Filling up my freezer!

I'm finding it very satisfying at the moment to cook huge meals, eat one portion and freeze the other portions individually (usually 3 extra portions). It's the Easter holidays at the moment, so I have plenty of time to cook during the evenings. During term time, I get home late and usually rely on ready meals. It seems pointless cooking for one person (I usually cook when Andy comes over) and I don't like having to eat the same meal the next day. I also don't have the time / energy to do fiddly jobs like finely chopping chillies, garlic and ginger.

So this week I've been cooking - Bolognese sauce, lamb tagine, lamb curry, chicken satay and beef suffatina alla Romana (almost all involving tinned tomatoes, you might notice!) - and freezing it in individual bags. This way, all I need to do is get something out to defrost in the morning, then cook up some pasta / rice / cous cous and reheat the sauce. And I know I'll be getting a home-cooked, healthy meal which will be much better for me than bland ready meals full of preservatives. All the meals I've cooked contain onion, tinned tomatoes and at least one other vegetable so I'll get a few portions of vegetables in each plus a decent amount of protein from the meat.

My only slight problem is a lack of freezer space (only a very small freezer compartment in my fridge), but I reckon I can get 15 bags of sauce in there if I roll them up and pack them efficiently! It's very satisfying to watch my freezer filling up day-by-day and see all the delicious meals I have to look forward to over the next few weeks!

Rome - Wednesday 8th April: Ostia

Ostia Antica














We got the Metro and train out to Ostia Antica and spent most of the day exploring the ruins (and hunting lizards!). I love the way that visitors can walk in most of the buildings, and even down steps to underground parts - we even saw a bat under the barracks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostia_Antica_(archaeological_site)
http://www.ostia-antica.org/
http://www.initaly.com/regions/latium/ostia.htm
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/ostia.htm

We briefly walked round the newer town, with its medieval castle, before getting the train back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostia_Antica_(district)

We had dinner near the Trevi Fountain - a slightly unorthodox combination of a shared pizza then a pasta dish (Spaghetti Carbonara again).

Rome - Tuesday 7th April: Vatican

Vatican Museum
After winding our way along the very slow queue, we shuffled through the museum, which has a vast collection of art, sculpture, painted ceilings, tapestries, etc. and collections from Egypt, Rome, modern artists... and of course the Sistine Chapel.





http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Museum
http://touritaly.org/tours/vaticanmuseum/Vatican01.htm
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel
http://www.wga.hu/tours/sistina/
http://www.beckydaroff.com/arthistory/scc/index.html

Piazza San Pietro









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter%27s_Square
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Piazza_of_St._Peters.html

Basilica of Saint Peter





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-st-peters-basilica.htm
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/St_Peters_of_Rome.html
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/sanpietro.htm
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/pietro.htm

We got the Metro to the Vatican, but walked back past Castel Sant Angelo and across the Tiber.

Dinner that night was at Pizza Ciro - a very tasty calzone.

Rome - Monday 6th April: Ancient Rome

The Colosseum







http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/colosseum.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/colosseum_01.shtml
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Roman_Colosseum.html
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/colosseo.htm

Palatine










http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatine_Hill
http://www.rome-tour.co.uk/palatine_hill.htm
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/palatinehill.htm
http://www.panoramicearth.com/742/Rome/Palatine_Hill

Roman Forum









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/rome/ancient_roman_empire/roman_forum/roman_forum.htm
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/forumromanum.htm

I was also planning to walk along the Appian Way during the afternoon and visit the catacombs, but by the time we'd stopped at the hotel to work out how to get there on public transport, it was too late. So we went for a walk up the Aventine hill instead and looked at the view of St. Peter's Basilica through the keyhole of the Priory of the Knights of Malta.

We had dinner at a restaurant along Via della Pilotta, close to our hotel. We decided to go for the Italian system of courses - pasta (wide tubes of pasta with Amatriciana sauce), followed by a meat and vegetable course (swordfish and roasted peppers).

Rome - Sunday 5th April: Il Centro

Pantheon

We first walked past the Pantheon while a church service was being held, with very dramatic chanting. We came back later so that we could go inside.









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Pantheon.html
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/pantheon.htm
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/pantheon.htm

Piazza Navona We walked through here a few times and had dinner (Spaghetti Carbonara then Tiramisu) at Bar Navona that night, tempted in by a Howard look-alike (from the Nationwide advert). A large beer turned out to be very large, and I didn't realise how much 1/2 litre of wine was for one person either! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Piazza_Navona.html http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/piazzanavona.htm http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/rome/renaissance_and_baroque/famous_squares_fountains/piazza_navona_square/piazza_navona_square.htm

Trevi Fountain We walked past here a few times during the day and then again on our way to dinner on the last night, when I stopped to throw in a few coins. I stopped for pistacio, meringue and mandarin ice cream nearby at Il Gelato di San Crispino, which is supposed to be the best ice cream in Rome. It was good ice cream! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/trevi.htm http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/trevi.htm http://www.rome-tour.co.uk/trevi_fountain.htm

Capitoline Museum During the hottest part of the day, we wandered through the museum, looking at heads without noses and statues without heads, among other things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitoline_Museums http://www.museicapitolini.org/ http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-capitoline-hill-and-museum.htm

We then walked along the Tiber and across the Island of Tiberius, back to our hotel for a brief rest. and change of shoes. Spanish Steps We walked past the crowded Spanish Steps, approaching it through streets full of designer shops. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Steps http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/spanish_steps.htm

Villa Borghese

We finished the afternoon with a stroll through the park, round the lake, watching the terrapins sunbathing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Borghese_gardens
http://en.villaborghese.it/
http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/villaborghese.htm

Off to Rome!

I'm off to Rome this Saturday for a five day holiday with my boyfriend. I'm really excited about it, and have spent the last three days since I booked it looking through tourist guides and picking out the essential sites.

So far, the plan is:
Sunday: Wander around the centre - piazzas, Pantheon, etc.
Monday - Colosseum, Forum, Appian Way, etc.
Tuesday - Ostia Antica
Wednesday - Vatican
Thursday - More wandering!

We're staying at the Hotel Bolivar, which had very good reviews and is really well located for walking everywhere!

http://www.enit.it/default.asp?Lang=UK
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome
http://www.enjoyrome.com/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/rome_italy_travel.htm