That is This: 2013

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Corner-stone

This is in Cannaregio, near to San Marcuola. I don't know what it is or why it's here, but it seems to be a convenience for dogs now. At least the date seems certain. I'm just guessing, but perhaps it marks a plague pit. Your guess may be as good as mine, but if you actually know the answer, please tell me.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

I love Bologna!

And I am not talking about the Oscar Mayer bologna (although I am a big fan of bologna, and hotdogs...and no, I do not want to know what is in them. hehe) But anyway, I am talking about Bologna, Italy.

Franco and I met Cyndi, Gia-Gina and their Italians, outside of Bologna yesterday for lunch at Antica trattoria della Gigina. We had a very fun lunch. Talking and drinking wine and laughing.

After lunch we headed into downtown Bologna to visit the Chrsitmas Market. The town is lovely.

The main street is lined with beautiful buildings, all painted in different shades of pink! My kind of city! hehe We saw the two towers that are still standing - one is leaning so much it looks like the Tower of Pisa! I guess the city was filled with these towers, but over the centuries they have all crumbled to the ground.

I strongly recommend a visit to Bologna! I really want to return, since we didn't have much time there to see much.

Of course, I ran out of the house with my camera, but didn't think to grab my extra batteries, and the ones in the camera were dying. I couldn't take many pics, so Cyndi and her husband took a bunch. I hope they send me some. :OD *hint* *hint*

The Christmas Market was a little too crowded and lacking in Christmasy things. It seemed more like the usual weekely market - with tons of candy and scarfs. (I found a new knitting project!) They had a skating rink set up - but they didn't have any vin brulee. What is up with that?

After the *market* we did some window shopping, and went for a cup of thick, delicious hot chocolate. At seven, we decided it was getting late, and we headed back to the cars. We said our goodbyes and ciaos, and hit the highway.

I was searching the road the entire way, because Cyndi told me there was a Burger King. I never saw it... I think she was messing with me! hehe We stopped at Autogrill for some sandwiches for dinner. The Autogrills were packed!

We made it home in just about two hours. I can't wait to go back to Bologna! And I had such a good time with my new expat friends! :OD

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

ITALIAN LEMON KNOT COOKIES!!

These cookies have so many different names, but I only know them as "Lemon Knots". They are also known as Italian Lemon Cookies, Italian Bow Knots, Anginetti, and Taralucci.

Along with the many different names are the many variations of making them, but the end result is a soft, slightly crumbly, moist cookie, with the distinctive flavor of pure lemon throughout. They are definitely an Italian tradition!!

You can add nonpareils or not, it's up to you, but the frosting is made with pure lemon juice, a little grated lemon peel, and powdered sugar.

RECIPE****

5 cups unbleached flour

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 bottle of pure lemon extract or,( 1 oz.)

Grated lemon rind

5 teaspoons of baking powder

1 Cup of sugar

1 3/4 cup of shortening

Mix together flour, eggs, milk, lemon extract and rind, sugar, and baking powder, in large bowl. Add shortening till it forms a dough. You might need to add some more milk or more flour to get the right consistency, but after doing so, take golf ball size pieces and shape them into balls or roll them like a log and tie them in a bow, or make a horseshoe shape and twist them over like I did. Bake at 350 degrees for exactly 15 minutes.

When they cool dip them in the icing and place them on wax paper untill they set.

ENJOY!!

First Riot of 2011 Athens POLICE RUN OVER PEOPLE

First Riot of 2011 Athens POLICE RUN OVER PEOPLE

The true video of what happened in athens and that NOONE SHOW TO US
1ST POLICE MEN RUNS OVER A MEN WHILE SECOND ON HIS EFFORT TRYING TO RUN OVER SOMEONE ELSE LOSE BIKE CONTROL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlSgM6d0YRA

Little rest along the Grand Canal

A nice place along the Canal Grande, for a little rest and a nice chat between friends...

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Happy Birthday to My Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear daaaaad!
Happy birthday to you!

Love you, hope you have a great day.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Inside Job (2010)

Inside Job (2010)

INFO:
Charles Ferguson, USA, english, 2010, 120 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1645089/
http://www.csfd.cz/film/283075-inside-job/
http://www.insidejob.com/
http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/
http://www.facebook.com/insidejob

(en) 'Inside Job' provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China.

(sk) Film ako prvý poskytuje komplexnú analýzu globálnej finančnej krízy, ktorá v roku 2008 spôsobila miliónom ľudí stratu práce a domovov. A takmer sa vyvinula do globálneho finančného kolapsu.
Obsahuje rozsiahle rozhovory s kľúčovými finančnými zasvätencami, politikmi, novinármi a akademikmi.

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjDhNwPsKGg

Download:

http://www.fileserve.com/file/ePMvRxB/Inside.Job.LiMiTED.BDRip.XviD-DEFACED.avi

---or---

Friday, November 29, 2013

GLOBAL WARMING ISSU NOW 2013. Arctic Climate Change... be careful man in the world today !!!!!!

GLOBAL WARMING ISSU NOW 2013. Arctic Climate Change... be careful man in the world today !!!!!!

The Arctic Ocean's sea ice is in a "death spiral" due to rising temperatures, scientists said in 2008. Many marine species, such as these narwhals swimming through a bay in Nunavut, Canada, depend on the ice throughout their life cycles. Experts predict that summer Arctic ice may completely disappear within a few decades.

Fact Polar bears—like this one leaping between ice floes in Svalbard, Norway's Hinlopen Strait—live on the Arctic ice, hunting seals and other fatty marine mammals. But as the ice vanishes, some experts predict this predator will also disappear from the Arctic by 2050.

NASA Permafrost—the frozen soil that forms the backbone of the Arctic tundra—is melting due to climbing global temperatures. In Alaska, the mercury may rise by 1 to 5 degrees Celsius (1.8 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. In this false-color image of Alaska's North Slope, taken by NASA's Terra satellite, the blue-black color shows the many ponds of meltwater that collected on the coast in July 2007.

EXTREme ICE... wow........

Art meets science in photographer James Balog's Extreme Ice Survey. The project, begun in December 2006, will attempt to capture global warming in the act using 26 solar-powered cameras taking time-lapse photographs of glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, the Alps, and the Rocky Mountains. Balog hopes the ambitious effort, which will produce more than 300,000 images over the course of two years, "radically alters public perception of the global warming issue."

Here, a large, glistening iceberg calved from the Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland drifts through Disko Bay on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

In the pic

cause is carbon dioxide in developed countries, developing, and etc.

Global Warming Facts, Causes and Effects,

The current cycle of global warming is changing the rhythms of climate that all living things have come to rely upon. What will we do to slow this warming? How will we cope with the changes we've already set into motion? While we struggle to figure it all out, the face of the Earth as we know it—coasts, forests, farms, and snowcapped mountains—hangs in the balance.
PIC ON GLOBAL WARMING...

Climate iceberg

ring road beijing

ring road on jakarta

energy about detroit river

energy conservation

gulf oil spill first anniversary dispersant plane

Saturday, November 23, 2013

SPAGHETTI WITH OVEN BAKED CLAMS!!! AMAZING COOKING

This recipe is courtesy of Tyler Florence, and all I can say is... THANK YOU TYLER! I knew this was going to be good the first time I saw him make it. I love how rustic it's made. Every thing's made in a huge roasting pan, the kind you'd make a turkey in. It fits 5 lbs. of clams and a pound of pasta, and everything else just fine! Plenty of room for the clams to open up and spread out!

My trip to Costco on Saturday really convinced me into making this dish. They happen to have the best littleneck clams there, flown in fresh every week from the North Atlantic ocean, and fresh they were!

RECIPE

40 littleneck clams ( 5 lbs.)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

10 garlic clove, smashed with the back of a knife ( Yes 10!!!)

1/4 lb. pancetta, small dice

Handful of fresh basil

Red pepper flakes

1/4 cup of white wine (I used more)

2 pints of cherry tomatoes ( I bought the big container from Costco)

Lots of fresh ground pepper

1 lb. spaghetti

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. ( I raised it to 425)

Make sure clams are cleaned and discard any that are open. In the meantime get your water boiling for your spaghetti.

On top of stove put your roasting pan over 2 burners. Add oil, garlic, pancetta, red pepper, cook till pancetta renders. Add the clams, wine, tomatoes, and a good amount of pepper and toss all together. Transfer pan into the oven and roast till clams open up. The recipe said about 10 min. but it took mine about 1/2 hr. or so, maybe because of the size of the clams. The key is wait till they open!

When clams do open, throw your cooked pasta right into the same roasting pan to soak up all the good juices and intense flavors. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, lots of pepper, and an extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Make sure you have some good crusty bread to soak up the juices too. I highly recommend this! You will not be disappointed!

Buon Appetito!

wow!!! $3m from Leonardo DiCaprio donates for save tigers in Nepal

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $3 million (£1.85 million) to help save tigers in Nepal.

The Great Gatsby star made the donation to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) via his charitable foundation.

The funds will be used to significantly increase the number of tigers in Nepal by 2022 - the next year of the tiger.
In a statement, the 39-year-old said he's "hopeful" the money will help "exceed the goal" of doubling Nepal's tiger population.
Nepal's tigers are classified as endangered and - as with the general tiger population - are under threat from "habitat destruction and escalating illegal poaching".
Art auction
DiCaprio's donation will help enforce anti-poaching patrols and protect and restore areas for the tigers to breed in Nepal.

So far, the foundation has helped increase the tiger population in Nepal's Terai Bardia National Park from 18 to 50.
"His foundation is all about delivering real results for conservation on the ground and empowering local communities; nowhere is that more evident than in Nepal," said Carter Roberts, president of the WWF.
The DiCaprio Foundation aims to protect "Earth's last wild places and foster a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world".

Earlier this year, the foundation raised $38.8 (£23.9m) million through donations and an art auction at Christie's in New York.
The tiger grant is the first from the proceeds of the auction, according to the WWF.
DiCaprio will next be seen on the big screen playing the lead in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, due out on 17 January.

Monday, June 17, 2013

MY 15 MINUTES OF FAME!!

This past week has been crazy and fun all at the same time. You see, I have a soon to be famous neice, who has already filmed 13 episodes for A&E which owns Bravo and the Biography channels. She will be featured in a documentary/reality show coming out in the summer. (not the wild kind!) I will give you all the details as time goes on. Anyway, to make a long story short, last Friday night they filmed part of an episode right in my house! A get together of my neice's family and friends, a little wine, a little food. But the exciting part for me was, that I made all of the food that you see on the table for everyone! They definately shot footage of the food, which I was so excited about. There was about 25 people that came, and I served Mini Italian meat balls
Bite size sausage and peppers

Roasted veggie pasta salad

Grilled shrimp with orzo and feta pasta salad

Salami, provolone and Kalamata olives on skewers

Caprese salad

Chick pea salad

Zuccini with pesto and pine nuts

Assorted tapenades, and bruschetta's

For dessert we purchased assorted mini bar cookies, and a quick stop at our favorite Italian bakery for a few dozen mini cannoli's!

The film crew and the producers were a lot of fun, and they seem to really enjoy the food.

On a side note, my daughter will be in a lot of the scenes here, as my neice and her are very close. Not only was she wired with a mic, she got interviewed, gave a toast, the whole bit! ( who knows, she might get a spin off! ha ha) Needless to say, we all had a lot of fun, I managed to stay behind the scenes, no way was I getting on camera!!

So hopefully the table of food won't get edited, LOL ! But just in case it does, I wanted to give you a little glimpse!

Watch out for a new shining star coming your way, her name is Julie!!!

To be continued....

Julia Child's French Bread- Daring Baker Challenge # 2

Julia Child! What can I say? She's an Icon to say the least, chef extraordinaire, the real deal, and the true Queen of food television! So it's no wonder why our Host's, Breadchick Mary, of The Sour Dough and Sara, over at I Like To Cook, wanted to make Julia's french bread our next Daring Baker challenge.

I have to admit when I first saw the recipe ( by the way, you can get it in detail over at Mary's site) I thought it was a bit overwhelming, I had to read it several times to take it all in. I kept pushing it aside, because as I said before, I have issue's with precise and exact measuring. ( believe me, ask my family!) But heck! We're Daring Bakers! Up for the challenge, good or bad we all learn something. Right?
That's one thing I always admired from Julia, she was never afraid of making mistakes, she would take it in stride and move on!

So now, on to my french bread baking experience!

The dough came together with no problem at all, I did it by hand.

I did however have other problems, I wanted to make batards, but they ended up turning into baguettes, the dough didn't fit into my pans, I rolled it out too long, so I ended up flipping my pans over and baking them on the actual bottom of the pan. It worked out well after all, but it was very hard to clean my pans for some reason.

I ended up making two plain loaves, and the other one I added sundried tomatoes with Kalamata olives.

I didn't change the recipe at all, I just stuck them in, so I hope I stayed in the recipe guidelines as the host's said we can top at least 1 loaf with any ingredient we wanted.

But I have to say, the plain loaf was our favorite anyway! The crust turned out crispy, crunchy, and chewy, just the way we like it, and the texture inside was the best!

Nothings better than a great loaf of bread, dipped into some very special extra virgin olive oil! Mmmm!!

As Julia would always say....Bon Appetit!

PIZZA DOUGH!!! UNO, DUE, TRE!

SAUSAGE BREAD

I love having pizza dough in my freezer at all times, whether I make home made, or I buy it from my local Italian grocery, which by the way makes excellent dough! All you have to do is defrost it on your counter, and let it get to room temperature and your good to go!
This recipe of sausage bread I remember way back when I was a kid, I remember my Mom making this and we would eat it slice by slice. It's sort of like a stromboli, but we always called it sausage bread. I like using hot Italian sausage because, between the dough and the cheese, it sort of cancels out some of the heat, and leaves a lot of flavor. There are many variations but mine is simply hot sausage, Fontina cheese, and lots of grated cheese like Romano.

Roll dough out and layer all ingredients on top (pre cook sausage) roll up jelly roll style.
Make 3 slits on top, brush with olive oil and sprinkled cheese. Bake at 375 degreesF till golden about 1/2 hour.

WHITE PIZZA

Traditional pizza is always a given, but sometimes we crave this white pizza, no sauce thank you! Again, I would imagine there are a ton of different variations, but mine was made with a blending of roasted garlic, Ricotta cheese, and a grated combo of Asiago, Fontina, Provolone, and Parmesan cheese's. Make it like you would a regular pizza. It's out of the norm, but quite delicious!!

CALZONE

Of course you can stuff these guys with anything you want, the skys the limit!! This one I made all veggie with a little mushroom, eggplant, and artichoke, add some sauce and mozzarella, fold it up and bake like a pizza. When you bite into it all those flavors come oozing out! Mmmmm

Buon Appetito!!

BRACIOLE!!

Braciole is something I don't make very often, except maybe for a special occasion, so therefore I thought it would be fitting that I bring this dish to our "Festa Italiana." Please join Maryann and I, if you haven't already done so. There's still plenty of time to bring your favorite Italian dish or drink, you have till March 22nd. Shortly after that we will display all the wonderful things we "tasted" at the Festa! Everything looks fantastic so far!!! ( click for details on top of my blog)

I make my braciole simply with thin cut round steak.

In a bowl I mix together bread crumbs, fresh chopped parsley, chopped garlic,a little salt, lots of pepper,and a generous amount of grated cheese.(I used romano)

Layer prosciutto, (or you can use bacon) all over the round steak, then generously sprinkle the bread crumb mixture all over the prosciutto.

Roll them up and tie them so all the filling stays inside. Cook them in your favorite home made sauce, but be sure to add some red wine, it gives them a nice rich flavor. Simmer till tender.

With every bite you will taste the prosciutto, cheese, and that moist and flavorful bread crumb mixture!

I couldn't resist stopping by my favorite Italian bakery,and picking up a tray of these for all of you to try at our Festa. Their called Zeppole, out here in Chicagoland, and they only come out for a few weeks every March, after St. Joseph's day you won't find them anywhere. We often have to wait in long lines to get these little gems, but believe me they are worth the wait!!

It's a light, fresh pastry dough, filled with the most delicious custard cream, aren't they pretty? Can't wait till you get to try them!

Buon Appetito!!

La parola "casta"

Comprensione orale: livello medio/avanzato
Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni VERE:
La parola casta proviene da una espressione sanscrita.
Nel 1483 l'italiano Filippo Sassetti fece un viaggio in India.
Filippo Sassetti era veneziano.
Sassetti era un mercante.
Sassetti s'interessava alle lettere e alla scienza.
Sassetti osservò la società indiana.
Notò che la società indiana era

La festa della polenta

Comprensione orale: livello medio/avanzatoSegna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni VERE:Il servizio è stato girato in Toscana.Si celebra la 411esima sagra della polenta.La giornalista autrice del servizio visita una casa in cui, per fare la polenta, prima si setaccia la farina.La signora che fa la polenta si chiama Emanuela.La polenta viene accompagnata da fegato di capriolo.La polenta di deve

Trust, I Must

Wow. I've discovered an entire blogging community of courageous people leaving their lives to find new ones in Italy. It's been wonderful to find that element out there of (mostly) women who are ready to make the great trade of the familiar for the unknown. Reading through these blogs lately, I find myself in an emotional conflict--I just can't believe that my life in Italy...my dream, that tenacious itch that needed scratchin', shall we say...has come to an end. Even to admit that in writing is a bit frightening.

Though reading about these folks who are pioneering this modern American diaspora definitely inspires a bit of incredulous blues-sangin' nostalgia in me, I remember this: I chose to come home for a reason, just as I chose to leave almost 5 years ago. Today I have my own new trails to blaze--they may be old beginnings, but they are new starts to a remodeled life, nonetheless.

This current version of myself, created by a crazy 27 year-old who left everything to chase her passion across the ocean with a backpack and an empty Austin apartment, has turned 32 and is ready to get what she finally knows she wants.

That (not-so) silly 27 year-old gave a gift of an unforgettable experience to me. One that has enriched me and given me peace and a DESIRE to be still, for a while anyway. She gave me permission to be home and enjoy family, friends, and hopefully success.

She trusted her heart then, as I'm trying to trust it now. She brought me back home. I want to be home.

And for that I tell her thank you.

"MOONSTRUCK" EGGS!!

I'm a sucker for romantic comedy's, and "Moonstruck" is one of my all time favorites! It's a story about love, life, passion, and strong family bonds. Being Italian American I can certainly relate to many of the scenes in the movie, which make me laugh every time I watch it.

Not only do I love the music, and the characters in "Moonstruck" I also love some of the food scenes. Families sitting together sharing coffee, eating oatmeal deep in conversation. Loretta and her Mom Rose, cooking up some eggs for breakfast in the midst of discussing important life issues.

Today is March 17th, not only is it St.Patrick's day, but it's also my wedding anniversary! Yes, 2 Italians got married on St. Patrick's day many "moons" ago!! Married at age 19, and still going strong!

So, for a little anniversary breakfast I decided to make some "Moonstruck eggs". If you never cooked an egg in a little olive oil, you have to try it. The eggs take on a new dimension of flavor.
In the movie they had some red pepper on the side, I sauteed red pepper, green pepper, onions, and sliced potatoes for some nice color and flavor to go with the eggs.

Here is the recipe!

Take some good Italian bread, make a hole in the middle.
Pour a little olive oil in a pan and brown one side of bread, flip it over when browned, crack your eggs in it, and cook them like you want to. I didn't flip them over cause I thought the picture would look messy, so I kept them sunnyside up, and placed a cover over them to cook the yoke.

It's nice way to make a simple egg just a bit more fancy!!

Happy Anniversary "T" xxooxo!!

VEGETALI ALLA MARIE!!

This is a great side dish that I make for special occasions. It is a highly requested vegetable dish, that my family loves. Every time I make it, the whole thing gets eaten up! and believe me I make a lot! I think it goes great with a ham, pork,a roast of any kind. I make it as a side with any baked pasta dish, like a lasagna, or stuffed shells, you get my point, pretty much anything you make for a special meal. I think its a combination of flavors, and the choice of veggies that makes this taste so good! This is an old family recipe that I've been making for years, and we never get tired of it!

Here's the ingredients, and by the way, you use all frozen veggies!! ( Of course you can use fresh if you want to) Make as much as you want, maybe a bag or 2 of each vegetable, I'm sorry but I never measure, it all depends on how many people you are serving. I fill a huge pan and always use extra artichokes. There is no set rule, you can adjust the amount as you wish. :-)

Italian flat beans
Artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Lima beans

1/2lb. of meaty bacon (diced up small)
Garlic flavored olive oil ( a must!)

First thing you do is to take all the veggies and put them in a strainer and let them defrost.

In a large saute pan, cook your bacon until real crispy, hopefully there won't be a lot of fat in the pan cause you bought meaty bacon,:-) but if there is, drain it off, and leave all the crispy bits. Next coat the pan with some garlic olive oil, this is a must! Then, put all the veggies in the pan all together,and on a med high heat, turn often till coated with the bacon and garlic oil, blending and scraping up the crispy bits. Salt and pepper it to taste, and you can even add a little regular extra virgin olive oil for some added flavor.
You really have to keep tasting this as it cooks, for enough salt and pepper, and enough olive oil flavor.

When everything is heated through, and all the flavors blend together, its done! There's something about the combination of the artichokes with the lima beans and all the other ingredients that make this taste so good!!

Buon Appetito

"FESTA ITALIANA" THE ROUNDUP!!!

Our Festa Italiana, certainly was a celebration of the "sweet life". All our amazing friends gathered with us bringing the most delicious food and drink! Our table was a true Italian feast!!!
We gathered until the wee hours of the night, talking, eating, drinking, as the music played all night long! Please take the time to browse all these wonderful blogs to see what everyone brought to our table. And thank you, thank you, to all who participated!!!
I only wish this could happen in the real world!!

Val at More Than Burnt Toast brought Wrapped Bocconcini Spiedini.

Susan at Porcini Chronicles brought Escarole and Beans.

Lori Lynn at Taste with the Eyes brought Pistachio Crusted Lamb, Pomegranate Glaze.

Linda at Milanese Masala brought Frittata Verde con Pancetta.

Gloria at Canela's Kitchen brought Tortoni di Mandorla.

Amy at Familia Bencomo brought Cozze Italiano

Susan at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy brought Pizza Rustica.

Laurie at Dalla Mia Cucina brought Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Crema di Fontina.

Lisa at La Mia Cucina brought Italian Chicken Wings and Potatoes.

Jenn at The Leftover Queen brought Polenta Lasagna with Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

Haalo at Cook Almost Anything at Least Once brought Torta Meringata con Mele.

Harmony at Wholesome Feasts brought Utica Tomatoe Pie.

Lorraine at Italian Foodies brought Minestrone Soup.

Ohio Mom at Cooking in Cleveland brought Calcioni Piccanti.

Neen and Do at Post-Collegiate Cooking a'Deux brought Pasta Arrabiata with Argula.

Jenny at Picky Palate brought Double Mozzarella Turkey Burgers with an Artichoke Remoulade & Crispy Pancetta.

Anna at Morsels & Musings brought Cassata Gelata.

Jerry at Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants brought Jamie Oliver's Slow Cooked Duck Pasta.

Barbara at Barbarba Bakes brought Lighter Chicken Parmesan.

Claudia at Eternal Rewards brought Fettucine Alfredo.

Dellene at Cooking and The City brought Chicken Cacciatore.

Ben at What's Cooking? brought Italian Stuffed Zucchini.

Judy at Judy's Gross Eats brought Neopolitan Panna Cotta.

Roopa at My Kitchen Treats brought Vanilla Panna Cotta.

Katie at Thyme For Cooking brought Piccata al Marsala.

Theresa at Food Hunter's Guide to Cuisine brought Tagliatelle Bolognese.

Anne at Cooking with Anne brought Lasagna Rolls on Sauce Bechamal.

Imma at Caffeine for 2 brought Cinnamon "Angelica"

Deeba at Passionate about Baking brought Coffee Chocolate Panna Cotta.

Wandering Chopsticks brought Penne with "Italian Sausage" and Fennel.

Kitchenetta at Got No Milk brought Peasant Polenta Pie.

Lisa at Food and Spice brought Cannellini Bean Soup with Fontina Gremolata.

Mansi Desai at Fun and Food brought Baked Rigatoni with Homemade Garlic-Basil Tomato Sauce.

Saralynn at Happy Baker brought Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, sorry a photo wasn't included.

Sandi at Whistle Stop Cafe Cooking brought Tiramisu

Psychgrad of Equal Opportunity Kitchen brought Calzones

And finally my addition was my Braciole

I want to thank my dear friend Maryann, who hosted this event with me, it was so much fun to do it together! Please go over to her blog, Finding La Dolce Vita, to view the other half of these amazing dishes that were brought to the "Festa" If we goofed and missed your dish please let us know right away, we don't want to forget anybody!

Thanks again, each and everyone of you!!!!