A morning at Fulton Street Farmers Market

It was a picture perfect day in Grand Rapids yesterday -- mid 80's, sunny with a slight breeze. My wife and I took advantage of the day and took our youngest child, Francesca, to the Fulton Street Farmers Market. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning.

The entrance to the market

I bought a focaccio from this vendor. Ten minutes in the oven, a little virgin olive oil and we were set for a light lunch.

Very colorful peppers

Fresh cut flowers

Baby cactus plants

JW's favorite goat cheese farm -- Dancing Goat Creamery in nearby Byron Center

Visser Farm radishes

Tower of flowers

Young vendor selling handmade organic soaps from Brickyard Farms

six.one.six restaurant server Carrie with former JW restaurant supervisor, Pia.

Mountain of green beans

Local Honey

Michigan Blueberries and Strawberries

Thai Basil

Baked Caramel French Toast To Die For

To Die For Baked Caramel French Toast!

I fell in love with this breakfast delight after my wife and I spent a long weekend at the Trinchero Winery in Napa Valley. I thought it was bread pudding until the caramel syrup started flowing from underneath the bread. I'm not a big french toast guy, but this one is special!

Besides my Filipino breakfast dishes, this is probably the most popular dish my kids (and their friends) request on weekends. I just leave the dish on top of the counter and everyone just nibbles "small" portions all day.

Below is the recipe from the Trinchero Winery. I cut the butter and brown sugar portion in half, but I will leave that up to home chef to decide on how much to include. 

4 Tbsp. corn syrup

2 sticks of butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 loaf of bread (cinnamon raisin, sweet French, Italian or croissant)

10 eggs (I use 7)

1 3/4 half and half

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

Cinnamon

Combine the syrup, butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring continuously until mixture is smooth and not too thick. Pour into greased 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside. 

Layer the bread on the syrup in the baking dish; you will need about 12 slices for two layers. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, half and half, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove from the refrigerator while oven is pre-heating to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 12.

Pour caramel syrup into baking dish

Layer the bread on the syrup

Two layers of bread

Whisk egg batter

Pour egg batter on bread, cover and refrigerate before going to bed

When you wake up, throw the dish in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees

The finished product

An Italian town that wine built

Torgiano is a sleepy medieval Umbrian town about 15 km from Perugia. It's off the beaten path, nestled in the sloping hillsides between Perugia and Assisi.

Giorgio Lungarotti, the late proprietor of Umbria's most famous wine bearing his family name, has left a lasting legacy in Torgiano by opening a five-star hotel and restaurant to house guests to his vineyards. He also opened a wine
museum dedicated to the craft of making wine. 

Le Tre Vaselle is a charming country manor which boasts a spectacular restaurant specializing in Umbrian cuisine, and of course, Lungarotti wines. The cozy lobby bar is a the perfect place for an afternoon of light reading or a night cap after a day of exploring the vineyards surrounding the village.

The Wine Museum is dedicated to sharing the history of winemaking. Audio recordings in several languages may be rented to better enhance your museum experience. A nice glass of Lungarotti wine during the tour would have made my experience more enjoyable - unfortunately, there isn't a tasting room inside the museum.

Torgiano may be one of those hidden secrets of Umbria; but well worth the overnight visit.

Selection of Lungarotti Wines

Le Tre Vaselle's Chef's Garden

The dining room at Le Tre Vaselle

Pork Loin entree at Le Tre Vaselle

The cozy Lobby Lounge

My bedroom suite

Torgiano Bell Tower

Ancient Wine Pressing Equipment

Small Fountain in the center of Torgiano.

The little things I like about Italy

Endless flavors of gelato (Assisi)

No frills wine carafe (Ristorante Il Vaticano - Pietrasanta)

Wine sold like gasoline (Goretti Winery - Umbria). I actually saw a very old lady refilling her own jug of wine but I couldn't grab my camera fast enough to catch a photo.

The best street pizza in the world (Pizzeria by Spanish steps - Rome)

God is everywhere (night mass in Assisi).

Spacious and well appointed hotel bathrooms (Le Tre Vaselle - Torgiano).

Self serve prosciutto carving station (Le Tre Vaselle - Torgiano).

Expensive marble slabs left out in the open (Edilmarmi).

Anything goes in the workplace. 

No mess espresso pods by Lavazza.

Classic newspaper stand (Hotel Granducato - Florence).

The best police uniforms (Perugia)

Simple pasta dishes (Ristorante Il Moro - Lago Trasimeno).

Wines on tap (Marina di Pietrasanta).

A quaint, seaside village and B&B in Italy

Having lived in the Caribbean, I never thought I'd see wider beaches than those found in the British Virgins and Anguilla. If there were, I wouldn't have imagined it to be in the Mediterranean coast of Italy. This unexpected surprise just 45 minutes up the coast from Pisa is the quaint seaside village of Marina di Pietrasanta. In fact, rows of small villages line this beautiful Italian coastline. Think driving north from Capistrano Beach to Newport Beach, California, on the Pacific Coast Highway, without the traffic and the clusters of snobby, overdeveloped, beachside, residential communities.

Restaurants with al fresco dining and rental umbrellas and gazebos dot the roadside boundary of its beaches; leaving enough space for the Italian population to lounge with flutes of prosecco along its wide, white, sandy beaches. 

I highly recommend staying at Villa Signori. It's a small bed and breakfast located half a block from the beach. Rooms are spacious with an "Italian country" feel. The hosts are very accommodating and speak English very well (which really helps if no one in your party speaks Italian). Breakfast consists of baked goods, fresh cut Italian meats, fresh fruits, juices and good Italian coffee. Just the right meal before hitting beach.