Yes we have said adieu to summer, there is a slight nip in the air, & I love it. My yard looks bathed, happy & fresh. Finally it is sinking in that Fall is here. The tomatoes are growing, so are the bell peppers & hot peppers & other little things.
Ladenia is a local taste of Kimolos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea; “volcanic, mountainous island with white cliffs and roads is a perfect getaway for those who want some peace and quiet…. The food served on Kimolos is traditional Greek. You’ll find the taverns in Chora or the harbour, and the island’s speciality is a kind of pizza called Ladenia“.”Lathenia” (also called Ladenia) is Greek word for Pizza. Ladenia is like a pizza but without cheese, more like a bread dough topped with fresh tomatoes, onions, and olive oil”(from which it gets its name: “ladi” means “oil” in Greek)”, and baked until the edges are crunchy from the olive oil and the onions caramelized.
A local street food of Italy, in the Liguria Region, Farinata is definitely a comfort food that feeds your soul too. It is thicker than a crepe, thinner than a pancake, more like a thin crust pizza base & can be eaten like a pizza – plain, stuffed or topped. Very similar to the Indian Lentil Crepes like Chillas & Adais, Farinata is a GLUTEN FREE delight, made of chickpea flour.
Pasta meals are easy, quick & easily adaptable the way we want & with whatever we have at hand. Pasta, esp. spaghetti please my kids very easily & have become a thing to turn to quite often during the weeknights. I never buy store bought pasta sauce. It might take me extra 10 -15 minutes to make the sauce at home, but it is really worth it. The best thing about pasta is that they can be the delish all inclusive one pot meals, which means I do not have to cook anything else, other than may be a side salad.
Update: (June 13th, 2009) – This was one of the winner recipes in the Pasta Sauce contest sponsored by Foodbuzz & Buitoni! (Read about it).
Thanks to the Foodbuzz’s Tastemaker program that I got these awesome Buitoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti delivered to me. These are “generously filled with fresh portobello & crimini mushrooms, imported Grana Padana & Parmesan Cheeses & fresh roasted garlic.” Actually I cannot wait to buy more of these! I am not usually a big fan of filled pastas, but this did beat anything around. These were just delightful, bursting with the earthy tones of mushrooms & garlic. The mushrooms & the roasted garlic were really some serious business here, & unbelievably delicious. I could just eat them boiled.
My two girls are growing up too fast. One turns 8 next week, the other one is still our 3 year old “baby”. I feel I am still not ready to let go of the world of fairies & princess. It is a kind of cocoon, a shelter to be living in this bliss. All the notes to the tooth fairy have been carefully tucked away ( the “tooth fairy” sometimes forgets to take her tooth, but leaves the gift.. so it is not a fair deal…)..
Okonomiyaki means “whatever you like, grilled” in Japanese (Okonomi means “what you like” or “what you want”, and yaki means “grilled” or “cooked”). It is an interesting combination of frittata, a savory pancake & a pizza. The first time I came across Okonomiyaki is in 101 Cookbooks. Reading thru’ Heidi’s post, I found it really interesting & the different ways the recipe may be adapted, even when making at home.
A phone conversation, & a Home Delivery gone wrong…
It’s Friday evening…After pulling thru’ the 5 long weekdays, it’s finally here. Chilled Beer (lemonade for kids) & an evening out with friends in a local pizzeria is one option, the other one being having a quiet family time with a pizza home delivery. So one of these Fridays we opted on having that Oh! so precious (Quiet? no way!) family time & some thought of “custom pizza”.
I put the beer cans in the refrigerator, hubby goes up to pick a movie which we hope we can all enjoy together (mind it we have kids), & I pick up the phone and dial the number while I fish out the Pizza Coupon… here starts the drama-If you are like us ( “Picky Pizza People”) you would know what I am talking about.
It’s time for HHDD #26!
First I started reading Meeta’s post with curiosity, then I was in for some surprise, later came the total disbelief when I saw my name was up there along with an excerpt of my email to Meeta. She had sent me a sweet email too, but I happened to be in her blog even before I saw her mail. My entry to HHDD #25 – Shrimp Satay – Grilling with Almond Satay Sauce was the overall winner! There were awesome entries in both the sweet & savory categories, & my humble thanks to all those liked mine. After the initial few seconds of thrill of the win wore off, & I realized that I have to host HHDD #26, the nervousness & intimidation kicked in, for during these few months of blogging I have never even given any thought about hosting an event. But I am sure with all your support I will make this happen:-)
[I am sending a Big Bag of Thanks to Bron, who guided me though this "apparently" simple task of posting this announcement for HHDD #26.]
It is a hilarious time on the dining table when the little children are eating spaghetti. Funny & messy too, but once in a while I let my kids have that messy time while they eat, for they do enjoy the spaghetti while they are having fun. Those long unmanageable strings hanging down from the fork & then from their mouth and the intentionally “ZOOOOP”, when they all disappear inside at one shot behind that gleeful smile. For some reason when it is spaghetti, they always want to feed themselves. The twinkling mischievious looks, the sauce studded mouth & a full tummy.. well it is worth it.
