The Daily Bite: Daddy’s Favorite

Yes, my dear old man…today is your first Father’s Day. If it didn’t hit you already that you have a son…well, today shall be the day you finally get a kick in the balls!

You will get your first Hallmark card with some cute (and super silly) daddy poem and Luca and I will cook your favorite dinner. No honey, no burgers, hot dogs or pizza.

Today you will use any little excuse to have a drink...and it’s ok, you deserve it.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

My husband loves my mussels recipe…so this is what he’s getting for dinner tonight. This is one of the best recipes you will ever taste, because of the crunchy bread, the overdose of garlic and the juiciness of the tomatoes. If you try it, I would love to hear your comments…so please drop me a line!

Zuppa di Cozze

Servings: 4

3 lbs. of mussels
12 oz. of ripe vine tomatoes
Splash of dry white wine
Baguette
Fresh parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Wash the mussels under fresh water, clean them and pull away any pieces of protruding beard. In a medium pot, warm up 2 tablespoons of oil and let the mussels open up.
Start placing the open mussels in a large 3 inch deep serving plate.
Filter the cooking juices, add a little splash of dry white wine to taste and set aside.
Prepare the sauce by warming up 3 tablespoons of oil and 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces and add them to the oil and the garlic. When they become tender, add the mussels juice and a tablespoon of chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper (usually you need to add a generous amount of pepper, since it will give the sauce a wonderful flavor and it will taste great with the mussels) and pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve right away with some slices of toasted bread.

Toasted bread:

I like to prepare a nice bruschetta bread to enjoy with the mussels. I usually buy a whole baguette, slice it sideways so that the slices are a bit longer and thicker. Toast the bread in the oven for a few minutes and when it’s done rub it with some garlic and a few drops of olive oil. When the sauce from the mussels will soak into the bread you will taste an incredible combination of different flavors.
The best wine to pair with this dish is definitely a white, young and dry Pinot Grigio.

Buon Appetito!

Daily Classifieds

POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa


JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an,
often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent
communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable
hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour
shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments
in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier
duties also required.


RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least
temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue
repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and
be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this
time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small
gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must
screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of
multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize
social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be
willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must
handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap,
plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the
best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete
accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also
include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.


POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without
complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that
those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.


PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a
continually exhausting basis.


WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon
payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college
will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give
them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme
is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.


BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition
reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this
job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs
for life if you play your cards right.

Please help me forget…

Today my little man turned 8 months. His birthday present was a visit to the pediatrician for his bi-monthly check-up, a shot, a blood test and a-so-close-it-scared-the-crap-out-of-me-visit-to-the-ER.
Yes…you got it right…ER.

This is how it went:

Cool Mama: “La…la...la… off we go to the doc, Luca. I know honey it sucks that you have to get a shot on your birthday. Mommy tried to change the appointment, but there was nothing available for next week. Don’t worry, we will be so fast…you won’t even feel it!”.

Luca: “What are you talking about, you crazy lady. Of course I will feel it, I’m gonna have a needle in my leg…you wacko!”

Little we knew that included in the today’s visit there was also a blood test. I can still hear him screaming his lungs out, while the doc was poking his finger.
After a few minutes of hysterical wailing he finally calmed down and off we go, ready to make our way back home.

My husband and I were so busy calming Luca down that we didn’t really pay attention to the doc warning of keeping an eye on Luca’s band-aid. Yes, he had a little band-aid on the finger where the blood was drawn and I remember a little tickle in my ear…similar to the doc’s voice, telling us: “Keep the strip on for a little bit and make sure he doesn’t swallow it…swallow it…swallow it (this is the echo in my brain!)”. Well…you just go ahead and guess what happened?

Yep…we were strolling back home when all of a sudden I hear Luca coughing and gagging.... I knew he had swallowed the band-aid.
I started panicking. I mean, REALLY panicking. My little man needed help right away. So while my husband was frantically trying to get it out, I dialed 911.
I did my best to stay calm, but tears were coming down and for the first time I was really scared for his life.

The operator was asking way to many questions and I almost lost it…my baby was choking for God’s sake…help!
She wanted to know if he had foam around his mouth and if he was blue. I almost fainted when I saw a little foamed saliva coming out of his mouth…that was it. I felt like somebody was stabbing me in the chest over and over and over.

Then…the miracle happened. He started crying and I knew he was ok. My little hero was trying to tell me that I didn’t have to worry about him and that he would never leave me.
His beautiful face was drenched with tears, but he still managed to smile at me.

Unfortunately, I will never forget this day. I had failed to protect him and it’s the worst feeling in the whole world. I had failed as a mother and I fear he’ll never forgive me.

Later the pediatrician told me not to worry. That this happens all the time and that he will poop it out tomorrow. Still. I should have been more careful.

Please forgive me, my little angel and may God watch over you forever and ever.

Breakfast in bed…anyone?

I don’t know why, but I always thought that having a baby entailed spending every night wide awake trying to console the little insomniac and being a total messy-sleep-deprived-nutcase during the day. While your little one is peacefully sleeping, of course.

During my last month of pregnancy, I tried to prepare myself, physically and mentally to waking up at the wee hours (ok…maybe not so much physically, but more mentally!)and pictured myself getting ready to take the baby out for a walk at 6 am.

The problem is that anybody who knows me or who has ever met me, would simply dying laughing at the thought of mee? Waking up at what time? To take who out? Yeah…that’s how much I LOVE to sleep.

Luckily, I have to admit, I never had to deal with this, since my little one is usually out cold by 9 pm and doesn’t wink until 12 hours later. When he finally wakes up, he has a little breakfast, plays around for another hour or so and then is out cold again for his morning nappy. So basically, we are never out of the house before 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

DON’T GET ME WRONG...I’m loving it (and sorry for the little brag), but I feel like sleep wise my life hasn’t changed, thank God! There are the occasional cries in the middle of the night when he’s having those famous “night terrors” (what are those anyway? Is he crying because he’s dreaming of a little monkey swinging on top of his head? Or is it a giant cat, scaring the bejesus out of him?) or when he pooped his pants…but that’s about it.

Alright, great...now I officially jinx it and I will spend the rest of my life living like a zombie, with chronic dark circles under my eyes and hooked on crack cocaine.

Well…at least I'll be skinny!

Daily Cool Pill: For the occasional dark circles, due to a long night out, where you had waaay too many drinks and you ended up at that place…what’s the name of that bar that you like so much? Er…ooohh…sorry, that was my previous life!
I was saying…for those occasional dark circles, due to the stress of motherhood, try the Yves Saint Laurent Radiant Touch Concealer. It’s very light on your skin, without the cakey texture of a heavy concealer and brightens up your skin at the same time. I love it!

Gotta love a good bargain...

A man walks into a toy store to get a Barbie doll for his daughter’s birthday. So he asks the assistant: "How much is Barbie?"

"Well," she says, "we have Barbie Goes to the Gym for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Ball for $19.95, Barbie Goes Shopping for $19.95, Barbie Goes to the Beach for $19.95, Barbie Goes Nightclubbing for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $265.00."

"Hey, hang on," the guy asks, "why is Divorced Barbie $265.00 when all the others are only $19.95?"

"Yeah, well, you see ... Divorced Barbie comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, Ken's boat, Ken's furniture….and Ken's best friend!

Honey, hold the baby while I puke some more

Today is not a good day. I feel really yucky…like, you know that bad-stomach-belly-pain-that-makes-you-believe-you-have-a-bug-or-the-flu-but-you-are-not-really-sure-so-you-blame-it-on-something-you-ate? Yes, that one!
No, no…calm down… I’m not pregnant. Unless, the invisible man took me in my sleep.
Naaaah, impossible!

Anyway…feeling really sluggish today and don’t have the energy to tell you all the good stuff I had in mind.
Gotta run to the bathroom…again. Yeah…I think you got the picture.

Sayonara!

The Daily Bite: Il Panino del Contadino

(The Farmer’s Sandwich)

I decided to post this recipe after reading one of my favorite food blog called: Il Cavoletto di Bruxelles.

Due to my recent obsession with food blogs, I wanted to share with you this very simple and incredibly tasty panino recipe.
The sweet flavor of the mortadella combined with the saltiness of the ricotta salata and the tanginess of the peppers make for the ultimate gourmand’s experience.

So here it goes:

In a small cup marinade some roasted red and yellow peppers that you can buy already prepared in a can (I like to make my own...but that's another story, or better, another recipe!). Cut them in thin slices and let them marinade in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper (I usually prefer black pepper, but you can also add red pepper flakes for the extra kick!). Add about 1 quarter cup of balsamic vinegar and let it sit for half an hour.

Cut 2 slices of Tuscan bread (or sourdough, if you prefer). Place some mortadella on the bottom, top it with a couple of slices of ricotta salata (salted ricotta). This is usually firmer then the regular fresh ricotta and I usually prefer the soft type (aged 6 months) to the harder one (aged 9 months).

If you are in the mood for a fresher and lighter taste, mozzarella can be used as well, instead of the ricotta.

Spread the peppers on top of the ricotta adding some of the vinegar and oil mixture.
You can either warm up your “beautiful creation” on the panini press or you can simply toast the bread in advance.

Bon appetito, Sigrid!
…..e famme sape’ se tte’ piaciuto!