Recent content by ItalianFan

I am amazed after reading all the thread entries here that no one mentioned Antelope Canyon near Lake Powell. One of the places with the most stupendous scenery I've ever seen! There are actually two canyons, upper and lower. They are slot canyons, that is, very narrow and deep. You go...

How could you announce her win yesterday when the short program just takes place today?? Bad luck to count your chickens before they're hatched!

Anybody remember Lance Armstrong?

I have been following the case of Charlie with particular empathy because my family is going through a similar dilemma. My little grandaughter has Batten disease. This is a incurable genetic neurodegenerative disease. Children who are apparently normal develop symptoms around the age of 3 or 4...

2 years ago I bought a Sony 58 mirrorless SLR, beware! If travelling light is a consideration I presume you will not carry a tripod with you which means shooting in low light conditions is dicey. I found the antishake in the Sony 58 to be inferior to my Konica Minolta Dynax 5D even if the...

C Charlie is the best interviewer I have ever seen. He asks such different questions, from an insider point of view, so much more interesting for skating fans than the usual sports interviewer who doesn't have a clue about figure skating!

Aren't grits made of corn? My brother-in-law is from VA and that's what he uses to make this elaborate cheese grits dish.

[My hubby was curious to hear that I got the cabbage-potato recipe from an Italian. He thinks of that combo as German, Swiss or Irish. No matter, we both love it. There is a great Irish dish called colcannon that uses potatoes, cabbage and cheese. We have served it as an Easter dish. We combine...

Although I disagree with your statement about home-made pastry being more or less the equivalent of store bought (and it really does only take 5 min to make pie crust if you have a food processor) I have nothing but praise for speedy canned beans. I can't be bothered with soaking overnight and...

So pleased you liked it. My version of this soup comes from Padua and has no pork but most recipes have some kind of smoked pork, bacon/sausage etc cooked in with the beans. I prefer the aromatic vegetarian version. Here is another way to use fresh rosemary: saute a large onion chopped with...

"pasta e fagioli" typical farmer Italian soup. A hearty vegetarian soup using cranberry beans (already boiled before adding): Saute together: a big chopped onion, a clove of garlic minced together with a sprig of fresh rosemary and some sage leaves. You can also add a bit of celery if you like...

Looks really cool, I had never thought of something like that although I have been copying recipes on my computer and storing pics of finished delicacies for a few years now (I had 2 bachelor sons who needed suggestions/cooking lessons). Now maybe I will have to take 40 yrs worth of handwritten...

I agree with your MIL. I too eat few sweets but when I do, I like them authentic and not "light" which many times translates to unpalatable if not downright not worth eating. Actually ricotta is much lighter fat wise than, for example, cream cheese which is used for some cheese cakes. A slice...

Since someone asked for cheesecake, here is my recipe for this. Here in Italy I use sheep's milk ricotta but I doubt that this is available in the US. The essential thing is to get good ricotta, which tastes like fresh milk, not non-fat chalky type. I like to make the crust with graham...

A recipe I really like is artichoke quiche. Much tastier with fresh artichokes but if this is too laborious for you you can use frozen artichoke hearts. The pastry is basic brisée, ie American pie crust pastry, one crust only, made with butter. I presume that everyone has a recipe for this...