| One of the most rewarding aspects of creating this web site and writing these blogs has been watching the growth of the subscriber list for this site. To all of you who have subscribed, “Thank you! I sincerely appreciate your interest and support.” [NOTE: The subscriber list to which I have access contains only e-mail addresses – no names. So unless your e-mail address contains your full name, your anonymity (to me) is preserved.] [Another Note: If you are reading this and have not yet subscribed, I urge you to consider doing so. Subscribing is easy and simply means you will receive an e-mail whenever a new blog is posted – about 12 to 15 times a year. Subscribing is a three-part process. You first enter your e-mail address in the Subscribe box on either the Home or Blogs page. Second, you enter the squiggly code that appears in the pop-up window to “prove you are not a computer” and to please the Google folks who run this service. Third, you must return an e-mail that will be sent to you automatically confirming that it is actually you doing the subscribing. Unfortunately, this verification e-mail sometimes is directed to your junk mailbox, so if you don’t see it in your inbox within a minute or two, look for it with your junk mail.] Some of you have been reading my blogs from the beginning, while many others have come aboard more recently and perhaps have read only the last few posts. Either is okay, of course, and I certainly would not expect anyone to go back and read them all. Even I would have difficulty doing that! On the other hand, there are several topics covered in some of the earliest blogs that I consider important to understanding what I am attempting to achieve with this site, and why I think my choices of recipes and ingredients are worth sharing in this way. So, mostly to satisfy my desire to communicate all this to as many of you as possible, I have created a new web page I am calling Blog History. The link to the Blog History page now appears in the green banner near the top of every page. The Blog History page contains a chronological list of active links to all the blogs posted on this site since its inception in January 2014, together with a brief description of each blog's primary subject. Oh, and there are some of my favorite pictures to further tempt you to read on!! Most important, I have identified six blogs that best explain my motives, intentions, biases, and overall attitudes toward cooking – especially Italian cooking. If you have not read the early blogs, I recommend that you read at least these six. (They are identified on the Blog History page with three preceding asterisks.) I should also mention that while I think the others also are worth reading, I realize many of them contain information that may not be of equal interest to everyone. Whether or not you read those is, of course, your choice. |  Bellini made with fresh Michigan peaches.  Wood-fired Mushroom Pizza with Béchamel Sauce.  Tiramisu. |
I should also mention the SEARCH option again for the benefit of new readers. There is a SEARCH window on the Home and Recipes pages, as well as all Blog pages. You must enter at least one full word and then click the Search icon (the magnifying glass at the right), or just hit enter. That will generate a list of every page on the site that contains your Search word – with links to the full recipes and blogs. To search on a phrase (e.g., Romano cheese), you must enclose the multiple words in quotation marks (e.g., “Romano cheese”). It is a quick and easy way to find recipes or other information about a particular subject.
And finally, no blog would be complete without mentioning at least one newly posted recipe. This month I have three – all requested by subscribers!
The Bellini is a famous Italian cocktail invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice and popularized by Ernest Hemingway, who gained fame by reportedly imbibing several of them. Harry’s Bar makes them with Prosecco and white peaches. I use Prosecco, fresh Michigan peaches, and grenadine, but any peach will do.
Pizza parties are a frequent occurrence at our house and we are always looking for new ideas. We try various combinations of sauces and toppings and then repeat whatever seems to elicit the best responses. The Mushroom Pizza with Béchamel Sauce was an instant hit and is now one of our standard offerings.
The Tiramisu recipe has been in my collection for years, but didn’t make it to this site until I was requested to post it. There are several ways to prepare Tiramisu, but I prefer to make it using savoiardi (Italian lady fingers), mascarpone cheese, eggs, espresso, Marsala wine, and shaved chocolate. Anything with those ingredients is delicious by definition!
I hope you have an opportunity to try them soon.
Buon appetito.
P.S. I am always open to suggestions for improvement, from all readers, subscribers or not. If you see that something is incorrect, or confusing, or missing, please do not hesitate to add a Comment or two. The Comment box appears at the bottom of all blogs. Thanks.
And finally, no blog would be complete without mentioning at least one newly posted recipe. This month I have three – all requested by subscribers!
The Bellini is a famous Italian cocktail invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice and popularized by Ernest Hemingway, who gained fame by reportedly imbibing several of them. Harry’s Bar makes them with Prosecco and white peaches. I use Prosecco, fresh Michigan peaches, and grenadine, but any peach will do.
Pizza parties are a frequent occurrence at our house and we are always looking for new ideas. We try various combinations of sauces and toppings and then repeat whatever seems to elicit the best responses. The Mushroom Pizza with Béchamel Sauce was an instant hit and is now one of our standard offerings.
The Tiramisu recipe has been in my collection for years, but didn’t make it to this site until I was requested to post it. There are several ways to prepare Tiramisu, but I prefer to make it using savoiardi (Italian lady fingers), mascarpone cheese, eggs, espresso, Marsala wine, and shaved chocolate. Anything with those ingredients is delicious by definition!
I hope you have an opportunity to try them soon.
Buon appetito.
P.S. I am always open to suggestions for improvement, from all readers, subscribers or not. If you see that something is incorrect, or confusing, or missing, please do not hesitate to add a Comment or two. The Comment box appears at the bottom of all blogs. Thanks.