when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie. . .

I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but pizza is kind of a big deal here in Italy. It was created in Naples, and they still make it better than anyone else. But you don't have to be a native Italian or even know how to make dough to create a delicious pizza.

To make a quick and easy pizza, try pre-made pizza crusts from the grocery store. Brush the crust with some olive oil or butter, depending on your preference. You'll probably want to add some cheese and some meat, but consider some of these ingredients for an authentic Italian flavor (no joke):

Corn

Spinach

Artichoke

Chopped-up hot dogs

French fries

Gorgonzola cheese

Real mozzarella cheese

Portabella or porcini mushrooms

Ricotta cheese

Walnuts

Little purple onions

Cooked potatoes

I'll think of more later. The Italians like to combine some of these ingredients and give the resulting pizza a cute little name. For instance, a pizza with cheese, hot dogs, and french fries is either an American pizza or a German pizza, depending on the pizzeria. The mountain or forest pizza usually has some combination of mushrooms, mozzarella, gorgonzola, sausage, and walnuts. The four seasons pizza has artichokes, mushrooms, ham, and something else that I can't remember. A Naples pizza features sardines (yep, sardines).

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fried flowers

So I've been in Italy for about a week and a half now, and I just want to let you know that the food here is as good as ever. They don't just eat pasta in Italy though:

Try battering and frying up some zucchini blossoms. The blossoms are actually pretty big, like maybe half the size of my hand? You dip them in batter and then chuck them in a frying pan full of oil. Eat them (stem and all) with your hands, and make sure to eat some radishes right after, because apparently they absorb all the grease. (okay on second thought I have no idea where you are going to find zucchini blossoms, but it was an interesting idea.)

Caponata is a fantastic side dish made up of aggplants, onions, and other vegetables in a delightful sauce. My last host mother made it last week and it was great.

Tonight for dinner my host brother made a bruschetta from these toasted bagels, with diced tomatoes mixed with oil, garlic, and basil. Seriously delicious and super easy to make.

Hope this gave you some good ideas!

"you're in my house, eating my birthday cake with my family!"

The above quote is courtesy of Ahnold. It is relevant because one of you may or may not have recently had a birthday. Now, I'm all for making you boys cookies and cakes for special occasions (and I know Sara is too), but when you're out on your own, you may not have friends/family/slampieces to cook for you. You might have to start making your own birthday cakes, or you might want to make one for someone else.

I'll be honest here: baked goods aren't really my thing. There's a lot of math involved and I tend to screw it up. But this is a basic recipe which should help get you started. Think of it as a little birthday present from me to you.

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