A Taste of Greece

Many people hear the ancient stories of Greek Gods such as Zeus, Athena, and Hercules. What most people don’t realize is there is much more to Greece than these tales of the Gods. Greece was by far one of the most beautiful and serene places I visited while studying abroad. The people are friendly, the music is good and the food is out of this world!

The taste of Greece I am going to share with you is none other than their famous Gyros. A Gyros is one of Greece most popular dishes and served as a sandwich. The main ingredient in this dish is pork cooked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved by layer as it turns brown. The name Gyros (in the English language pronounced year-o) comes from the Greek word “turn” but stems from the Turkish word Doner Kebab which means “turning roast”.


How is it served?
In Greece the Gyros is served as a pita bread sandwich. The pita bread is split open and stuffed with roasted pork, tomatoes, onion, fried potatoes, and their absolutely scrumptious Tzatziki sauce. In some locations you may find a Gyros served with chicken or veal, but is nowhere near as tasty as the original recipe using pork.

What is Tzatziki sauce?
I have to start off saying Tzatziki sauce is to die for. It makes your taste buds dance around with excitement!

Typical Tzatziki sauce is made of strained yoghurt from sheep or goat’s milk combined with cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and sometimes lemon juice. The cucumber and garlic have a strong taste in the sauce but is a white color from the yoghurt. This sauce is mainly used on Gyros and another Greek dish called Souvlaki which is cooked meat or vegetables on a skewer.

How do I get it?
In the United States Gyros first came about in Chicago. They can now be found in mostly all Greek restaurants and diners across the country.


If I could hop on a plane and fly back to Greece I would in a heartbeat. This is definitely a country to visit if you’re looking to relax and take a load off. In the mean time, take a trip to your local Greek restaurant or diner and dig into a Gyros. You’ll be begging to go to Greece by the time you’re finished!

Curiosity Leads to Questions

Throughout my years of education I have always been the child to ask the teacher a million questions in class. Yes it was definitely the un-cool thing to do but I was always curious about everything under the sun. I was told “There is no such thing as a dumb question” and used that to my full advantage. Some teachers encouraged this while others scolded my curiosity as it was unacceptable.

When I was in 3^rd grade my favorite thing to do every night was to let my imagination run wild and write stories of adventure and curiosity. Many of the stories I wrote raised questions in my mind that lead to asking myself “why?” In the morning I would attack my parents with these questions that popped into my head each night. They may not have had an answer for all of them but they always encouraged me to continue asking questions.

My third grade teacher was a completely different story. She always stuck straight to the lesson plan and did not allow any creativity in our work. When I asked questions in class of why something was or how it works, I was thought to be interrupting. I would come home every day very upset and in time became scared to be curious and ask questions. I convinced myself I needed to accept things for what she said and that is the final answer.

This lead to the time in my life where I stopped writing. I began to hate it actually. I suppressed my curiosity and kept my mouth shut for years.

It is extremely important for teachers to allow their students to be curious and ask why. This is how children’s minds grow and they learn the ability to think logically. Whether it is as simple as solving a puzzle or doing months of research to form a well supported thesis.

To this day I wish I never stopped writing and being curious. Some of the greatest inventions and theories have been created from curiosity to not accept everything for what it appears to be but wonder how and why.

Be curious. Ask lots of questions. This is the key to utilizing your whole mind and drawing conclusions some may never have thought possible.

How to Make a Cannoli

Close your eyes and think of scrumptious desserts you would find in an Italian Bakery. I bet an image of a Cannoli is one of the dessert items that pops into your head. Oh there is nothing more satisfying then a creamy Cannoli straight from Italy. It is actually very simple to make and I’ll share with you how!

First you’re going to need to make a trip to the grocery store. You will need:

• Flour
• Cocoa
• Sugar
• Salt
• Baking Powder
• Shortening
• Wine
• Pistachio nuts, (optional)
• Ricotta Cheese
• Milk
• Cornstarch
• Vanilla
• Semi sweet chocolate chips

Once you have all the ingredients you are ready to start cooking! Making Cannoli’s is broken down into two steps the Cannoli shell and the filling. First we will start making the shell.

Cannoli Shell
In a bowl mix 1 ½ cups flower, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon baking powder. Slowly work in 2 tablespoons shortening and ½ cup wine. Use your hands if you want, baking is always more fun when we get a little messy!

Once the dough looks well mixed break off a piece about the size of a nickel and roll it out until the dough is so thin you can almost see through it without breaking. Place the dough around a Cannoli tube and pinch the ends together at the top.

The final step is to deep fry the shell in shortening until it is nicely browned. Once removed, place the shell on a paper towel to cool. When the shell is cool enough to touch, carefully remove the tubes from the Cannoli by pushing the tub through. Remember to be careful you don’t want to break it!!

Step one is complete! Was that as difficult as you originally thought? This next part is even easier!

Cannoli Filling
Bring 2 ½ cups milk to a boil over low heat on the stove. Add 8 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 ½ cups sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla making sure to mix well while adding each ingredient. Cook the mixture for 30 minutes then set it aside to cool. This will allow the filling to thicken creating custard.

In a separate bowl beat 3 pounds ricotta cheese with a blender until creamy. When the custard you made earlier has cooled add it to the cheese along with 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips. Beat the mix again until the mixture is fluffy.

The last step is to combine the shell and the filling. Fill the shell from both ends making sure the filling is packed in and you have finished making a Cannoli!

Finishing Touch
From here is where this recipe can be made your own. I personally like to dip the ends in the semi sweet chocolate chips we added to the filling and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Another way to do it is to dip the ends in pistachio nuts, melted chocolate, or anything else you can think of. It is your opportunity to be creative!

I hope this showed how easy making Cannoli’s really is and gets everyone excited to go try out the recipe! Let me know what you think!!

A Taste of Germany

Guten Tag! A typical greeting meaning ‘good day’ to the people of Germany. Germany is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe and is highly known for its beauty and the Germans love for Sausage!

The taste of Germany I am going to share with you is a dish called Brätwurst (brat-worst). Brätwurst is a German name meaning Brät- finely chopped meat, and wurst- sausage. The sausage used in this dish can be veal, pork or beef and is usually cooked in broth or beer and grilled to perfection.

How is it made?

There are many different ways Brätwurst is prepared and all depends on the region it was made. Brätwurst was originated in the city of Coburg in Bavaria. Here it is made from a minimum of 15% veal and seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and lemon zest. This style of Brätwurst is typically grilled over pinecones and has a very rough texture.

In the region of Nürnberger, Brätwurst is prepared as a small and thin pork sausage. It is grilled over a beechwood fire and served with horseradish and sauerkraut. The Nürnberger style is thought to be the most popular sausage in Germany.

A final popular style I will share with you is the Thüringer Rost Brätwurst. This Brätwurst is served in a long and thin shape. It is a spicy sausage grilled over a charcoal fire.

How do I eat it?

Brätwurst is typically enjoyed with hot German mustard on Brötchen, a German roll. If you are not a mustard fan it can be replaced with horseradish, sauerkraut, or ketchup. It can be easily compared to the American Hot Dog.

How do I get it?

Brätwurst was brought over to America by the German immigrants and over time has become very popular. It is easily attainable and can be found in major supermarkets across the country.

Brätwurst is absolutely delicious and if you haven’t tried it run to the nearest store and grill up some of Germany’s finest sausage!

Nothing Beats American Dishes

America, the land of the free and home to over 300 million people. This is a place known for opportunity, skyscrapers, and diversity. Hundreds of years ago our ancestors came from all over to America in attempt to create a new life. With them came their tradition, food, and religion of the country they were raised, leading to one giant melting pot.

For a while it was separated; the Italians associated with only Italians, and the same was with the German, Irish, and English. When did it come to the point where we all became American? As time went on, cultures mixed joining people of different backgrounds and leading to a unified lifestyle, an American lifestyle. This I would say worked in our favor as some of the most mouth watering foods were introduced.

After traveling around Europe one thing was made certain, a meal is the size of a snack compared to an American meal. The American lifestyle prides itself around the bigger the food the better. Americans don’t go to a restaurant and expect their meal to be a piece of chicken the size of a silver dollar and 5 roasted potato wedges on the side. We want a huge juicy steak taking up the whole plate with a side of mountain high mashed potatoes, steaming corn on the cob, and a huge piece of warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Anything less, we are unsatisfied and anything more we enter a food coma which means “Roll me straight to bed after this meal!”

What exactly is American food? A prime example would be the All-American-Hamburger. It doesn’t get much more American than this with a side of French Fries as a meal. A typical hamburger is about a pound and a half of ground beef molded into a circle the size of a coaster, grilled until the juices run and it is still a little pink in the center, than placed in between two slices of a sesame seed bun. From here it is your preference to any toppings your heart desires; tomatoes, lettuce, grilled onions, bacon, ketchup, pickles, BBQ sauce, cheese, and anything else you can imagine. Everyone likes something different and in America, you have it your way!

I doubt in any other country most natives would find a half-pound burger to just not be enough. Around this country you can order Hamburgers weighing up to five pounds! Remember bigger is always better here.

Another absolute favorite American dish is a hot tender rack of Baby Back Ribs. Pork, from the ribcage of a pig, is smothered in barbeque sauce and smoked on the grill until they are falling off the bone. This dish is typically served with coleslaw and steaming baked beans. It is bit more money than your typical Hamburger but without-a-doubt worth every penny.I guess we need to thank our ancestors who came over so long ago with their food traditions. It allowed us to take meat that was originally used to make Italian meatballs and make it into a giant juicy hamburger. And nothing tastes better than taking a bite into a piece of meat that is just falling off the bone tender filling your mouth with so much flavor your taste buds go wild for more.

America has hands down the best dishes in the world but when a foreigner comes for a visit they better bring their appetite because in American, bigger is always better!

Question Everything in Life

Good writing spurs from the internal debate if life is as truthful as it is perceived to be.

Every day we hear the news and discuss problems we are facing as a country and in our personal lives. These discussions allow people to bounce their thoughts and opinions off of one another to formulate a stance on a particular argument. When questions and doubt rise in your mind you are thinking critically. This is just the start and the pathway to writing truthfully and passionately.

When it comes to placing our thoughts into written words, detail is key. We need to not forget the process we went through to reach our conclusion. The process is one of the most important parts of writing by allowing the reader to see how and why you have come to your stated conclusion. If you jump from stating the problem right to what you think, the reader will not understand your logic and chances are will not agree with your point. Guide the reader. Take them step by step through each question you stumbled upon and caused you to think critically. Let them into your mind and think as you do. If you get them to see the problem through your eyes the reader will be able to relate and your argument will be strong and credible.

Over the past few weeks I have been searching for topics to discuss that I am passionate about. It was made clear through this week’s lecture that I can write about everything I come in contact with in my daily routine. There are so many topics that raise question in my mind and lead me to feel a certain way. I create my own argument without realizing.

One thing I intend to work on is taking note of everything that raises question in my mind and formulating an outline of my thought process. Sharing the same step by step process of how I came to a conclusion will help the reader see the argument from my point of view.

I will not find my passion right away but in time, without warning, I will stumble across it. The desire to research and continue to question its truthfulness will show that I have found a topic which I am passionate about and allow me to formulate a strong thesis. I am almost too anxious for that time to come!

Final Topic

After much thought and debate on the specifics of my European Life topic, I decided I am going to change it a bit to make it more specific. I wish I could do everything I talked about but it would be too unorganized attempting to touch base on everything I want to inform my readers about. Instead I have continued thinking a great deal about my niche. I came to a FINAL decision that I love food and it really was the focus of my affection when I was abroad traveling to each country. I gained 20 pounds in 5 months, says something right? I wish to share my favorite dishes from different countries around Europe. I will include dishes I have personally tried with my thoughts as well as dishes that I did not have the opportunity to try.

A Taste of Europe will be the title of my topic. Each week a different country will be featured and I will share a MUST have meal that this country is known for as well as any significance this dish has to the country’s history and culture.

This is a perfect topic for me to cover as I am passionate about food and traveling the world. What I aim to do is introduce my audience to foreign food and hopefully trigger a desire to want to try it. I realize I am writing for an American audience who may not be traveling to Europe any time soon so I wish to offer them ideas for meals that they can prepare and serve in their own home.

I hope you all like my idea. I am excited to get started!

Requirements of Writing Persuasively

In this week’s module, Professor Kalm spoke about finding your niche in order to create your own voice of truth. The hardest part of this is the actual search for your niche. It needs to be something that comes natural and raises a passion within that causes you to want to pick it apart piece by piece. If you pick a topic that is not that interesting, the lack of passion will be noticed and you lose credibility. Professor Kalm noted, “Aristotle broke down rhetoric – the art of persuasion – into three requirements: to convince an audience with an argument, a voice had to be credible, logical and passionate[...]”

Convincing the audience with an argument could be one of the easiest tasks if you know your topic inside and out. This is where you show the audience you know the facts and are the right person to be persuading them to view this topic in your light. While writing my argument for topic about European Life I tried to emphasize that I have traveled around Europe and experienced first-hand the food and the culture of these countries. A personal experience of mine has changed my entire look on the global economy. One night at an Irish Pub, a middle aged mad said to me “When the United States sneezes, the whole world catches a cold.” This phrase has stuck with me and really shows me how each country and continent is connected through the state of the economy within each country. The knowledge behind this statement and the choice of his words convinced me to see the world through his eyes and notice how much of an impact the United States has upon the world.

Keeping your voice credible has everything to do with your online presence as well as your offline presence. If you write what is true to you and coincides with your values and standards than you are a credible source. Your credibility weakens when people veer away from their beliefs to discuss what they think other people want to hear. I mentioned in a previous discussion that it was difficult for me to pick a topic because I was trying to think of something that would stand out in people’s minds and write about what they want to hear. Professor Kalm brought up an amazing point stating that the people don’t know what they want until they see it right in front of them. At that point it is too late and you have set a voice for yourself that may go completely against what you believe. Sooner or later you will been be noticed for creating a false persona that is not truly you and labeled as a non-credible writer. Not worth it. Stick to what is true to you and the people will follow on their own.

Logical and passion is the last requirement from Aristotle’s list. Pick a topic that is interesting and causes your reader to think. Overall you are persuading them to see your point of view so make it an argument with strong and supportive facts. This will also make it a bit easier for the reader to agree. Lastly, passion. It is honestly the word I have been stumbling over for the past few weeks. Without the passion the topic is weak and will show in your writing. Pick something that you can pick apart and feel very strongly about. This will make writing about the topic easier as the words will pour onto the paper allowing you to then edit through to compile the best piece to submit each week.

Using these three requirements Aristotle suggests will help create a strong well structured argument to persuade your audience. I am currently working through these steps in an attempt to redefine my topic of European Life to a more specific area.

What Interests Me

I have thought about picking a topic to write about for the semester all week. I have been back and forth and pulling out my hair to think of an idea that best suits me. Finally I have decided to create a topic titled, European Life. European Life will feature all the inside scoop on the European lifestyle. This is a fabulous topic as the category gives me many areas to cover within each country.

Why is this topic for me? I’ll tell you why… I would best cover this topic because I studied abroad in Italy a year and a half ago and was absolutely changed by the experience. Everything between the fashion, food, landmarks, and culture had me in awe and eager to learn everything I possibly can in my time visiting. I traveled all over while studying abroad for a semester; countries include Spain, France, Germany, and Greece. Each place had something in particular to define itself culturally and I would love to pick these countries apart and let you in on what I have learned throughout my journey abroad.

Each week I will choose a different country to cover. First, I will inform the reader of places that are a MUST visit within these countries. These will include landmarks and museums that help define the history and culture of the country.

I will share foods that have been crafted and perfected through generations and are a MUST try when visiting. As an example, you must try the Tapas in Barcelona, Spain accompanied by a glass of their all famous Sangria.

I will share the latest fashion trends or laws within the country. Some places are very strict and require a certain code of dress. While I was studying abroad the MUST HAVE color in Italy was purple. I would see women dressed from head to toe in deep purple attire. All of the shop windows were filled with purple dresses and shoes. Informing my readers of up and coming colors and fashion will be key as Europe is highly known for their unique and desired fashion sense.

Lastly, I plan to explain the culture and what a citizen of that country’s life is like on a daily basis. Many of these people live completely different lifestyles than anything you or I experience here in the United States. These differences make it hard to travel between countries and are usually the main reason students studying abroad or young adults moving across country for work, get home sick. Hopefully these tips will give the readers all they could ever want to know about European Life.

Through these discussions of European Life I hope to open the reader’s eyes to a different lifestyle and evoke a passion within to want to visit these countries and experience it themselves. Having visited many countries within Europe I know the differences between the food, fashion, and lifestyle between each country. I can use first-hand knowledge as well as many of the books and websites I have encountered while studying abroad. I have many resources that will help me research and provide my readers with the most up to date information available.

I will begin this blog topic shortly. I am excited to start and hope I caught some of your interest to check out my blog weekly! If anyone has any suggestions or questions please feel free to leave a comment or email me at hlbacci@quinnipiac.edu.

Potential Topics for the Semester

Picking a subject that interests me is the next assignment I need to ponder. I need to tie in the idea of what is true to me and edit down my ideas to one concrete passion of mine. Many things interest me such as sports, fashion, music, food, movies, tv shows, the list can go on and on. But choosing the one thing to define me and continue talking about for the duration of the semester is really the stump of the assignment. Talking to my friends and family who know me the best here is a list of things I can discuss:

- Music. I have already discussed my love for music in a previous blog. I did an assignment on Universal Music Group last semester so know a lot about the industry already. I already have a blog discussing this company so a presence exists. This might be the easiest for me.
- Food. I love food even though I am pretty picky. I can be in the worst mood ever and food will make me happy! I can feature different meals every week and discuss nutrition which I am also very interested in.
- Movies. Every spare moment I have I am watching a movie on On Demand. I have seen so many and really love the industry. I can discuss good movies and the industry, but this might be difficult as I don’t know much about it.
- Fashion (Deals and steals) … I like this one a lot because I am always shopping for a good bargin, but it may be hard to continue for 12 more weeks.
- Traveling … I studied abroad in Italy and absolutely loved it. I could definitely talk about different sites and foods (to tie that in) around the globe. A set back is that I don’t plan on actually working abroad if I need to consider my future in picking a topic.
- New Jersey and all the stereo-types. Between Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives of New Jersey I definitely have a lot of talking points to cover for this topic.
- Eating disorders. A few of my good friends growing up have had different eating disorders. I have seen some through rehab counseling, group meetings and witnessed the high and low of their diseases. I could definitely cover this but not sure if it would be appropriate and if I would be able to be as honest as I would like.

These are some of the topics I have considered so far. I am leaning toward Fashion and traveling but now I need to come up with an argument. I have a lot more thinking to do!

BioSketch Rewrites

Rewrite #1:
My name is Heather Bacci, I am 21 years old and just graduated college. I have a BA in Public Relations with a minor study in Marketing. I am athletic and love to interact with people in my daily activities. I am continuing into graduate school to find my niche in this world. My mind is always wondering and thinking about life and its limits. I love to think strategically and problem solve. I have a strong passion for food, music, fashion, and movies. I am unsure of where I will be in 10 years but hoping life will take me where I need to be.

Rewrite #2:
I am a young college graduate unsure of where my studies will take me. I am passionate, determined, strong willed and creative. I love to think out of the box and can work on a strategic problem for hours to find the solution. I have a bit of a wild side so need to be out in the world interacting with people and making a difference.

Rewrite #3:
I am a strong willed Jersey girl right out of college trying to find her place in the world.

Rewrite #4:
I am outgoing, skilled, and eager to learn life’s lessons.

Rewrite #5:
I know that wherever life takes me is where I am meant to be.

Finding What is True

In the beginning of my ICM writing course we were asked to create an identity for ourselves. We can pick a pseudo name or use the one inscribed upon our birth certificate. I chose to stick with my actual name in order to help create a presence for myself on the internet. It didn’t really matter what I wrote about, what mattered was my name can be searched showing an active twitter and blog. In my head, that’s what prospective jobs look for these days right? Now I am thinking I went about it all wrong, should I not have used my real name?

Professor Kalm, instructor of my ICM 506 writing course, wrote a very interesting module about Mark Twain and how this was chosen to be this writer’s pseudo name. This name corresponded with his occupation and the stories he wrote. He did not need his birth name to be a legitimate and praised writer, his technique and words did it for him. “When it came to the two words with which he closed much of what he wrote, he chose the words Mark and Twain to declare: here, in my words, and in the journey that you will take across them, is safe passage. Here is the truth.” Mark Twain obsessed and prided himself around writing what is true. His novels share what is true to him and this is the path which should be followed. He did not write to be recognized by his real name but to share the many thoughts and truths he experienced.

This is where I have gone wrong. I stuck with my birth name to connect my name to ideas I think other people want to hear and what will make me look good to the outside world. So far I have written pieces explaining myself in a general sense but now I need to look beyond the hobbies and academics to find what is true to me. Unlike Mark Twain I have not had real-world experience with love and passion for a career. I am a few steps behind and need to start slow to find exactly what is true.

Mark Twain had many words to share but one of the first things he learned while writing is to write them down then edit. Writing is a process. It cannot be scribbled onto a page and immediately in perfect form. It needs to be edited, filtered in a sense, to keep only what is crucial in getting your message out to the audience. Editing over and over again helps to sculpt a masterpiece of clear concise ideas.

This is where I need to begin my search for truth. Rewriting my pieces over duration of time will help me eliminate ideas that stray from what is true. It will help me submit only my best work and in the long run help me find the voice I want to share on the internet. Heather Bacci’s voice.

I have a long way to go in my search but here is what I already know. I like music, movies and food. I can be a bit stubborn when something doesn’t go as planned. I am a fast learner and love to think strategically and solve problems. I know I can do anything I put my mind to. Where do any of these truths fit? I hope to find out though my writing, editing, and rewriting of ideas and interests this semester!