Italian Comfort Food

What do you cook when you need something quick and easy, yet filling and tasty? In my home we make Gramigna con Salsiccia. It’s the perfect Italian comfort food.

 

½ lb. pasta (any kind with grooves so the sauce will stick to it)

¾ lb. Italian sausage

1/3 c. white wine (why not buy a nice bottle and drink the rest with dinner?)

2 T. butter

¼ onion, sliced thin

1/3 c. heavy cream

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

 

1.       Saute the onion in butter.

2.       Add ground sausage to the onion and cook for a few minutes, until almost done.

3.       Add the wine, (you can drink a little) and continue to cook until it has evaporated. This will take 3 or 4 minutes.

4.       Add the cream and heat on low for 1 minute, just until it’s warm.

5.       Finally, you can drain the pasta and mix it in with the sauce. Add the cheese and toss.

Now, just grab a nice loaf of warm Italian bread and your wine.

Buon Appetito!

Which Furla Bag Should I Bring Home?

When I return to Bologna I plan to purchase a Furla handbag…I just can’t decide which one I want. Furla is an Italian company that makes beautiful bags. I’ve drooled over them several times, but never actually bought one. This time I’m bringing one home with me!

The plan is to buy a black bag that can be used on a daily basis. My life is pretty casual, so here are pictures of the bags that would work well for me. I like bags that I can sling over my shoulder, but it isn’t a requirement.

 

What do you think? Which one should I choose?

Back To Bologna

     In a few weeks I'll be headed back to Bologna, one of my FAVORITE Italian cities. Bologna is the kind of place I could live...when I'm there I feel at home and I don't want to ever leave. The people are warm and friendly, the food is good, and there aren't many tourists.
     Did I mention the food? The food is fabulous! The picture on the banner of this blog is Tagliatelle Bolognese that I learned to make at CIBO in Bologna...very tasty!
     Here is a picture of a typical shop in Bologna...doesn't it look inviting?

     This trip I'll be attending an Italian language school. I've spent enough time in Italy that I think it's about time I learned the language. I know bits and pieces, but I'm hopeful that Cultura Italiana will help improve my skills.
     Maybe I'll also get to attend a truffle festival, or maybe an antique market. There is so much to see and do in and around Bologna, and it's fall...my favorite time of year.
     I'll be blogging from Italy, so please check in.
     Have you ever been to Bologna?

It's Too Early To Think About Christmas, But...

I know it's too early to think about Christmas, but North Pole City is open for the season so Marc and I just had to take a look at all the new Christopher Radko ornaments. We made a pact to just look and not buy. The idea was to drool over them and come back in November when we've had a chance to decide which two we wanted for this year.
An hour later the pact was broken and we purchased FOUR new ornaments! I guess we should've left our wallets at home...clearly, we can't be trusted. The Christmas tree doesn't go up until after the turkey has been eaten on Thanksgiving Day, so I guess we'll just store them until then.

Are you thinking about Christmas yet? Do you have any special Christmas decorations that you collect?

French Baking Class in Paris

Don't you just love croissants? I do, and now I can make them...thanks to COOK'N WITH CLASS in Paris, France! I took their hands-on Baking Class and learned how to make croissants, pain au chocolat and a few other pastries.

Croissants take about two days to complete, so we made the dough and put it in the refrigerator for the next class, and used the dough the last class made.

It was very interesting making the dough with so many layers of rich creamy butter. There were only five people in the class, so we were all involved in the entire process.

When we were finished baking, we had a feast of warm, flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth goodness! 

We each went home with a bag of pastries, and by the time Marc and I returned to our apartment, our instructor, Emanuelle, had emailed us the recipes, written instructions and a video showing each step of the process.

If you like to bake, and Paris is calling your name, I encourage you to check out this school. I can't wait to take more of their classes! 

The Fleas

Marc and I enjoy roaming the flea markets when we travel, sometimes finding a treasure or two to bring home. Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest flea market we’ve ever been to, and the most famous one in Paris.

We spent several hours at the market and saw everything from cheap plastic toys to expensive antique furniture. We didn’t see any bargains, but it was a very interesting adventure. When we got hungry we ate a warm Nutella crepe…mmm…it was yummy!

This piece called out to us from one of the antique shops. It now has a home in the niche in the entryway of our house.

Do you browse the flea markets?

A Diet in Paris…I Don’t Think So!

One thing I was really looking forward to in Paris was pastry/bread, and I was not disappointed. It seemed like there was a boulangerie and/or patisserie on every other corner. I was in heaven!

 

Each morning I walked across the street from the apartment and purchased fresh warm croissants for breakfast. This could easily become a morning ritual.

 

 

I think I ate about five pastries/croissants a day and never gained a pound because I walked so much. I could go to Paris just for the pastries! A word of advice…INDULGE...leave the diet at home.