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I’m back!! I missed blogging and spending time in the kitchen whipping up tasty food to share with you, but I must say it was well worth the trade off…I spent the past 2 weeks taking a road trip around the South Island of New Zealand. It was completely unbelievable and amazing!! It’s hands down the most breathtaking and beautiful place I’ve ever seen. My days were filled with kayaking (which I’ve fallen completely in love with), wine tasting, hiking up mountains and across glaciers, filling myself to the gills with heaps of amazing food and spending 4 fun-filled, crazy days with my favorite Aussies.

The first thing I noticed flying into Nelson, NZ (my first stop, at the very north of the South Island) is how mountainous, lush and green everything was…there were so many deep, beautiful shades of green in every direction. And of course, the deep aqua sea and icy, blue glacial rivers. As I began driving, it was hard to miss the sheep farms lining the roads. There were sheep everywhere! I was surrounded by future woolly sweaters, hats & mittens, future Icebreaker gear and a lot of tasty dinners.

To give you an idea what a stark contrast the South Island is from Manhattan....over 1.5 million people are tightly packed into the tiny (23 square miles) island of Manhattan, while the same population is spread out over 58,000+ square miles of the South Island. A lot of people I met, assumed that being a city-dweller, I wouldn’t like for the drastic change in the pace of life in NZ…complete the opposite! I embraced it and loved every second of it. This really was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

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One of the things I really love about traveling is that in soaking up the culture of another place and meeting people from all over the world, I feel like I get a peek into what makes these people and places tick, and a view into different ways of life. It makes me really reflect on my own life and look at where I’m at right now (in the big picture of things), my short-term and long-term goals, how I’m going about (or not) achieving these goals, and it makes me take a hard look at my priorities. This trip especially has really helped me in reassessing these things and making me more certain and more excited about the path I see for myself.

Driving back onto the island of Manhattan felt like a huge shock to my system. It felt slightly unsettling to have the buzzing chaos of the city surrounding me again, and I don’t think I was quite ready for it.

I was more than ready to get back in the kitchen for a home-cooked, feel-good dinner, though. It was a great welcome home. This is a great take on traditional stuffed shells.

Stuffed Shells with Proscuitto & Radicchio

Ingredients:

1 box jumbo pasta shells
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, chopped
1 head radicchio, cored and shredded (about 4 cups)*
1 1/2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
12 ounces fresh ricotta cheese
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 cups tomato sauce
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for dotting
Parmesan cheese, grated

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Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta shells for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with oil. Let cool.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Saute prosciutto, garlic, and onion, stirring, until prosciutto starts to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add radicchio; cook until tender but not mushy, about 4 minutes. Stir in vinegar; cook until evaporated. Let cool slightly. Stir in ricotta and mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.
Pour 2 cups tomato sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish (i.e. 9x13). Stuff each shell with 1 heaping tablespoon filling. Place shells in the baking dish so that they fit tightly together. Cover with foil.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dot shells with butter. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 12-15 minutes more. Heat remaining cup tomato sauce; serve with shells. Top with parmesan cheese.

If 30 stuffed shells are a bit too much for you, good news...you can freeze the unbaked, stuffed shells for up to 1 month.

Notes: If you're not keen on radicchio, try some Swiss chard, spinach, or whatever leafy greens you have in the fridge.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, November 2010

Hotels offer a temporary sanctuary when you’re away from home, but sometimes the real adventure is found in exploring new places and trying new things. Whether it's a road trip around the picturesque landscapes of New Zealand or indulging in delicious recipes like Peanut Butter & Fleur de Sel Brownies, the journey of discovering new experiences can be truly extraordinary.