Friday, July 31, 2009

Fresh Eggs

Talk about fresh, you can see chicken feathers still stuck to a few eggs!
(Note: These eggs were purchased in a supermarket.)
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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Campari Cosmo

I have a new favorite cocktail that I'd like to share with you, it's called a Campari Cosmo. The recipe is as follows:
2 parts vodka
1 part Campari
1 part orange juice
Generous splash of triple sec
Shake with ice and serve chilled.
The only hitch for me here in Italy is that I have yet to locate a store where I can score a bottle of triple sec. Diligent as I am, I do have a small supply I brought with me for kicking margaritas up a notch, but it's getting very low. (Big hint.)
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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Recent Guest

I almost had a heart attack when I came face to face with this toad in my garden! And I do mean literally "face to face".  My gardening table is almost at eye level.  I keep a tray with water in it, sottovaso, to keep hydrated the plants I've purchased that are waiting to be put into larger pots.  Imagine my surprise to find this guy snuggled in between the pots when I was filling it with water!  Here's a thought, maybe I should kiss it and see if it turns into a handsome prince! On second thought, I'm not that desperate -- yet.
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Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Language Barrier

I was returning home from garden shopping with my dear friend and neighbor Uli when we both noticed a young girl walking on the side of the road rather enthusiastically shaking her hips back and forth as she walked, enhanced by something written on her pants across her derriere. I laughed and said "Can I get some fries to go with that shake?" Uli looked at me sideways, which is not uncommon, and I tried to explain in Italian what I had just said in English. Thanks to the infiltration of the McDonald's food chain in Europe, it was easy to explain the shake part. Unfortunately, the whole thing just didn't translate. Oh well. We stopped the car a little farther up at the local bar and together enjoyed a prosecco with Campari. A good cocktail, a universal language.
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