Archive for January, 2008
almond blossoms mean never having to say you’re sorry (sort of)
My grandparents were bickerers.
Together, they were one of those couples that couldn’t have a normal conversation about anything without snipping, snapping, growling, or worse. I’m sure you know one of these couples. Maybe you’re even in one.
Sure there was love between them, but their expression of that love left a lot to be desired for me personally. Worked for them, apparently, so more power to them.
I decided early on, though, that I didn’t want to have that sort of relationship (does anyone really *want* that?) but we all have to accept that arguing (sometimes in “outdoor voices”) is a part of life, especially in close personal relationships.
But it’s how we deal with those arguments that matters.
P and I are going on three years together and for us, it’s a continual learning process, and I hope it always stays that way. We’re both becoming better at not taking out bad moods on the other and with talking through our true feelings–those feelings underlying what *seems* to be the problem but really has nothing to do with much of anything.
But we’re not perfect. And thank goodness for the first almond blossoms of the season when one of us is less perfect than the other.
Just so you know, though, P *does* bring me the first almond blossoms of the season even when things are peachy keen. See here.
Difficult times always create opportunities for you
to experience more love in your life.
~ Barbara de Angelis
Happy Love Thursday,
and may you pass all of your relationship tests with flying colors.
—————
[tags] love, amore, love thursday, almond blossoms, blossoms, almonds, mandorla, flowers, barbara de angelis[/tags]
all about blood oranges
For today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday, I’m highlighting one of my favorite winter fruits–the blood orange.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing this unique orange, I highly recommend it. In fact, around here blood orange juice is the norm instead of regular old orange juice–it’s just that good.
What is a blood orange?
As its name suggests, this orange is red in color, sometimes in splotches on the outside but definitely on the inside. The concentration of the red inside depends on the particular type of orange and growing conditions.
When you squeeze it, you really get a glimpse of the blood reference as the juice will resemble more that of a cranberry than an orange.
Where does the red color come from?
Blood oranges are “bloody” from a pigment called anthocyanin, which is widely found in the plant kingdom and can appear red as in cherries and red cabbage to blue as in blueberries and cornflowers or even purple as in pansies and eggplants (aubergines).
Anthocyanin is reported to have many health benefits as it is a powerful antioxidant that can slow or prevent the growth of cancer cells–and even kill them. Moreover blood oranges contain high amounts of Vitamin C (up to 130% of recommended daily amount), potassium, Vitamin A, iron, calcium, and even fiber. Oranges and their juice can also help prevent the build-up of bad cholesterol as well as lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and cataracts.
Where do blood oranges come from?
The blood orange originated in Sicily and Spain and varieties include Tarocco, Moro (or Morro), and Sanguinello (or Sanguigno). In fact you may hear the term “Sicilian Blood Oranges” even though they are grown in other parts of the world–including right here in Calabria. We get ours from one of P’s friends and as you can see from the above photo, these aren’t as bloody as some.
And so through the magic of shipping and distribution of seeds, you can also now find blood oranges that are grown in the United States (Texas and California), and probably anywhere else that has an appropriate climate–read: something like southern Italy.
As with many citrus fruits, these special oranges are in season right now in the northern hemisphere up until May in some parts. Stores may carry the oranges as well as already-squeezed juice, but there’s nothing like fresh-squeezed so if you can find the oranges themselves, give them a try.
You can read more about the history of the blood orange on this O’Biolla page.
What do blood oranges taste like?
Not surprisingly, blood oranges taste a lot like ordinary oranges only they’re slightly more bitter but less acidic. Some types are actually sweeter than your average orange but, I don’t know–there’s just something special about a blood orange’s flavor. An orange with a kick if you will. If anyone else can describe it better, please do!
What can I do with blood oranges?
Before we get to a simple recipe, you should know that generally blood oranges can be used just as you’d use regular oranges but they’re especially good in juices, cocktails, salads, sauces, sorbets, granitas, compotes, and marmalades.
You can apparently even buy blood orange olive oil.
A quick search for “blood orange recipes” will lead to great places, but here is something I whipped up this morning to give a little something special to my favorite chocolate cake. I *love* chocolate and orange flavors together and I had a feeling that the tangy zip of a blood orange would go great with this chocolate cake made with coffee.
And I was right.
Blood Orange Buttercream Frosting
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons blood orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons butter
zest from blood orange
This recipe makes quite a bit so you might want to cut it in half or even a quarter depending on how much you plan on using–and be sure to taste test for how much orange flavor you want in it. As a general rule, add more confectioner’s sugar to thicken, more juice to thin it out.
Buon appetito!
Have you tried blood oranges? What do you think? What do you do with them?
—————
[tags]oranges, blood oranges, recipes, what’s cooking wednesday, chocolate cake, orange icing, orange frosting, blood orange recipes[/tags]
and the winner is . . .
Yesterday the sun rose:
The girls frolicked:
The sun set and the moon made an appearance:
And a few hours later, I used the Custom Random Number Generator to choose a winner of the $30 Amazon.com gift certificate as promised in the contest post here.
Can you believe the winner was Lucky Number 7?
FYI, I used 161 for the upper value as it was the number of total comments, then started from the first comment counting down only those eligible, i.e., those that told me they had linked/relinked and/or subscribed/resubscribed (or that they were going to these things and then in fact did).
And the winner is . . .
none other than my most favorite baseball player in the Bel Paese:
I’ll be in touch Lango!
With all the work you’ve put into .italiaball.com recently, you certainly deserve it!
A lot of you probably don’t know how much I *love* baseball, but it’s definitely one of the things I miss most from America (read about what else I miss here); Lango’s site and stories help fill that void a bit, although I wish someone would build a field around here so I could go to some games. Where’s Kevin Costner when you need him?
Anyway, thanks *so* much to everyone who stopped by, commented, and made the transition to the new place such a wonderful experience.
And I hope those of you who were unsure of the change are getting used to it. Because honestly, I just don’t have it in me to change looks again anytime soon.
—————
[tags]contests, italy, expats in italy, expats, dogs, sunrises, sunsets, calabria, badolato, ionian sea, moon, custom random number generator[/tags]
Announcing World Nutella Day 2008!
***Be sure to check out NutellaDay.com for the most up-to-date info!***
Who can remember the first time they were allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast?
Nutella is more than just a “chocolaty hazelnut spread,” it is a way of life. From childhood memories to oozing hot crepes, from breakfasts on vacation to free-spooning sessions on the couch, Nutella is prominent in the memories of many children and grown-up children in the world.
Last year we gave it its own holiday, and this year we’re continuing the tradition.
Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso (and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit) solemnly declare February 5th “World Nutella Day 2008″ – a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.
How to participate:
- Make a recipe using Nutella. Take a picture of yourself eating Nutella with a BIG spoon. Make art with Nutella. Wax poetic about Nutella. Re-live your first experience eating Nutella. Have a Nutella-eating contest or a Nutella party!
- Take pictures, upload a video, and blog about it from now until February 4th, 2008.
- Email nutelladay [at] nutelladay [dot] com. with Subject: Nutella Day Entry and include your name, your site name, and your permalink/URL by February 4th, 2008. You can also attach one 100×100 pixel photo of your dish, etc. to be included in the roundup. We’ll be posting the round-up on the 5th of February.
- On your blog, please include the Nutella Day 2008 badge and/or a link pointing to this post so others can participate, too!
- Tag/categorize your post with “Nutella Day.”
- Flickr: Add your photos to the Nutella Day Flickr pool
- YouTube: Add your Nutella-inspired video to the Nutella Day YouTube station
For some inspiration on Nutella recipes, read:
- Last year’s World Nutella Day roundups – Part 1 and Part 2
- Steamy Kitchen with Nutella twisted up in her no-knead Challah
- Novice Baker’s Nutella Two-Tone Cookies
- Dessert First examining her love affair with Nutella and Pierre Herme’s Nutella tart
- Last year’s World Nutella Day introduction post with more information, history, and recipes!
Hope to see you around for this year’s celebration!
having a ball in rome
*Updated to direct you to what Juli, a trusty correspondent in Umbria, dug up about Graziano Cecchini and the ball stunt: Behind the Balls.
The other day Rome’s Spanish Steps were having a ball.
Well, actually a half million of them as red, blue, yellow, and green balls flowed down one of the Eternal City’s most famous landmarks.
The rainbow spectacle was the doing of Graziano Cecchini who commented that we use “art — if we want to call it art — to stress our malaise.”
Cleaners were on the ball, so to speak, and got the lot of balls cleared out rather quickly, although they also had help from tourists who grabbed some of the only free souvenirs they’d find in the Bel Paese. Word has it that some balls even quickly found their way to eBay.
Some of you may remember Cecchini as the mastermind behind this last year:
This is the Trevi Fountain dyed red in October. Leaflets found nearby said that the red represented the red carpet of the Rome Film Festival and the water was dyed red in protest of the expenses incurred organizing the event.
After the Trevi Fountain incident, Cecchini was investigated for possibly damaging historical monuments, but experts said that, thankfully, none of the red color had seeped into the 18th century fountain’s marble structure.
So what do you think about such displays?
Art? Vandalism?
Inspiring? Disgusting?
Does it make you want to browse listings of Rome hotels, make a reservation, and wait for another show?
And would you have, ahem, grabbed a ball–or did you?
Do tell.
Buon weekend!
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.
Affiliates, Sponsors & Supporters
Nutella E-book for Sale
Recipes
