Notes on How to Organize Christmas Lunch In the first few days of December, think about the people you would like to have at your table. Define the list and go over each diner’s food tastes and desires. Decide where you will have lunch – in the kitchen, dining room, […]
Month: November 2011
Turkey from the Farm
Turkey, in the Italian and American tradition, is associated with Christmas and Thanksgiving. This combination is not random but linked to the cycles of nature. In fact, turkeys were born in the spring and reached maturity in November and December. They were the most noble and delicate meat families had […]
Festive Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are certainly a common preparation that are present on all of our tables. Today we can buy them in a box, ready to be served in minutes. While I admire the ready-made mashed potatoes for their food technology, I’ve never bought one. If done in the traditional way, […]
Green Beans with Butter and Sage
Green beans, though belonging to the legume family, have characteristics closer to the vegetables like possessing little protein. They are low in calories, but delicious.
Pumpkin Pie
The recipe is courtesy of the Beckett family, passed down from mother to daughter to date. Last year when Colleen (my daughter-in-law) spent her first Thanksgiving in Italy, she asked her family to send the recipe for the famous “Pumpkin Pie” of her Great Aunt Grace, a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch […]
Crostini from the Garden and the Sea
The choice in our house was to not have a television in the room where we eat. Dinner is the only time when the family gets together and it is a time when we can talk about the day’s events, problems, but also funny and entertaining things. It’s also a […]
Pumpkin Gelato
Gelato is irresistible. When I was little my mother always had to hold me back every time we passed a gelateria. It did not matter if it was morning and I just had breakfast, simply seeing the list of flavors stimulated my craving for it.
Chestnut Gnocchi with Autumn Sauce
I made this recipe as an entry for CONTEST “Castagne al Desco”, organized by La Cucina Italiana and Il Desco. Chestnuts more than other fruits take me back to my childhood and a vanished world when things were more simple, a time that would be nice to rediscover. My family […]
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