21 Aug Learning to Speak Italian
There is a popular aphorism in Italy, “Si parla come si mangia,” which literally means one eats like one talks....
food memories Tag
09 Aug Grandma’s Banana Bread
Comfort foods. They evoke images of childhood, of family dinners where there were more arguments than peas, and of Sunday afternoons sitting at Grandma’s kitchen table....
25 Mar Pepper Steak: Redefined
Since today is brother Gargantua's birthday, I'm crafting a special dinner for him with some of my favorite flavors. The star of the menu is a lovely Chateaubriand roast with Madeira Butter. The gorgeous flavor profile of this flavored butter has become a family favorite, as it creates an instant sauce...
01 Jan Christmas Cocoa
Cradling a steaming mug in my hands and stifling a yawn, I surveyed the pile of presents underneath the tree. “Mom,” I asked with concern, “you put in two packets instead of one, right?”...
11 Dec Out of the Mouths of Babes
I was born in late 1960s Italy, when the economy was booming and people had forgotten the ravages of war and their rural past....
08 Nov Making Peace with Polenta
Going to my aunt and uncle’s lake house meant a lot to me as a child. It meant that summer was finally at an end, school would be starting in a matter of hours, and I would be facing a dish of polenta before the sun went down....