a winter ritual: marmellata di mandarini
| January 27, 2012 | Posted by ameliaps under sweets, winter |
Growing up, we had this winter ritual, usually in December, when the mandarin trees are laden with fruits: we would sit around the wooden table in the kitchen to make “marmellata di mandarini” (mandarin orange marmalade), and be a family. (me and my dad making marmellata in the kitchen) My mother received the original recipe… more
love is in the air: home-made “Baci”
| January 17, 2012 | chocolate, dessert, gifts |
I am “guest-posting” today on BellaNutella, a site conceived by my talented and energetic friend Paula from Bellalimento When I was over in Italy over the holidays I ate way too many chocolate “Baci”. These hazelnut and chocolate “kisses” are packaged individually in a starry silver wrapper and come with a love quote. They are… more
Photo Friday (#5)
| January 13, 2012 | photos |
Happy new year to all of you! I have been away, traveling to Italy over the holidays… hence my radio silence (no blogging nor tweeting) It was a very special time spent with my family, so I tried to take in every moment. I am not quite ready to start blogging again, but here is… more
Sicilian spiced fig-nut cookies (cuccidati or buccellati)
| December 11, 2011 | christmas, cookies, holidays, Italia, Italian, italy |
I don’t have relatives in Sicily, but I think I have a little Sicilian blood in me…somewhere, because I love that island and its cultural influences. I keep gravitating to it. Visiting Sicily is one of my favorite summer things to do. That land has been the crossroads of so many different cultures for centuries,… more
Photo Friday (#4)
| December 9, 2011 | holidays, photography, photos |
It’s that time of the week, again… photo Friday. See #1 here, #2 here., and #3 here. I. just. love. puddles: they contain a whole universe, if you just step in and look closely Take a rainy day for a spin and find yourself bubbling inside the splashes the city lights in the rain will… more
3 antipasti for the holidays
| December 8, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under appetizers, holidays, Italian |
It always baffles me that the holidays are often listed in the top events that trigger stress… People blame the lack of time and money. And then there are all the commercial pressures to give -and get- material gifts. I can’t say I don’t partake in the rush too, to some degree, but I can’t… more
Photo Friday (#3)
| December 2, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under photography, photos |
This continues my photo Friday series: a set of posts capturing the minimal, magic, surreal, unusual, quotidian, zen moments in my life. See #1 here, and #2 here. Have you read “Last child in the woods“? I read a few years ago. It inspired me… I don’t want my children to suffer from “nature-deficit… more
giving thanks
| December 1, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under autumn, fall, thanksgiving |
I did not grow up in the U.S. but one of the feasts I adopted and embraced with more heart than others when I moved here is Thanksgiving. There is so much sowing and harvesting that happens in the months leading up to November (and December) and I welcome a pause to reflect on this… more
Photo Friday (#2)
| November 25, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under photography, photos |
Last Friday I started a series…and said no promises on whether I would keep it up, but I have been thinking about it all week. The thought has been an extra help to watch for the magic and surreal, the unusual and the minimally quotidian, the changing world around me. So here are some visual… more
Two autumnal soups: sweet-potato-parsnip (with roasted root chips) and butternut-squash-persimmon
| November 22, 2011 | Posted by ameliaps under autumn, fall, soup |
Thanksgiving is just a few days away and a nice chill in the air is whisking away the last leaves from the trees. I like the views that the bare naked trees open up to… In an autumnal mood, I have been experimenting with orange-colored ingredients: squash, pumpkin, persimmons, sweet potatoes, oranges… Here are two… more
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