Day 6: The One Where I Try to Cook

Sunday, June 26
    Many Americans make Italian food at home. Not many Americans have made Italian food IN Italy. (Although now you're thinking, "Sara, they just call it 'food' there."   Well, actually they call it cibo (chee-boh), so ha!) Anyway, this is going to be another picture-heavy/word-light post. Hope you all don't mind. I'll try to be funny tomorrow, okay?

   How To Make Dinner When You Are In Someone Else's Home Completely Alone (and Everything is in a Foreign Language)
Step 1:  Meet the Enemy. Ciao, Enemy, mi chiamo Sara. Just a little FYI, I am about to conquer you.

 (Enemy/gas stove)

Step 2: Select pasta from drawer of never ending pasta choices.

Step 3: Select pot or pan in which to cook pasta from drawer o' pans.

Step 4: Admire chosen pasta and pot.

 Step 5: Add water to pot, until about three-quarters full. (Not pictured. You've all seen water, I'm pretty sure.)
Step 6: Place on burner of appropriate size (or just pick one you like.)
Step 7: TURN ON BURNER (Do NOT skip this step!)

Step 8: Don't look at the pot, water, or stove for approximately ten minutes. During this time, you may choose to make yourself a tasty salad.

Step 9: That is not a salad. That's just lettuce. ADD STUFF. (I added olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and some salt. If you add salt from an un-marked container like I did, you may want to taste a little bit first, to be sure it is not sugar. If you choose to live dangerously, I will not be held liable, and may laugh at you when you eat a sugar salad.)

Step 10: Also, whenever you are cooking, you should always add cheese. Unless you are vegan. And then you should add bacon AND cheese.

Step 11: If you are a crouton freak, add croutons to salad. If you are not a crouton freak, add them anyway, and then consider yourself lucky you have someone in your life who cares about your salad experience.

Step 12: Check water because it's about to boil over. Put in pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on package. If you cannot read the directions because they are in a foreign language, taste a noodle every 2 minutes or so, until you are full or you think they are the right amount of done-ness. Do NOT, under any circumstances, set a timer. Eat your salad while the pasta cooks. (Not pictured. Way too many things to fit in one picture.)

Step 13: Look in fridge to find something to put on cooked pasta. Stand in front of open fridge, enjoying the cool air, until the robot fridge beeps at you for keeping the door open. Shake your fist at the robot fridge.

Step 14: Decide on some sauce di pomodoro. Wish that you had a microwave available to warm the sauce. Drain the cooked pasta, it's probably done by now, and if it isn't, you'll eat it anyway.

Step 15: Spoon (or pour, your choice!) some sauce into the hot pasta pan and stir it all up. Let it sit for a minute so the hot pasta has some time to warm the cold sauce. Taste some to be sure it's okay before you take a whole plate of it. Put some onto your plate, or just eat it straight from the pot. Either way, be sure to shred some parmigiano on top.

Step 16: Revel in your success! Buon appetito!

Baci di Roma!!

Hope you enjoyed my first ever cooking post! Tune in tomorrow for a contest! With a prize! YOU could win!