Tag: Italy

Blog Post Photo, Phyllis, Red Wine Toast, La Carbonara, Monti, Rome, Italy
My Stories

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

Over last weekend we were sitting by our little antique electric fireplace with its glowing glass “coals” reminiscing, sipping wine and reading the entries in my Rome journal from last October.  We spent our Thanksgiving  there wandering the Jewish Ghetto and having lunch at Da Giggetto.  Quite honestly, we are missing being there so much. […]

Blog Post Photo, Thanksgiving in Umbria, Wood Burning Oven
My Stories

A Canadian Thanksgiving

2008 was our first Thanksgiving away from home!   We had travelled to Italy with two friends and our plan was to celebrate Thanksgiving by cooking dinner in the “villa” near Lago Trasimeno in Umbria. My husband and I had  grocery shopped in Tuscany and Umbria two years earlier and knew beforehand that Italians eat […]

Blog Post Photo Bunch of Basil on Drying Rack
My Stories

Pesto: What’s in a Name?

It seems to be everywhere…and not just the molto famoso “Ligurian” pasta with potato and green beans with trofie pasta but dribbled or drizzled on anything you can imagine. But is that really “pesto?” Or, has the term “pesto,” which derives from the Italian pestare, meaning to pound or grind using a mortar and pestle, […]

Blog Post Photo, Stacks of Cheeses
My Stories

Then There Was Cheese!

Have you ever had a thought that keeps popping up every now and again?  Well…in my case one of these is “daddy, where does cheese come from?” Or should I say “how did we come to have this wonderful stuff called cheese?” Every time I watch someone making cheese on a T.V. programme I just […]

Blog Post Photo Amelia Olive Oil Tasting, Wine, Olives, Crusty Bread
My Stories

Our “New” Oil

Just got the word…the shipment of extra virgin olive oil from Amelia in Umbria has arrived in Vancouver! And I’ve been told it’s extremely good this year.  Fabulous news! The 2014 harvest was hit particularly hard. Either the oil was in short supply or not available at all due to terrible weather conditions at the […]

Cacio e Pepe Being Served Outdoors, Green Striped Tablecloth
Pasta, Gnocchi and Polenta

Cacio e Pepe

This is the best version of Cacio e Pepe I have made so far, although in Rome, where the dish originates, we found they use tonnarelli aka alla Chitarra. a  thick spaghetti and usually it’s fresh.  I would recommend the Spaghetti alla Chitarra pasta made by either Rummo or good pasta from the Napes/Gragnano area.  […]

Blog Post Photo, Romeo Restaurant, Rome, Italy
My Stories

The Rome Food Diary, 2015 – Part 4

More adventures of Joe and Phyllis in Roma, enjoying discovering new things and a revisit to one of the first restaurants we ever went to in Rome. La Carbonara 1906 – Via Panisperna, 214 Once upon a time, in 2010, during our very first visit to Rome as we were roaming about in Monti  we […]

Blog Post Photo, Sandwiches in Rome
My Stories

Tramezzini

When is a sandwich not a sandwich! When it’s a tramezzino! And when I told a friend I was writing a post about them she exclaimed “WHY THEY’RE JUST HORRIBLE SANDWICHES?” Not so fast…and not to be confused with the very popular Trapezzino. I’ve a thing for sandwiches…always have. I also have a adore Donna […]

Blog Post Photo, Tuscany, White Wine on Wooden Outdoor Table, Photo also used in What Wine?
My Stories

Sometimes There’s A Friend

Sometimes we all gripe about Facebook gremlins or having to un-friend someone for some reason or the other.  Where situations arise where we are left unfortunate and unwelcome comments demanding that we delete that individual from our friends list.  Sadly, this does take place. But we also have a platform at our fingertips that enables us to connect […]