Happy Valentine's Day!

While taking my usual walk I came across this empty 1.5 liter bottle of wine with two plastic cups set atop on the side of the path. Isn't that romantic... sigh.
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Small Splurge

.Cream-filled doughnut, devil be thy name. Doughnut, a nut of dough. Sounds appetizing doesn't it? Or let's consider the variation in spelling, donut, which to me resembles "do not" quite a bit. Once a year around this time I take a trip to California for an extended period. I visit family and friends, purchase supplies, and eat cuisine not readily available to me in Italy. As you can see, although doughnuts are available in Italy there is certainly not the variety we have back in the states. Once a year I usually treat myself to something decadent like an apple fritter or a glazed buttermilk or who can resist a chocolate old-fashioned doughnut! This year I am unable to make my pilgrimage and I'm starting to feel the affects. A boring sugar doughnut that tasted like a little bit of heaven/California.
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Family Outing

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These are my shadows, Zoey, Sydney and Nina (front to back). I can't go outside without the entire troop in tow. Don't get me wrong, we all need fresh air and exercise and I do enjoy their company, but taking a walk with this group is more painstaking for me than it is beneficial. I have to keep a constant eye on everyone since we are surrounded by forest, not to mention they have to stop every few feet and check out every little smell so I wait and watch much more than I walk. Yesterday in order to take a brisk walk by myself I had to discreetly put on my shoes, sneak out the backdoor, tiptoe down the path beside the church, walk along the brush behind the neighbors cars and then make a mad dash down the road all the while looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed. I'm a fugitive.

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Pasta Puttanesca

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This is one of my favorite pasta sauces and best served with penne pasta. It's thick, rich and spicy and although I've never tried it I'm sure it would make a good bruschetta topping!

1 and 1/4 cups finely chopped onion
1 and 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
12 Nicois olives, pitted, chopped
1 28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 and 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Add onion and garlic to olive oil in a large skillet. Reduce heat and simmer until onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, partially cover pot and simmer sauce until thickened slightly, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and add to the cooked sauce in skillet. Toss lightly to mix.
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Got Wood?

.When I moved here in mid-November I asked the prior owners how much wood to order but by January it was apparent I needed more. My second wood delivery arrived Friday, a father and son business. Because it's late in the season, it was mostly new wood so the father said he'd bring by a bag of kindling for me the next day with this wife to help fire up the fresh stuff. I asked how much and he said nothing, maybe a coffee or a glass of wine. The next day he arrived with his wife and THREE large bags of kindling! I had made lemon poppy seed bread to serve with wine or coffee but they couldn't stay. They were meeting their daughter and didn't want to be late, or maybe were just too shy to come inside. I raced upstairs and brought them down a hunk of the bread I made wrapped in paper napkins, I wish I could have offered more. As they were leaving I thanked and kissed them both (as is customary here, the double cheek thing) and told the wife she smelled nice (she actually did). She laughed and told me she'd been working with the sheep all day and that's what I was smelling. I'm so touched and grateful that I have experiences like that in my life -- and that people like that exist.
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That's Cold!

.This is how cold it is at my house. I don't want to say they're mortal enemies, but Zoey kitty has blindsided Sydney Claire enough times that she's not usually allowed at this close proximity. It should be noted that it's not too difficult to blindside Sydney since she doesn't see well anymore.
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Double Take

.There is a weekday game show here in Italy called "Uomini e Donne", "Men and Women" and it's sort of like The Dating Game but with yelling, a popular form of Italian communication. I only watch as a means of improving my language skills, of course. Ahem, well anyway I first saw Serena a few months ago on the show and she hooked up with an ex-boyfriend hottie soccer player after a long, bad break-up. They were madly in love again. I was quite surprised to see her on the show again last week and they kept referring to her as Elga. I thought to myself, who are they kidding? Did she break up again with the hottie soccer player and needs anonymity now? It turns out Elga is Serena's identical twin. As if one of these gorgeous women on the planet isn't enough? God is a man, I'm sure of it.
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