Archive for October, 2007
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Trick or Treat Tomato Eyeballs
Happy Halloween!
Some of you have asked about what’s going on in Italy for this “holiday,” and I’m sorry to report: niente. That means nothing.
In some parts of the country, they are starting to get children involved with costumes and whatnot, but no one around here does any such thing.
This could be because I don’t have kids yet…because if you think my kids are going to miss out on trick-or-treating, well, you’ve underestimated me and my weakness for candy.
I’ll even have the good stuff shipped in from the US and distributed to the neighbors (for distribution to the children, of course, with other healthy treats encouraged too):
Added bonus is that the kids around here most likely won’t have to cover up their awesome costumes with big ole coats like we always had to do where I grew up….
Anyway, back to the business at hand, I’m keeping up the Halloween theme for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday and giving you a quick, fun idea for a holiday treat.
But there’s a catch–you have to go here to find the recipe for
Trick or Treat Tomato Eyeballs
Why not whip up a batch and then head over to Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun to celebrate?
Also, check out the true ghost stories over at Tui’s True Spooks Blog Carnival. Make sure you turn the light on first though! There’s some creepy stuff in there.
And, since it is the last day of October and I’ve yet to post my Monthly Musing, I’ll give you a little bit of why I love this wonderful month as we say good-bye for another year:
Sweet sweet October
Only a few words to say
How much I love you…
Sweaters, fireplace fires,
My birthday, delicious soups,
And this year, puppies!
What do you love about October?
Real Ghost Stories…Grab a Flashlight!
My friend Tui of Mental Mosaic has organized a Halloween-themed blog carnival, True Spooks 2011: True Ghost Stories.
Read on...ask me anything (again) & more
Remember back in July when I needed inspiration to come up with 8 things about me for a meme from JennieBoo?
Well now fabulous artist and blogger Robyn of Have Dogs, Will Travel has tagged me for 7 more things . . . and I need your help again.
Bonus–this will help me get through 30 days of posts for NaBloPoMo. What? You’re not signed up yet? Come join the fun, and don’t forget to add me as a friend!
Please leave your questions in the comments, and I promise to get to all of them (some restrictions apply, of course)–but if you’re afraid something has been asked before, don’t be.
I’m a proud member of the Department of Redundancy Department.
And now some announcements:
WIN!
Robin of My Melange, winner of my Bella Bags contest, is now paying it forward with a contest of her own! Read more about it here, but let me tell you about the wonderful prize:
You can win a fabulous copy of the soon-to-be-released book My French Life by Vicki Archer, and there are a few different ways you can enter the drawing. Get on over there before November 9th and check it out!
Also, if you want to see the Bella Bag that I chose for Robin, she posted about it here (and there’s some eye candy to boot!).
By the way, for the environmentally-interested, Marcia of Bella Bags has a new Be Green Shop Green full of organic goodies, so get shopping!
READ and REMEMBER!
Breast Cancer Awareness month is almost over, but that doesn’t mean we should forget how important this subject is. I put a widget from The Breast Cancer Site over there in my sidebar that you can click every day to help fund free mammograms, so click away!
And when you get to the site, why not click the Hunger, Child Health, Animal Rescue, Rainforest, and Literacy tabs at the top as well?
Now go read one of the most touching posts I’ve read about breast cancer, this by my new buddy through NaBloPoMo, BipolarLawyerCook, about her mother’s diagnosis:
Seventeen Years Later
WRITE!
(1) Halloween is coming up and blogging buddy Tui of Mental Mosaic would like to hear about your spooky encounters for the blog carnival she’s hosting:
Blog Carnival: True Spooks…Share Your Ghost Story
Hurry, post your entry, and send the link to Tui by October 28th. I’m working on mine!
(2) Another great event happening over at Vanielje Kitchen and The Passionate Palate:
Apples & Thyme…
celebrating time in the kitchen with mothers & grandmothers
Here’s your chance to write about the women who have inspired you in the kitchen, even if they weren’t your mother or grandmother. It’s a lovely way to remember and honor the women in our lives, so I hope you’ll participate.
Post your tribute by November 10th and then read the round-up of posts on the 15th.
Is this enough for you this weekend? I sure hope so.
I also have some planning to do for NaNoWriMo, so I know I’ll be busy.
Buon weekend,
and remember to fire away with the questions in the comments!
love thursday: a mamma’s love
Stella Bella and the babies:
Just the babies:
Luna Balloona, always my baby:
Happy Love Thursday,
and now go see some more great photos at Phoctober!
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[tags] dogs, puppies, love thursday[/tags]
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Pasta e Ceci
Today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe is a new one around this house (but already a favorite!); it’s based on a variety of recipes around the Internet, and it’s another easy, delicious soup that will impress–just like we like ‘em!
And even better, pasta e ceci or pasta and chickpeas (“ceci” is pronounced CHEH-chee by the way) is a great cold weather dish and completely adjustable according to your tastes; you can make it as thick or thin as you like and add whatever spices strike your fancy, from basil to rosemary to thyme.
Below is my basic recipe, but feel free to experiment!
Pasta e Ceci
(Pasta and Chickpeas)
(makes 2 big bowls of soup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded
1 peperoncino (or hot pepper flakes)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 cups weakly flavored chicken stock or water
1 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup dried soup pasta (something small)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt to taste
Parmigiano reggiano cheese (optional)
1. Heat olive oil in pot large enough to hold soup and add onion, garlic, carrot, peperoncino, and rosemary. Cook on low heat until translucent, between 10 and 15 minutes (don’t let this burn).
2. Take out rosemary, which I do because we like a subtle rosemary flavor in this. You’re welcome to keep it in.
3. Add chicken stock and chickpeas and simmer for a half hour.
4. Take out about half the chickpeas and crush into a paste (to thicken the soup). You can do this with a blender/food processor, but I just use the back of a big spoon–fewer dishes (which means less water used to wash them!) and less electricity too. Plus, I’m lazy and this saves me from getting out my handheld mixer, which is annoying to clean. Add this mixture to the soup.
5. At this point, test for salt; this will also let you know how much salt you should put in the water with the pasta.
6. About the pasta, I prepare it separately and then combine the two in serving dishes, but most recipes prepare the pasta right inside the soup. I prefer my way so that if there are leftovers, the pasta doesn’t soak up all the broth (I’ve mentioned this before).
7. After combining pasta and soup, stir in parsley.
8. Serve hot with grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.
Buon appetito!
Michelle Fabio is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer living in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy and savoring simplicity one sip at a time.
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