Cauliflower Pudding with Gorgonzola Bechamel Sauce, Convento di San Marco, Pumpkin Risotto: all in one day.

I haven't been sleeping well for the past few days, and this morning I woke up at 7:20...I don't have class until 1:30. This may seem like a bummer, but it turned out to be a blessing!
I had a quiz at 1:30 so I knew I needed to still study for it. But first I wanted to roam the town...and I knocked off one item from my list!
After my morning green tea and yogurt with cereal, I got ready, read and journaled, then headed out the door for San Lorenzo, Italian notes in hand.
I decided to check out the chapel before going to the convent and cloister. It was breathtaking beautiful and almost in the shape of a square with small side chapels. There were some foreboding, closed, wooden doors in the direction of the convent, and I contemplated trying to open one and sneak in. My self-restraint won.
I eyed a statue of Fra Savanorola and gave a snicker. He's the monk that lived in the convent for a while. Eventually, he became a powerful figure in Florence and kicked the powerful Medici family out. He's also responsible for the "bonfire of the vanities," where he encouraged the burning of art and books. I'm frustrated by his attempt to destroy these beautiful pieces of the culture. Can you imagine a Florence that housed more elegance?
A little man in a yellow slicker was cleaning the floor near the statue, and he put his mop down to talk to me. "English?" I answered in Italian. Don't know why. Anyway, we chatted for a bit and he told me about Savanarola and other stories of the convent. His English was a little muddled but I nodded and "si" whenever I sensed the need. He then asked if I would like to see something, and he grabbed his building keys. We headed to one of those wooden doors and he unlocked the way to a gorgeous private chapel. He recited 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in Italian, and we talked about the differences in translation. We talked literature, too, and he even gave me his address so that I could write him after reading one of the books he recommended. He then pointed me in the direction of the convent and strongly suggested that I see the Last Supper of Ghirlandaio.
The museum (free with the Uffizi pass!) is HUGE. It houses fabulous fresco art of religious scenes painted by Fra Angelico in each of the monk cells, more early Renaissance/Medieval art, and the huge books and writing tools of the monks who copied manuscripts. These books look like spell books...huge, velvet or leather, detailed bindings, buckles and straps all over. They reminded me of "Hocus Pocus."
Then I went to Mercato Centrale, and I bought some schiacciata just because I watched it as it was taken out of the oven. Home, egg/tomato/onion/asiago/basil scramble for lunch, study time for Italian, Italian quiz.
When I got back home, I decided to try out a recipe from class that we haven't made yet (and it helped free up space in our fridge). I made "Cauliflower Pudding with Gorgonzola Bechamel Sauce." Sounds disgusting, but it was delicious! The Cauliflower Pudding in itself did not have a strong flavor, but paring it with the Gorgonzola Bechamel made it POP! It was so. good. I was skeptical but pleasantly surprised. The roommates loved it as well. We devoured it and still have a bit of a tin leftover! Leyla also made some banana bread after buying a woman's overripe bananas at the market for only 25 cents. It was fabulous!
Soon, it was time for church! I met Katie on the Ponte Vecchio, and we chatted and admired the city together until we came to the church. Tonight, we started celebrating the advent season by talking about what each week typically represents. We got in small groups, and we had week four: God's incarnation and Mary. Our exercise what to talk about what Mary felt, what her response to Gabriel was, how we should apply her availability in the same way. A girl in our group was from Singapore and had no knowledge of Christianity. I realized how much I loved getting to explain to her about who Jesus was and why God had to come to Earth. In a weird way, it was refreshing to talk to someone with such a "blank slate"; she didn't have any prejudices or expectations, and could understand the beauty of these beginnings of Jesus's purpose. Mark led worship and we sang some great songs; "How Great Is Our God" and some others I can't remember.
I headed out early for "CIBOVision," basically a cooking class we can sign up for at school. It started around 9, and we didn't eat until 11:00 or so. Each group made different dishes using rice. We had arancini (saffron risotto balls stuffed with fresh mozzarella and then fried), stir-fried rice, mushroom risotto, rice pudding with apples, and our dish: pumpkin ravioli with parmesan cheese. Ohhhh my. Leyla was my partner, and we competed against our buddies, Kyle and Evan.
We both did the pumpkin risotto, although Leyla has been a restaurant chef before and Evan had never cut an onion. Both were delicious, and the differences between the genders were evident in the outcome. Our dish had a delicate pumpkin flavor and color, and the rice was smooth. The boys liked the cheese, the salt and the orange color of the pumpkin as well, and although their dish had a little more "crunch" (we started to run out of stock), it was de-lish. There was a rim of cheesy rice sticking around the pan from their free styles of stirring. Quite a sight. Then we got to sit and eat our dishes while watching an episode of "Modern Family." Great night.
Leyla and I walked home, and here I am now! I'm a bit tired though after my long, eventful day.
Tomorrow's another packed day, unfortunately for my tired body but fortunately for my whirling mind.
A domani!