The Flavors of Abruzzo » Uncategorized

On the mend. I hope.

Mary — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:24:25 +0000

Six down, four to go. At least, I hope it’s ten days total for this miserable cold. Of course, it hit right when I was finishing up preparations for Luigi’s birthday party, so I finished all the preparations while inside I was complaining about Murphy’s law and then forced to contend with a miserable sore throat for the rest of the evening.

The thing is, I’m usually pretty good at resisting colds. Usually, that is. This one has really kicked my butt and I’ve been down for the count since Sunday morning.

So, I’m going to sit here drinking hot water with honey and lemon and try to keep from coughing since it’s given me a wicked headache to go along with my general feeling of malaise and stuffiness. Meanwhile I’ll keep Luigi occupied watching Wiggles dvds.

If the average duration of the common cold is any indication, I should be past mid-point and on my way back to normal.

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The stash

Mary — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:49:06 +0000

This morning I couldn’t resist taking a ride to Lidl since I knew they were having American products for sale this week. They periodically highlight a country and the products are offered only for a certain amount of time, while supplies last. So, you’d better get them then otherwise you have to wait for the next time. I think they do it about once a year.

So, just picture me rubbing my hands together with glee as a survey my stash.

Actually, I really don’t crave American food that much (with the possible exceptions of peanut butter and cranberry juice), but it’s fun to take advantage of the special and get some while it lasts.

Of course, I didn’t buy everything they had for sale. Frozen hamburgers and hotdogs and American-style pizza just didn’t interest me in the slightest. Normally I make my own pancakes from scratch too, but I thought I’d try the pancake mix too. Just for the fun of it.

So, tomorrow for breakfast we’re having bagels and over the next week or so we’ll be tasting the other “delicacies”.

Now, if they had only had sweet potatoes….

Take me to the fair Up until the age of 8 or 9, growing up...

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Cool Shoes

Mary — Fri, 21 May 2010 08:09:00 +0000

I admit it, I have a passion for shoes. And, although I do practice self-restraint and don’t buy every pair of shoes that strikes my fancy, I can’t help ogling them. But, I don’t like the every day high-heels or sandals, etc. No, I want what you might call “funky shoes”. My eyes are drawn automatically to the ankle boots with buckles and snaps or the crocodile print oxfords. I don’t want your run-of-the-mill pump or ballerina, I look for the out-of-the-ordinary.

Now I wonder if my son hasn’t inherited this idiosyncrasy of mine.

You see, even though I’ve heard that some toddlers get attached to certain items, he’s never before shown any preference for any one particular piece of clothing. Basically, he couldn’t care less what I dress him in and sometimes he doesn’t even want to be dressed.

At least, that was before we went shopping Saturday and bought these

(This picture was taken while he was napping, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten them off his feet).

Ever since we bought them, if I try to put another pair on him he says “no, no” and points at these emphatically. And, when he sees someone new he has to show them to them by holding his foot in the air. The funky shoe kid…

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Blue Flag

Mary — Thu, 13 May 2010 05:50:55 +0000

The Blue Flag Program awards the corresponding Blue Flag to beaches throughout 41 countries. In order to earn the flag, there are 32 criteria that the beaches and marinas must meet regarding water quality, environmental management and safety.

Photo by Tim Parkinson

The awards are made each year on June 5 for beaches in Europe and they can be withdrawn if conditions change.

This year, Abruzzo was awarded 13 blue flags at the beaches of:

Martinsicuro
Alba Adriatica
Tortoreto Lido
Giulianova
Roseto degli Abruzzi
Pineto
Silvi Marina
Ortona
San Vito Chietino
Rocca San Giovanni
Fossacesia

and nearby

Vasto
San Salvo

I’ve never been one to sit around on the beach, but this year I’ll probably spend more time there so that Luigi can play in the sand and splash in the water – a sacrifice, I know. So, when the weather gets warmer you can imagine me soaking in the sun and watching the blue flag wave while I try to keep Luigi from eating sand.

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Playing it safe

Mary — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:43:57 +0000

Call me a worry wort or a scaredy cat or whatever you want, but my balcony makes me nervous. Yes, I am afraid of heights, but I did get used to it and I can go out there without getting dizzy or anything. That is unless Luigi is out there with me. For some reason, even though it has railings, I just would have this cold wave of fear wash over me whenever he got near the edge. There is a small gap between the bottom of the railing and the tiling, although he couldn’t really fit through it. But when the view is like this from four stories up, it can make you a little nervous.

My mamma imagination would go crazy though thinking of all of the horrible things that could happen. It doesn’t help matters that the little monkey is such a climber. Chairs are free game and if his Papà happens to be doing anything with the ladder, look out. So, we banned all objects from the balcony that could possibly be used for climbing, removing the chairs and flower pots, but we still weren’t comfortable. Plus, he loves being out on the balcony and when the windows are open he’s outside in a flash.

Hence the modification. Our balcony may look like Alcatraz now, but at least it’s safe.

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Hide and seek teeth

Mary — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:14:07 +0000

We’ve been playing hide and seek for six months now with Luigi’s molars. Every few weeks he gets the telltale rash, starts drooling to beat the band and gets irritable. But then, the symptoms disappear and still no molars.

At his age, some kids already have molars and are even starting to get their canine teeth. My little guy still only has eight front teeth. This, of course, makes it a little difficult for him to eat meat and some vegetables. The other day he insisted on trying a carrot stick and he worried that piece of carrot around in his mouth for about 15 minutes. I kept a close eye on him since I was afraid he would choke, but in the end, he prevailed and actually managed to finish it.

So, is this normal at 20 months old to still only have 8 teeth? According to the pediatrician there’s no problem, but I’m hoping he gets his teeth soon. This way he’ll feel more comfortable and will be able to start eating some more interesting foods.

I have to admit though that part of the reason is also selfish on my part. You see, I’d really like to get some sleep. When he’s teething he can’t sleep lying down. I guess his sore gums just throb in that position. This means that mama spends the night propped up on the couch with him in her arms, a position that is not conducive to a good night’s sleep for mama since he’s a wiggle worm when he’s sleeping and makes abrupt changes of position. I’m so afraid he’s going to do a quick change on me and end up on the floor, that I spend the night in a semi-sleep state.

In the past few days our odyssey has started once again with the supposedly tell-tale rash on the cheeks and all of the other signs. His little gums are swollen and he’s been chewing on his fingers and sucking in his cheeks, so I’m hoping something will appear soon. It’s hard to tell since he’s averse to having anyone look in his mouth and clamps his jaws shut the minute he thinks I’m trying to peek, so I have to use some innovative tactics to get him to keep his mouth open long enough to get a good look.

So far, there’s no sign of any teeth, but I’m hoping this time it’s the real deal.

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Dear Diary…

Mary — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:10:03 +0000

Many, many years ago, when I was a senior in high school (and it is truly many, many years ago), my AP English teacher assigned us a daily diary. Every day we were expected to write something in our diaries and she would periodically collect them. Now, this was a lot of work for her as well as for us since she had to spend time reading all of these diaries.. Or maybe it was her way to save money since she didn’t have time to read anything else. After all, who needs fiction when you have teenage diaries, right?

Believe me, we didn’t write anything personal in them though. And sometimes, as I’m sure you can imagine, it was extremely difficult coming up with something to write that was more than just a simple summary of how the day went. I found it particularly difficult because I’ve really never been one to share my thoughts and feelings and I’ve always been very sensitive about letting people read things I’ve written. I won’t even let anyone read the things I’ve written for my blog before I publish them, which is silly really since they’re going to be public in a short period of time. But, sentiments don’t always follow logic.

Despite the initial difficulties, as time went on it became increasingly easier to find something to write about. Those diaries held observations about life, crazy ideas, silly poems and even some funny tongue-in-cheek entries. I have no idea whatever happened to them, but I’m sure it would be hilarious reading them again. Unfortunately, they probably were left behind in my last move. Going overseas means taking nothing but the bare essentials.

When we graduated our teacher extracted a promise from us to continue with our journals but, as you can probably imagine, it wasn’t long before that habit fell by the wayside. It was hard to keep up at college and once a habit is broken, it’s difficult to start up again. (Except for maybe cigarette smoking since I know many people who keep quitting and going back to it.)

I read the diaries through a couple of times throughout the years. It was amazing how in the beginning the entries were rather dull and lackluster, but by the end of the year they became much more interesting, my writing flowed better and the entries called out to be read.

Oh, if I could only recapture that ..not the awkward adolescent/teenage years from hell, thank you very much, just the ability to write with style and flair.

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At least once a year

Mary — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:31:41 +0000

Yesterday was All Saints’ Day, a holiday here in Italy. Traditionally on this day, people head to the cemetery to leave flowers on the graves of their loved ones who have passed on.

Many may do this only once a year, using the holiday to travel to their hometown. Some have many stops to make, the graves of their loved ones being scattered through different towns.

Even if it is the only time they can get there, one thing is for certain – they tend these graves with love.

By the end of the day almost every grave in the cemetery will be polished clean and will have at least one fresh bouquet of flowers and at least one new candle.

For years I rejected the idea of visiting cemeteries. I always said that I could remember those who were dear to me without visiting a stone in the ground – my loved ones aren’t there anyway. But, there’s something very comforting in tending to those graves. It allows us to hold on to that love we felt and makes us feel as if we are actually doing something for those who have passed on.

After yesterday’s visit to the cemetery with O, I felt like I was being lax by not visiting the cemeteries where my family members are buried. Of course, they’re very far away and it’s not possible for me to visit at this time, but the next time I head that way, I’ll take a little bit of time out of my day to pay my respects.

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Pasta with speck

Mary — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:36:29 +0000

When I first saw “speck” on a pizza menu on my first trip to Italy I had to wonder just what in the world it was. After all, the word isn’t Italian at all. Of course, I had to try it too and was pleasantly surprised to find a dry, smoked ham.

Fast forward to 2009. The only way I’ve eaten speck has been on pizza or sliced with bread. But, I ran across some pre-diced speck in the supermarket which got me thinking about what could be done with it. Obviously it is used in recipes or they wouldn’t sell it that way.

So, I mixed it with some other ingredients and poured it over some fresh strozzapreti and it was fantastic. You can use any formed pasta for this sauce.

Ingredients

200 grams dry pasta like penne, rigatoni, etc.
1 onion, diced
1 cup cubed speck (or other dry ham)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons butter
pinch nutmeg

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and add onion. Cook until translucent, then add the speck and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook until heated through. Remove from the heat and add the walnuts and pinch of nutmeg.

Serve over hot pasta.

Yummmm

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White fish with olives and capers

Mary — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:27:11 +0000

When I eat fish, I tend to prefer it cooked rather simply – baked or grilled, or even sauteed. It’s fairly common to cook fish in tomato sauce around here which is tastier than I expected it to be, but I wanted to jazz it up a bit, so I added some olives and capers.

It’s a simple dish, easy to make and adaptable to any lean white fish although it is better if it’s a thick fillet. I used cod because it’s sold here frozen in nice thick fillets. If you’re using frozen fish, you’ll need to defrost it first. If using fresh fish, it’s best to fillet it first.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 fish fillets
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
8-10 pitted black olives
8-10 pitted green olives
2 teaspoons capers
salt

Heat oil over medium heat, add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and salt. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil, parsley, olives and capers and stir.

Put the fillets in the skillet. Cover and simmer until the fish is opaque throughout. Remove the fish with a wide slotted spoon or spatula to avoid it breaking up. Spoon sauce over it and serve.

I admit, it’s not the prettiest dish in the world, but it is tasty.

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