Little Italy 23

[BananaGio]

Siamo qua!

x posted Sput

Good luck for tomorrow, keep us posted

Gio, I'm also very bored by my cooking skills. Shall we swap recipes?

Yes! Although I have nothing I feel is worth swapping at the moment! Can I have your lasagne recipe?
Good luck tomorrow Sput. Shall we try and do this meet up soon? You reminded me talking about Cola di Rienzo. Was down there in Castroni's today getting my shortbread, Duchy originals and Oatcakes for my Christmas food box today. . All the lights are up and looks lovely. Went to see Babbo Natale in Piazza Navona yesterday and to get a few more bits for tree. Had glass of mulled wine, twas lovely!

Here is the lasagna:
I usually get the Giovanni rana lasagne from the supermarket, but I seem to remember you live near a good pastificio, so perhaps those are even better.
Buy radicchio trevisano (say 4 cespi for lasagne for 3/4 people?). Gently sweat the radicchio in a pan with olive oil and one chopped onion (it also works without the chopped onion)
Dice up a nice piece of pancetta affumicata and fry uit.
Make besciamella (or just buy the pre made one). Mix the radicchuio/pancetta besciamella together.
Make as many layers you like. Grate parmigiano or some nice emmenthal.
It usually turns out very nice.

Come on, I'm sure you are an excellent cook! I am bored by cooking always the same things.

Duchy Originals!!!!
Ok, see you tomorrow then :o

Ok, just realised I'd better go to DD's play, tough decision that.
We should do it though, maybe next week? Best for me is monday or thursday.

Yes lets do it! Monday good for me. Franca am racking brains for recipe I do that isnt minestra, carbonara, ragu, amatriciana or brocolli which appears to be the only things I cook at the moment!

"It seems like lots of Italians don't have a clue about what to do with their children. Not all, but lots."

Franca, you are spot on - I did not have the courage to say that, but I soooo agree. Wooden toys easily available here too - but yes, they are a lot more expensive. We have a place that actually makes its own toys and they are wonderful, but it's a bit of a trek for us as it's in Tolmezzo (that's almost on the Alps).

Banana, nothing wrong with what you are cooking. DUring the week I do stir frys but otherwise we are pretty much aligned.

Xmas lunch is another matter (racking brains)...

ahhhh just sneaked one of my Christmas box biscuits packs and just scoffed 6 Borders Butterscotch and Pecan biscuits!! Yes the diets on hold til Jan . Sooo good. But 6!!! and I could so continue...

Hello muckers!
I am trying to work, but getting waylaid with shopping and lovely Christmas music again.

I sooooo agree with th clothes-for-children thing.I remember when I was little my Mum's friend used to send me a parcel of something "squashy" (ie clothes) and I was always, well, what's the point of opening that? It'll be boring clothes"

All my Italian mum friends are going bonkers trying to get their "capi importanti" per i figli, when i figli just want Gormiti tat.

Good luck with assessment Sput.

Jusy back from paed - Minirosa with star tof bronchitis with febbre. He shouldn't have bene working as its prefestivo but as we don't have a continuita any more he saw me..Good thing or I would have held off until Thurs !
Which dolls house did you buy EC? I bough the Le Van pink one ( if I remember correctly) haven't even taken off teh plastic wrapper yet from Amazon until we are ready to put it up and hide in neighbours house they are away for 5 days as well !
SPut hard decision but I would try to go with DD. I am seeing that Dd1 is starting to get a bit more jealous and using minirosas tactics - in bracio , coccolo ( parola x tutto) and eating in braccio a bit more. So this pm I am going to take her to the DIsney store if DH gets home in time just to do something da sola with her.. It will cost me Eu3 for a pen or seomething but worth it. MY xmas meal no idea when it will be as at MIL ( Oilo e sale in abondanza) on Xmas day. WIll be salmon pate , rotoli di tacchino with stuffing and roast veg. Then some kind of dolce. I want to do my British corner shop order as I need mincemeat and I can't get round to making my own or I need to get to the wierd deli on the mainland as I am getting withdrawl symptoms!
Oh no minrosa is sitting on my lap and she has just dropped off in verticale ...poverina ( GUILTY MUM) a dopo

Aargh just realised we have another DS related appointment on monday, then thursday I promised to go to the dress rehersal for DS's xmas extravaganza in the hope that he'll get used to me being there and somehow stay standing where he is meant to on the big day. Why a bunch of preschoolers have to do an xmas show is beyond me really when 1/2 of them end up in their mummies laps anyway. Maybe wednesday?

Well I'm just back from DD's show, it was lovely and she was so proud of herself, glad I went. SIL went with DS and DH to appointment, I just heard them and they are doing fine, but started 2 hours late.

Re wooden toys I think they are more expensive everywhere tbh, we decided to get DS a wooden marble run for xmas, it was 2 or 3 times the price of plastic.

Poor Minirosa, hope she is feeling better soon.

Hello everyone.
Sput how did the apt go, are they back from the hospital? Happy to hear dd's show went well and that she was happy.

Rosa sorry to hear minirosa is unwell.

Gio, ywes, those are the same things I seem to be cooking most of the time...

Minerva, yes, I spend a lot of time observing Italian parents (judgey pants, moi??? ), and my conclusion is that lots of them just don't have a clue. We've discussed this subject many times on here... I find that many parents here tend to be apprehensive about really silly (like getting bagnato or sudato)things and then ineffective on important ones...
I have to say that there are some pretty great parents too, so perhaps all is not lots!

As for clothes as presents... I'm not that against them, though I0'd never buy clothes as presents. Having said that, we all pulled together to get a school mate of ds a pair of basketball nike trainers... he was over the moon!

lost, not lots

Bucharest, are you on thaty thread where lots agree that clothes are a reasonable Christmas present?

Sput hope you manage to get to appointments next week. Glad dd's show went well. Ds has started be jealous. Its tough to divide time fairly if you have a guilt trip like me.
I think clothes are okay when they are little and all they care about is the wrapping paper. After that no.
Rosa, I bought the Pintoy Marlborough ones. I looked at the le toy one but just worried it wouldn't last with ds around. This one is quite robust.

Wooden toys are more expensive that plastic ones but they last long. My dc's wooden toys are still being used even after years of rough play. The plastic toys have either broken or look horrible; not even good enough to donate. My dear mum always told me you need to divide the cost of what you by buy its use and I think I've had some bargains.

Yes, my DC's play with our 40 year old wooden galt blocks. Hopefully I'll one day have some grandchildren to pass them (plus the stuff we've accumulated) down to.

So they ended up most of the day at the hospital, but anyway good news is that in their view DS does not have ASD, rather language and developental delays that they reckon will be really helped by the therapy he's due to start in february, so on the whole good news. DS was a star apparently and behaved really well considering all the waiting around they had to do.

Btw, I actually think as far as plastic toys go, playmobil and lego get a special exemption, I expect to hand those down too, although probably a lot of the tiny playmobil stuff will have got hoovered up.

Franca- definitely not!

PLaymobil is an investment, not tat

Sput- good news re ds.

Need to work today.Have threatened dp he's to go over yonder to the outlaws with dd and stay there.

Great news Sputnik !

Bucharest ... I have to shamefully admit that I once included in dd's presents for Christmas a skirt and a shirt, but they were really lovely and special and I knew she'd fall in love with them.

I agree re Playmobil and lego (I mkust say though that my children aren't really keen on lego, to my disappointment. They played a lot with duplo when younger, but haven't taken to lego at all ). Dd also plays with my old dolls at my mothers and also Barbies (if you like the genre) age well.
Our dc played a lot with dh's old wooden bricks too!

THats great Sputnik - so roll on Feb so he can get started.
Clothes - I remember hating my aunts presents always socks or scarves ! I have an aunt who however sends me clothes ( for the dds) in advance for Christmas / birthdays - always lovely things from M&S - This year she has sent 2 knitted dresses with matching hats , and a 2 pack of tights . Her things always get used for special events - by sheer co incidence she sent me a white dress and beautiful cardigan 3 days before dd1 battesimo .... SO in this case I don't mind clothes at all !
Wooden toys I do prefer I seem to be chucking more plastic stuff out. Minirosa has broken her 2rd dolls pushchair in a year ( since she has been walking) and broken a totally useless plastic dolls bed ( it diddn't cost poco either). I hope my dolls house stands up to miniorsa as well We might just keep the front door off that is if dh ever gets round to building it - I have told him and Ithink it went in one ear and out teh other.
Minirosa doesn't seem to have a febbre so far today mind you it is over a year since her last antibiotics so maybe they work faster ?

Glad to hear minirosa is better today.

I'm mildly pissed off because I went to the market today, bought lots of veggies, went to the supermarket etc and I seem to have lost a small pacchetto with my treats: olive nere, peperoni piccanti and mostarda (just mandarini and cherries)... grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........

Well, at least it is sunny, at last!

Oh no if it was me I would go back and re trace my steps .......Especially as they were your treats. I am mid Thomas cake but starting to feel a bit exhausted - I just hope that it is the past few days ...been a bit stressful. ANyway I should be shopping with SIL domani so in theory time for me ...No way race round get all the missing prezzies and lug them home! Oh well off to get dd1 and agree thank heavens its not raining !!!

I realized it was missing after quite a while, as I got home after the market, left the carrello home, went to the bakery and when I realized it was missing I had already started cooking (friends are coming for dinner) and I had no time to go back!!!

Oh Christmas presents. I still need to buy for so many people I want to cry...

I have done all my shopping I need to do 2 interflora things for the Uk and then 1 birthday present for the 17th that I forgot all about and thats it. THEN a friend gave me a COIN discount voucher for 20 and 30% off for 2 days next week...hmmmmmm.
Party this pm and saw a mamma in dd gym today who said that her dd had been vomiting all last night but as she seemed fine she thought she would bring her this pm.... would really like to avoid the vomit bug but I can see it coming.......