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Sunday, 8 April 2012

Siena, Italy - Easter day with family and friends

Fabulous day in a lovely home of friends in Siena, Italy. We were about 20 people, enjoying a guided tour of the Duomo of Siena and extraordinary sections that had been reconstructed only since 1999. Beautifully exquisite artworks, complicated architecture, wonderful company with new friends from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and our immediate family including both daughters who have been away. Very nice morning walk and tour, afternoon lunch with specialties both from Naples in Southern Italy, and Perugia where I live, plust typical chocolates from both Venice area, and brought from Germany. Spumante, good wine, and special cakes including the pastiera from Naples, and ciaramicola from Umbria.
Here are some of the photos I took (without retouching, just too many to do now and we are out again to celebrate Pasquetta -- the day after Easter, so please excuse me, but here they are!) This is the first group....must get going, the others will be posted next time.

Typical Italian Easter eggs in this bar, where we had our first stop for a cappuccino. The eggs each contain a surprise inside.

Funny, they were selling sandwiches with the famous roasted pig porchetta.

Foutain in front of my friends' house.

Our group, getting the beginning of the tour on the way to the Duomo.

Some typical ceramics from Siena.

Our tickets held by our friend, Tommaso.

Yes, my feet on a glass panel above another floor way way below.

Double image of a glass mosaic.

Italian cheese bread "Torta al formaggio" above, and various apetizers from Germany, below.

Magnificent centerpiece made with artichokes and flowers.

A view of a quick shot I took while walking to the parking lot after a full and wonderful day.

Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Italian foods....from fruits to prosciutto to chocolate

Violets are blooming. I see the market down the street is getting their Easter cakes in boxes already out, ready to go. Now they have one that is the shape of a bell! Clever, always thinking of something new, something to get people's attention and get them to buy!

When I got to Italy, many many years ago, women would cook so much more than they do now. Now the buy ready made products. They still cook, but times have changed. I still cook!!! I hardly buy anything processed. But I have always enjoyed very healthy cooking. Let me see what I have to show you here...in my file called FOOD.....
AH HA.....here we have some young men slicing the famous prosciutto, delicious ham on a bone, that if you cut it thin, lasts for months. I have never had one of these in my home, buy it when they slice it for me in the shops. And when it is good, it is very very good! And at this event, it was delicious.

Please excuse me if I don't turn this mouth around, but you are going to eat it anyways, aren't you??
It came from a shop here in Perugia...with the most exquisite and delcious chocolates. They were so so good! My mother - in-law sent them to my parents and I tell you, they were absolutely fantastic.

Do you like pasta? What a silly question!!! These are the famous cappelletti. They are filled with meat and served in a meat broth. And if you ask me if they are good......well...........; )

No words are needed here. Just think chocolate. Sweet. Delicious. Think heaven!! Soft, creamy, divine! Think I WANT ONE!!! OR TWO...OR ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, this is not a flower...it is a salad!! And it is really good! Of course the flavor is delicate, that is obvious. And the leaves are soft, and tender. But they are almost too pretty to eat! And definitely if you like to take photos of them, you will take one before you eat it. Like I did.

Grilling takes time, on a small grill like I have...BUT....these zucchines are so good like this! You grill them and then pour on a little olive oil. They are so yummy! Try it, easy to do, takes a litte time but worth it.

Nothing like a nice messy juicy fruit snack at the computer. That is just what I am about to eat here now. Half a dozen oranges from Southern Italy. No, not really. I was just having fun when I got them, taking pictures of them all over the house, looking for the right lighting.
Well, that is all for now. Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the foods that have come into my home here in the ol' country, Italy.

Monday, 19 March 2012

Illustrations in coloured pencil

These are a group of coloured pencil illustrations I did regarding fruit.

I was always told as a child "Don't play with your food"

It seemed to have an effect on me....

I particularly like to play, photograph and draw food!

Thursday, 15 March 2012

Need something sweet with my tea right now.....

an Italian torcolo?

a special crispy fried "cookie" for Carnevale?

an unusual cake from Naples (made with corn flour)?

or a creamy pudding that they put a flame to for drama???

Saturday, 4 February 2012

FROZEN FISH TODAY

Sunday, 29 January 2012

PERUGIA - festa di S. Costanzo

Oggi è la Festa di S. Costanzo, il patrono di Perugia. Questo il famoso e buonissimo torcolo di S. Costanzo.

Today is the festa of S. Costanzo, the patron of Perugia. This is the famous cake for this festival, the torcolo of S. Costanzo.

And here is one I photographed in 2009. Seems to perhaps be just a little bit more filled with rasins and such....could it be the crisis that this year there is just a little less to it?

Ed eccone uno che ho fotografato in 2009. Sembra che ci sia qualche uvetta, ecc in più. Potrebbe essere la crisi quest'anno che significa che ci mettono qualche ingrediente in meno?

Saturday, 14 January 2012

DONUTS

Why would I be thihnking about donuts on Saturday afternoon....perhaps one was missing with my cup of tea today?

They are really junky but good. And pretty too!

Perchè sto pensando di donuts questo sabato pomeriggio...forse perchè ne mancava uno insieme alla mia tazza di tì oggi? Sono proprio un junk food, ma buoni. E belli anche da vedere!

Sunday, 6 November 2011

CORBEZZOLI

Lovely to see, and lovely to eat....little seeds on the outside, and soft and sweet inside: corbezzoli!

Belli da vedere, e belli da mangiare....piccoli semi sull'esterno, e morbidi e dolci dentro: corbezzoli!!

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Honey and tea

Funny....trying to put honey into a cup while you are taking a photo with your left hand. And a very sweet cup of tea it became, trying and trying over and over again to get it just right!

Divertente...provare a mettere miele in una tazza di tè mentre provi a fare la foto con la mano sinistra. E alla fine, una tazza di tè davvero dolce, dopo aver provato volta dopo volta per farlo venire come volevo.

Sunday, 31 July 2011

LOS ANGELES offers loads of delicious MEXICAN FOOD

One of my favorite foods....MEXICAN!!! And this, in Los Angeles California, is really delicious!!

Uno dei miei cibi preferiti....MESSICANO!!! E questo, a Los Angeles, California è davvero delizioso!!

HOW TO SPEAK ITALIAN...in 60 seconds

Cavolo...means cabbage BUT you can use it when you want to say WOW!
Non so. So simple, and it means, I don't know. The word no, is no (easy) AND the word so comes from the verb sapere which is to know. So is used for I.....io so, I know. But in this case it is so simple...forget the I, and just say NON SO. Everyone will know what you mean, that is that you don't know!!
Raffreddore -- it means, a COLD. Like a fever, a cough, like what I feel I may be coming down with right now. If I want to say that I have a cold, I say "Sono raffreddata". That translates that I have (or I am) with a cold. You can also say "Ho un raffreddore" which means, I have a cold. Anyway you look at it, you will have to stay in bed or around the house, until you become....guarito or guarita, which means that you are cured!
IMPEGNATA!!! That is what I have been lately. BUSY! Lots of IMPEGNI (appointments, things to do, tasks, chores, you name it!) Actually I should say IMPEGNATISSIMA....meaning very very busy. And to tell you the truth, that is exactly how I like my life!
Per favore.....it is a nice way of asking someone "please" do this or that, or take one, or asking a favor. BUT you can also use it with hands wide and saying PLEASE!!! Stop it! Don't! Be quiet! It is all in the way you say it, and your body language. PLEASE!!!!!
Lo.......this is used when you have a noun like Spagnolo.....you see, this word means a Spanish man. Lo is used because the word starts with sp and you have to use lo rather than il, probably because it makes it easier to pronounce the two sounds....lo with sp rather than il and then sp lo sp, not il sp......When, on the other hand you need to use plural, that is Spagnoli, you must change the lo to gli and then say gli spagnoli. Oh my, this is difficult even for me. Signing off now, will be back with an easier lesson next time.
If you know Spanish, can it help you to know Italian?? YES!! Do I know Spanish? NO! But when I hear it, I can understand lots of it, and I am SURE it's because I know Italian.
Differente....it is easy to see what it means. But the hard part is the ORDER you put this word in. You don't want to use it like in English BUT to put it after the noun that you are calling different. Like I want a different book. Vorrei un libro differente. See, it is AFTER the noun, that is how you use adjectvies in Italian. And don't forget to say the letter E at the end....different - TAY.

Curiosities of Italian Life

VERY curious indeed, this Italian life. On the OUTSIDE it looks like people have loads of money, buying expensive iphones, cars, clothes and even eating out and spending money here and there. BUT on the inside, we are all having troubles with paying bills, hoping our children find jobs (most want to leave Italy now, lots do anyhow). So, the curious thing is that Italians look like they are having an easy time, but believe me.............
Moods........hmmmmmmm......when I am on facebook, I see the difference of the mood here in Italy and the mood in the States. There is a huge difference. People here are moody, due to the politics, especially. We just don't have the fun-loving thouughts and moods of the people in the States. Of course, I am from there, so I have a pretty happy mood most of the time. But being in the middle of complaining and low moods makes it even harder to stay up. Grrrrrrrrrr!!!
No shopping list. What do I mean? I mean, when you go to the market, you don't always need to have a shopping list....you see what looks fresh, colorful and good, and then buy what excites you. I have often had guests for dinner without really knowing what I am going to make. I see zucchini, or tomatoes, or something else and then the idea comes to me. That's how it is in Italy, the visual gives one the idea of what to do next.
City streets.....why oh why are there so many HOLES in the streets!! They just wrote about them the other day in the paper, and there are hundreds (or thousands, don't remember) of holes of all dimensions all over this city. And that means uncomfortable driving that is for sure!! Bump bump bump! The rain opens them up more and then they get bigger. They fill them up sometimes but not well enough. Another of Italy's problems, beautiful country, but we have a large share of things that need to be improved.
Politics. Read on!! In Italy, no matter what the occasion, dinner parties, tv shows, meeting people on the street, watch out, because politics and talking about them is what is in store!!! People just can't get together without talking politics. It is a BIG part of Italian life. And talking about it often can get you in trouble IF the people you are talking to think differently than you do. If they are of another viewpoint, watch out!! If you ever saw two Italians with differing views, you will know what I mean.
SNOW....will it or won't it snow? If it does, the curious thing about snow in a small town, is that everything just about STOPS all of a sudden. They are very slow in cleaning up the streets, but in a way it is nice because you can go out and walk all over the place without any cars around, and then, it is very very beautiful and quiet. So.....into bed I go and perhaps tomorrow it will SNOW!!

EATING and other things....in Italy

TOMATOES -- it is easy to talk about tomatoes in this country. And easy to eat them. They come is such a variety, the ones for sugo, the ones for salad. Ones you can cut into little pieces, or lay out flat with oregano and oil and vinegar and salt.....They are so good, they get lots of sun, and people love to use them in cooking. If you don't know how to use them, just ask an Italian mamma in the store. She for sure can tell you everything you need to know.
Good parmesan, bad parmesan. You know, here in Italy we have wonderful parmesan. It is really really delicious. I once heard that in the States they take the waxy part of the parmesan and even use that to be ground into the stuff you can buy in a box. If that is true, that is really terrible!!!! It would be like eating candles!
Lemons. Why lemons? Because you can squeeze them in water, add sugar or honey; you can squeeze it on meat or fish or salad, or use them to decorate a plate. You can use the peel for flavor in a cake, or to decorate the top of a dessert. You can even use half to put into the dishwasher and make things come out sweeter. Why lemons you ask???
Wintertime weight gain. Yes. Easy to munch on cookies, or almonds or parmesan!! Or a glass of wine and nuts, or a bruschetta! Hard to take off that one or two kili.....that means taking a walk, and today it is going to rain, so wouldn't it just be easier to stay inside, with a nice glass of hot milk and coffee and a few cookies??
JUst how sweet do you want things? In Italy, sweets are sweet but not as sweet as in England, or the States. A cake may have something on it, but not as gooey and sweet as in other places. Salt, on the other hand, is used more freely here than perhaps in the States. Foods can often be very salty, though very good too. Sugar and salt, each country has their own way of using them.
Honey.....it's the time for honey lately, because it is cold, and in the evening is a good time for camomilla tea, or some other hot drink. I like to use honey, good for the throat, and tastes so good. The hard honey is the best, easier to bend a spoon getting it out, but better for you and more "real" and usually biological, whereas the liquid might just have some sugar in it, or not be quite as natural.
Sweet potatoes. If you love American sweet potatoes, the ones they serve on Thanksgiving, be prepared to NOT find them in Italy. It is very hard to find them (actually I just heard a Chinese market has them) but the ones they have in the normal markets are white on the inside! Sweet but white! Isn't that strange!
RED WINE (vino rosso) goes with meat, and WHITE WINE (vino bianco) goes with fish. But wine is so good in Italy, especially the really good ones, any wine is fine most of the time. Room temperature (reds) and white chilled.
CELERY?? When I was a kid, we ate celery sticks all the time. With salt, without, in the lunchbox, or at home in a glass of cold water. I think I have never been served a piece of celery like this in Italy UNLESS they served it with lots of other vegetables to create a vegetable platter to dip in oil and salt, and that dish is called pinzimonio. (better check my spelling on that one, and I will let you know!)
I am going to cook when I get to L.A. BUT it won't be as good as in Italy (see my last post under curiosities of Italian life). I try the best I can BUT the ingredients just aren't the same. And the cuts of meat are different too.

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