Archive for 2008
love thursday: remembering the puppies
Last year at this time, I was wrapping up eight exciting (and stressful) weeks with Stella’s six gorgeous puppies, tearfully giving them away one by one in time for Christmas presents.
Luckily, I still get to see one of them quite frequently as he lives with a family in the village. Every few days he comes to the house and sits outside the door and cries until I open it to let him in to play with his mom and Zia Luna.
He was the first little one to go, but obviously Chicco (KEYK-koh) still remembers us.
Puppy love runs deep.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Fried Baccala’ and Baccala’ with Tomatoes
Two delicious ways to prepare baccalà, a traditional Christmas Eve fish in Calabria.
Read on...
My Cousin the Saint by Justin Catanoso
Through Justin’s words, I was right there with him and his Calabrian family in both good times and bad from the canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square to his newly found relative’s funeral. Justin’s descriptions are vivid and moving but not over the top, offering the perfect balance so that scenes are emotional, yet not overly nostalgic and cliché.
Read on...Decorate a Gingerbread House Online!
I’ve noticed in my blog stats that quite a few people have come looking for a gingerbread house to decorate. How do they end up here, you ask? Well it’s all because of the “Decorate Your Own Virtual Gingerbread House” post from last December.
In light of this, I thought hey, the template is still up at Jenny B. Harris‘ Home Sweet Home, so why not make it a tradition to decorate a gingerbread house every year (so long as Jenny keeps up the cottage)?
Decorating a gingerbread house offline is highly unlikely to happen even though I’ve *always* wanted to make a gingerbread house. I even bought a kit one year, but it was during law school and by the time exams were over, so was my attention span.
Anyway, here’s the Official 2008 Bleeding Espresso Gingerbread House:
Online gingerbread house decorating — talk about a great holiday activity for kids. No clean-up necessary!
Have you ever made a real live gingerbread house?
Please share your secrets and tips!
Holiday Gift Ideas: From Soap to Books
If you’re still looking for special, unique holiday gift ideas, here are some suggestions, sold by some of my uber-talented blogging buddies:
*NATURAL HANDMADE SOAPS*
Saponissimo by Charlie of Figs and Lemons has gorgeous handmade natural soaps from the Amalfi Coast for sale at ridiculously affordable prices. You’ll find ingredients like olive oil, honey and beeswax blended with the plants, fruits, and flowers of Positano. Pictured at left is Arancia e Limone (orange and lemon) soap. Can’t you just smell that gorgeous citrus?
*JEWELRY*
Sara of Moving Right Along has some really gorgeous handmade pieces of jewelry at her Sara Arts Etsy shop. You may remember Sara from when I featured her here? One of my favorites in her collection is the one pictured at right, The Romantic Wrist, Hand-Knotted Bracelet of Peach Aventurine, Garnet, and Sterling on Silk. Too bad P doesn’t read my blog….
*JEWELRY, BAGS, AND MORE*
Diana of Adventuring through Life also runs an Etsy shop, hers with her sister, called Sorelle (sisters in Italian). They have a great collection of unique gifts from pendants to earrings to cute purses like the one here on the left, the Pretty in Pink Fairy Godmother Purse. And sales! Be sure to check out the store for discounts on earrings and pendants.
*BOOKS*
I just finished My Cousin the Saint: A Search for Faith, Family and Miracles by Justin Catanoso. Yes, you’ve heard about this book before here, but now that I’ve read it, I can tell you how much I *love* this book. I could relate to so many of Justin’s experiences (not the saint in the family part though); I hope to write a fuller book review soon, but for now, just know that I highly, highly recommend it.
And staying in southern Italy, a book that I haven’t yet seen in person but can’t wait to read is In Etna’s Shadow: Culinary Adventures from Eastern Sicily by Karen Landes, who also authors South of Rome. Eastern Sicily is just a ferry ride away from me, so I’ll be interested to see how our cuisine compares and contrasts. Plus I love Italian culinary books in general, don’t you?
Anyone else out there selling their creations online this year?
Do share links in the comments!
***Be sure to check out Cherrye’s Texas Mud at My Bella Vita for this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana recipe. I promise it tastes *much* better than it sounds! And remember you can still enter to win a copy of The Feast of the Seven Fishes!
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
