Mundane in Italy Part 1

I've now been in Italy for 2 weeks. We've been to Milan, Como, Parma, Siena and Rome so far. Instead of posting boring vacation photos like this:

 
 

I'm going to show you something useful. 

How to Make Espresso and Cafe au Latte with a Moka Pot

We are fortunate to have a full kitchen at our disposal. I'd never used one of these pots, but they are the coffee maker of choice here in Italy. You can buy a full pot or parts pretty much everywhere, from tiny single servings to humongous novelty sizes. It's really something to get used to the 1oz servings of just-made espresso when you are used to ordering Venti Americanos. Making tiny cups at home is actually pretty easy.

This is the Moka Espresso pot. Check the parts to ensure they are clean and present. There's a flat filter on the bottom of the portion with a handle. Don't use soap on your coffee pot. If it needs to be cleaned, try baking soda and vinegar. (Google it.)

Fill the coffee with espresso grind and tamp it down a bit. I used the bottom of a shot glass.

Fill the lower pot with water to just below the nut on the side.

Water and coffee.

Put the coffee holder in the pot.

Screw on the top portion.

Light the stove. Most of the stoves in Italy require some help, so I'm using a lighter.

Heat over a high flame.

This is the tiny cup for the espresso on the left.

I like to add milk, so I use the cup as a measure. Just above the line where the cup flattens out is a shot (close enough, anyway).

Measure out 2-3 shots of milk into a pan per shot of espresso. There are 6-8 shots in this size of Moka pot, depending on how generous your shots. Don't add cold milk to your espresso. It will make the entire cup of coffee cold.

If you look in the espresso pot, it should start oozing concentrated coffee into the top pot within a couple of minutes. Mmmm, gooey.

Keep an eye on it. Once the pot stops filling from the bottom, remove it from the heat. Don't let the espresso burn. It will be horribly bitter. Good espresso is mildly sweet, like dark chocolate.

I'm going to use the larger cup to hold the espresso and milk, and the smaller to measure the shots.

Heat the milk on a low flame while the espresso is boiling. I usually start the coffee and milk at the same time.

Once the espresso is done, measure out a shot. It will look tiny, but it's super-concentrated. This is enough for a tall coffee at Starbucks. If you just want an espresso, stop here.

Milk is done. If you like, let it cool slightly to form a skin and remove it. (You can blow on it.) Otherwise, you'll have a skim of milk fat floating in your coffee.

Here is a cafe au latte. Two shots of espresso with 4 shots of milk.

Double the amount to make a full cup. This is 4 shots of espresso. You will be jittery. 

Now, isn't this useful! Next, I'll show you how to unlock your door, so you can get out of your apartment.  

(Boring vacation photos here.)

Furniture for Sale

I'm not sure exactly when my goal of doing something, anything, became full-on furniture restoration, but here it is, nine months from the start of the Wong challenge, and here I've somehow morphed into this vein.

Interior of the Watch Maker's Desk leg. We opened it up to repair the wiring.

The husband, attaching the new reproduction plug.

Arg! My guts!

Boring lamp. Oh, wait! Is that plugged into the desk? Why, it is!

How satisfying is this?

Gently restored top.

Brand new, period appropriate rayon wrapped cord with Bakelite plug.

Clean, working, beautiful desk. (Cat for scale.)

I made a Jade Harley "Three in the Morning Dress".

This little character is from Homestuck. I did not draw her. But I did like her outfit.

...and my blog followers finally get to see my head.

Cheers!

A Rolling Spice Cabinet

If you followed my photo link yesterday, you saw these already. Still, they are worth a post of their own.

I asked my husband for a rolling cart that would add some counter space next to the stove, and provide storage for our spices. This is what he came up with:

 

Then I asked for shelves to fill in the gap between the counter and fridge. The rice cooker and tea pot no longer steam the bottom of the shelf, and I finally have proper storage for the rice cooker. We use it a lot, so it needs to be accessible.

The Finished Kitchen

Here's an update on the kitchen, which is done:



Before

After

Those are some white cabinets there. I love the way they stay closed. There will soon be a little grey curtain in front of the catbox. More pics here.

We received the wire and plug to repair the watchmaker's desk yesterday. I'll be sure to post pics of the replacement process.

I also did this:
CentralAreaLURC.org

It is my construction, and it is beautiful. I worked on the code with a friend. I'm also the secretary for this organization, which is another thing I've been doing with my spare time that is not sitting on my butt.

Less than a month to Italy!

One More Thing -

Be sure to check out my About page for some big changes to my goals. It's all bleedin' comin' together.

Update All the Things!

Lack of blogging is not the same as lack of doing. I've been working full time and have not had a solid internet connection for the last 2 months, hence the break. Here's an extra long run down of project statuses.

Nightstand
The nightstand is complete! Such a pretty thing, you are, too! I'm very impressed by how the veneer turned out. This is the original wood, stripped of lacquer and stained. Next step is to find a resale shop that will get us the best value on the sale.

Before - Missing a drawer side and 2 pieces of trim veneer.

Completed - Stained exterior, painted interior. 

Watchmaker's Desk
Remember this guy? We were able to date it to Circa 1930-40 by the Bakelite plugs, located inside the left leg. I've given it a good cleaning with gentle soap, and we'll be refinishing the top only, and connecting new, period correct wiring to the two outlets before we put it up for sale. For you "Antiques Road Show" junkies out there - YES it's fine to clean and/or refinish most furniture while still maintaining the value. It's only certain furniture houses, styles and periods of furniture that should be left alone. We're still taking the minimal approach, but these improvements will actually increase the value of the desk overall.  

Kitchen Remodel
Yes, we rent. Yes, we know about lead paint. Yes, we stripped and refinished all of the cabinets in our kitchen. This project is not quite done, as we still need to paint some of the doors, but it's close. I'll actually update closer to real time once we get the paint on the walls. Here's a taste:

Gross and Yellow

Clean and White

We still need to attach the catches, but the doors now close completely! Something about removing 80 years of paint layers did the trick. The lower right cabinet is an old ice box. The weatherstripping is still in tact. We plan on finding a replacement icebox closer handle for it so it can seal properly. That should keep our flour and potatoes happy.

Costume
This is a hard one for me. I had to admit that I hate sewing. To be honest, this was a big relief for me, and no particular surprise to my husband. I'm finally willing to farm out creative work that makes me hostile, and only do work that actually makes me feel happy. That was the point of this whole blog anyway, right? To figure out what I really like and what I really don't? Anyway, this project won't be done until I can afford to hire one of my friends to do the construction from my pattern. I'm still labeling it a success.

Graphic Design
Something I actually like doing and am now getting paid to do Freelance; I've been commissioned to create marketing documents for a local street fair, including poster, save the date and logo. This work I really enjoy, even if I do occasionally yell at the mouse for sticking. The poster and logo are already approved and should go to print next week. I won't post images until then, but there will be a "concept" and "client" version of each.

Other Stuff
The earrings are on hold until the kitchen is done, and my husband is going to take the lead on getting the catalog complete and new designs to the laser cutter. Bunarchy did not occur this year, it seems, so no bunny costume. As far as fitness goals, I'm doing very well, down about a size and a half from January, with a size and a half to go.

And that's about all there is to say about that.