Monthly Archives: June 2010

conversation gone sideways

06/30/2010 | Topic: just talk

Looks like a conversation gone sideways. Hehe, couldn’t resist. It would take me hours to fillet this pile of fish. It is on my life’s ‘bucket list’ to master the art of prepping, cooking [and eating] seafood. At some point I hope to work for a fish monger,… [more]

Foodbuzz 24×24: Returning to America

06/27/2010 | Topic: menus, things to do

We just returned from living abroad for one year—a family adventure that started with 4 bikes and a GPS and ended with Italian soccer and school. We cycled from Amsterdam to Paris, toured London, flew to Florence and settled in for the school year (where my… [more]

jarred fish soup

06/23/2010 | Topic: just talk

I do love jars. Its a fact. I put candles in them, use them to shake up my salad dressings, to keep leftovers in my fridge, to freeze grandma’s strawberry jam and more. They are so useful and a brilliant alternative to Tupperware. Recycled jars make great pencil… [more]

Sicilian arancini

06/20/2010 | Topic: Italian food, starch

Every so often, the boys and I trek to the Paperback Exchange—an English bookstore—near the Duomo in Florence. While their books are a bit overpriced, it remains a gem as it is full of paperbacks, cookbooks, school books and more. Plus you can turn in already-read books for pennies… [more]

crows poop out pine nuts?

06/17/2010 | Topic: food spotlight

Are you serious? This is what my son tells me… either that or the pine cones can be burned for a specified, short amount of time to get the cones to open—at which point you can extract the pine nuts (aka seeds). If it burns any longer, the seeds… [more]

stuffed tomatoes.

06/14/2010 | Topic: starters

Talk of tomatoes. chitter, chatter, chatty-chat-chat. Whisper, buzz, tweet and twitter. Giggle, gossip, pass the docket. Call me, tell me, ring me, text it. Talk, talk, talk, chitter-chat-twit. Hhhmmmmm—ever want to just put a sock in it? … or a pile of breadcrumbs, pine nuts and Parmesan. That would work… [more]

honey tasting

06/11/2010 | Topic: food spotlight, Italian food

Love when little markets are set up in various piazzas around Florence. Toward the end of our stay (10 months), I started to catch on to the fact that seasonal markets would hit a few piazzas on a regular basis. So on weekends, I started to make it a… [more]

Dario the Butcher (and me!)

06/08/2010 | Topic: people to see, places to go

Yeah, you heard me: DARIO. As in D-A-R-I-O of Panzano, Italy. Did you read HEAT? Mario Batali’s book? Its bright yellow and exposes the underbelly of restaurant kitchens—trust me, you would remember it if you read it. Anyway… ‘Dario the Butcher’ is in the book, he was a… [more]

Mario's meatloaf

06/05/2010 | Topic: entree, freezer

I am becoming a big fan of Mario. And enjoy borrowing his recipes. And maybe changing them a bit to my liking/ease. And his meatloaf made my day. Actually not just any day; his meatloaf made our Easter. Since we were having guests for dinner, I made stuffed… [more]

marinated zucchini

06/02/2010 | Topic: salad, vegetables

New favorite vegetable: grilled, marinated zucchini. It is because of this recipe, that my sons fell in love with zucchini. Francesco was a tad bit envious the other day, when I snagged some of these zucchini from the fridge, piled them on a plate and topped them with a… [more]