Fancy rolls

Fancy rolls being hand shaped by a baker in Monterosso Almo, Ragusa province, here in Sicily.

A wee bit late ... but Happy New Year!

Welcome 2013! 
Some of the fireworks my husband and a friend set off on New Year's Eve from the top of Motta by-pass road. 
 I have a new camera .... think the camera is winning the contest to learn how to use it.

Putting away the holiday ....

Tomorrow is Three Kings Day ... and I started to put away most of Christmas today.   We didn't put a lot up ... mostly on the sideboard n the living room.

Only put one tree up this year ... a small two-foot one DH got for me in a local store.
Since it is small ... I used many of the keychains and other items acquired during our military years that normally go on our travel tree.

Here are the new items we got this year...
-a suede angel and devil keychain was found in Rome when we were up there one weekend
- the bear is from Berlin, Germany
- a doll from St Petersburg, Russia (has a similar doll on the other side in red) and
- a "happy bird" refrigerator magnet also from Russia (each feather is carved separate from the others)

Christmas ornaments can be pricey or hard to find in many places (seasonal at best) and often are of the mass-produced, made in "---" variety, with nothing unique about them to show where they were found ...
keychains on the other hand are just about everywhere and the touristy ones can be reflective of the area.


Bye bye key chains until next year .....

Happy New Year 2013!

Welcome to another year!   I had to work yesterday (ugh!) but we spent part of the evening at one friend's home watching movies and having dinner ... then we all went to another friend's home for more food ...a  bonfire and to set off some fireworks.
Left just before midnight to go to the top of a hill near-by to watch the surrounding towns set off their fireworks ... don't know how well my camera picked up the pictures... new camera - still playing with how it works.  A friend got a video ... if I can figure out how to copy his video on Facebook, I'll post it.

Our oven is out... so we are doing a lot of crock-pot and top of the stove meals...

Tried this the other day ... really good and simple to toss together.

Fantastic Pork Tenderloin

2-lb pork tenderloin
1-envelope of dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4-cup red wine
3 TB minced garlic
3 TB soy sauce
fresh grd pepper to taste

Put tenderloin in a slow cooker with the soup mix.  Pour water, wine and soy sauce over the pork and turn the meat so that it is coated on all sides.  Spread garlic over the top of the meat ... you want to have the garlic on top of the meat while it is cooking.  Sprinkle with pepper, cover and cook on low for about 4 hours.  Once done, the cooking liquid can be served as au jus. 

We had baked potatoes topped with au jus. 

Good stuff!!

Slow learner

It took Indy nearly four years to figure out that heat comes out of this "box"
... so laying in front of it is a good thing!

Rough day

Indy had a rough day ~a bit stinky and dirty, she had to suffer the indignity of a bath.
She will howl and let everyone know how imposed upon she feels... but she no longer fights the bath (she used to .. but not now ... just be sure the door is shut all the way).  Once she is rinsed off and dried a bit with a towel, I let  her loose in the living room where the heater is so she can finish getting dried and putting her fur in order.

Monterosso Almo

On the 26th, DH and I visited Monterosso Almo (in Ragusa province) to see its Living Navtivity.
Most of the town gets involved, you follow a route that leads you through the lower section of the town, past scenes of life as it was in the 1600-1800's (or so)... cobblers, laundresses, bakers, cantinas, rope-makers and a lot more... it's fun to see and experience. 
Our group was one of the first allowed through .... so we had time after completing the route.  DH and I explored a bit and climbed to the upper church where we were able to look over the Nativity areas.

Fond memory ....

While attending a volunteer holiday celebration the other evening ... I overheard two volunteers discussing their children and the difficulty both had getting their children to fall asleep.

I was very fortunate in that regard.

During my first tour in the military, I was stationed here in Sicily at the base my husband works at currently (this is where we met, and we both had very positive memories of the country and the people.. so it was an easy decision to come back here when he found out about the job he now has) ... but I digress ...

my son, Chris, was 8 years old when he got here and he was nearly 12 years old when we left.  Sometime during the second year we were here, my boyfriend (now my husband) and I joined an Friday evening bowling league on-base.  We would pick Chris up from the after school program he attended, have dinner (usually on-base at the bowling alley or the galley... Chris considered either a treat) and then bowl.  Chris would read, listen to the TV in the bowling alley, do homework or other stuff (we kept things in the car that were only brought out while at the bowling league) at the little tables there in the bowling alley. 

If we had the early session on Friday, we could be done and get home before Chris' bedtime at 9:00pm.

However, if we had the later session ... it was a bit different.  Things to keep in mind: this happened nearly twenty-five years  ago - we are in a full bowling alley with all the racket of balls being thrown, pins being knocked down, food orders being called by the fry-cook at the grill in the bowling alley ... it's a Friday night and many of the people are relaxing with "adult beverages" and there are lots of loud cheers or moans from the various teams bowling.  Looking back seems like there were about fifteen lanes .... so there were quite a few people in the room and the bowling alley had those hard plastic chairs set in half-circles for the players on each lane. 

By 9:10pm, Don and I could be assured, that almost without exception, Chris would be stretched out on those hard plastic chairs, with all the noise and commotion going on, and be sound asleep.   His body knew it was bedtime and out he would go. 

Whenever we got done on the nights with the later sessions, Don would pick Chris up off those hard chairs and carry him to the car and then up the stairs to my apt. once we got home.  Sometimes we could get Chris awake enough to walk up the stairs ... but he never really woke up all the way.... it was more a form of sleep-walking.

DH and I still think back on that and smile .... fond memories....

Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey

Silly ... but I think it's cute as well.
Brucoli is a small village south of us in the hills on the other side of the Catania plain.

What I made for dinner the other night

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

serves 6, prep 10 minutes, cook 40 minutes adapted from Chicken Pot Pie

• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 oz mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups cooked chicken meat (usually leftover rotassire chicken I put in the freezer)
• 1/2 cup frozen crinkle cut carrots (I just sliced up a few carrots)
• 1/4 cup frozen green beans
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (tossed in a whole can that was on the shelf)
• salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot.  Add mushrooms a handful at a time, lightly browning each batch then pushing them to the sides and adding the next handful to the center.
2. With the last batch of mushrooms, add onion and garlic.
3. Saute mixture until onion and garlic are soft. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture.  Stir and cook several minutes until flour is golden.
4. Add chicken stock and milk and heat to a boil.
5. Simmer soup, stirring frequently until thickened.
6. Add chicken and frozen vegetables, heat soup until hot, stirring occasionally.
7. Salt and pepper to taste, serve over a scoop of mashed potatoes.

Serve with biscuits, pie crust, puff pastry, a bread bowl or over baked potatoes instead of mashed.  If you store or freeze the soup, store separately from the mashed potatoes.  Otherwise, when the soup is reheated,  the potatoes will melt and adversely affect the texture.

I generally have to add extra stock and milk ...otherwise it comes out more like a potpie filling for me.

Not a clue where I got this from ... have had it forever.

What a way to wake up...

I woke up this morning to DH calling me to check out the balcony... it was snowing!!

thinking outside the box

Someone had a good idea to paint a normally bland and boring TV antenna and give it some character.  I would have missed this entirely if I had not climbed a staircase to check out a shop window in Taormina.

Farewell Fall!

It's the beginning of December and time to put away my autumn table linens. 
Now that school is over for this term ... time to catch up on other things ... been way too long.


Close up of the embroidery of the coverpiece ... I found this one at a wonderful little shop in Bertchesgaden, Germany ten or fifteen years ago while on holiday. 

spices at the market

Perfect timing ... I need to re-stock my kitchen for holiday baking!

Catnaps

Spent part of last weekend at a friend's home ... caught Lola (momma cat) snoozing while her kittens were elsewhere.  

It REALLY does exist!

Homer Simpson's legendary beer really does exist ...

a fine German brew (so I am told).

The Catanian puppet

DH and I saw this last weekend while at a local festival.  The puppet is known as "Il Catanese" and represents a citizen from Catania, Sicily,  The elephant is the symbol of the city and is a reminder of Hannabal crossing the Alps with his elephants.  The puppet is about two and a half feet tall from shoe soles to top of the feathers. 

As seen at Berlin (Tegal) airport

Just thought this was nifty to see inside the terminal ...

On the beach near Giardini-Naxos

Went to the beach two weekends ago with some Sicilian friends ... first time either DH or I have been to the beach in nearly four years.   The beach is lot different than the ones in San Diego ... lots of small rocks rather than sand.  Both DH and I are going to get water shoes before we go again.
I'll need to put on sunscreen as well ... ended up with a second-degree burn.... lots of small blisters.  Oh well ... so life goes.

Buying figs in Belpasso

We passed this vendor on the way to work -- haven't seen him before two weeks ago.  Most local vendors set up near the top of town or on the main road coming down from the top.  Others drive through town either in the morning or evening with small (very small) trucks and loud speakers letting people know what is being offered.  This one is closer to the bottom of Belpasso.

The figs were pretty great!

Weeding the roof

Results of birds and prickly pears ....

DH was able to remove most of the cacti from the rain gutters... but not all.

Spaceship over Etna

The winds blowing around Etna cause this cloud formation.

Did anyone else think of the movie "Independence Day" when seeing this?

Easy Peasy Turkey dinner tonight

It's hot here .... too hot to be in the kitchen for long.

Tried out a recipe that a friend shared a couple years ago (yup ... it's been hangin out that long waiting to be tried) ... it's a keeper!

Turkey breast
1 package of onion soup mix
1 can cranberry sauce (I used whole-berry, but you can used jellied too)

Put the thawed turkey breast in a slow cooker.
Mix the sauce and the soup mix together and spread over the  turkey.
Cook on high for an hour or two -- then on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Baste occasionally.

Can thicken the juices with cornstarch ... we just drizzled some over the turkey slices.

Made up some top-of-the-stove stuffing mix to go along with the turkey, and added some fresh nectarines from the market.   Works for us...plus there's turkey to make into sandwiches for work tomorrow.

KFC Russian-style

Hey!  It's KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) ... in Moscow, Russia. 

 "It's chicken tonight!"

DH and I spent most of June visiting Berlin and then taking a river cruise up the Volga from Moscow to St. Petersburg. 

DS even managed to get leave approved to join us for the entire trip.

We had a GREAT time!

My guest book

I found this lined journal in the British Museum shop one trip to London.

The flap is magnetized - so it stays closed.

Not long before DH and I married, we had dinner with

one of my high school teachers and his wife.

They had the tradition of having all their guests sign a guest book ...

including notes who the guests were, the meal, the occasion ... whatever they wanted to remember.

I added this quote after an E-sister mentioned it ...

 though for my next guest book,

I think I will modify it to read "home" rather than "house".

Eyelashes again!

Cute eyelashes!

Saw this car at the mechanic's lot the other day ...

Espresso makers in cars ??

Fiat plans to add in-car espresso makers to its new 500L cars.... only the European editions though. 

I have to wonder about the logic behind the idea ... haven't driven much in the rest of Europe, but here in Sicily drivers have enough distractions without adding in this.  Granted, the announcement said that the espresso maker would only work when the car was stopped .... that's just a challenge for some one to figure out a way  around it.

Here is the link for more information: 
 http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost-tech.aspx?post=7df474e2-1330-442b-9c0d-44db4f537d79

My Scenic is a goner!

The after-math of a rainy night and wash-outs on a narrow road.

Mechanic told my husband it will cost more to fix

than to buy a different car.

Farewell my little Renault Scenic.

Brotwort seller in Berlin

Visited Berlin (Germany) last month with DH, DS and a co-worker (who lived 11 years there .. our own personal tour guide!)  Saw this guy at a couple of the tourist spots we visited.  Carries all that he needs to sell wonderful German sausages to passers-by. 

 Yum!!

Richard Dawson ..

Nope ... I haven't fallen off the ends of the world .... though sure couldn't prove it from the demands in my life.  

Watching "Hogan's Heros" and "Family Feud" were staples in my life for many years ... loved Richard Dawson.  He will be missed greatly.

Saw this online on 3 June 2012 ... when it wa still "yes", no" or "maybe".

Honoring St Agatha

St Agatha is Catania's (nearest major city) patron saint.

The main Duomo (cathedral) in Catania is dedicated to her.

The last time DH and I visited the Duomo,

 the altar was banked by flowers in honor of St. Agatha.

Boneless??

Looking at her ... I would swear that Indy is boneless
the way she contorts herself.

Check out the face!

This is over the main entrance to the Mother Church in Ferla.
I keyed in on the face at the bottom ... didn't even notice the one at the top.
Wish I knew the meaning is behind the emblem....

Etna's at it again!

DH was at home when this happened -- watched the lava as it flared up.

Good Friday, 2012

Our Lady of Sorrows during the Good Friday procession in Ferla, Sicily.
DH and I hadn't seen this procession before.  It was quite impressive.

Palm Sunday

Carrying and waving palms ... this is one of many celebrants in the town of Gangi.

Such joy ....

Another in St Giuseppe's parade ....I love the joy on the man's face.
The first part of the parade is the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt.

And out like a lamb ....

Now the wildflowers are beginning to pop out ....

In like a lion ....

We had a freak storm last week ... flooding, roads washed out, power outages, stores closed the next day to recover from wind damages ...
this is our balony about 20 minutes after the storm hit Belpasso.

St Giuseppe parade - Scicli

St Joseph is one of the most important saints here in Sicily.  His saint day is March 17th.

Scicli in the southern part of the island has a fantastic parade every year.

The horses are decorated with huge or elaborate floral displays.

Sailing ... sailing ... I think ...

A tropical storm went through last week ....
less than an hour earlier, I had driven through this intersection
 and there was only a couple inches of water.
  Now just about every car in the photo has died due to water intrusion.

Fresh orange juice!

Freshly squeezed tarocco (related to blood oranges) juice!  Good stuff!

The first year I was stationed here before, DS was only 8 that year.  He strolled into the kitchen while I was squeezing orange juice and asked what I was doing.   I told him I was making orange juice.
Instant response ... "No you're not!. I know what orange juice looks like!!"
Took some convincing ... but he finally tried the juice .... and liked it.

Birra ?

saw this while visiting one of our favorite restaurants ...

Lessons learned

A friend recently reminded me of an experience she had with her ex-husband ... some people need a bit more time to learn some important lessons.   "M" okayed my sharing this with all of you.  Smiles!


"My ex drove me crazy. We had in our first apartment a laundry hamper in the corner, not along a wall, in a corner - this is important to visualize... because even grandma, if need be, could throw a clothing item in the general direction and "make the basket"... everyone could make the basket ... except my ex.

Well, since he was so lazy, he would leave his underwear on the side of the bed... not even try to "shoot". There they lay, day after day - and after much poking and prodding and praying he would just get his
dirty underwear in the basket, I realized something else had to be done, for I was just fed up that he could not get it thru his thick head.

At the time we were both teachers, he was at the high school and I was at an elementary.  My start time was about 2 hours after his.... I was able to get the laundry started, dinner started, house tidied, etc.

I had to figure out something to have him stop irritating me with this... so this is what happened.

I had to go to work (inservice workshop) one day super early, so I was out of the house before him. The inservice was being held at our school, not off site. About 1 hour into the session the secretary comes and gets me - there was a phone call from my husband. I tell her not now, take a message, if important, and I went back to the conference. Shortly after, she returned saying he needed to talk to me.  I was frustrated at that time and I excused myself and went to the office.

On the other end he was just livid... he could not find any of his underwear and he was running late to get to work. He inquired "Did you throw them out?" and I said no, that I had to get back to my meeting... and hung up.

No kidding... about 10 minutes later, she comes back and gets me... I slip out the back and answer the phone. He (who also had a temper) was so ticked at this time... I answer the phone and he asks "I have searched this place from one end to the other and can't find my underwear.. what did you do with them...'

I could tell he was "at the end of his rope" so I said.. you didn't search everywhere... because you would have found them... go check the freezer and don't call me again". I at this point waited in the office, because I knew that phone was going to ring and by now I have told the secretary what was going on. Sure enough.. the phone rang and she said... guess who.... and I answered.

With a screaming person on the other end... I got him to "shut up" long enough to explain. I asked him "How many times have I asked you to put your dirty underwear in the basket?   Since you find it necessary to leave them at your bedside day after day when I have asked nicely for you to pick them up and "make a basket" I decided to fix the problem."

I took my large 5 qt pan, fill it with water, and shoved each pair of his underwear in the pan, and shoved the pan in the freezer. Yes I did.

So he finds this pan, has to take it to the bathtub, start running hot water to break up the block of ice, get one pair "freed" and then wring them out... followed by standing there with my hair dryer to try to dry them so he can yet get to work on time.

He got them "close enough" in his mind... because he was now "super ticked" and running late.

He got dressed and flew out the door....

Only to get to work and have the school secretary there send him home... I guess close enough wasn't - especially when he work Khaki pants and he had the "I wet myself" look upon entering school!!

He never left his underwear on the floor ever again."

Hello Birdie!

Magpie (bird) looking (and finding) bugs ... lots of bugs.
Magpies are super common  here and in southern Spain ...
Indy hates them ... they like to dive bomb her

Duck curls ...

Hard to believe DH had gotten a hair cut the day before ...
yup, the barber missed a sector.

Belpasso rules!

Outside the Belpasso Calcio (soccer club) office

Assume your position!

It gets a wee bit chilly in the apt ... especially with the snow level not too far above us.
DH  (of course, I do too, but not as much) spends quite a bit of time this way.

Sunrise on Groundhog Day

woke up really early this morning ... watched the sunrise while Indy drank bird-flavo​red water (from the bird bath)