Archive for 2007
thanksgiving in italy
Happy Thanksgiving…
from our table to yours!
This photo was actually taken last year, but it was our Thanksgiving feast and the first time I had prepared one by myself. And it was complicated from the start.
First, we were supposed to have our own turkey, raised by P, but two weeks before Turkey Day, a sly fox got the bright idea to have her own feast early. So we had chicken instead–just as well as my grandmother never made turkey as she didn’t like it anyway.
Then, considering many of the traditional Thanksgiving foods aren’t even available here, I had to get stuff flown in (think cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes–yes, I know you have them in north and perhaps central Italy but I can’t find them down here). Other than that we had filling/stuffing (mom’s recipe!), mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and peas.
Well, *I* had all those things. P didn’t go near the sweet potatoes or cranberry sauce. Maybe this year.
We’ll be having our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday since P’s working today (and, accordingly, so am I)–remember it’s not a holiday here. But I hope all of you have a wonderful day; I’ll catch up to you on Sunday!
Thanks for the Thanksgiving funnies Gil!
Today I’m thankful for:
All the Thanksgivings I’ve spent with my family, both at my mom’s and grandmother’s house. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday–it revolves around food and being grateful. How can you go wrong?
And you know what? I don’t have even one bad memory from any Thanksgiving, which is pretty impressive considering I come from a family of divorce and otherwise unhappy marriages. Indeed for the most part I had a happy childhood anyway, and for that I’m truly grateful.
And hopefully I’ll get to have some more Thanksgivings with my family as the years go on–and P will be forced to try all the foreign foods. Hah!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who is celebrating!
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[tags] thanksgiving, thanksgiving in italy, turkey, thanksgiving comics, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/tags]
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Pumpkin Muffins
Last year around this time I had some canned pumpkin but wasn’t up for making pies so I looked for another option. I found a recipe for tasty pumpkin muffins, and that’s what I’m sharing with you for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday, the Day Before American Thanksgiving Edition.
I like this recipe because, well, I love muffins, but also because it’s yet another way to enjoy pumpkin. I heart pumpkin.
If you don’t feel like making pumpkin pies this year, give these a try–and throw in raisins for a special treat!
Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 1/2 c flour
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 c milk
- 1/2 c canned pumpkin
- 1/4 c melted butter
- 1 egg
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Now I could tell you to do the dry ingredients first and then mix in the wet, but you know what? I just mixed it all together at once and they came out fine. You don’t want the batter smooth though; when the flour is incorporated, stop, and leave the lumps.
3. Grease bottom of muffin cups or use foil muffin cups like I did. This recipe makes 12 big muffins, but I did 6 big and then a bunch of small ones; I’m sorry but I didn’t count at the time. Fill cups to 2/3 full and put in hot oven.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. If you’d like to use icing, I did the cream cheese one I put on my birthday carrot cake cupcakes here:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 4 tbl butter
- 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
I then sprinkled some nutmeg on top.
Buon appetito!
Today I’m thankful for:
Pumpkin! Ooh do I love pumpkin in all its many forms, especially my mom’s pumpkin pie. Mmmm. I hope someone at home has a piece for me.
I also love and miss good old pumpkin spice coffee. Anyone know the best way to recreate that at home? I’m open to suggestions.
I’ve been adding some nutmeg to my (American) coffee before brewing in the morning, and that’s pretty good too. Can you tell I also like nutmeg just a bit?
5 post meme (nothing like a one-trick pony)
I was tagged by new blogging buddy Goofy Andie (that’s the name of her blog, I swear!) to do the following:
I like this meme because it gives me a chance to point out posts that new readers may have missed. I do keep a list of posts that new visitors can read to get to know me better–in my favorites tag above–but here are five more, per the meme:
FAMILY:
This one is from May of this year and talks a bit about my niece and nephew back in the States and all the fun stuff they send me. Check out the label “family” for more family posts.
FRIENDS:
First published in March 2007, this post recounts my first meeting with fellow expat blogger in Calabria, Cherrye of My Bella Vita, and Dawn, who we’re still hoping finds time to write up one of these blog things. We had an awesome time and recreated the magic in August before Cherrye left us to get married in Texas. I know some of you, like me, are missing Cherrye lately, but she’ll be back soon to tell us all about it, I’m sure.
The label “friends” will take you to more friends posts.
Sunday Scribblings: Chronicles
I’ve written many, many posts about me and other than searching the “me me me” label, you can also find a lot of those on my sidebar.
But now I’m going to point you to one that says a little something different about me than any of the memes or lists I’ve done over the past 11 1/2 months. You might have missed this one as it was first published way back in January, less than two months into my blogging adventure. I hope you enjoy it.
YOUR LOVE:
Another May post about how P surprises me every now and again. There are lots of P and love posts under the “love” label.
This last one was hard! I didn’t know which direction I should go in, but I finally decided on a snippet of my fiction writing since it’s a part of me that gets ignored early and often around here.
This May post was my first entry in a fiction writing contest, and I even ended up with a prize; check out other writing related posts under the “writing” label.
Now I’m going to tag 5 bloggers who are all doing NaBloPoMo, some of whom I knew previously and some I’ve just met. Show us what to read please!
Alyndabear
Candid Karina
Gill
Jill Althouse Wood
Miss Eliza
Today I’m thankful for:
Believe it or not, NaBloPoMo. I’ve realized through this experience that it’s not as difficult as I thought to post something every day–except for internet issues (fixed as of now…yeah!). Getting into the habit of writing, taking more photos, being more creative about posts–these are all good things, and I have NaBloPoMo to thank.
But even more than that, I’m so thankful to have met even more wonderful bloggers through the experience. One can never have too many blogging friends, I say.
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[tags]nablopomo, 30 days of thanks, memes[/tags]
31 Things I’ve Learned in My 31 Years
As of today I’m thirty-one years, one month, and one day old, and I’m ready to pass on:
31Things I’ve Learned in My 31 Years
1. Family members can be friends and friends can be like family members.
2. Laughing until your stomach hurts should happen at least once a day.
3. Being alone does not have to mean being lonely.
4. Dreaming is essential to living.
5. When what others want and what you want differ, trust your instincts.
6. Dogs are woman’s best friend too.
7. Sometimes love really isn’t enough.
8. Broken hearts should be worn with pride; it means you dared to love.
9. Peanut butter goes with everything.
10. Fireplaces, books, and blankets rule, especially when enjoyed together.
11. Inclement weather and important appointments are like peas and carrots.
12. Trying new things and meeting new people keep life interesting.
13. You can’t control what others do, but you can control how you react to them.
14. Stepping and/or kneeling on tacks hurts. A lot. Avoid it.
15. Love can be found in the wind.
16. Trust is a choice.
17. Innards for dinner do nothing for me.
18. The shower is a good place to cry.
19. Living simply helps others simply live.
20. Being wrong isn’t failure, it’s human.
21. Everything happens for a reason.
22. Sleeping, particularly napping, is underrated.
23. Being the bigger person isn’t always easy, but it’s always rewarding.
24. The sound of someone’s voice can be the most beautiful music in the world.
25. You don’t need to meet someone in person to develop a close relationship.
26. Success and happiness are best defined individually, i.e., by each person.
27. Appreciating small, good things makes dealing with big, bad things easier.
28. Homemade is always better.
29. Being accessible 24 hours a day is annoying.
30. The best way to learn a foreign language is full, painful-at-times immersion.
31. Moving ahead is easier if you understand where you’ve been.
Feel free to make your own list and let me know where to find it.
Today I’m thankful for:
Rainbows. We had a mini-rainbow a couple weeks ago, just a splash over the sea:
And then this one yesterday:
They’re always pretty, of course, but I just can’t think of a better way to be reminded that even when things are dark and dreary, something beautiful can come of it.
stepping up while i sigh
The only time I really lament not having a car around here is on Sundays when there’s no bus service and I have somewhere to go. Like to the internet café in a nearby town to post something on my blog to keep my NaBloPoMo streak alive. Because my internet is still out.
And so I am relying on the kindness of friend and fellow She Who Blogs member Qualcosa di Bello of Piacere, Dog Blog, Write Away, and probably another in the works knowing her. If you want to talk to someone who knows a lot about time management, visit this homeschooling, Italian-class-taking, doggie-and-sometimes hedgehog-caretaking super mom.
Anyway since I get the feeling that she kind of likes to blog, I turned to her to save my NaBloPoMo hide and hit publish at the appropriate time. They say the internet will be fixed within 48 hours of Friday afternoon, but I wasn’t about to risk it.
Grazie Qualcosa!
So now what do I really have to say today? Hmm. How about we stick to a photo that reflects how I’m feeling.
I think that about sums it up.
Today I’m thankful for:
Qualcosa di Bello—the person (not only does she step in when I need her but she also sends me tahini and books!) but also the translation, which is “something beautiful.”
There are lots of beautiful things around me even as I’m typing this at the internet café, not the least of which are some pretty nice espresso beans waiting to be ground. Yum!
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[tags]nablopomo, friends, 30 days of thanks, dogs[/tags]
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.
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