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Sweet Apple Omelet from Gina DePalma’s Dolce Italiano
Meet Gina DePalma’s Sweet Apple Omelet, or as I like to call it, How to Eat Apple Pie for Breakfast Without Feeling Guilty.
Read on...a day of celebrations
Oh December 4, how quickly you came upon me once again!
Just one year ago at this time I was fiddling with something I learned was called a template, trying desperately to link to some of the blogs that had inspired me to jump into the big bad blogosphere, and figuring out what I could possibly write about.
And here we are, one year later.
It’s Bleeding Espresso’s 1 year blogiversary!
And it’s also P’s 29th birthday!
Woohoo!
Perhaps you were expecting balloons and a fun contest, but I have even bigger plans in store to be unveiled soon. You’ll just have to keep reading. And I know where you can start.
Although a lot of bloggers don’t care much for their early posts, I’m actually going to encourage you to go back to December 2006 and have a look at what was going on around here. I remember writing those early posts every day with such excitement and enthusiasm.
Every now and again, it’s good to remind ourselves of the beginning of any experience, isn’t it? To bring us back to what it *used* to feel like, whether it was nervousness, excitement, anxiety, or just plain fun?
In the case of Bleeding Espresso, from Italian wedding soup to owls to what I miss from the United States to childhood Christmas memories to Calabrian stuffed lasagna to Paris Hilton (now you *know* you’re curious), there was a lot happening during our first month in the blogosphere, and I hope you’ll have a look.
Feel free to load up the entire month and start from the bottom. Comments always welcome!
Oh, and of course I’ve made espresso.
Cappuccino if you prefer.
What’s that? You don’t drink cappuccino either?
Hmm… well what if I told you this:
Now if that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.
*EDITED TO ADD: As I’m getting some comments on this post, it occurred to me that I should’ve written something else:I’d really love to hear about your favorite posts, what you like to read here, what you’d like to see more of, etc. You all make this blogging adventure so fulfilling and fun, and your input is always appreciated.
And thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to read and comment!
So please let me know what you think, and if you’ve already commented and are seeing this through a feedreader, don’t be shy. Come back and tell me!
Tanti auguri Bleeding Espresso and P!
P.S. Be sure to stop by Ilva’s Lucullian Delights for today’s Dolce Italiano recipe–a cake that’s *almost* too pretty to eat, Cassata alla Siciliana–and comment for a chance to win a personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma. See full contest rules here.
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[tags]blog anniversaries, espresso, cappuccino[/tags]
Decorate Your Own Virtual Gingerbread House
Well it looks like November caught up with me. Near the end of the last week, I started getting awful stomach cramps and they lasted pretty much through the weekend. And then I got feverish. And nauseated. And muscle-achy. Etc. Blech.
Basically I and most of the school age children in the village have fallen ill with a nasty version of the stomach flu. You see, I had the privilege of riding the bus with them several times in the past couple weeks . . . to and fro from the Internet café.
If you don’t know, the public and school bus are one and the same around here. Lucky public, I know.
Anyway, I’m very behind on answering comments and emails because I’ve been spending a lot of time sleeping, but I did have a chance to look at some of my favorite blogs over the weekend. So glad so many of you are still posting like mad!
One thing that I saw and had to share was a post on London Southern Belle with a link to Home Sweet Home–and a virtual gingerbread house that you can decorate yourself!
I probably won’t decorate my own house too much this year because I have moving boxes everywhere, not to mention puppies, so we’re a bit crowded; this gingerbread house was just the thing to help get me in the holiday spirit.
Never one to skimp on decorations (hi Scarlett!), I used about 90 percent of the little available doodads on that site. Too much fun!
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did–and, by the way, check out Allsorts, the blog with Home Sweet Home as that Jenny B Harris is one crafty woman.
And for those in Italy watching Sky–Happy Lost Season 3 Finale tonight! Woohoo!
NaBloPoMo & NaNoWriMo–ciaooooooo!
And now, the end is here. And so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear. I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.
Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew [NaNo too?!]
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out [Take that Telecom!]
I faced it all and I stood tall and did it myyyyyyyy way!
Go ahead, give Old Blue Eyes a listen while you read the rest of this post.
So here we are at the end of a great, exciting month in the blogosphere. I survived NaBloPoMo, but came up a bit short on NaNoWriMo.
Thems the breaks.
The most important thing is that I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished, and I *really* am.
Thirty blog posts in thirty days is nothing to shake a stick at, as my grandmother would’ve said. And I’m proud of the content in each and every one of those posts to boot. I thank all of you for keeping up and commenting so fully and frequently; your continued support is appreciated more than you could ever know.
Now regarding NaNo, the novel that I’m working on requires a lot of research for one of the characters that I hadn’t done prior to November. Sure I could’ve cheated and continued working on a book that I already have nearly 50,000 words written for already (remember my manuscript counter in the sidebar?). But that wouldn’t have been very NaNo of me.
Instead, I wrote the half of the book that I was prepared to write going in, and I’m pretty happy with it. Indeed, I’m more inspired than ever to get into researching my other main character and get going on that part because I now see a wonderful novel coming out of these quickly thrown down words and ideas. There’s so much potential for growth there, and I wasn’t so sure of that before I began. So that’s been a nice surprise.
Even better? I’m also inspired to pick up that old manuscript and get working on it again. I may even join NaNoFiMo, National Novel Finishing Month to get working on those last 30,000 words or so on that book. Who knows? It’s all up to me, isn’t it?
But back to the blog. I do have some unfinished November business right now–my November Monthly Musing:
With each leaf that falls
We offer thanks for present,
past, and future life.
Today I’m thankful for:
Eden Marriott Kennedy, founder and organizer of NaBloPoMo. She started with a fabulous idea last year and has built an impressive community around it. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of (mostly thankless) work that is involved in keeping up with all of this, but I would like to give this special woman and blogger extraordinaire a pat on the back from southern Italy for all those hours of keeping us in line.
You’re a true blog heroine, Eden! Thank yeeeeew!
I’d also like to give a special thanks to BoogieMum who came up with the idea for 30 days of thanks. It’s been an amazing exercise in stopping and appreciating what’s important every day, and I will continue to do so in my own private journal.
P.S. Don’t forget that the Dolce Italiano Contest is over at Jenn’s The Leftover Queen today, where she’s made a decadent Chocolate Salami.
Past posts include:
Mosaic Biscotti, Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy
Chocolate Kisses, Ilva’s Lucullian Delights
Ricotta Pound Cake, Here!
Chestnut Brownies, Shelley’s At Home in Rome
Remember, all you need to do is comment on any and all of the Dolce Italiano recipe posts to be entered into the drawing to win a personalized, signed copy of Gina DePalma’s fabulous new cookbook full of Italian sweets and treats, Dolce Italiano.
And, finally, buon weekend!
Phew. Breath.
mio amore and me
Lately I’ve gotten a few requests for photos of P from friends and family, so I figured it was time to post another. You can also see another photo of him in my post Amore Mio in case you missed it.
Now here’s the thing. I’m not very good at the holding out the camera in front of us and getting a good photo thing, so nine times out of ten P loses part of his head. And he didn’t help things this time either as he thought the photo was already taken and turned his head before the click.
But I still kind of like it anyway.
This was taken last Saturday at the Feast of Santa Caterina di Alessandria. Why yes, I do have more photos. Stay tuned!
Today I’m thankful for:
P.
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
P.S. Remember to check out the posts in the Dolce Italiano Contest and comment to enter the drawing to win a personalized, signed copy of Dolce Italiano by Gina DePalma:
Mosaic Biscotti, Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy
Chocolate Kisses, Ilva’s Lucullian Delights
Ricotta Pound Cake, Here!
Chestnut Brownies, Shelley’s At Home in Rome
And tomorrow head over to Jenn’s The Leftover Queen to see what she has baking!
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[tags]love, amore, love thursday, nablopomo, 30 days of thanks[/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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