Dinner with Kelly and Francesco

Our friends Kelly and Francesco are on vacation from the ship and home for the holidays. This past weekend, we had the pleasure of dining with them at their place. While I was visiting Antonello back in January, I met Kelly, the girlfriend of Francesco. We both were sailing as guests, so we had a lot of free time. During those few weeks, we became great friends and it just so happens that they live close by here in Sicily!







It was one in the morning before we knew it!

Mini-Mini Pandoro

A few days ago I read a great recipe on Bleeding Espresso for Ricotta Pound cake. Just the thought of that had my mouth watering. I placed a little twist on the original and made little cakes. Antonello and I then filled them with sweet Ricotta and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Lets just say that they were all gone before we knew it!

Wedding Anniversary Six Months

Yesterday, Antonello and I celebrated our sixth month wedding anniversary!!

Thanksgivings Day

On Thursday we invited Maria and Mariano, Antonello's parents, for Thanksgiving lunch. It was their first Thanksgiving feast, and my first bird.

Pranzo con Mario e Chiara

A few days back Chiara and Mario,our niece and nephew, had lunch with us. We always have a good time together...

Anniversario

I was surprised with a knock on my door to find a flower deliveryman waiting with a bouquet of five long stem red roses for me. Five years have passed since the day Antonello and I met. And like he wrote on the card, it still feels like the first day!

Stocco Night

We had the pleasure of sharing our Tuesday night with friends and family this week. To begin we enjoyed a selection of antipasto, and then a bowl of stocco that was accompanied with this year’s "Famiglia Testa Vino". The meal ended with a delightful bowl of picked off the tree Cachi (Persimmon) that was peeled, cleaned, and topped with a scoop of ice cream. Carmelo and Natale head back to the ship soon, so it was nice to get together before they go.

Cucuzza Mieli

The sweet pumpkin is in season! There are so many different ways to prepare this, but one of our favorite ways is simmered with sweet onions and served with bread.

Matrimonio di Domenico e Francesca

Yesterday, we drove over to Lentini for the wedding of our cousin Domenico.






MariaElena and I

Mario singing away at the reception! MariaElena and Alessandro's little boy...

Festa della Vendemmia

festivals in sicily, piedimonte etneo





A view from over the town. The air was filled with the scent of sausage!

Famiglia Testa "Vendemmia"

The morning rain shower passed and gave us a beautiful clear day to enjoy this year’s vendemmia at Carmelo’s home, Antonello’s godfather.

Our baskets, made for us by an old man, were put to the test.

Mario, Carmelo and Rita’s son, worked hard this morning…

New and old friends sharing conversations while picking the grapes.


This is where it all happens. The grapes are passed through the lavic stone window, and dropped into the grinder that not only crushes the grapes, but also sorts out the stems; similar to ours, but a larger scale. It is here where the fermentation takes place, transforming the must into a fine wine.

When the work was done, we all sat to a feast. There were grilled sausages, grilled peppers, caponata, salami, cheeses, olives, wine, and bread to enjoy each and every bite.




An end to this perfect day was something very special. In our town, the best pastry shop closed a few months ago. People still ach for the delicacies that “Cali” created, and above all Antonello. As it so happens, Cali is Carmelo’s godfather, so imagine the look on Antonello and my face when they unwrapped our favorite fresh ricotta cake made especially from Cali! He still makes the best!!


On the right sits Natale,a good friend of ours, that Antonello worked with on the ship. His mother just happens to be a talent in the kitchen. A connoisseur of traditional Sicilian recipes, and a woman I am very much looking forward to meeting. We have invitations to Natale’s home to sample some of his mothers cooking and one thing that stands out in my mind are the eggplant recipes. I plan to bring my camera and write everything down…
Finally, on the left sits the protagonist of the day, Carmelo. A man filled with jokes, and here fashions a dignified deflated ball on his head, thanks to his son. We thank you and Rita again for this yearly tradition and being a part of it with you. (After all, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here in Sicily, and I certainly would not have met my love…)