Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Project V

The big day! After an amazing day of track {I'm going to Championships :)} I came home to start making my torte with Dad!





It took us 4 hours to make it and finish my power point.





The filling was was extremely easy to make, but the crust proved to be the hardest part! It was too flaky then to soft. It refused to stay together! So we waited for mom to get home to help. Eventually we got the whole thing to work and baked it! I hope it turns out well tomorrow.





The Stats

Time~ 10 hours 40 minutes
money~ $30.15

Monday, May 5, 2008

Project IV

Shopping Day with DAD!!!! Ah! Mom is the one who usually the one who helps me with school projects involving food, but she is on 3-11's this week. Making this dish will be interesting!



We spent three+ hours shopping at Wally-World and Giant Eagle. One hour of travel to Robinson and back, one hour finding all ingredients, and one hour trying to find Parmigiano Reggiano. We spent a total of $30.14.



The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese proved to be the most difficult thing to find! We spent most of our time in Wal-Mart but could not find this cheese! We asked the people working the Deli but they had no idea what we were asking for. So Dad and I drove to Giant Eagle in hope to find it. When we found it, I almost screamed! For one pound of two year old cheese it was 10 dollars! The stuff is imported from Italy and naturally aged for 24 months! It is ridiculous!

So moral of the story is know what your going to make (or at least the ingredients used) and how much its going to coast you!!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

"We create our fate every day we live" ~Henry Miller

What role has FATE played in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet?





Fate- n. the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events;





Fate is a huge role in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Under the circumstances that Romeo and Juliet met, fell in love, and died proves something, such as fate, caused it. Some people do not believe in fate, but if they read this play, they cannot believe this any more!





Romeo sneaks into the Capulet's masquerade ball. Tybalt knows that Romeo, a hate Montague, was at this party and tells Lord Capulet. Due to the earlier events of Prince Escalus telling both lords of the houses that they will be killed if there was another occurrence, Lord Capulet allowed Romeo to stay. Romeo was looking for his love, Rosaline, but finds a new love-interest, Juliet. They both fall in love at first sight, share one conversation, and kiss. Only a power such as FATE could cause this astonishing meeting!





Fate does not always work in our favor. Fate is the only thing that could drive the Montague's and Capulet's further apart. Tybalt hunts down Romeo to fight him. Romeo becomes angry at Tybalt after he killed Mercutio. Romeo forgets his love for Juliet and murders Tybalt. When Romeo killed Tybalt, he killed any chance of having a life with his wife, Juliet. FATE caused this downfall in the 'perfect' romance.





Fate caused something much worse for the two young lovers. Fate built up to cause the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Fate caused the message to not get to Romeo, causing him to run to Juliet's grave, and caused him to take his own life. By Romeo doing this, Juliet took her own life. They both said they would kill to be together and end up doing so. FATE caused Romeo and Juliet to die. Their death caused the two families to come together, forgive their pasts, and get over the feud.





Fate causes many drastic things in our lives. In Romeo and Juliet's case, it caused them to meet, falling love, and die. Fate can be such a great thing, but can also be horrible. Fate is a huge part of Romeo and Juliet!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Project III

Today I worked on my project after track play-offs and my concert for one hour.


I added a history section and a few more pictures. I still need to make it more interesting and fun. Also I need to add notes for me for the presentation! I hope I can finish it this weekend even though I have my basketball tournament and invitational.


One episode of BOSTON LEGAL listened to during tonights work on the project.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Project II

Today I worked for two hours. I accomplish a good deal of my power point presentation. I have the basic ideas in on the kitchen, food, and other details. I plan to add more details and make it more interesting tomorrow. It was very difficult to find information, but the website I found has A LOT of information on it.


Also today during 5th period I did not have a place to work, so I asked to stay in Mrs. Knight's room. I observed three presentations (one food, one act, and one art). I figured out some new things I might add to how I would normal present. Observing different people helps get ideas of what to do and what not to do! If you ever get the opportunity take it!


Ideas for project: Pros: Cons:
Poster: Easy, quick; Bland, to easy!
Power Point: easy to see, more info faster; Time consuming, possible wrong

Movie Maker: Fun, interesting; Hard to put info in, extremely time consuming!
Lecture: Fast, easiest (for me); BORING!


It's clear the best way to present will be a power point!

I went through 52 songs on my i-pod (okay I skipped a few) while working on my project today!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Project I

Sunday night, after a long weekend of basketball, my dad helped me research. We searched google for food in Italy in the 13th and 14th century for around 40 minutes. The site we found (http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq3.html#romeo) is extremely helpful, and full of useful information. I plan on making the Neapolitan Rustic Torte. It looks fun and delicious. Here is the recipe:

Neapolitan Rustic TorteMaestro Martino's white torte calls to mind this Neapolitan torta rustica and many other southern Italian tortes. In Naples, salami or prosciutto is added to the filling for seasoning, but in this recipe only sweet spices are useds to evoke the flavors of medieval cuisine.Serves 6For the crust:2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting3/4 cup sugar1 teaspoon freshly grated gingerSalt8 tablespoons butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pan3 egg yolks
For the filling1 1/2 pounds ricotta4 eggs3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano Reggiano1/3 pound mozzarella, diced1/3 pound smoked provola, diced1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon grated nutmegSalt and freshly ground black pepperMake the crust by combining the flour, sugar, ginger, adn salt in a well on a well-dusted surface; place the butter and egg yolks in the center of the well, and then use a fork to beat the eggs; slowly incorporate the flour, beginning with the inside (without breaking the wall of the well); when you have obtained a firm mixture, begin to work it with the tips of your fingers and continue until all of the ingredients are combined (short crusts like this one should be worked as little as possible so that they do not lose their flakiness); shape dough into a ball, and let it rest for 30 minutes, covered, in a cool place. Preheat the ovent o 400 degrees F. In the meantime, make the filling. In a mixing bowl, crust the ricotta with as fork, and then add the eggs and mix until you obtain a creamy consistency; add the Parmigiano, mozzerella, provola, parsley, cinnamon, adn nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to tastet. next assemble the torte. Grease with butter a 9-inch tart or quiche pan with 2-inch walls; divide the dough in half and roll out each half into disks with a diameter of about 11 inches; place on the of disks in the pan, add the filling, top with the remaining disk, remove the excess dough, and pinch to seal around the edges; season the crust with salt. Bake the torte in teh preheated oven for about an hour or until the crust has become golden brown. This torte can be served hot, but it is best served at room temperature." ---(p. 172)[NOTE: Period feasts did not include appetizers, as we know them today. If your assignent is to bring an appetizer, tortes may be your best bet. They are easily transported, do not required immediate consumption, and can be cut into individual servings. The result will be quite similar to fancy appetizers served in modern banquets. If you want to really *period correct* do not give your guests forks. Small portions are readily managed finger foods.]

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Verona- The city of Romeo and Juliet. The capital of love.

The tragic play written by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, took place in Verona Italy. So you can only imagine the reasons why William Shakespeare choose this city. Here are a few details about Verona during Romeo and Juliet's time!





Basic: Verona is an Italian city located in northern Italy along Adige River near Lake Garda. Resulting from this location, the city is prone to flooding. The small city is only 80 square miles.


Rule: Romeo and Juliet took place while Scaligeri were in reign. Mastino I della Scala founded this powerful dynasty. The Scaligeri's where not among the nobles. They belonged to the upper-middle class as lawyers and high government officials. Mastino I della Scala was never a lord of Verona. nor His son's never held authoritative positions either. Scala had strong characteristics. He is the one that set up and began the powerful dynasty of Scaligeri. The family were very into the arts but complete tyrants. Their power began in 1260, and their dynasty fell in 1405. Despite being know as cruel and harsh, the family brought peace. Verona grew into a wonderful trading place. The family supported and protected the arts in many ways! After the dynasty the city joined Venice's Empire.


Arts: Thanks to the Scaligeri dynasty during the 13th and 14th centuries, the arts and culture reached its peak! Castelvecchio is a castle built in the 14th century. To day it is used as a museum of the arts from the Renaissance time period. The tallest tower built in Verona, Torre Lamberti, was built in the time frame. The clock towers over Piazza delle Erbe. Perhaps the most famous building constructed in the 13th century is the Casa di Giulietta, or Juliet's house. It was restored in the 1930's, but still carries the same ideas. This is wear we believe the balcony scene took place in the play. Questions of whether or not Romeo and Juliet where actually real people do not stop hundred of people of visiting the historic piece of art!



Fashion: Now for my favorite subject: CLOTHING! During the 13th and 14th centuries, clothing also underwent drastic changes. The peoples of the time did away with straight seems and invented curved seems. A need for tailoring also grew. Clothing began to fit better and look better, because it was now made for human form! To avoid extra bulky fabric the use of buttons became popular. Wool was the popular choice for fabric. To embroider clothing, they usually chose wool, silks, or gold thread. For the upper-class, silk was a fine luxury! Women wore smocks and breast bands (bra) for underwear, and kirtles (loose fitting gowns). Unlike most countries, in Italy, women left the heads uncovered. They twisted their hair with cords or ribbons, and then twisted it around their heads. Men wore loose underwear held up with a belt, under shirt, bright wool chausses (leg coverings), doublet (hip length jacket), a gown covered by a hooded cloak, and a fashionable hat. Both sexes wore a leather shoe that had a leather sole. They were not water-proof.

Music: Trecento (Italian for 14th century) period left major changes in the music world! There is not a lot of music left from this time period but the accomplishments made greatly affect today's music. Conducts ( comosition for one or more voices; sacred) are the closes styles related to Trecento music. At its peak, the form of writing a ballata was created. Its popularity greatly expanded over Europe. Francesco Landini is the most famous composer of this generation! He wrote 155 pieces consisting mostly of ballate. He mastered many instruments, but excelled in organ playing. He also wrote many poems.



Check out these sweet links!
http://www.veronafor2.com/verona.html