Fried eggs and books. It sounds weird but when I think of my cousin (full disclosure), Gerardo Bruno, those two things come to mind. Before Life got too busy, my family was always all together. Imagine, what felt like, 50 people going in and out of a house filled with food and laughter. And some very loud talking; but we are Italian, forgive us. Gerardo and his Continue reading
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The caper bush produces a bud that eventually becomes a flower. If picked before developing into a flower, it’s a caper bud. Caper buds are what we normally think of when we hear about capers and the ones most often used. If left untouched, the bud becomes a flower that eventually dies off and produces a caper berry. Caper berries are Continue reading
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RE-POST : After a year and a half away from this blog, I posted two articles. I took another break but then my site went down and, when it was brought back, the last two articles were missing. This article I am re-posting was one of the most well received and most read. I had to re-post. Here it is AGAIN !
This Article on Le Zeppole di San Giuseppe is broken down into two parts, the first detailing the Pastry and the second detailing the actual Meaning of the Day.
THE ZEPPOLE
During the Middle Ages, there was drought and famine in Sicily. Praying to their Patron Saint Joseph, Sicilians begged for rain and promised a bountiful feast if Continue reading
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Growing up, I spent almost every summer in Italy, around Salerno. Those times produced experiences I will never forget and so many of those live on as strong memories, most having to do with Continue reading
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Some Holidays, like July 4 and New Year’s Day, give me a gross and depressing feeling. Those days are usually slow and dreary. The anti-climatic, hangover feeling of New Years Day, which usually is Continue reading
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There will be a series of articles I will write about Capitalism that right the wrong ideas of it. True Capitalism is Free Markets. But that’s for another discussion/article. In Italy, the 20 regions never got along too well. Some do; most don’t. Most of the South and Continue reading
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Culture is everything. Destroy the culture and a people will have nothing left to stand on or fight for, and usually, it’s all part of a plan. It’s all part of a plan because we are Continue reading
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Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant, I usually order Pasta with Tomato Sauce to see if they can pull off this basic, yet very complex, dish. I do a similar thing when I go to Neapolitan pizzerias and order the classic Margherita. Those two dishes are the Continue reading
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I am not exaggerating when I say that one of the best things I have ever eaten is Gnocco Fritto. A specialty of Emilia Romagna, this is not to be confused with the pasta that we all are familiar with called Gnocchi (small potato dumplings). To make it even more confusing, there is also a dish called Continue reading
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Life is bizarre and full of pain. Sometimes you get what you always dreamed of, probably because you have envisioned it for years and have played it over and over in your head. I wanted a wife from Italy, believing the best come from Naples and also Salerno. Would you believe I found one that is born and raised EXACTLY IN BETWEEN BOTH Napoli and Salerno??? There are so many other things that I had to wait long and hard for, and some I have yet to get…and may never get.
Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo is a painting which has haunted me my whole Life. When I finally got to Florence in the Continue reading
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