Bleeding Espresso

Finally, finally we got rain yesterday.

Starting around noon just as I was peeling garlic to make this for lunch, it began to storm and continued for a good two hours with lightning, thunder, the works. I unplugged everything as a precaution, which turned out to be a good idea because we did have a power surge and lost power for a few hours after the storm.

So what was a girl in southern Italy without electricity to do on a rainy late August afternoon? Why, make a cup of mint tea and grab the latest book sent to her by a most lovely, generous blog reader:

Grazie mille Andrea!

Do you read Petite Anglaise, the blog? You should.

I’m *loving* the book as well, I must say. Ms Sanderson is simply a brilliant writer, but don’t take my word for it. Check out her blog, and then after you emerge from hours of reading through her archives, order her book.

So I read another 100 pages or so in this charming book that I’m finishing way too quickly and in between chapters, peeked out the balcony doors and used the zoom on my camera to take photos of some pink flowers (don’t think I wasn’t thinking of you, somepinkflowers!) that were passing the time catching raindrops.

And to think I was lazily reading and sipping tea while they were out there working so hard.

When was the last time you got rained out?

What do you do when you’re without electricity?

Buon weekend!

P.S. Remember to come and visit me at Italy Mag–The Historical Regatta of Venice is this week’s feature!

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Yes my niece and nephew were born just a week (and three years) apart, so that meant combined birthday parties in their younger days. I’ve been in the reminiscing mood lately, thinking about those fun family times, and I remembered that I actually had some photos stored on the computer.

I thought it was about time to get them up on Flickr, and since I know my niece takes after her Aunt Shell in loving to look at family photos, I’ll share them here too for her birthday today.

This is the three of us at their 2002 birthday party:

And here is Mia with my mom, her Nana, around the same time:

Definitely one of my favorite photos of all time.

And these are all from the last time I was home between February and June 2004, during which we played around with the webcam quite a bit:

Happy Birthday Mia!

I hope to be there for more eskimo kisses and fishy faces very soon.

Happy Love Thursday everyone!

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Ever since I published these photos, I know our good friend Gil has been wondering about whether the prickly pears (fichi d’India) are ripe, and well, I’m happy to announce, the time has arrived (see left)!

So for today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday, a quick lesson in prickly pears.

The prickly pear, or fico d’India in Italian, is the fruit that grows on the end of cacti like in the photo. Those of you in southwestern US and various other hot, cactus-bearing places know this fruit well, I’m sure, but for the rest of you, the most important thing to keep in mind:

DON’T TOUCH THESE WITH BARE HANDS.

Yeah, the “prickly” in the name might have given you that clue, but it’s not what you think. It’s not the spines on the cactus that are prickly, it’s the tiny, nearly invisible hair-like spines that are *all over* the fruit that cause the trouble–and they are nearly impossible to wash off of you once they’re on. Trust me. It’s like having pins and needles all over your hands, and so not fun.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t clean these. This is P’s job, and although some people soak them in water beforehand is advisable, I’ve never seen him do it. He’s just really, really skilled with a knife, but I still suggest you wear gloves and watch this video to see some pros at work.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with prickly pears, you’re probably wondering what they taste like. Well, um, they’re unique. They’re sweet but not too sweet, kind of a cross between a fig and, I don’t know, a plum maybe?

One thing I can say is that they are very seedy, and no, I don’t mean like from a questionable part of town, I mean like this:

And truth be told, this is my favorite way to eat them. Fresh, seeds and all.

Another popular way to prepare them is in jams or marmalades; you’ll find countless recipes for those with a quick Google search.

But for some unique recipes, check out these from fellow bloggers:

• Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Vinaigrette from Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy

• Prickly Pear Juice from Ilva of Lucullian Delights

• Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Salad from Scrumptious Street

• Prickly Pear Granita from Esi of Dishing Up Delights

• And here’s a tutorial on how to clean prickly pears at Vanilla Garlic

Buon appetito!

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Well you can’t say Silvio Berlusconi, who turns 72 next month, isn’t entertaining.

No seriously. He entertains.

This former cruise ship singer, media mogul, and–oh yeah–Prime Minister of Italy is currently producing a CD of canzoni d’amore (love songs) with Neapolitan** singer Mariano Apicella.

Actually, this will be Berlu’s second set of compositions released by Apicella; the first was out during Berlusconi’s second time around as Prime Minister in 2003 and reached Italy’s Top 50.

The duo hope that the CD will be released in December (just in time for Christmas shopping!), but Apicella admits “it won’t be easy given all the (prime minister’s) responsibilities.”

Oh yeah…THOSE! Glad someone’s thinking about that.

Will you be buying the Berlusconi-produced CD?

And my *real* question:

When are we going to see Obama or McCain’s greatest hits?!

*Cena (CHAY-nah) in Italian means dinner/supper.

**Why isn’t it “Napolitan?” It’s not Neapoli, it’s Napoli! If anyone has answers, please share. This has always bothered me.

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I can’t take credit for that punny play on words in the title; it’s direct from the package of my brand new Knifty Knitter Assorted Loom Series by Provo Craft!

I had been wanting one of these ever since I started reading Sara’s American Girl in Italy years ago, and as of about a week ago, I finally have a set thanks to the concerted efforts of a friend from the US and my mom.

Grazie mille!

Well on Saturday night, P was out with the boys, and around 10:30 pm, I started to get bored. I glanced over and saw the looms and thought, hey, why not?

Less than two and a half hours later, I had this:

Seriously, the instructions on this set are *fabulous*. I had absolutely no trouble picking this up and going with it. It’s so fast and easy–how can you beat having a new winter hat in the time it takes to watch a movie?!

OK, so the yarn I had wasn’t the most appropriate for a winter hat, so I will have to get some thicker stuff for the next go around–and then I’ll also make a matching scarf.

Oh yes, in the set you get different sized looms to make different things–the long, skinny one is for a scarf, as you might imagine:

To be clear, I’m not being compensated in any way for sharing this wonderful product with you; I just know that some of you are crafty and might be interested, and I know I always love getting personal recommendations.

So go forth and loom!

Tell me, do you loom? Knit? Crochet?

Any favorite websites for these hobbies?

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