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Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

International Market in Arezzo, Italy

November 1, 2017 by Mary 6 Comments

Arezzo International market - spices for sale.

All the beautiful colors, all the beautiful spices!!

Two weekends ago was the International Market in Arezzo, Italy, where I am currently living. My very good friend Tiziana, was supposed to meet me for an aperitivo, but she was not feeling well so I was by myself and then ventured through the market.

I have to tell you about the aperitivos that are offered here. You order a drink such as a decent martini, as long as you explain it correctly that you want a gin martini cocktail instead of Martini brand bianco poured straight into a glass with some olives, and that’s um, bad straight white vermouth to us Americans – total yuck – for a martini.

So, anyway, now I’ve got this place that knows me and they’ve got it down pat, (so nice!), and for 4.50 Euros, you get a drink and then 3 small plates of salted peanuts, potato chips, and green olives, PLUS a buffet of cheeses, bread, roasted peppers, a pizza-like thing and sometimes roasted zucchini and eggplant – my favorites! I think this whole thing is AWESOME vs. 15 – 20 dollars for a martini in NYC, with not even a single peanut to boot!

So I’m walking down the streets of the International Market with nothing enticing me to buy or eat. I maybe could have stopped to have had a beer someplace and tried to meet some people but I had to drive home and I already had that one martini by myself so I did not want to do that. Then, this person on the street grabs my arm and says, “I know you!” and I’m like, “No you don’t. Nobody knows me here.” (except for my lovely 12 friends and NO ONE else and she wasn’t one of them) But no, she insisted, “I know you, I know I know you,” she said flaying her arms, very surreal. And I was like, Ok, maybe… and then she says, “From the winery!” Where I live in San Fabiano, at the cantina, she did write up my order…

It was so sweet of her and I was finally so sweet back. I may look normal on the outside but I am not, since Steve has passed.

I am really messed up In my brain and just with everything, I am so, so sad. Writing this now with tears streaming down my face, I’ve learned that it’s much easier to cry in the shower.

My whole life has changed and yes now, I am living in beautiful Tuscany with amazing friends, but I so miss Steve and I am so sad.

So for now, I just want to share with you some pictures from the International Market. Italians are very interesting. First of all, there were amazingly few “international” booths and when I was there, they were completely empty!

The Swiss and Tunisian booth had no one, the Russian booth had some activity with the vodka as well as the Spanish booth with paella. Potato chips were a hit in the German booth. My friend Cristina enjoyed the New York Pastrami booth, complete with Heinz mustard, the next day. But the most active booths were the prosecco, porchetta, salumi and cheese booths – all Italian!

Here are some pics to enjoy.

Arezzo International Market - one big paella pan.

This is one HUGE paella pan!!!

Arezzo International Market-loving potato chips

Italians LOVE potato chips and isn’t it neat how they get them on these spears?!

 

Arezzo International Market - the delicious porchetta.

Ahhh – the DELICIOUS porchetta along with the pancetta and salumis!! My “porchetta” recipe is here

Arezzo International Market - truffles for sale.

Truffles for sale!!

Arezzo International market - frying bread.

Frying ciaccia fritta – bread!

Arezzo International Market - another great Popiel product.

Selling another “great Popeil product.” I think this is a pot lid that can cook something else at the same time…

I’ll have a recipe coming next week. LOVE to all!!!

Filed Under: Cookware and tools, Products for sale, Travel Tagged With: Arezzo, food, Italy, markets, porchetta, Tuscany

LongHouse Food Revival promises to be pretty amazing!

August 30, 2013 by Mary Frances 24 Comments

I’m so absolutely excited to have been invited to attend the LongHouse Food Revival 2013, a gathering of 100 visionary thinkers and influential decision makers in food, which will take place next weekend, Sept. 7 and 8, at a historic diary farm in Upstate New York.

Every year, LongHouse Food Revival chooses a subject to explore and presents its discoveries in documentary film, radio, broadcast, spoken word, live cooking, interviews and visionary art. This year their focus is on the Saffron Diaspora — looking at the original Spice Trail and exploring the various religions and cultures that arrived to the United States on a wave of exotic spices, ingredients and dishes. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could promote tolerance with all of this.

And you all know about my love affair with spices!

On Saturday evening, chefs from across the country will come together to cook us a “live fire” feast from the Saffron Diaspora. I’ll be sure to share as much of that as I can with you in photos later. As they describe it, this year’s feast will be “a world tour of flatbreads, spiced ice cream, saffron martinis and music from Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road.” Doesn’t that martini sound amazing? And it must be a beautiful color – I’m so ready!

This year’s speakers include Los Angeles Times’s food critic Jonathan Gold, blogger Elissa Altman, author Naomi Duguid, NPR’s Kathy Gunst, Food Network’s Katherine Alford, NYU Food Studies Director Krishnendu Ray, cookbook author Molly O’Neill and many more. I’ll be going as a guest of The Daily Meal, this blog’s affiliate.

Another part I’m looking forward to is first annual Food Flea they’ve planned for Sunday, a marketplace of “ideas and innovation for individuals, media outlets, publishers, organizations, brands, start-ups, farmers and producers.”  I’m sure I’ll be meeting a very special bunch of food people there.

If you’d like tickets to next weekend’s festivities you can go to the event website and purchase access to one day only, or the whole weekend.

It’s going to be a special event and I would love to meet you there!

OMG – the whole goat! Chef Magnus Duruji (aka The Nigerian BBQ King) in a trial run for the live fire feast. Doesn’t he look happy! Photo courtesy of Cook N Scribble, producers of LongHouse Food Revival.

OMG – the whole goat! Chef Magnus Duruji (aka The Nigerian BBQ King) in a trial run for the live fire feast. Doesn’t he look happy! Photo courtesy of Cook N Scribble, producers of LongHouse Food Revival.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: cooking, food, food conferences, roasting a goat, Spice Trail, The Daily Meal

LOVE’s Guest Post on Orgasmic Chef

March 26, 2013 by Mary Frances 12 Comments

We are excited to say that our LOVE blog has made a guest posting appearance on the most delicious Orgasmic Chef blog, down in Australia! We’re conquering the globe!

Her blog is a great source for “orgasmic” recipes – you’re reading that right – so go check it out (and say hello to Maureen for us while you’re there! Thank you, Maureen!).

Here is our post down under. Hint: Silky Chocolate Cake is the topic.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: chef, chocolate cake, cooking, food, friends, guest blogging, kitchen, orgasmic

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Mary Frances

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