A Little Ditty

November 10, 2010

Words for Wednesday

Not sure I'll quite be able to celebrate the mundane Wednesday I'm having, but sipping a glass of bubbly after work isn't a bad idea...

November 7, 2010

Mamma Agata, the Amalfi coast cooking school

Once upon a fairytale, Sister and I headed to Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, for a cooking class with Mamma Agata! Needless to say it was an ah-mazing day. And made an already memorable trip, that much more unforgettable. Mamma has recently published a cookbook, so I thought this would be a good time to share a little about our day in Ravello. Who am I kidding? You know I will take any excuse possible to talk about Italy, my one true love.

At first glance...

Time to get cooking! Mamma and her daughter, Chiara lead you through a series of dishes. They do most of the heavy lifting, with you watching and learning (And eating).

Al and Chiara (Mamma's daughter)

Mamma!! If that's not an Italian Mom, then I don't know what is!

Mamma Agata's is situated on a clifftop, overlooking the gorgeous coastline. The family cooks with nearly all home grown produce. They have a farm built right into the side of the cliff. During the course of the day you head down to the farm area and check out all the fresh produce.

At the end of the day you sit down for a huge feast with all the food cooked during the day. And of course wine made from the grapes grown right on site and homemade limoncello are served!

If you find yourself on the Amalfi Coast, definitely book a day with Mamma Agata! I may be seeing Mamma in the U.S. soon, so I'll report back. And hopefully her cookbook will be sold in the states soon!

....................................
Piazza S. Cosma 9 - Ravello (SA)
Amalfi Coast - ITALY
Phone +39.(0)89.857019
e-mail: info@mammaagata.com

November 3, 2010

Words for Wednesday

I used paper from Kate's Paperie as the background. And now I can see why I liked it so much, it blends right in with my blog background, oops.

November 2, 2010

Concord grapes, my favorite super fruit

Behold the Concord Grape.

Via

Concord Grapes are currently in season in the Midwest and are one of my favorite fruits! The smell alone does it for me. They have the best scent in the world. Very, sweet and grape-y :) And besides being delicious, it happens to be an antioxidant powerhouse. Check out this info from the LiveStrong website. Concord grapes contain the same antioxidants found in red wine, polyphenols. My grandpa used to grow these in his backyard, so eating them always brings back good memories. If you happen to see these in your grocery store, check them out!

Of course, another reason I love concord grapes is many come from Michigan! I've noticed Whole Foods likes to sell the grapes as a specialty item and charge quite a bit, but Jewel has them by all the other grapes and they sell for only $2.99. You can also visit the Michigan grower's website here.

November 1, 2010

Saguaro Lake, Arizona

A week and a half ago I was in the middle of a great vacation in Arizona! Hard to believe, considering I'm now back to the daily grind and woke up to 40 degrees outside this morning! My sister and I usually go out a few times a year to see our Dad and little brother who are out there for the Winter (and school year). We had a great trip and mostly wonderful weather. For all the times we have been out, we've never gone to Saguaro Lake, which is only a 15-20 minute drive from the Scottsdale area. If you're ever out there, it's definitely worth the trip.

Saguaro Lake is located in the Tonto National Forest, which covers almost 3 million acres! It is the fifth largest forest in the U.S. We had a great day for our boat tour and were in awe of the sights. It was beautiful! The mountains, the water, the cacti... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!