Signs of Spring

I desperately tried to hold out for that last fleeting, possibility of a late Spring snow storm...I really did.  But, let's face it, when the upcoming forecast for this week is consistently sunny and in the 70s, even I had to concede and give up hoping for snow...and while I do have some anxiety over what all this lovely weather, no-snow-winter means, i.e. global warming...sooner or later one has to embrace the season at hand, early or not...plus its just kind of hard not to love all things Spring...

Here is a collection of Spring, in and around our house from this weekend.

Luca with his new hair cut and Magda doing her best teen-age impression..they are getting SO big!!

Things around our kitchen more: artichokes, asparagus, mint, lemon...Springtime always reminds me of Italy because that is where and when Greg & I went on our honeymoon.  Also, Springtime on the east coast, for some reason, really is just so amazing to me...I am not used to such a triumphant welcome to the change of season by the daffodils, tulips, blossoms and birds...It just takes my breath away everyt time it rolls around--ESPECIALLY the Magnolia trees...  Next week is the Cherry Blossom Festival on The Mall in Washington, DC...will take LOTS of photos.  

This is a lemon vinaigrette I made with 1/4 c. lemon juice, 2 teaspoons both: honey and dijon mustard; 2 tablespoons each: basil, chives and flat leaf parsley-chopped; 1/2 c. olive oil; sea salt and fresh pepper.  I am using it on everything...especially good over butter lettuce, carrot, red onion and mint salad with grilled chicken.

Thanks so much for checking in...

Happy Spring!!

Pistachios & Strawberries--the Italian way...A frozen treat!

Last weekend, in addition to pretty homemade herb & citrus soap for Grandmom, we wanted to--of course,  make her a special birthday treat.  It was hot, so we didn't exactly want to turn the oven on...And not to mention all that heavy whipping cream we had to use (we used the cream container as the square mold for our mint & basil soap).  Looking around, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the beautiful tri-colore SEMI FREDDO I saw in the most recent issue of BON APPETIT.  Recipe here.

Pistachio.  Strawberry.  Vanilla.  

Frozen, creamy deliciousness.

Perfect!

Semi Freddo half cold in Italian... is a seriously amazing cross between ice cream (or more like it: gelato!) AND mouse.  Frozen, creamy and wonderful.  And no ice cream maker required!  You can make just one flavor but this was Grandmom's b-day, so we went all out...choosing to make all three colors of the Italian flag.  We brought the pistachios and milk to a boil and steeped for 30 mins till the milk was a lovely pale shade of soft green.  The pistachio taste at this point is so amazing and intense--its heightened just a bit more with a touch of almond extract (the secret ingredient!).  We pulsed the hulled berries with sugar and pressed thru a fine sieve so only the amazingly smooth & bright puree was left. 

(We were supposed to steep the seeds of a vanilla bean in milk, too but the store was out--so we just used vanilla extract!--next time: the bean!)

And then we whipped some eggs (over simmering water till temp reached 170 degrees) till they were light and fluffy and we whipped the cream till it held soft peaks and we folded both into each "color" and proceeded to freeze one layer at a time in a loaf pan (lined with saran wrap)  till all done.  This dessert  does take some time to make (less time if you are just making one flavor) But, believe me it is truly worth every second!

Once ready to serve, carefully remove from loaf pan--using the saran wrap. Using a clean knife, dipped in hot water and wiped clean, slice and serve.  Especially good if you let it sit for 5 minutes or so before serving...I promise, you will be in for an absolute (frozen!) treat..

Random: Il Volo--The Flight

Ok, this post isn't crafty, but its definitely falls into the realm of art...
I am kind of crazy about opera; I love it actually. Maybe its because I spent a college semester studying Italian in Florence and I heard it everywhere--literally. I rented a small, not-so-great basement apartment and I would eat my humble pasta dinner on my little balcony that faced into this wonderful, expansive court yard...mine and three other apt buildings formed this square, internal space where kids would play and gardens would grow. The laundry dried from lines that crisscrossed the open space above and mamas called out every so often to their kids playing down below. Neighbors would have lengthy exchanges balcony to balcony and eavesdropping became a great way to practice my language skills. Every night, almost on cue, as the sun would start to set...someone would play a work of opera, full volume, and the glorious music would fill the courtyard, echoing off the building walls (that actually offered some amazing acoustics) and it was like my own private concert. I don't know if it was one designated person or the djs took turns but it was perfect for this american studentessa, sipping her chianti, eating her pasta, basking in the glow. It was amazing. Now, I can hear the same pieces of music over and over and it still gives me chills...

So, I was thrilled when I heard these guys...You have to check out the video below, if even if you don't like opera one bit; you will be impressed! The cutie with the glasses is 17 and the other two sweethearts are 16. Their trio is called Il Volo which in english means the flight. And this is from their first American performance...


If you want to know about them, go here.




If you are interested in hearing some more opera but don't know where to start, here are some of the pieces that I especially love:

The Flower Duet (Lakmé), Léo Delibes




O Mio Bambino Caro, Kiri te Kanawa





Una Furtiva Lagrima, Enrico Caruso


I know lots more so if you are interested in hearing additional selections, just let me know!