Archive for May, 2007
Love Thursday: Helping Hands
In case you hadn’t guessed by now, I like my P an awful lot. He’s quite thoughtful and sweet and handsome and lovable, and yes, I think I’ll keep him.
But I’m not going to lie to you. He’s not the hugest help around the house.
Now even that’s an unfair statement because he does cook half the time, but see, I don’t mind cooking, so if he didn’t do that, it probably wouldn’t bother me. Cleaning though? I *hate* cleaning of any kind (except organizing — me likey organization!), and unfortunately, apparently so does he.
Sometimes I get overwhelmed, particularly during the middle of the week when I’m out of the house for two full (10 a.m.-8 p.m.) days — especially if, heaven forbid, it has been raining, which means the laundry has piled up.
But I really hate doing the dishes. A lot. So the other day I casually mentioned that maybe when I cook, he could do the dishes. I’m not even sure the sentiment successfully traveled the short distance between my mouth and his ears — a new record for the Things P Didn’t Want To Hear Game.
[Such a fun game, by the way, fully adaptable to any partner and free to play!]
Or at least I thought he didn’t hear me.
Last night when I came home from teaching, I gave LuLu some LuLove, and then I went to the sink to wash my hands. When I reached for a tea towel to dry them, I was greeted by this:
This scene may not mean a lot to you, but let’s just say that when P uses hand towels, they never end up Martha Stewart pretty back on the rack. But this time? I was duly impressed.
And then I grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and a spoon from the silverware drawer. I noticed that the spoon I picked up was one of our oddball ones with a design unlike the others — not strange until I realized I had used the same one in the morning for my coffee and had left it in the sink.
I flipped around to see this:
This had been half-full of dirty dishes when I left the house, and surely P had eaten something when he got home from work and added to the pile.
But then…he…washed them? And dried them? And put them away?
I kid you not, my eyes swelled with tears. And I didn’t even mind that some of the silverware was out of place.
Who needs a big fancy ring when you’ve got an empty sink and folded dish towels?
I love my P.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Pancetta and Onion Frittata
Things are finally back on track around here, which means it’s time for What’s Cooking Wednesday! This week it’s Pancetta and Onion Frittata. It could also be known as a Carbonara Frittata, because you use mostly the same ingredients minus the pasta, so if you like that, you should love this.
You can serve this as an appetizer, a light dinner, a hefty breakfast, or anytime you see fit really; I’ve been making this frittata a couple times a week for P to take for his mid-morning snack. He cuts it into thick strips and slaps it between two chunks of bread (folding it over so that it’s a double frittatawich).
Oh, and one last note before we get to the recipe: I would’ve loved to have taken a photo of a nice wedge of the frittata, but since that would’ve ruined his sandwich structure, I didn’t. Aren’t I nice?
Pancetta & Onion Frittata
(Frittata con pancetta e cipolle)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
300 g cubed pancetta
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
2 tbsp grated cheese
1. Break eggs into a bowl, add grated cheese, and beat together with a fork (I would add a little bit of milk to this mixture if P would let me, but he won’t, so I don’t).
2. Heat oil in large non-stick pan. Stir in onions and cook on low heat until they are soft, around 10-15 minutes.
3. Add pancetta, and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add salt, pepper, and parsley.
5. Turn up heat to medium and add egg mixture. Stir a bit to evenly distribute eggs, pancetta, onions, and parsley, but do this rather quickly and then stop stirring.
6. Cook on the first side until the frittata is puffed and no longer wet on top; this will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
7. Now you’re getting ready to flip. Forza! I didn’t make frittatas for a long time because I was afraid of this step, but I promise, you’ll do fine if you have faith that your frittata will flip freely.
Phew. Say that five times fast.
First, make sure your frittata will come free easily; if not, shake it back and forth gently to release it from the pan.
Then take a plate large enough to cover the pan completely, place it upside down over the pan, and turn the frittata over onto it. I know it’s stupid to say “Remember that the pan is hot” but I’m saying it anyway. Because, you know, even the best of us can forget. Use oven mitts if you must.
Now slide the frittata from the plate back into the pan and cook until the second side is golden brown, another 5 minutes or so.
8. Remove from heat and cut into wedges to serve–or you can do as P do in cut it into big strips and eat it on a sandwich.
Buon appetito!
Birthday Post Fall-Out (Plus Mention of a Wedding)
That last part got your attention, didn’t it?
Well, we’ll get there eventually, but you have to hang with me a bit.
The other day I posted about my mom for her birthday. I didn’t even tell her that I had posted it because she can only read the blog from my brother’s house occasionally, *and* she’s in the process of moving, so I figured I would wait until things settled down a bit to let her know.
And then I got this email this morning:
*****
Dear Aunt Shell,
Nana says thanks for the blog. I feel the same way about that song. You made Nana cry, but you knew I would. I am almost moved into the apartment the fellow that bought kitty’s stuff moved the furniture to my apartment today. My phone is disconnected and so is my tv- at the house everything is hooked up at the apartment. I am working night shift. I call you tomorrow. Michael typed this for me. We both send our love.
Love Mom, Michael
your favorite nephew Mia is out of the picture.
She’s still in school.
*****
OK, so it’s a little confusing with the shifting point of view, but Nana is my mom, of course, and I’m guessing she’s the one that feels the same about the song (I doubt my 10-year-old nephew is big into Bette–no snide comments!) and also was the one I knew I would make cry (true). Kitty is my mom’s mother-like figure who has recently moved to a care facility, and for some reason my nephew refers to my niece as a nephew (wouldn’t be a problem in Italy since “nipote” covers everyone, even grandchildren!).
That last one may be partly explained by the next email I received–from my niece (who, thank goodness is not literally “out of the picture”).
*****
Dear Aunt shell. Michael said he is your favorite niece. I don’t believe him. I sent you a post card when we went to Disney at Epcot. We might go to Italy to see you get married.
Love,
Mia
*****
Whoa Nelly!Aside from the utter cuteness of my niece and nephew, let’s go back and make some sense of all this.
My brother and his family recently went to Disney World on their first real family trip; everyone had such a blast, so it was casually mentioned that perhaps the next trip it to Italy. So I casually mentioned, well, hey, if everyone will be here, P and I could get married while you’re here.
Going back further. P asked me to marry him, oh, on about the second day we knew each other. So it’s always just kind of been there. Besides, the whole engagement process in Italy isn’t like it is in the States–here it doesn’t even really exist.
About the big day, though, neither of us are religious or want a big to-do, so a church wedding/typical southern Italian 500 guest extravaganza simply isn’t happening. We’re in no rush anyway since we already live together, and well, someday, when everything’s right, the stars align and whatnot, it’ll happen. I’m not concerned, and neither is P.
But when I heard that my family might be planning a trip, I thought, hey, why not?
Even better is that when I told P my family was talking about visiting, *he* suggested getting married while they’re here. So nice when we’re on the same page.
And I then received another email from my nephew which included the following:
*****
. . . Mom said on the way home [from Disney] next vacation is to Italy. Then I asked are we going to stay at Aunt Shells she said yes.
*****
Sounds serious, huh?
So, cara famiglia, the pressure is on.
Blog friends, feel free to leave comments hassling encouraging them to make reservations so P can make an honest woman of me. Only if you feel so inclined, of course.
Oh, and Happy Labour Day/May Day to those celebrating–why yes, it’s another holiday in Italy! Normally around here people go up into the mountains, but as P put it, we’re already in the hills. Hah! That’s Italian humor in case you didn’t catch it.
We will be having a lovely late lunch of Florentine steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, spinach, corn, salad, and (I’m guessing) lots of wine.
And, if you’re wondering, yes, I will also celebrate America’s Labor Day in September–being an expat has many hidden advantages.
if you like my bloggie, and you think i’m funny
Well you don’t actually have to think I’m funny to get involved, but I couldn’t resist a Rod Stewart reference (a belated birthday gift for my “Handbags and Gladrags” lovin’ Mommy).
In fact, you can’t even vote, so all I’m really saying is to get over to This Eclectic Life’s This Blog “Blows Up My Dress” Contest and check out the entries.
Funny, funny stuff, people.
If you want to enter, just head on over to the contest and enter three of your funniest posts by May 3rd.
Yes, there are prizes (winners announced May 8th), but we’re all winners when we have a good chuckle reading a new (to us) blog.
FYI, I found this contest at Ally Bean’s Crazy Dust in My Coffee, so if you’re looking for a place to head first for funny, may I suggest a dose of la Bean?
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
