Archive for 2008
as california burns, calabria asks what the hail?
Over the weekend, as we were thinking about those caught in the line of wildfires in California, here in Calabria we also had some nasty weather. Quite ironically, ours came in the form of torrential downpours.
And so, right around noon on Saturday, thunder and lightning meant that we unplugged everything electric.
But the hail? Well that meant it was time for the camera:
P said he’d never seen anything like this in his nearly 30 years, as perhaps you can tell from his excitement in the video. Here’s where the video left off:
Stay safe, my friends.*
*Gah! I can’t stop saying it!
interactive friday: blog my blog III
Guess what time it is…it’s time to blog my blog!
What’s that? You don’t remember how we play? As a reminder, here is the first edition, here is the second, and here are the official rules:
Taking direction from Kailani of An Island Life, here’s how it works for those who don’t remember:
1. I start with a question/phrase.
2. The first commenter answers that question and leaves a new question for the next visitor to answer. It could be a general question, fill in the blank sentence, a “tell me about a time when,” etc.
3. The next commenter answers the new question and provides a question for the following visitor (i.e., the third commenter).
4. And so forth until you’re all bored to tears. Yes, I expect actual tears before we stop (photographic evidence will do).
5. Note: I reserve the right to delete or modify any questions that, you know, rub me the wrong way. Ahem.
6. In a situation where two commenters have answered the same question and you’re next to answer, please either choose one of the questions or answer both; if you don’t answer both, you are free to pass along the question you didn’t use or come up with a new one.
The first question:
What is your favorite apparatus on a playground and why?
Remember to check out Cherrye’s My Bella Vita for this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana recipe: Mexican Tortilla Soup.
love thursday: bringing home the bacon
You know that saying about bringing home the bacon*?
Well, in Calabria that often happens quite literally.
Here is my amore holding the leg of a certain swine, parts of which were later marinated in red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and rosemary, and then grilled. Yum!
Who could ask for more in a man?
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
Note that Love Thursday is now back at its original Chookooloonks home. Yay!
P.S. The history of this phrase from About.com Guide to Home Cooking: “In the twelfth century, a church in the English town of Dunmow promised a side of bacon to any married man who could swear before the congregation and God that he had not quarreled with his wife for a year and a day. A husband who could bring home the bacon was held in high esteem by the community for his forebearance.”
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Pasta with Snails alla Calabrese
I’ve heard snails are a love it or hate it kind of thing. I love ’em and here’s a recipe for snails alla calabrese with pasta.
Read on...hi, weird? it’s me…random!
I was tagged recently by Salena of The Daily Rant to share seven weird and random things about me.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to Highway Hags and list the rules on your blog.
2. Share seven facts about yourselves on your blog — some random and some weird.
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their name as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
I’ll end the suspense here and tell you I won’t be tagging anyone, but if you’d like to play along in the comments or on your blog, I’d love to read all about your weirdness and randomness!
Now, I’ve done a few of these in the past and also generally shared a lot of strange stuff about me, so I’m going with a theme here–something I don’t think I’ve covered.
Weird or random food combinations that I enjoy:
1. Chicken (noodle or rice) soup with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I have no idea where this one originated because neither my mother nor my grandmother would ever have given me something so odd together. I’m guessing this one came up early on during my college years when beggars couldn’t be choosers.
2. Peanut butter and banana sandwich. I don’t think this one is *so* weird, but I know it’s not exactly normal either. In any event, it definitely comes from childhood because I’ve been eating these as long as I can remember. Here is my method: peanut butter spread on one slice of bread; banana cut in half and then sliced longways; the two pieces are placed on the side with peanut butter and then covered with another slice of bread.
Yes, you could slice the banana, but my way gives you more banana for your buck with each bite, IMHO. And yes, then I usually eat the other half of the banana.
3. Tuna salad sandwich made a particular way. And the way is this: tuna, mayonnaise, sliced hard-boiled egg, and chopped celery on toast with lettuce and tomato. If I don’t have one of these ingredients, I won’t even make tuna salad. Seriously.
4. Cheese sandwich with ketchup and mustard. I know this sounds disgusting. I thought so too before my childhood best friend convinced me to try one at her house somewhere around second or third grade. It’s become a strange comfort food for me-just a squirt of ketchup on one slice of bread, a squirt of mustard on the other, and a slice of cheese in between. Easy cheesy.
5. Bagel sandwich with thinly sliced provolone, honey dijon mustard, and lettuce. Perhaps this is the grown-up version of #4, and not all that random or weird, but I don’t think it’s a very common favorite sandwich, so I’m including it here.
One day when I was just off campus during college, I was starving and didn’t have much cash on me (we mostly used “food points” to eat plus see #1); I went to my favorite bagel place and realized I had enough money for *some* sandwich, but nothing with meat. So I went with this one, and wow, it’s been a favorite ever since.
6. Wendy’s french fries dipped in a chocolate Frosty. I’m not sure I need to explain this. Just. Yum.
7. Sauerkraut, German sausage/pork/hot dog, mashed potatoes, and applesauce. What’s so weird about this? Besides that it is our traditional New Year’s Day meal where I’m from (no matter your ethnicity), it’s the fact that when I eat this, every forkful must contain some of each of those items.
So there you have it.
I have a weird (or is it random?!) feeling that someone else tagged me with this or something similar. If it’s you, please leave a note in the comments, and I’ll link to you and offer my sincerest apologies for not bookmarking your tag.
What’s weird and/or random about you?
Do you like strange food combinations?
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
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