Greetings from Milan

Gabriel and I moved to Milan, Italy two and a half years ago. When people here ask me what's my favorite thing about living in Milan, I always say, "fresh porcini mushrooms". They laugh, but it's true. There's nothing like waking up on a crisp Wednesday morning in September or October and heading to the local open-air market for those fragrant, rich brown goodies. I've been a foodie and an organic gardener for several years now. I love cooking. I’m meticulous but practical so I almost always improvise over cookbook recipes and then jot notes and reviews in the margins about how I really made the dishes (skipping this and adding that) and how they turned out. I've also had some success translating my old Minneapolis community garden to the Italian balcony. We have herbs, heirloom peppers and flowers on the front balcony and a home-made compost bin on the back one. In the next weeks and months, I'll be writing recipes, and giving gardening and composting tips along with some comments on what its like to live here. So, here we are in Italy, I hope you enjoy it.