioned leg work that got the job done. I will share my hard work with you all to save you some time.
Our waiter was named Mimo and he was so much fun. He suggested that my husband try the steak which they cook at the table. We got the caprese salad, cacio e pepe, pizza and lots of house wine! Always get the house wine. We sat outside under the awning and had a fabulo
I did a lot of research on restaurants before going to Rome, especially ones that catered to food allergies. I have to say it was difficult. The general consensus was that Rome was very allergy friendly and we did find this to be true. But information on specific restaurants was tough to find. I knew the places that we wanted to visit (i.e. Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon, etc.) So I wanted to discover restaurant choices near our destinations, so I wouldn’t be wandering with a “Hangry” family trying to find a place to eat. We were not looking for fancy…. inexpensive, great food, great atmosphere and food allergy friendly. 
Franco was our waiter and he was fabulous. He was very friendly and told us the food allergies were not a problem, they would make it work (I made the food allergy cards, but honestly never had to use them..the one place we tried, seemed confused by them. But I am still glad that I had them, just in case).
We got the Caprese salad, Bruschetta, Pette di pollo al limone (lemon chicken) Penna all’ arrabbietta (penne with spicy tomato sauce), Spaghetti alla carbonara (pasta carbonara) and Margherita pizza and a lot of wine (house wine). Always get the house wine in Italy! The food was amazing.
I forgot this and we had no cash. Franco was so wonderful and felt so bad he walked my husband to the nearest ATM and then brought us free desserts and “sexy wine”. The “sexy wine” is something you have to discover for yourself. When he brought it and I gleefully cried “Is this the sexy wine?” he was thrilled I knew what it was. (I do my research.. haha). It was wonderful!
As we were leaving, Mickey (the owner) was sitting outside and thanked us for coming. We are from Boston and he is great friends with the former mayor of Boston and former Vatican ambassador, Ray Flynn. We had a wonderful conversation about Rome and Boston.