Steve brought home a container of vegetable soup from Maria Merante’s which a block from his work. To turn it into a main course, I added a can of white cannellini beans, drained.
Added salt to boiling water and cooked a cup of penne pasta.
I placed the cooked pasta in the bowl first, poured the hot soup over and then added some Parmesan cheese.
It was fragrant and hearty on a chilly winter evening. Merante’s : celebrating all things Italian since 1983
Three years ago I had my first Lebkuchen Ice Cream at Kiez Eis in Berlin, Germany. Here’s my post of that experience.
I received some Lebkuchen (a soft spiced gingerbread cookie with ground dried fruit and nuts) for Christmas from my sister and daughter.
Last night I chopped two cookies and folded them into softened vanilla ice cream.
I ate a dish of it last night and it tasted good.
But this evening, I had another scoop and after 24 hours in the freezer it was so flavorful, the spices flavoring the ice cream beautifully.
Ten years ago this month I took a cooking class at La Flegrea in Squirrel Hill . Here is one dish I learned to make- Spaghetti Arugula, a recipe from Ana Flevola. (Click to see the class)
I’ve posted the dish before in 2016, too if you want to see the steps of preparation.
Here’s the refreshing dish once again, from last night.
This page is from the January 1, 1977 New York Times Magazine.
My sister sent me the photos of the clipping today as Epiphany or Three Kings Day is January 6th. This day is the traditional day families would take down their Christmas decorations when I was growing up .
One side of the magazine page is Three Kings’ Cake recipe article by Mimi Sheraton. This recipe makes two Loaves of sweet bread with yeast and lemon and orange rind, currants and mixed fruits. Almonds are hidden in the dough to be discovered by one lucky eater .
On the reverse side of the paper is an ad to order seeds for Spring planting. Park Seed is celebrating 150 years of being in the gardening business.
(This is not the same king cake of February’s Mardi Gras.)
My friend Roberta sent me an email this evening with a video from the University of Pittsburgh French Nationality Room Galette Des Rois (click the name of cake to watch) see how to make another type of Kings’ Cake with Almond paste and puff pastry. The French version.
My daughter sent me an article about removing the red notifications in apps on the iPhone. They were set to “on” for text and phone calls. I didn’t have them notifications turned on for email. Before I turned the motivations back on the number went up another 324 in a day.
I went to settings, toggled the notifications button just to peek and see how many unread emails I had in my two accounts.
Turned off notifications again.
My word of the day is AVOIDANCE. I showed this photo to a couple of people and it’s interesting, the reaction I receive
Moynihan Train Hall New York City -Opened January 1, 2021. My sister went to check it out and took these photos. Named for Senator Daniel Patrick “Pat” Moynihan.
Guest blog with credit to Colleen and JB
Do you pick one word or phrase as your focus for the upcoming new year? Choosing a word can work as a meaningful guide throughout the year and be a compass for your goals.
Old friends Colleen and JB live far from one another, but for the past several years they meet on January 1st via telephone for their annual “summit”. They discuss their goals and dreams for the future. They come prepared with lists, notes, ideas for “word of the year” as well as a glass of champagne to make an optimistic toast.
The discussion always includes the usual topics like diet and exercise goals and often include budget/debt worries, creative ideas and travel plans. They bring their calendars to plan out a few trips to see one another (well, not this year!). It’s really refreshing to share a friend’s dreams and commit in writing to creative projects or specific action plans. They talk again frequently to check in on progress and offer support.
This year’s words:
Colleen ~ BREATHE. It’s been a stressful year with more to come, and the isolation has her wound up tight. Family health issues are all consuming and make her feel like a little helpless. Big on her action list are meditation, creativity as a release, and taking a good deep breath often.
JB ~ GRACE. Adopted from a book by Melanie Dale Calm the H*ck Down acronym “Gratitude, Read, Adapt, Create, and Engage.” All needed right now to navigate through this unusual and unknown territory ahead.
*Editors Note:If you need inspiration to find a word for the year you can click here to get to a list of 150 possibilities at Happiness is Homemade
