enjoying the FOOD Italian-style

Mmmmmm the food and treats in Italy :D

I have about 3 months left in Italy... I'm going to miss breakfasts like this one!!!!

My mom will like this one! Focaccia bread with green olives!

This was my breakfast one day at school:

On a recent Sunday morning, I enjoyed a muffin and caffe latte with a book about careers:

Third-grade twins from China brought me a moon cake for the Chinese Lunar New Year!

This was reminiscent of my time in Vietnam when they also celebrated the New Year with moon cakes : )

Hoooooomade tiramisu by an Italian! Perfetto!

Our Help Desk Manager made tiramisu for a staff member's birthday:

I love walking through the markets here. The colorful fruits look great here:

lunch for 20 ...totally normal

Angela and I lounged and people-watched on the beach for the morning of our first full day in Alba Adriatica.

Then we headed to Jacqueline and Giacomo's house for lunch. We showed up and found a table set for 20 people! - TWENTY!

Lunch was AWESOME. The courses kept coming from the kitchen. I appreciated Giacomo warning me that after the rabbit, there was also going to be cutlets and olive ascolane (stuffed olives) - a specialty from this area and one of my (and my family's!) favorites.

Before the meat courses, however, was the timballo. Mmmmmm. Similar to lasagna but, again, a specialty of Abruzzo - timballo is made with egg noodles and seems lighter than lasagna... not as much cheese but absolutely deeeelicious.

Timballo: 

A moment caught... Angela and I each laughing/smiling at different things.

What a GREAT experience!

Giacomo with the rabbit(s)...

Just a normal family lunch in Italy!

And, of course, ending the meal with homemade tiramisu!

...who's the pig? Denver, CO

We have a family tradition at the dinner table...

Someone begins the game by putting their index finger on the side of their nose.

Everyone else at the dinner table must do so as well, as soon as they notice that the game has begun.

The last person to notice and put their finger on their nose... is the PIG.

Why?...

...Because they were too interested in their food... and too busy eating to notice the game going on all around them!

So... of course we played at the reception of Lenny and Lexey's wedding  : P

And THEN... let there be tiramisu! Mmmmm...