Musings Archive

Tomatomania! – The Rite of Spring

Posted March 23, 2012 By Adri

Home grown is greater than store bought

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Pick up your shovel and your hoe! Well, where the heck did winter go, and when did Spring arrive? The fever is rising. Spring is here, and that means time to prepare your soil and plan the garden. Bart and I performed our very own rite of Spring this morning when we went to Tomatomania!, the ne plus ultra of tomato sales.

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The Tomatomania! folks gathered a dizzying array of tomato seedlings from which to choose. Hundreds of varieties, thousands of individual plants greeted us this morning when we drove to Tapia Brothers Farm in Encino, California. Read more… »

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A Resolution

Senate Resolution – 150th Anniversary of Italian Unification






To close the year long celebration of 150 years of Italian Unification the United States Senate passed a resolution honoring the anniversary. At the opening of the year’s celebration President Barack Obama made A Presidential Proclamation. To read his words, click here.

The following resolution was submitted by John Kerry (D) Massachusetts; which was considered and agreed.

Senate Resolution 394

A resolution commemorating the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification and the beginning of warm and abiding relations between the people of the United States and Italy.

Whereas it has been 150 years since March 17, 1861, when the parliament of a united Italy proclaimed Victor Emmanuel II their king;

Whereas the story of the Italian Risorgimento, in particular Giuseppe Garibaldi’s heroic adventures, have inspired generations of Americans;

Whereas, between 1880 to 1920, an estimated 4,000,000 Italian immigrants arrived in the United States to settle and help build our Nation;

Whereas today there are almost 18,000,000 Americans of Italian ancestry whose contributions to our society are diverse and profound;

Whereas Italy has been a loyal NATO ally and a major strategic partner for over 60 years;

Whereas Italian-Americans have made enormous contributions to the United States; and

Whereas Italy remains a steadfast partner in the defense of a shared vision of fundamental human rights and the preservation of democratic ideals: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate–

(1) recognizes the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the modern state of Italy;

(2) celebrates the ties of kinship and shared democratic values that unite the two countries across the Atlantic;

(3) honors the service and sacrifice of Italy’s soldiers, sailors, and airmen alongside United States forces most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya; and

(4) reaffirms the friendship between the Government and people of the United States and the Government and people of Italy

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Torta di limone verde e mascarpone

Posted March 14, 2012 By Adri

Lime and Mascarpone Torta

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Happy Pi Day! Be irrational today!

March 14 is the day to celebrate π (Pi), the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Math nerds and other number enthusiasts celebrate the symbol with all items circular. I celebrated with a Lime and Mascarpone tart. It’s round, and it’s a pie. I have it covered.

3.14159265358979323846264338 …………..

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I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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Creme Caramel from Bouchon

Posted March 9, 2012 By Adri

By way of The Los Angeles Times

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Well, this is getting to be a habit around here – making recipes from the Los Angeles Times Food Section. Last week the Times ran a recipe for Creme Caramel from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant. I just had to try it – I am a sucker for custard desserts and creme caramel is my fave. I can never resist the combination of caramel and creamy custard. But this one is different; it is by far and away the finest, most sophisticated rendition of this dessert I have ever eaten. Not too sweet and made with only milk, you’ll find no ½ & ½ or heavy cream here, it has an utterly seductive texture that is silky and light. Just the right ratio of eggs and egg yolks to milk and a low cooking temperature ensure a most elegant set, a custard that jiggles just a bit on the plate and melts on your tongue. I have five words for you: Do try this at home.

Click here for the LA Times recipe.

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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Gioacchino Rossini

Posted February 29, 2012 By Adri

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Gioacchino Rossini
b. February 29, 1792 – d. November 13, 1868

A leap year baby! Born in the Italian city of Pesaro and known as “The Italian Mozart” he is one of my favorite composers. I am just nuts about his vocal compositions – just another of those little things Bart and I disagree on! Composer of 39 operas including Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il viaggio a Reims, La cenerentola, La scala di seta, Tancredi, La gazza ladra, Semiramide, Il turco in Italia, L’italiana in Algieri, La donna del lago, Maometto II, and more, he is also well known for his songs and religious works. His Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age) is a fourteen volume collection of solo piano music and compositions for voice with piano accompaniment. A most prolific composer he retired from the composition of opera at the age of thirty seven, some thirty nine years prior to his death. After his retirement he followed his second love, food, eventually moving to Paris where he died in 1868. In 1887 his remains were moved to the Basilica di Santa Croce, in Firenze. He is regarded as a master of opera buffa, and his operas and other vocal works remain in constant repertory.

Rossini is said to have described himself as a “third rate pianist, but the world’s greatest gastronome.” Remember Tournedos Rossini? Click here to see Chef Andre Soltner prepare this classic of French cuisine.

Check the links below to hear two of my favorite vocal artists sing his delightful music.

Click to hear Cecilia Bartoli sing three songs about the Venetian regata La regata Veneziana.

Click to hear Marilyn Horne sing Di tanti palpiti from his opera Tancredi.

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I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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It’s Time to Grow Italian!

Posted February 21, 2012 By Adri

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It may be too early to plant, but it is never too early to plan. From Arugula to Zahara Eggplant, gardeners are marking calendars and making lists, drawing up plans, checking availability and placing orders. In short we are getting hyped for summer.

Italians have a way with vegetables. There is just no doubt about it. And they have varieties that until recently were unavailable to us here in the United States. But now Italian seeds from companies such as Pagano and Franchi Sementi are available at many local nurseries. My neighborhood nursery, Sego in Studio City, California, has a large selection of Italian seeds. If your nurseryman does not carry them, Seeds from Italy will come to your aid. They are the exclusive U.S. mail order distributor for Franchi seeds, Italy’s oldest and best known seed supply. Over the years I have grown many vegetables from Franchi seeds, always with tremendous success. I urge you to plant their Zucchini Romanesco. This variant is creamy and tasty, a breed apart, easily the finest zucchini I have ever tasted. Currently the top seller at Seeds from Italy is Red Pear Tomato, another I heartily recommend. It is a big, but early tomato that will please every gardener and cook. Read more… »

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