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Freddo e Felice

4 Dec

It has officially turned winter here.  We woke up on Sunday to below zero temperatures.  Okay, it was only -1 but it felt like -100 to me.  The cold permeates my body to the core of my bones.  I can’t seem to get warm from about mid-November until about mid-March.  I’m a sorry excuse for a Canadian.  The Italians can’t believe it when they hear me talking about how cold it is here.  They imagine all Canadians to be hardy, sturdy, cold-loving people.  Not me.  Nope, not in the least.

Despite the cold temps we decided to go out for a walk in the local woods on Sunday morning.  None of us were really in the mood to change out of our pajamas and venture outside but the promise of buying a Christmas tree at the end of the walk was motivation enough to get us out.  The day was clear and sunny and absolutely gorgeous.

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This was the view from our walk in the woods.  Castle, lake, medievil church and mountains in the background.  Even after living here for over a decade I’m still in awe at the scenery that surrounds us.

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Those kids who whined and complained about leaving the house ended up happily exploring the forest and lakeside for hours.

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After carefully picking out our Christmas tree we headed home and started to decorate it in front of the fire.

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And since we were in the Christmas decorating mood I decided to pull out my newly purchased felted acorns.  A talented friend of mine makes them and I love them so so much.  The kids found some branches in the woods which we spray painted white.  We then just simply put them in a vase and hung the little acorns.  Very simple but so lovely.

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Slowly we’re getting into the swing of the holidays.  Lots of baking and sewing in the weeks ahead!

1-IMG_4240And to top off our first winter-y day we enjoyed our first melograno of the season.  Delicious.

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Dutch Surprise

29 Nov

It’s that Sinterklaas time of year again.  I have three really excited children in the house who have been busy writing letters and making drawings to send to the Sint (even my two oldest who don’t believe anymore).

Last week Sinterklaas arrived by boat on Lago Maggiore.  There were hundreds of little Dutch speaking kids (and a few locals as well) that got to shake his hand and fool around with the Zwarte Pieten who handed out the traditional pepernoten and candies.  The parents got to drink hot mulled wine and eat thick pea soup to keep warm while the kids ran around in a Sinterklaas frenzy.

And now the kids have to wait until the 6th of December for him to come and leave gifts and lots of chocolate.  It’s the favorite day of the year for all Dutch speaking children.

Another tradition that the Dutch have at this time of year is called “surprise” (pronounced sur-preeze).  People buy a gift for someone and then write a poem and wrap up the gift in creative ways.  The person receiving the gift has to guess who it’s from.  It’s a lovely tradition that has so much more meaning than just buying a gift and giving it.  My kids are all doing it in their classes in school so they have been busy crafting elaborate ways to wrap their gifts.

One of my daughter’s picked her sister’s name out of the hat (for the second year in a row).  She decided she wanted to make a working piano out of a shoe box to hide her gift in (a puzzle).

It was an elaborate design that included bells and corks and wooden skewers.  And surprisingly enough it works!  All three keys.

My other daughter picked one of her best friend’s name out of the hat.  She knew right away that she wanted to make a jumbo sized paper cupcake.  She hid lots of cupcake related gifts inside.

We used cotton batting for the “frosting” and decorated with a fabric cherry and paper sprinkles.  The whole top lifts off like a lid.  Very sweet.

And last but not least my son picked a classmate who he plays basketball with.  So a papier mache basketball was a must. He left a little hole in one end so he could fit a little stuffed monkey inside.

And the part I love the most is the poem you write about the person you’re giving it to.  It is usually quite funny and full of little jokes and compliments about them.  I think these little notes are kept for many years afterwards.

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Julmarknad

26 Nov

This past week-end I participated in a Swedish Christmas Market in Milan.  I’ve been busy sewing and crafting for the last few months getting ready for this famous market that happens every two years.  I may not be Swedish (although I apparently look it)  but I really loved being in the middle of this fantastic market filled with Scandinavians of every kind and interested locals.

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Photo source

The market was located in a beautiful old palazzo called Palazzina Liberty which is situated in the middle of a park not too far from the centre of the city. From what I hear a few thousand people made their way to the Julmarknad to take a look at the Swedish food stalls, crafts and watch some typical Swedish Christmas traditions.

I made children’s smocks, camera straps, felt garlands, button earrings, button hair elastics, button magnets, reversable head bands and Christmas balls (Jill style).  It was colourful to say the least.

Surprisingly enough the camera straps were a hit!  At first nobody understood what they were for because I had written the sign in English (anyone know how to say camera strap cover in Italian?).  By the end of the day I saw a few ladies proudly walking around wearing their new straps.  I was proud!

My new goal is to bring the smock back into fashion.   I know they are a little old-school but there is nothing cuter than a little girl in a pretty smock.  Join the movement to bring the smock back (I take personal orders!).

Overall a very fun day where I got to meet some great new people, buy some lovely Christmas gifts (more about those in a few days) and share my passion for colourful handmade goods with the people of Milan.  Can’t wait for the next one in 2014.

Oh and this extremely tall and talented accordion player is reason enough to visit.  This guy is amazing.  And he’s wearing knickerbockers.  What more could you want?

 

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2 Nov

It has been a crazy busy few weeks.  We’ve had guests, parties, trips, root canals (ouch) and a lot of movie-making.  To say I’m exhausted would be an understatement.  Oh and to top it off I’ve been off sugar for two weeks as well.  I’d like to tell you that I feel so much healthier and full of energy but I’m going to be honest; I’ve been a sugar craving basket case.  The stuff is worse than crack my friends.  It’s going to get easier, right?

Here are a few images of the past days.

Making pizza box skeletons to decorate the yard for Halloween.  In mad scientist clothing of course.

Choppy lake and snow covered mountains.  In October?  Not a good sign.

130 trick-or-treaters and a house full of friends celebrating makes the perfect Halloween.

Beach walk.

Multi-coloured leaf collection.

Arona on a sunny day.

Enjoy your week-end!

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Naviglio

11 Oct

Last week-end the weather was beautiful, the kids were keen and our bike wheels were full of air so we decided to do a beautiful bike ride along the Canals of Navigli.  The Navigli Canals run from the north all the way down into the city of Milan.

We started our ride in the small town of Nosate which is about a 30 minute drive from our house. We loaded all five bikes in and on our cars and off we went.

We started off on our bike ride mid-morning and cycled a few hours before stopping for a picnic on the lawns of the Villa Gaia in the town of Robecco Sul Naviglio.

The car-free cycle paths are beautifully maintained and wind along the canals through lush forested areas.  We were lucky with perfect warm weather and blue skies (without any mosquitoes!).

Every so often you have to cycle through an old town many of which have quaint little restaurants and bars in which you can stop to eat or have a drink.

Along the canals you come across many of these old abandoned Renaissance villas.  Who on earth abandons a mansion such as this?

It’s possible to ride along the canals from Lago Maggiore (Sesto Calende) all the way into Milan.  This time we managed a little more than 40 km but we hope to do the entire ride into Milan next year.

I really do live in a beautiful place.

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Bits and Bobs

1 Oct

I’m in a state of shock that it’s already October.  Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was lazing at the lake in 40 degree heat with the kids?  Or popping by the local gelateria two times a day for ice cream?  Or picking beautiful tomatoes from my lush and over-growing veggie patch?

But I do so love the fall as well.  I love the golden autumn light in the late afternoon.  I love seeing old men in tweed hats with baskets scouring the woods for funghi.  I love digging out the wool sweaters and leather boots.  I love the smell of roasting chestnuts.  And I really love the fact that the mosquitoes will soon all be dead and leave us in peace for a few months.

Here are a few shots of our September:

Our yearly visit to La Festa Della Zucca (Pumpkin Festival)

Care package.

I’m so happy my daughters didn’t inherit my intense fear of touching bugs of any kind.Listening to scary stories around the bonfire with their ears plugged.  All three of them!

Cupcakes.  Or as the locals say “cap-keeks”.

Walk to the lake on a warm and sunny September Sunday.

Delicious savory mini pretzel buns.  Recipe to follow soon.

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Gnocco Fritto

20 Sep

This past week-end the parents of an Italian friend of ours invited us to their annual end of summer party.  It’s an occasion for the extended family and friends to get together before winter starts and it, of course, revolved around food.  But not just any food.  Aunts and cousins from the Emilia-Romagna area of Italy came up to prepare the famous gnocco fritto.

Gnocco fritto is a fried dough that is served with cold sliced meats and cheeses.  They are absolutely delicious.  And addictive.  And rich.  Imagine eating a piece of fried dough with cheese and pancetta on top?  I managed to scoff down a good 4 or 5 but I did see some people who were closer to 20.  I’m surprised I didn’t see some of them passed out under the various fruit trees by the end of the afternoon (especially since there were many bottle of Lambrusco consumed as well).

These ladies started preparing the pasta early in the morning and worked straight through to late afternoon frying up pan after pan of these light and crispy gnocco.

My dainty daughters who have miniature sized stomachs managed to eat 1 1/2 gnocco.  This is Nico eating his 8th (and they wonder why their little brother who is 2 years younger weighs more than them!).

I took along some mini cupcakes.  The Italians thought they were the sweetest looking cakes they’d ever seen.  I’m pretty sure only my kids actually ate them though.  I saw many of the Italians eating the gnocco fritto with fruit salad on top for dessert.  They told me it “cleaned the gnocco out of their system”.

The party took place in a lovely field with fruit trees of every kind.  And 6 alpacas staring us from the other side of a fence.  I think they were probably thrown at least one gnocco fritto during the party.

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Montagna e Citta

20 Aug

This past week-end was definitely the hottest of the entire summer so far.  It was pushing 40 degrees, humid and the type of weather that makes me want to laze on the couch all day with a fan blowing in my face.   But surprisingly enough the heat didn’t stop us from getting out and exploring our local surroundings.  We are so fortunate to have so many beautiful spots within such a short drive from our home.

This week-end we decided to do one day of nature (less than an hour drive to our north) and one day of city and culture (less than an hour drive to our south).  Besides the heat, being stuck for four hours in traffic due to a cycling race in a small town and the last day of my son’s flu, it was an absolutely lovely week-end.

Bright and early on Saturday morning we headed out to the local mountains for a hike in the woods.  We arrived in Maccagno, a small town near the Swiss border on Lago Maggiore, and started our ascent by car up the narrow winding roads to the start destination for our hike.  After about 20 minutes we arrived, some of us a slight shade of green, and ready for some fresh mountain air.

We hiked out in the open sun for about half an hour before reaching the nice refreshingly cool forest.  We then had about an hour and a half walk up towards Passo Focora where we enjoyed the views of the mountains and lake and ate a very heavy “mountain meal” consisting of local cheeses and polenta with deer stew (to the horror of our kids, “You’re eating bambi?”).

Rusty rest spot in the middle of the woods

We then returned down the mountain to our car that was sitting in the 38 degree sun and rushed (as much as you can down those mountain roads) to the lake for a nice cool swim.

After such a wonderful day in nature we decided to head to Milan on Sunday for some culture and our usual Chinatown visit and meal.  When we arrived in Milan it was an absolute ghost town.  The streets were empty of people and cars.  Apparently everyone flees the city in August due to the construction holidays and the oppressing heat and humidity.

We decided to check out our favorite photography museum (Forma) to see two really beautiful exhibits.  One was from Saul Letier and included many photographs of every day life from New York in the 50’s  and the other was a collection of photos of gypsy families from Romania and Slovakia by Josef Koudelka.  We really enjoyed both exhibits and would recommend anyone living in or near Milan to go check them out.

After the museum we made our way to Chinatown for a quick shop in the Chinese grocery stores and some lunch at our favorite Chinese restautant.  On our return home we, of course, headed to the lake for an early evening dip and cool off.

Overall a pretty perfect week-end.

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Signs of Summer

3 Jun

The warm weather has officially arrived  over here in Northern Italy and we’ve been very busy enjoying all the the activities and things that come with it.  Seeds have been sown, the treehouse has been installed, stone pathways amongst the vegetable patches laid, the citronella candles and torches dug out and my beloved tuquoise weber dusted off and placed in it’s home for the summer (outside my kitchen door).  Spirits are high around here.
My 50 year old rose plants that are found all over my garden are in full bloom and absolutely lovely.   This vase is actually a peach juice can that I (insisted) on bringing back from a vending machine in Japan.  The colours are so soft and romantic – perfect to display a rose or two.

The weather is finally nice enough to sit in the garden with a glass of iced tea and a favorite cookbook.  This is one of my favorite things about summer.  

My first batch of lettuce is ready to be eaten.  Five different kinds and enough to feed the entire town where I live.  And the plants that the escaped chickens enjoyed a few weeks ago have miraculously grown back.
Time of year to invite friends over to hang out and eat in the garden surrounded by millions of our mosquito friends.  There is a lot of laughing, chatting and slapping (mosquitos) done on these occasions. Get recipe for these most delicious mini brownies here.

It is the season to make many beverages.  Limeade, lemonade, homemade orangina and raspberry squash.
Kids had their first lemonade stand this week.  The locals still don’t really know how to deal with the whole thing.  They stop and say “che bello”, give some money then head off without any lemonade.  One guy even told them they should be selling wine instead.  Nico thought it was a really good idea.

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