Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Omnivores 100

You might have seen this list on lots of other blogs, it's originally from the Very Good Taste blog.

If you want to put a copy on your blog, just copy this one from here and put the one's you've eaten in bold.I put the ones I havent tried in Italics.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile-Alligator?
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&andJ sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam Chowder
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted Cream Tea
38. Vodka Jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole Insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth $120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang Souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom Yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. 3 Michelin Star Tasting Menu
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Not bad ...more than I thought!

Friday, August 29, 2008

101 Fun Facts About Italy

Bet You Didn't Know!

Here are 101 fun facts that you might not know about Italy,
its people, and its history:


Italy is slightly larger than Arizona.


Almost 20% of Italy's population is over 65 years old.


Italy borders Austria, France, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

Its longest border is with Switzerland.


The average Italian family has 1.27 children.


Everybody 18 and over can vote, however you have to be at least 25 to vote in Senate elections.


The Italian flag is inspired by the French flag introduced during Napoleon's 1797 invasion of the peninsula.


The average Italian makes $26,700 a year, however those in the more prosperous north make almost $40,000


The thermometer is an Italian invention.


Italy's unemployment rate is around 8.6%, but it is as high as 20% in the more impoverished south.


Italian farms produce grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives, beef, and dairy.


The average life expectancy at birth for an Italian is 79.54 years.


The famous children's story, Pinocchio , was written by an Italian.


The city of Naples gave birth to the pizza .


The piano hails from Italy.


The longest river in Italy is the Po.


The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day.


Italy's contributions to science include the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, and wireless telegraphy.


Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci.


Today's modern Italian language originated in the region of Tuscany.


Enrico Fermi, inventor of the nuclear reactor, was an Italian.


The automobile, Fiat , is one of Italy's greatest products.


With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.


Italy is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City .


Besides Julius Caesar, Shakespeare also set in Italy ( entirely or partially):
Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline,Much Ado About Nothing, Othello,The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona,The Winter's Tale


Cologne came out of Italy.


The ice cream cone is an Italian invention.


The majority of Italian-American immigrants came from Naples and southern Italy.


The ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius.


Mt. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, destroying a number of neighboring villages.


Eyeglasses are an Italian invention.


The average Italian is 41 years old.


Italy has 16 regions and 4 autonomous regions.


Before adopting the euro, Italy's currency was known as the lira.


The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year.


Italy's major industries include tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, and ceramics.


Italy has more hotel rooms than any other nation in Europe.


The espresso machine hails from Italy.


Italy is the world's fifth largest industrial economy.


Barely a third of Italy's land is arable and suitable for farming.


Italy's biggest trading partners are Germany, France, the United States, and Great Britain.


Over 40% of Italy's labor force is unionized.


The telephone was created by an Italian (Meucci) *Note.


Most of Italy's industry is centered around the northern cities of Milan, Turin and Genoa .


Since the end of WWII, Italy has seen almost 60 governments come and go.


The area around Venice is the wealthiest region in Europe.


Over 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly.


The typewriter is an Italian invention.


Italians used to be known for having large families, however Italy is now known for having Europe's lowest birthrate.


Italy owes much of its prosperity to thousands of small private family enterprises.


Italian families save more money than the Japanese and Germans, and three times more than Americans do.


The average Italian consumes 25 kilograms of pasta a year.


With over 5 million people, Rome is Italy's largest City.


Italy has a population of over 58 million.


Italians refer to their country as Italia.


Italy imports over 75% of its energy.


The service sector accounts for almost 70% of the Italian economy.


Agriculture used to make up over a third of Italy's economy. It now makes up less than three percent.


The official language is Italian, but German and French are also spoken in some regions.


Italy's north has warm summers and cool winters. Italy's south has hot summers and mild winters.


The Seven Hills of Rome are Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal.


The symbol SPQR can be found on many ancient buildings in Rome. It stands for "the senate and people of Rome."


Rome was founded in 753 BC.


Italy did not become a united country until 1861


The national protest song of Italy is Bella Ciao. It was made famous by Italian partisans in WWII, and can be heard at almost any protest.


Before Rome became a republic and an empire, it had seven kings.


The first king of Rome was its legendary founder, Romulus.


"Ars longa, vita brevis" is a common saying in Italy. It means "art is long, life is short" and reflects the Italian love of leisure.


An engineering marvel of the ancient world, Cloacus Maxima, is the sewer of Rome.


The first Roman Emperor was Augustus Octavian, who came to power in 27 BC.


The Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, after its last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was forced to abdicate by barbarian invaders.


A Roman Centurion commanded 100 hundred men.


A Roman Legion was made up of 6,000 men.


Italy has a resident foreign population of 1.27 million.


Italy's current constitution took effect January 1, 1948


The president of Italy is a ceremonial figure.


The prime minister serves as the head of government and is the one who runs the country.


Since October 1946, the national anthem of Italy has been Inno de Memeli .


The Italian flag is green, white, and red.


The colors of the Italian flag represent three virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).


The Italian Republic does not have an official motto, but it does have a common phrase: "L'Italia è una Repubblica democratica, fondata sul lavoro" (Italy is a democratic Republic, founded on labor).


St. Francis of Assissi and Saint Caterina of Siena are the patron saints of Italy.


98% of Italians are Roman Catholic.


The Roman Catholic Church is based in Italy.


Italy has over 3,000 museums.


The national sport of Italy is soccer (known as football outside of America).


Italy's national dish is pasta.


The Italian language evolved from the Latin of the Roman Empire.


The Italian peninsula is surrounded by five seas (the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenean, Ligurian, and Mediterranean).


Italy has two large islands, Sicily and Sardinia , as well as a number of smaller islands.


The Italian island of Sicily is famous for being home of the illicit Mafia criminal organization.


Napoleon spent his first exile on the Italian island of Elba.


The Alps mountain range form part of Italy's northern border, and for a long time, protected the peninsula from invasion.


Italy has three active volcanoes: Vesuvius, Etna, and Stromboli.


Naples is the largest city in southern Italy.


Next to Rome, Milan is the second-largest city in Italy.


Milan is home to Italian fashion and finance.


Rome's nickname is "The Eternal City."


Florence is home to Italian art.


A vespa is an Italian-made motor scooter that many people ride around busy city streets on.

Taken from:(Life in Italy) http://www.lifeinitaly.com/

Thursday, August 28, 2008

L'estate sta finendo




L'estate sta finendo
Righeira
(1985)

L'estate sta finendo
e un anno se ne va
sto diventando grande
lo sai che non mi va.
In spiaggia di ombrelloni
non ce ne sono più
è il solito rituale
ma ora manchi tu.
Languidi brividi
come il ghiaccio bruciano
quando sto con te.
Baciami
siamo due satelliti
in orbita sul mar.
È tempo che i gabbiani
arrivino in città
L'estate sta finendo
lo sai che non mi va.
Io sono ancora solo
non è una novità
Tu hai già chi ti consola
a me chi penserà.
Languidi brividi…
L'estate sta finendo
e un anno se ne va
sto diventando grande
lo sai che non mi va.
Una fotografia
è tutto quel che ho
ma stanne pur sicura
io non ti scorderò.
L'estate sta finendo
e un anno se ne va
sto diventando grande
anche se non mi va.
L'estate sta finendo
l'estate sta finendo
l'estate sta finendo oh oh oh oh
l'estate sta finendo . . . . . . .

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Time to make the Pizza...

Thanks to my Mom I have a wonderful, quick and oh so easy pizza dough recipe that I make several times a week. My son loves PIZZA!


In a bowl I mix 1 cup of warm water with 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar. Then I let it sit for a while so it can begin to get foamy.

Then in the bowl of my food processor I mix 2 1/2 cups of flour (any kind I happen to have- some days its white and other days its whole wheat or a mixture of the two)
1 tsp of salt and a splash of olive oil.

When the yearst has proofed and is foamy I add it to the food processor through the feed tube while it is running. Once the dough has formed a ball I remove it and knead it just a bit and put it into a greased bowl to double in size.
Once ready its time to stretch it onto the pizza pan.




I let my dough rest for a bit so that it doesn't spring back.

Then I spread my tomato sauce, sprinkle with oregano and cover with shredded mozzarella. I drizzle olive oil on the pie and put it into a preheated oven (450 degrees) until it is ready to eat!




This is fast- fun and oh so yummy!

Sunday, August 24, 2008



Today my son got to enjoy 1 of his 2 birthday wishes, Paintball with his Dad. Fortunatly the paintball place SKIRMISH http://www.skirmish.com/ held the perfect event 2 days after my sons actual birthday...FATHER AND SON DAY!

They had a blast ...they were exhausted and black and blue and quite exhausted! No injuries....which was an answer to my prayers! I'm so Im so happy they got to do this together.