briciole

un cuore di formaggio

a heart of cheese

homemade kefir cheese (with dukkah and cacao nibs)

The original plan was to post the details of how to make the heart-shaped cheese (formaggio a forma di cuore) above today, but I had and have other tasks to attend to and so, in the meantime, I am sharing a photo to whet your appetite (far venire l'acquolina in bocca).

And since today is heart day, here is another heart-shaped cheese from last year

homemade French neufchâtel cheese

You can see other heart-shaped dishes on the Valentine hearts page of Very Good Recipe.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

un cuore di formaggio

or launch the un cuore di formaggio audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

valentine hearts, kefir, cheese

cinque canzoni

five songs

Lenny of Una finestra di fronte has tagged me with a meme pertaining the five most beautiful songs. There is no food in this post, only music, which is another one of my passions, so I welcome the opportunity to write about it. I interpreted the specification "most beautiful" as meaning "for me," so this is a rather opinionated post. This is fun for me, but it is going to be difficult to make it meaningful for my non-Italian readers, since three of my choices are Italian songs from some years ago. Looking at the lyrics made me realize how words and music work in them and how difficult it would be to make them justice in translation. In any case, for each song, I found a video on YouTube, in case you'd like to listen to it and, for the Italian artists, I found a wikipedia entry.

I will start with my favorite Italian song, La donna cannone from cantautore (singer and song-writer) Francesco De Gregori (English translation of the lyrics). Listening to it always makes my eyes sparkle with delight.

Then there is Io vorrei... non vorrei... ma se vuoi by Lucio Battisti. It is another intense song that kept me company during my teenage years: I wrote its lyrics on my school diary year after year.

The last Italian entry is Amore bello by Claudio Baglioni. Pretty much all his songs are great, and a number of them are connected to specific moments or people of my life. (In this case the video's quality is poor, but the concert is recent and it was held in the US.)

The first English song in my personal hit parade is Every Breath You Take by The Police. Still a great song to listen to, still fresh. 

The first time I visited my husband in California, we took a car trip to Lake Tahoe and then Alpine County. On the road, we listened to a collection of songs by George Gershwin. My favorite was, and remains, They Can't Take That Away From Me.

I have decided not to tag anybody in particular with this meme, but to invite anybody who feels inspired to answer it: believe me, it is fun!

Hear me pronounce the words on the cinque canzoni audio file [mp3] or go to the cinque canzoni audio page for more listening options.

quattro per sette ventotto

four times seven is twenty-eight

Recently, I tagged Marta, An Italian in the US, with the "six random things" meme, so it is quite fair that she returns the favor, with interest, in the form of 28 questions (that looks rather random to me) to answer. Since this will be a longish post, passo al sodo (I'll cut to the chase):

1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
"The Band's Visit" (NY Times review)

2. What book are you reading?
"La luna di carta" (The Paper Moon) by Andrea Camilleri (available in English translation). I am actually reading this Montalbano novel for the second time, to fulfill a promise (I realize this is a bit enigmatic, but everything will become clear in the not too distant future).

3. Favorite board game?
I am not a board game player.

4. Favorite magazine?
The New York Review of Books, of which I am a long-time subscriber.

5. Favorite smells?
Vanilla, vaniglia e anice stellato (vanilla and star anise: what a pair!), the ocean.

6. Favorite sounds?
Leaving aside music: the ocean, the underwater world (i.e., the sounds I hear while I am diving), laughter.

7. Worst feeling in the world?
Feeling inadequate to the situation or the task at hand.

8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
I need to drink my tea.

9. Favorite fast food place?
No fast food for me, thanks.

10. Future child’s name?
I don't see a child in my future.

11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I'd...?
...start a charitable organization to help girls and women around the world. I would get involved in how it distributes funds and travel a bit to visit the places where such funds are distributed.

12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Meet Rabbit.

 

13. Storms - cool or scary?
Cool, until they get to a point when they endanger people, then scary.

14. Favorite drinks?
A hot cappuccino, made with coffee that has been roasted well and the right amount of good-quality milk that has been heated up to the right temperature. I wish you could see the dreamy look on my face.

15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
...have a bigger vegetable garden.

16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
Are there really people who don't?

17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
I like highlights, but I am afraid I won't have patience for the lengthy process they require.

18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in.
Perugia, Milano and Sesto San Giovanni (Italy), Orinda, Berkeley, now Trinidad and Oakland (California).

19. Favorite sports to watch?
Nuoto (swimming), but I haven't watched it in a long long time.

20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
Marta is a wonderful person, a true gem. I am very happy we met, something that has happened thanks to our blogs. It was friendship at first sight.

21. What’s under your bed?
Nothing, unless our cat decides to hang out there.

22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Yes, but I would make a different career choice.

23. Morning person, or night owl?
Middle of the way: I am not very productive early in the morning or late at night.

24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
Sunny side up, and a childhood ritual to eat it.

25. Favorite places to relax?
Outside and in movement (kayaking, walking, biking, etc.), in a swimming pool (swimming) or at home practicing yoga.

26. Favorite pie?
I recently made a butternut squash galette with yeasted dough from Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" that is simply fabulous. I highly recommend it.

27. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Cioccolato (chocolate), both to make and to eat, though nowadays it is mostly the former, and I must say, even though it sounds conceited, that my gelato al cioccolato is quite good.

28. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
I will tag only one person, which I guess solves the problem: Lisa of Champaign Taste, my wonder-partner in the Novel Food event.

Hear me pronounce the words on the quattro per sette ventotto audio file [mp3] or go to the quattro per sette ventotto audio page for more listening options.

sei cose a caso

six random things

Peter of Detectives Beyond Borders tagged me with the "six random things about yourself" meme in this post. I hereby comply with the meme's request.

Randomness does not really apply to this selection process, because I don't have a jar full of things about myself from which, with eyes covered, I can pick six items at random. Still, I tried to let chance (il caso) guide my choice (scelta), at least to some extent: I picked six things from my hyper-chaotic desk to tell you something about myself through them.

1. As a child, I wanted to learn to bind books (rilegare libri). There was a bindery next to my parents' house and for me it was a magic place. I never went inside and could not see much from the outside, so I didn't know what binding books was actually about, but I loved the idea. Many years later, when I was at Mills College studying Computer Science, I took Book Arts classes and my dream came true.
2. I am a compulsive collector of things that I find when I walk on the beach (spiaggia): pieces of wood, fragments of shells, pebbles. I think these objects tell stories. The piece of wood in the photo was an amazing find.
3. I write with a fountain pen (penna stilografica). I started using fountain pens when I was in second grade or so. As a consequence, my white apron had ink stains, of which I was very proud, because they proved that I was hard at work with my pen.
4. I like Baci Perugina. I was born and grew up in Perugia, where these chocolates were created. My deep love for chocolate started very early.
5. In college (in Milan) I studied English and German (language and literature). I wrote my thesis (which students must do in Italy to graduate) on a novel by Edith Wharton and still enjoy her works. Suggested (short) reading: Roman Fever.
6. I am a great admirer of violinist Joshua Bell. The first time I listened to him in concert, some years ago, it was an amazing and unforgettable experience. I have had many such experiences ever since. A few years ago, I sent him an email inviting him to taste some of my home made ice cream. The only time in my life I have tried to make contact with a celebrity, I received no answer. My admiration for him was not affected, nor was my enjoyment of ice cream making.

After revealing six things about myself, I am required to pass along the meme to six bloggers and here they are, in alphabetical order: Almost Turkish Recipes, An Italian in the US, Babbling Blueberry, Baking History, Champaign Taste and Taste with the Eyes.

Hear me pronounce the words on the sei cose a caso audio file [mp3] or go to the sei cose a caso audio page for more listening options.