Bleeding Espresso

Just as you surely remember that September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I’m positive you also know that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

But just because Halloween is here, which means October is coming to a close (how did that happen?!), it doesn’t mean that we have to stop thinking PINK*:

1. Someone asked for Pink…lol, 2. Pink hibiscus…, 3. Gradually Pink, 4. Smile!, 5. :: the pink daisy ::, 6. pink peep bunnies, 7. Pink!, 8. Petal Princess, 9. Pretty Pink Gingham Girls, 10. Pink Rose, 11. Pink Ribbon (close-up), 12. Cherish the pink sky, 13. Hazel Atlas Ripple C/S, 14. sweet melody, 15. Pink Tutus, 16. Pink Delights, 17. Berries Smoothie, 18. Tiny drops on pink flowers, 19. red & pink, 20. PinK, wHy So pINk??

*Special thanks to my dear friend Collette at All Over the Map for the inspiration to create this pink mosaic!

For more information on breast cancer awareness:

Breast Cancer Awareness Tool Kit

National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Home Page

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Don’t forget to check out Judith’s Peach Crisp, this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana at Think on it! and hey, what great Halloween costumes do you and your children have planned?

Buon weekend and Happy Halloween!

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Like many of you,  I suspect, I’ve loved waterlilies ever since the first time I saw paintings by Claude Monet.

So imagine my delight when this gorgeous photo showed up in my inbox, sent by Marnie of Country Fried Stitches:

Marnie wanted to share this image of love, “the heart-shaped leaf pointing to the waterlily,” with all of you and kindly granted permission for me to use it here.

Which leads me to this:

If any of you have blogs but don’t do Love Thursday *or* don’t have blogs at all but still want to spread the love, please send your heart photos and images of love to me here, and I’ll publish them with your permission.

Thank so much Marnie, and Happy Love Thursday to all!

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On my birthday, I took a couple pieces of cake to my American neighbors just down the street from me (yes, I have two American neighbors!).

While I was visiting, a neighbor of theirs offered up two gorgeous tuna that her husband had caught that morning–and guess who was, in turn, offered one of these beautiful babies? What a birthday gift!

And so plans for my birthday dinner were adjusted. We had the originally-scheduled pork ribs the following night (delicious as always), and instead had a special treat of grilled tuna (tonno alla griglia) with a side of homemade french fries:

By the by, if you’ve never had homemade french fries made in olive oil, you don’t know what you’re missing–it’s definitely worth the work of peeling and cutting up the potatoes just so. Yes I know gadgets exist that will do that for you, but I find it rather relaxing so I stick to the old-fashioned way.

Grilled Tuna

• 2 tuna filets
• 1 lemon
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• Handful of parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper

1. Prepare grilling area by lighting coals, etc.

2. When grill is about 15 minutes away from being ready, combine olive oil, garlic, and parsley in small bowl.

3. Roll a whole lemon on the counter a few times to loosen up the juice, then cut in half. Squeeze one half over each tuna filet, and then apply marinade to each filet equally.

4. Sprinkle each filet with salt and pepper, and let sit for about 15 minutes.

5. Grill tuna for about 10 minutes on each side, turning only once.

Buon appetito!

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It is with deep regret that I announce I won’t be taking part in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) this November. I had been going back and forth on the decision for weeks (yes, it’s that important dammit!), but I just can’t.

Yes, I’ll be busy writing a novel for NaNoWriMo, but what I *will* do for NaBloPoMo is pledge to visit as many blogs participating in NaBloPoMo as possible throughout the month. My blog reading has really slowed in the past few months, and I’d like to use November to get back in touch with *your* blogs–especially if you’re participating in NaBlo.

So, if you’ve signed up, please let me know in the comments or come find me at the NaBlo site here (I don’t think my profile will be erased or anything, will it?)!

And, hey, maybe I’ll commit to doing Pilates every day instead!

What would you commit to doing every day this November?

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Ninety-nine-years-young Maria Caterina Reitano moved to Australia at age 41 from Reggio Calabria and will turn 100 years old in January. She has turned down several marriage proposals in her lifetime (two from the same man) and has never made love to a man, but that doesn’t mean her search for love is over.

When she was interviewed by The Daily Telegraph for a story on her, ahem, status, she made it a point to say, “Tell them I’m single.”

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Do you think you know your olive oil?

If so, you might look into joining Italy’s anti-food piracy unit, 20 specially-trained officers who are in charge of tasting olive oil and identifying counterfeit versions claiming to be extra-virgin.

In April of this year, 25,000 liters of oil were confiscated and 25 people arrested when it was discovered that what was being sold as olive oil was really vegetable oil infused with beta carotene and chlorophyll. Similar tales of fake olive oil have become disturbingly common in recent years, so hopefully this squad knows their stuff.

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As the home of Armani, Prada, Versace, Gucci, and Dolce e Gabbana, Italians are known for style. Rest assured the police can continue that reputation now that Lamborghini has donated a specially-designed car to the polizia.

This €175,200 ($220,000) Lamborghini Gallardo has a 560-horsepower engine and can reach speeds of up to 325 kpr (200 mph); it also has a mini-refrigerator inside for organ transport and a built-in defibrillator for emergencies.

Pretty stylin’ huh?

So what’s up where you are?

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