Hands in the Dough: Introd Black Bread Festival

I can’t believe I haven’t written about this yet.  It was just such an incredible experience that I had to let it marinate for a while so that the words came out right…. but then I forgot about writing it.  So here we are, six months later. Seuppa valpellenentze ready to go in the oven […]

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An Ode to Agretti

Agretti, Agretti, how do I love thee! I’m sure the neighbors think I’m crazy.  I’ve been waltzing around the house proclaiming my love to this deletable vegetable in song.  But if ever a vegetable deserved to be serenaded, it is agretti. I stopped by our village vegetable market on  my way to picking up some […]

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts…I love you!

I think I have a Brussels sprouts problem. I used to hate them.  Passionately.  I remember being dared to smell one as a child, and it scarred me for life.  However, I recently started craving them out of the blue (it freaked me out, to be honest.  Who craves Brussels sprouts?), and I’ve been roasting- […]

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Why I’ve been MIA….my soap business!

Sorry that I’ve been away!  There are many wonderful things to write about, but I haven’t had a spare moment. In a nutshell, I’ve finally started up my handmade soap and natural body care business here in Italy!  It is called ‘Fleur de Lune’, and it’s going even better than I anticipated.  Unfortunately, I can’t […]

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The Désarpa, AKA Cows with Flower Towers

Get excited or run away, but it’s time for yet another post about one of my favorite subjects…. cows! I don’t know what it is about ‘cow culture’ that fascinates me.  More than anything, I guess it is that I am fascinated with the local fascination with cows.  You could say cows are a way […]

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pasta e fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli….. yum!

Pasta e fagioli…. according to my very Italian husband Gianluca, ‘It is simple and tasty.  I can tell you I’ve seen business men eating their pasta e fagioli in their suit and tie, just to tell you how good it is.’ Pasta e fagioli translates as ‘pasta and beans’.  Sounds pretty boring, huh?  Gianluca proved […]

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figs with bleu d'aosta and caramelized onions

Fresh Figs Topped with Bleu d’Aoste, Balsamic & Caramelized Onions

I really need to stop making posts about using seasonal foods right when they are going out of season.  But this is too good to not share!  My excuse is that I was busy eating and creating recipes like the one below, and not writing. Earlier this summer, I had what felt like a stroke […]

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Cornmeal Crusted Zucchini and Tomato Tower

Soon after planting my garden this year, I realized I made a mistake.  Four zucchini plants are far too many for a household of two!  We soon became very sick of zucchini.   That is, until a couple of weeks ago when I came up with a spectacular use of the veggie, inspired by a […]

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Napolean Lives Here: the strangest museum in the world

  Whenever I drive south of my village in Valle d’Aosta, I’ve passed by a bizarre site.  It almost seems like a junkyard, but not quite.  It is a lot on the side of the road filled with strange constructions made of scrap metal, ancient industrial fans on tall polls with brightly colored paint peeling […]

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Jam Making for Jamaphobes

It’s jam season! Yum! Plum & star anise jam on top of local goat toma and organic walnut sourdough bread baked in a wood fired oven Actually, it’s been jam-making season for quite some time, but I’ve been too busy canning to write about it.  Even as I’m writing, I hear the plums insisting that […]

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