Rocking weekend

It is the last week of school, and things are falling into the Summer vortex rapidly. End of the year parties abound, Nick and his band played at their party yesterday. The thing is that they needed a place to practice before the event, and we decided it was our turn to rock the house (no neighborhood consulting involved.) So on Friday afternoon kids and instruments were delivered to the house, and the FUN began. They take their music seriously, these five, so there were many hours filled with music, with a little break in there to make room for a water fight. FUN I said.


What is a mom to do? Well, cook, of course! I found cilantro in Italy, which inspired me to go Mexican. I made a delicious Pico de Gallo salsa, a luscious guacamole, and of course I had to do with your packaged taco kit for the tortillas. Well, after seeing food disappear from the table at a steady pace, I have come to the conclusion that music makes 12 year olds hungry. Very hungry! They were raving about the food, as it was the first time for a couple of them trying Mexican and a special treat to the others.

After dinner the kids practiced a little more, then they "settled" for the night with a pillow fight, a funny movie, some midnight hide and seek, and finally some sleep.

Saturday morning I made my signature pancake breakfast (I am famous for it!) with all kinds of toppings (nutella, maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, etc.) Just enough sugar to keep them going all morning long. Then they had to take apart the drum set so that we could fit it in the car, and off they went to get ready for the Sunday concert.


Sunday we celebrated father's day with an early call, a fine gift of coupons from Nick to dad, including a private concert coupon, a mowing the lawn coupon, a cleaning your car coupon, and several hugs, kisses, and massage coupons. We also gave dad his very own Weber grill. Now we are going to BBQ the right way people! No more gas at the ready, we are moving towards the "slow food" movement! Yes!


A glorious day allowed the kids to have a great party, full of food, music, and lots and lots of water balloons. The concert was a success, and I made sure I embarrassed my poor son by screaming, and clapping, and jumping like the groupie that I am. He will need a shrink to erase these life time memories I am helping to create. He couldn't help but smile when he said that I was a little over the top in my show of affection. The pains of an only child...

Flowers and bikes

On a beautiful day like today, we couldn't stay home. We have some free time on our hands, as school is out. What better way to spend a day with my boy than by riding bikes on the nearby trails. Spring is all over the place, smiling widely and sitting pretty. We are loving the blooming trees, the green grasses, the singing birds.

Our little video holiday card.

Nico and I had so much fun making this video. We are into videos these days. Making videos and baking go a long way to fight my winter blues. We are happy with the result, so much so, that we want to share it with you. Enjoy!

La Cucina di Nicola: Julie's no egg - no butter chocolate cake

And you thought that we were not going to cook anymore! Well, you were wrong!
I have to admit that we are having a difficult time finding a regular day for our cooking adventures, so I will publish the new recipes as they come.

The other night Nicolas ate over at his friend's, and he had a "really good cake mom!" The little, experienced cook that he is cleverly asked for the recipe. His friend's mom: Julie, was kind enough to share it with us. She said that this family favorite came their way serendipitously, as she was trying many cake recipes that did not call for eggs (her oldest child was allergic to eggs.) Julie does not remember where the original recipe came from, so we are just naming it after her. Fair enough?

JULIE'S NO EGG - NO BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE


1 1/2 Cup flour
1 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 Cup cool water
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 180 C. Mix all dry ingredients in a medium size bowl, then mix all the liquid ingredients in another bowl. Mix everything together and pour into a small pan (this was fine for our family of three, but you might want to double the recipe.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.


For the frosting:
2 Cup powdered sugar
1/4 Cup softened butter
3 Tbsp milk or cream
Cocoa to taste

Mix all ingredients with a hand beater, and adjust ingredients to taste. Personally, I could use less sugar, and a little bit more milk, but I am not a big fan of frosting. Next time I might apply a thick layer of Nutella instead!

My friend Debby says that recipes such as this one where first created during WWII, in times of rationing. Creative cooks, don't you think?

Happy Birthday Nicolas!

We have been busy, really busy! We had a marathon of a celebration for Nicolas' birthday. He is eleven years old now, but he likes to think that he is sixteen...

My son likes to play the electric guitar, he is not alone in this as many of his classmates play the drums, or the bass, or the electric guitar. They have bands (one band with different members each time) and they love to play together. He and his friends had been practicing for his birthday concert for a while, talking about it for ages... this concert was meant to be the centerpiece of the celebration! What is a mother to do? Well, in my case, I cleaned out the garage for the performance, arranged for husband to go pick up a drum set, and held a general practice on Saturday morning. Then on Saturday afternoon all the guests (eleven of them, including three girls) arrived for a day of fun.


First, they had to go down to the nearby farm, to look at the animals, hide around the buildings, and feel completely independent... the farm is down the road from the house, and to hear them talk about it you would think that Disney missed out on something... They love the fact that they can go on their own to the place, and they can explore, and roll on the hay, and chase the chickens, and pet the horses, and who knows what else. After the farm, it is time to explore the nearby trail, as it is quite isolated, and surrounded by forests...


Tired from the walk we headed down to the town for the best gelato around, and then we went back home. It was concert time -but it was not to happen- as Nicolas' guitar broke a string! Nick decided to sit with everyone else and watch his friends play... but wait, his good friend Sam's dad gave him the best gift of the day, as he found out what had happened and came to the house with a brand new set of strings!!! What kindness!

The concert went on for a while, until they took a break to dance the night away after eating... and dance they did... the whole house danced with the beat! Just loud, delicious fun.

They settled for a while to watch a movie, some left at eleven or so, and some others stayed the night. I wouldn't dare call this a sleep over, because we did not sleep much. Pancakes for breakfast gave a sweet end to our all around celebration.

I say seat-belts, you say: Cosa mangiano?

I had a meeting at the European School yesterday. All five fifth grade classes are going on a week-long field-trip, the meeting was meant to bring all the parents together and answer some questions we might have regarding the trip. There are five sections at the school: Italian, English, Dutch, German and French. The largest classes are the Italian and the English one, so there were many more Italian speaking and English speaking parents at the meeting. The meeting was held in Italian; many parents in the English speaking section are not fluent in Italian... I did my share of translating to the people siting next to me, but many others were not getting a word of what was being said. Finally one of the mothers raised her hand and asked the director to get someone to translate. A teacher was summoned to the table, and took on the job. Chaos was avoided.
We learned about the logistics of the trip, and found out all the fun activities the children are going to enjoy. We are talking about 10-11 year olds, 106 of them, all together on a beautiful farm, playing soccer, making ceramics, going to visit caves, castles, beaches... 5 days of independence!
When the time came for our questions, it was very interesting how culturally different they were. The Italian mothers wanted to know why the kids were not allowed to bring their cell phones to the trip, as they were going to be away from home for FIVE whole days! The kids, they reasoned, will want to talk to mama. The organizers answered that this was an opportunity to start cutting the umbilical cord and grow up. I couldn't agree more, yet the Italians were not happy about their children not being able to stay in touch.
Next question: What about those t-shirts that the kids will wear during outings: When will we get them? -They will be given to each child on the first day of the field-trip. NO, NO replied the Italian mothers. We need them ahead of time. We need to wash them and get them ready for the kids. -OK. We will get the t-shirts before hand, I hope I remember to wash my son's!
Another question? What will they eat? came the question from the Italian side. They have their priorities straight, don't they? --Not to worry, the farm is a famous agriturismo with really good reputation. One of the teachers said that he gains a couple kilos every time. Approving nods all-around.
Yes? a question from the English section? -What about the issue of seat-belts on the buses? We have discussed this issue at large in our class, as it seems that every year there are buses without seat-belts. We have been assured in writing that the buses will have seat-belts. Yes, we replied, but that was the case last year and they did not comply! This time they will, the organizers replied. How do we know this is true? It is a 6 hour trip on Italian freeways! Boh! was their reply. Our class representative volunteer to go to the bus provider and check the buses before hand. Thanks we said, this is important to us.
We came out of the meeting knowing this trip is going to be unforgettable for the kids. They do not know how they will get there, or what food they will eat. All they know is that they are going to have the time of their lives.
Have fun Nico!

Pesce d'Aprile

I should know about these things. I have a ten year old boy, I should be a better informed mom. Well, it is too late now. My boy took the bus this morning as usual, and I went to have coffee with my friend Pien.
As everybody knows, our regular bar closes on Tuesdays, not Mondays like everything else in town, but Tuesdays. Today we went to the other bar in town, which serves much better coffee but has the ambience of a cocktail lounge at 7:00 AM, this is the reason why you will only see us here on Tuesdays. But I digress, we went into the bar/pasticceria and I noticed some beautiful chocolate fish, as well as some pastries in the shape of fish.
Pien said they were pesce d'Aprile, which is celebrated on April first. In Italy, it is a day to play pranks on others, not unlike April's fools in the States. I learned that children make paper cut-outs in the shape of fish, and they try and stick it on a friend's back. At this point everyone else starts asking about the fish: Have you seen it? while the unsuspected victim asks: Who? What? and everybody laughs and says: il pesce d'Aprile! (April's fish). It should be fun!
I hope Nicolas has a chance to play some tricks, he loves to fool people! Most likely, he will come home with his back full of fish wondering why I did not tell him anything about this!!! Parenting is a full time job, I tell you.
I am on my way to buy some chocolate fish to vindicate myself. I will join any celebration that includes chocolate!
I read that adults also play some serious pranks on each other. Classic ones included radio broadcast (Orson Welles' style) announcing a Martian invasion, or money giveaways.
Pesce d'Aprile is not over yet, there is still a chance that Berlusconi will come out and say that he was playing a trick on us and that in reality he will NOT run! I am fooling myself!

La cucina di Nicola: Amazing brownies

"La cucina di Nicola" is open! We are making brownies today, chewy, spongy, chocolatey brownies.
When my husband was a child, he used to bake brownies at home (Did I say that Colombians don't bake? My mistake!) and bring them to school to sell to his classmates. He went to an all boys school in Bogota, I so admire his entrepenurial spirit! He tells of the many times when the teacher would call him up to the board to answer a question, and he could only watch in disbelief while his so-called friends raided the brownie bounty. He did not get discouraged though, he even made some money from his little business (it is the Paisa in him -inside Colombian joke, sorry!)
Today, in honor of his dad, Nicolas is making brownies -It is "la festa di San Giuseppe" or Saint Joseph day's today. In other words today is Italy's father's day celebration... you know with Joseph being the step-father to Jesus and all.
I do not want to brag, but these are great brownies!!! Really good!!!
So, without more interruptions, we give you:

DAD'S AMAZING BROWNIES



340 gr (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate
225 gr (1 cup) butter
5 eggs
500 gr (2.1/4 cups) sugar
15 ml (1 tbs) vanilla
140 gr (1.1/2 cups) flour
1.5 gr (1 ts) salt
170 gr (1 cup) chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F) and grease a 22x33 (9x13) baking pan

Melt butter and chocolate over very low heat, set aside. On a bowl mix eggs, sugar and vanilla, beat on high speed for about 8 to 10 minutes. Mix with the chocolate mixture until completely incorporated.
On a smaller bowl sift the flour and the salt together. Add the flour a little at a time to the chocolate-egg mixture, and incorporate.
Add the chocolate chips (or toasted walnuts, if preferred) and mix well.
Pour mixture into the greased pan.
Bake for about 35 minutes, no more! Do not overbake!
Cool and enjoy!

La cucina di Nicola: Cooking 201 with DeeAnn

Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola" with our guest cook DeeAnn!!! As I have mentioned before, my good friend Dee taught Nicolas how to make cinnamon rolls while she was here with us. Nicolas was very motivated by her visit because he loves Dee's cooking, he was ready to learn ALL of her cooking secrets.
This is something that I have never made myself (you know the story, Colombians are not bakers for the most part,) but I do love a good cinnamon roll! I was more than happy to learn the recipe myself, so I took note of the ingredients and the process, for me and for you. I am giving you all ingredients the Italian way (grams and milliliters instead of cups.) If you want to convert the quantities, there is a handy chart here.

CINNAMON ROLLS WITH CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING

The basic recipe for the rolls is based on Paula Deen's recipe as a consequence of DeeAnn not having her own recipe at hand. She says it is basically the same. The frosting is all DeeAnn's.

For the rolls:

1 Package Yeast
120 ml warm water
120 ml warm milk
55 gr. sugar
75 gr. butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
380 to 440 gr. of flour

For the filling:

115 gr. butter, melted
170 gr. sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside. In another bowl mix melted butter, egg, milk, sugar, and salt. Add half of the flour and mix well. Add the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough can be handled easily. knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes. Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it. Cover and let it rise for 1.1/2 hours. It should double its size.

Punch down and roll out onto floured surface. Roll into a rectangle of about 38 x 22 cm (15 x 9 in.) Now for the filling: spread melted butter over the dough, leaving a clean border all around of about 1.1/2 cm (1/2 in.) Mix sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly on top, (you could also add raisins or nuts at this point.) Roll the dough from the longer side, seal edges. Cut into slices (about 15.)

Grease a bakin pan or dish with butter. Place the rolls close together. Grease the top side of the rolls and cover again. Let them rise until double, about 45 minutes. Dee placed a container with water in the microwave and heated it, then she placed the covered dough/rolls inside the microwave along with the steaming water. DO NOT microwave them, the purpose is to keep the dough in an enclosed, humid, and warm environment. It works!

Bake for 30 minutes at 175 C (350 F) until golden.

For the frosting:

80 gr. cream-cheese
80 gr. butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 gr. powdered sugar

Mix cream-cheese and butter. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and sugar, mix well. If the consistency of the frosting is to hard add 1/2 tablespoon of water at a time until you get the consistency of your liking. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Buon appetito!

Listen

Music in my ears, music in my heart...
Nicolas plays the guitar, and I still wonder how he does it. Neither my husband nor I are musically inclined, but somehow our boy understands rhythm, notes, cords, and tempo... this fascinates me and makes me proud.
Last week the European School organized a concert at the theater in Varese, we are talking about a proper theater, with professional lights, and sound; all of it very exciting for my boy and his friends. Nicolas has been part of the "Little Big Band" since he started school in September, and even though he signed up for it without knowing what it was all about, he has enjoyed the experience and the music. The concert was a great opportunity to showcase all their hard work. The elementary school had their chorus and their orchestra. The secondary school was represented by their own chorus, orchestra, and Big Band.
I have to admit that my expectations were not high, little did I know that I was about to be pleasantly surprised. The concert began with a joint choirs and orchestra performance of Songs of Sanctuary by Karl Jenkins. I wish I could replay it for you, because it was beautiful! It was a great opening piece with great rhythm and powerful sounds. What I liked best was the fact that all the words in the song are made up words, the syllables borrowed from both Latin and African sounds. How appropriate for a school that has five main sections in five different languages. Each song was introduced in a different language, and it was sometimes translated into Italian... I am glad that music is a language in itself, we did not need translation to understand its meaning.
The program included a little of everything, from classical music, to elvis; from rock and roll to jazz. All in all, the concert was a hit! Nicolas was deeply inspired by the whole evening, he now wants to be the best guitar player there is... I tell him that wanting it is the first step to achieving it. I can't wait!

La cucina di Nicola: Arroz con leche.

Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola." We are back after a short hiatus due to vacation from school. Nicolas has chosen a family favorite for today: "Arroz con Leche" or rice pudding. This dish is another loved traditional dessert from Colombia -as well as any other rice-consuming country in the world!
Every child growing up in my beloved Colombia knows a song that goes:
"Arroz con leche me quiero casar,
con una señorita de la capital,
que sepa coser, que sepa bordar,
que sepa abrir la puerta para ir a jugar."
Now that I see it written on the screen, I am happy that I never paid any attention to the words, as it translates:
"Arroz con leche I want to marry,
a girl from the capital,
one who knows how to sew, one who knows how to embroider,
one who knows how to open the door to go out and play."
Not a bad ending, right?
But this post is not about marriage, or embroidery, or games, it is all about the sweet treat stapple of my childhood:

ARROZ CON LECHE
(rice pudding)



1 Cup rice (I use arborio with excellent results, long rice works well too)
2 Cups water
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
1.1/2 Cups evaporated milk
1.1/2 Cups whole milk
2/3 Cup condensed milk
3 Tablespoons sugar

Cook the rice in a medium sauce pan. We let the water boil first, then we add the cinnamon stick, oil and rice; we stir a little, cover, set to low heat and wait 15 minutes. Rice would be a little wet.
Rise to a medium heat. Take the cinnamon stick out and add 1 cup of milk, stir continuously. When the milk is absorbed add 1 cup of the evaporated milk, stir. When absorbed add the rest of the ingredients and stir often (sugar needs to dissolve and milk can burn.)
Pudding is ready when it starts to get thick but it still looks very runny. Turn off the stove, cover and let the rice absorb the extra liquid.
We like to eat ours warm with a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Enjoy!

Sweet Surprise

Sweet, just writing the word makes my mouth water and my stomach growl. Add a nice adjective to the word, let's say: American, and what do you get? American sweet or in Nicolas's dictionary: Wonka!
Well, today the Posta Italiana (Italian post) has delivered, after a couple of MONTHS, a box on our doorstep. This unasuming box was addressed to Nicolas, and it was meant to be a Christmas present (technically, it still IS a Christmas present.) Inside the box he unearthed a rich sampler of his favorite candy: nerds, sweet-tarts, gobstopers, and my personal favorite: chewy sweet-tarts. He was surprised and oh, so happy! What we liked best about our special care package was the note that came with it, which read:

To our dear friend, Nicolas,
Who's miles away,
Sending best wishes to you,
For a happy holiday.
We searched the stores for your favorite sweets
Hope you enjoy these "American" treats.

It was signed by our dear friends and neighbors in California: the Martinos and the Muertters.

Nicolas sat down at the computer to write a thank you note to our friends. He called me before he sent his e-mail and read it to me. (Have I ever mentioned before how sweet this boy is?) He wrote the following:

Dear friends,
I know we're far away,
but I've got to say,
that candy was good,
and I think I should,
say thank you,
and shout,"WOOHOO!!"
and when i come back,
I'll bring back a sack,
filled with Italian food.

No editing on my part. Have a sweet weekend!

La cucina di Nicola: Postre Tres Leches

First, I have to apologize for my absence. I am in the mist of change and it is taking a lot of my time.
I am back with the latest from La Cucina di Nicola. We bring you the easiest recipe yet. This is a very popular dessert in Colombia, it resembles a flan. Nicolas loves it and wants to make it everyday now that he knows how easy it is. I hope you enjoy it as well.

POSTRE DE TRES LECHES
(three milk dessert)

200 ml condensed milk
200 ml whipping cream
200 ml whole milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla estract

For the caramel
150 grs sugar
3 tablespoons water

First make the caramel on a nonstick pan over medium heath. Mix the sugar with the water and stir the mixture until it starts melting. Keep stirring until the sugar caramelizes (it will become liquid and brown in color.) Be careful, as caramel would be HOT. Pour the caramel on the bottom of an 8x8 in. Pyrex recipient (or any other ovenproof recipient of similar size.)

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix all ingredients together until blended. Pour mixture over the caramel. Place in prewarmed oven for 40 minutes.

Ready!

La cucina di Nicola: Chocolate chip - Nutella cookies

Welcome back to "La Cucina di Nicola," we have a delicious recipe for you. As it happens World Nutella Day is almost here (February 5.) Its creators Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso (and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit) have challenged every Nutella lover out there to join in the celebration. You can read more about it here. Personally I would like to invite my friend Paola to participate, as I am sure she will come up with something absolutely glorious for all to try. If you have never visited her blog before, you are up for a treat.
Of course we had to participate as we are HUGE Nutella fans (I don't mean it literally, but if we keep celebrating I could just as well mean it!) We invited Nicolas' good friend Gabriel to join us this time. The two of them were very excited by the possibilities of adding Nutella to a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. It took some brainstorming to figure out how we were going to include the creamy hazelnut spread, at the end we chose two different options. On the first one we made a thumbprint in the center of each cookie, and then we dropped a dollop of Nutella in there, stirring a little for cohesion purposes. On the second one we decided to add the Nutella to the dough leaving streaks of chocolate color in it. We all liked the second option the best!

CHOCOLATE CHIP-NUTELLA COOKIES


3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup of margarine and/or butter, melted
1 egg
2.1/4 Cups of flour, sifted
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1.1/2 Cups chocolate chips
Nutella, as needed

First, heat the oven to 375.

In a bowl add both sugars and the melted margarine/butter, mix at low speed for about three minutes until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix again.

On another bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir with a wooden spoon. Dough will be stiff (Nicolas needed some help with the stirring.) Stir in the chocolate chips. (At this point you can also add some Nutella to the dough, just don't mix it all the way, you want a "marble" effect.)

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Use the palm of your hand to flatten them some.

Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly and remove to a cookie rack.

I would like to thank Maña for sending us a fabulous care package that included chocolate chips and vanilla extract, and my friend Debbie for providing the brown sugar and a simple recipe to start from. Thanks!

Sweet mornings

I am not a morning person. I love getting up at my own pace, which includes laying in my warm cocoon for some minutes while my lingering dreams pack up and leave. I love stretching little by little, aknowledging every single piece of this body of mine. I wait for just a little while before I get up and get my day underway.
When we were living in California I did not get to indulge in my morning ritual to often. Fernando used to leave before we woke up, and by the time we did, I had to race against the clock to get out of the house on time. Since moving to Italy, Fernando goes to the office after Nicolas takes the bus to school. My husband is a morning person, and he has no trouble getting off the bed at the same time that his alarm rings! If I were to attempt something of this nature, you would see me collapsing to the floor in an extreme case of dizziness...
The point is, that every morning my sweet husband wakes up first, then he wakes Nicolas up. While I take my time to get to the shower and start my routine, Fernando cooks breakfast. I just have to sit at the table and enjoy their company and my coffee. It is a fabulous gift that starts my days on a happy note every single day.
This week Fernando is on a business trip and my sweet, sweet Nicolas is waking up on his own, and while I am in the shower, he sets the table, and starts warming up the bread, the milk, he readies the coffee, the butter, the yogurt, the fruit. He would cook me eggs if he didn't dislike them so much.
Now, my morning routine includes a little thanks for such a beautiful boy. Just like his father this little one, just like his dad.

La cucina di Nicola: Easy Pizza

Today's installment of "La cucina di Nicola" brings us the easiest pizza ever! I know that we now live in the land of pizza, and I know that there are better ways to make pizza. I also know that I am not Italian and that Nicolas is just a beginner, so I chose accordingly a really easy but tasty pizza recipe.
This particular recipe comes from "Cooking with kids" by Linda Collister.

EASY SPEEDY PIZZA
Makes 4 medium pizzas

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or thyme (we omitted these)
1.1/2 cups buttermilk or 3/4 cup plain yogurt plus 3/4 cup milk. (we used the yogurt-milk mixture)
Butter, for greasing

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease 2 large baking sheets with a little soft butter on a paper towel.

Sift the flour onto a big bowl and mix with the sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry herbs (if using them.)

Make a hollow in the middle of the flour and pour in the buttermilk or the yougurt and milk mixture. Mix with your hand (Nicolas loved getting his hands all sticky) working all the flour into the dough to make a soft and slightly sticky mixture. Our dough was really sticky and wet, we added more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. (on the other hand if the dough is hard to work with, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.)

When the dough comes together in a ball, take it out to a work surface lightly sprinkled with flour. Knead the dough for 1 minute until smooth.

Divide the ball into 4 equal pieces (for medium pizzas.) Shape each piece into a ball. Flour your hands and pat down each piece to a round of about 7 inches. Set them slightly apart on the baking sheets.

For the toppings we decided to make our own tomato sauce and selected a range of toppings from what we had at hand. For the sauce we used tomato "pulp" which is a fantastic canned product found in Italy. I would think you can get a similar consistency by blending a can of peeled tomatos in a food processor of blender. We mixed the tomato pulp (14 oz) with 2 tablespoons of good olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 clove of garlic minced and a pinch of salt.

Our toppings included: fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes, black pitted olives, sliced salami, mushrooms, and anchovies.

Spread the tomato mixture over the base leaving a 1-inch border or uncovered dough all around the edge. Arrange the sliced mozzarella on top of the pizza. Finally, top with any extras as you like.

Bake the pizzas until they are a light golden brown and bubbling (15 to18 minutes in the preheated oven.) Let cool the pizzas for a couple minutes as the melted cheese can burn your mouth. Enjoy!

La cucina di Nicola: Crepes with nutella and banana

Welcome to Nicolas' kitchen! My son and I have started "cooking lessons" together; I am the teacher and he is my only student. I singlehandedly decided that this was a good idea, and Nico is willing to give it a try. I want him to learn, but mostly I want him to enjoy cooking. Based on this premise, recipes are chosen solely by Nico and I should warn you: there would be lots and lots of desserts. Wednesday afternoons are from now on, our time to make something together (and eat it together.)
I will share each recipe with you on Thursday.
So without further ado, our first installment of "La cucina di Nicola"



CREPES WITH NUTELLA AND BANANA
(Makes around 20 crepes)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 oz unsalted butter, melted

Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl and make a well in the center.

In a second bowl beat the eggs (this is fun!) and add 1 cup of the milk a little at a time. Incorporate. Pour this mixture into the larger bowl with the flour and whisk (at full kid's speed) until there are no lumps in the batter. Now, add the melted butter and the rest of the milk a little at a time.

Here is the secret to great crepes: let the batter stand for at least an hour. Believe me, you are better off leaving it alone.

Now for the cooking... You will need a flat non-stick pan. They sell special crepe pans, but we use our seasoned and trustworthy cast iron skillet. It NEVER sticks, it is flat and wide, but it is heavy. Nicolas did a great job at lifting it to spread the batter evenly all over the surface. Good workout!

Heat the skillet (add a dab of butter if needed) and pour enough batter to cover the entire surface evenly. If you pour too much, you can always pour off the excess batter. You want thin crepes. Cook over moderate heat until the pancake comes loose when the pan is shaken. Flip with a spatula (another highlight of our class) and cook the other side for about a minute.

We had pre-warmed our nutella in the microwave (but you can use a double boiler to keep it warm) and we had some bananas already cut into slices. Chef Nick spread nutella over half of the crepe, and added the banana onto a quarter of it. He then folded in half, then again. He added some whipped cream and cocoa powder on top (It looks so much better mom!)

This is it! Simple and delicious.

World Nutella Day

Date

You are late.
I wait, I wait, I will wait for you.
The date comes and the date goes.
We wait.
Why won't you come?
I love you, I want to hold you, I want to see you.
And I wonder.
Will you be happy?
Will the future be gentle to you?
Will the sun shine where you are?
Will you look like me, will you look like him?

Questions to my boy before he was born.

Sunday Scribblings

Stupid soccer!!!

Stupid soccer! This is what comes out of my son's mouth every time he remembers his accident! On Wednesday afternoon, Nicolas went to his soccer practice as usual. It had been raining earlier in the afternoon, so the field was wet and cold (quite normal most of the time!). I left him at practice and my friend Pien brought him home. Well, he was limping and complaining that his foot hurted. I carried him a flight of stairs - just like when he was a baby! (Moms can be really strong when their young are under distress!) I looked at his ankle, and sure enough it was swollen and discolored. Nick said that he was trying to stop the ball, and he step on it; it slid from under his foot, and his whole weight rested on his ankle! Ouch!

I did what you are suppose to do (RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) in addition to some pain medicine. Thursday morning Nico could barely walk, and his foot was still swollen. There is always a first time when you are in a foreign country, and you need a doctor, and you do not even know how the whole system works, and on top of it all you do not even speak the language! Well Thursday was our day to try the Italian health system!

The first thing I did was to call my friend Lisa, who is a recent expat (2 years) and who has 3 children. She knew of an English speaking doctor right in my town! We called him and he gave us an appointment at 10:00 am (he, himself, personally, no receptionist, no waiting list, no delays!). Fernando decided to work from home, and he told me to go ahead and go to my Italian class.

While I was learning all kinds of prepositions and their possible use, the doctor told Fernando to take Nicolas to the hospital in Varese because he suspected a fracture. He DID NOT CHARGE him for the consultation and sent him on his way.

Fernando tells me that he went to the hospital and a "guardian angel" appeared to make things easier for him. He was an English-Italian speaking man that guided them through the confusion when they arrived at the wrong hospital. When they finally made it to the right hospital, Fernando showed them the Cigna International coverage card, and he gave them our address and phone number, and with this he was helped. A doctor ordered some x-rays and found no fracture. He then wrapped the foot with this special gauze that hardens over time, he recommended rest, ice, and another visit to a doctor in 7 days. There was no charge again, and the whole experience lasted over two hours; just in time for mom to show her face after class.

Nicolas can barely walk, and he is in a little bit of pain, but all things considered he is OK. So you might ask why the "stupid soccer" comment. Well... we have planned a belayed birthday party and sleepover for Nicolas and his new friends. (You might remember that he had to celebrate, with the few people we knew back in September). The invitations had been sent, the logistics had been covered, the menu had been chosen, and we were ready for a fantastic Friday. We had to cancel our celebration due to injury! I also have to join the chorus and say: "stupid soccer", because this coming week is the first week-long break at school, and we had planned a trip to Rome and Tuscany, and yes, we cancelled it! No point on taking a boy to Rome and have him drag his leg all over town. It could be painful.

Nicolas in Italy.

Nicolas is here, but he is not here yet. He goes to an international school where everything is taught in English; he also has Spanish classes everyday, but he has only one lesson a week of Italian. All his friends speak English, and they share similar interests. The way I see it, he lives in a little bubble where everything is similar to what he lost (his Californian life). So, what is a mother to do? She must pop the bubble! Well, kind of... We have signed him up for the local soccer team, where many of the kids from the town play. Nicolas doesn't like to go to practice, and he has used many excuses to get out of it! He hurts, he is sick, he is tired, he has a sore throat, and so on. He got away with it a couple of times (he was really sick!) but the third time I said that nothing was going to stop us from going... well, it rained -not our usual Californian drizzle- it poured! But I had to be true to my word, so I got him in the car, and we drove down to the field (if there is no grass, just dirt, is it still called a field?). I was thinking that there was not going to be a practice under those conditions. It was cold and miserable! NO, calcio (soccer) is not going to stop because of some silly rainstorm! Nico stayed and he had a good time!!! His Italian is improving and I also get a chance to meet other Italian parents and pop my own bubble!

Nicolas is in heaven as far as the food goes. He will always find something in the menu that he likes -usually some kind of pasta- and he eats with gusto. The way we see it, we have to visit as many restaurants as churches, it is all about the satisfaction of our inner tourist! and by this I mean our stomach! We like pizzerias a lot. You can have a complete meal on top of that heavenly thin crust; and the ingredients are as varied as Italy. Restaurants do not cater to children in any particular way, since they are expected to know how to sit at a table, eat properly, and have decent conversations with the people around them. We are working on all three aspects with Nico! He now eats his pizza with fork and knife, and he keeps his mouth clean at all times!!!! We need more work on the subject of talking with us -his parents!- for a full meal. We have spotted kids playing chest while waiting for their meal to arrive! We are not even trying this yet!

Italy is not a place where you will find adventure parks and roller coaster rides, but it has so many different things to offer. We do a lot of driving, and the roads provide as much excitement as California Screaming! Nicolas seems to enjoy all the sightseeing. Of course, if you go to visit the Duomo in Milan with a 10 year old, you MUST visit the roof of the church, and please, do not take the elevator. Hiking up the narrow steps to discover a wonderland of statues and gargoyles while looking down on the city bellow is a wonderful adventure. So, we always find a way to get Nico in the mood for culture. Like when we visited the Botero exhibition in Milan, we asked him to find a Colombian flag in a painting, and that had him entertained until we arrived to the room showing the Abu Grab paintings... let's just say that he was shocked!

Other times we just enjoy some good old fun. We ride our bicycles around the lake and get soaked when a storm starts out of nowhere, or we go to the lake for a day in the sun and some swimming (no longer the case, since it is cold now), or we go for a walk and get some gelato on the way back. Nicolas is enjoying the change of pace, even though it means he is no longer in California with his friends. He misses them so much!