You may have seen the news on Facebook and Instagram or you may be hearing about it for the first time here, but Mr. Italicano, Baby Italicana and I are spending the rest of 2018 in the USA and who knows what the future will hold!
In a perfect world, I would have written this post on the plane and published it the day we arrived like a blogging sorceress. But, I was a little distracted…:-)
So, here I am two months later finally getting it online. Oh dear, am I slow. I have so much respect for the moms who got this whole work life/mom life balance down. I am constantly struggling to be the best mom I can be for Pepper, a good wife to Mr. Italicano, a caring friend, a competent cooking instructor and communication strategist for our clients and a valuable content creator for Italicana Kitchen.
Yet, I feel like I am achieving mediocre results in many of these areas as I juggle to keep all of them afloat. Or flat out failing; like, not posting on this blog for two months. Surely, I have “good” excuses like being a new parent.
Or, working on projects for clients and moving across the world…but I’ve seen people who have a lot more going on who are able to get more things done, like all of my favorite food and mom bloggers on Instagram. Somehow they are able to create fantastic stories, photography, video and valuable content daily. I know that to create a beautiful photo, a video or a live story where everything seems easy and perfect, behind the scenes there was a lot of work, preparation and attention to details. You need a lot of time and imagination. I admire those who have found a rhythm and who are organized and efficient. I often don’t succeed. I often feel like a disaster.
I’m trying to go easy on myself, but sometimes it’s hard.
Mr. Italicano has been a great friend.
Just the other day he told me these very wise words as I was having a meltdown on how much there is to do and how little time there is to do it. He said, “Do one thing well each day. That’s it. Concentrate on doing one thing well and at the end of the day you’ll be satisfied with your work and will probably have learned something new. At the end of the year, you’ll have done 365 things well.”
This is great advice for people like me who have so many dreams and ambitions that I sometimes get so overwhelmed with all the things I want or need to do that I freeze up just looking at the long list.
Do just one thing well each day.
That is going to be my new mantra. Especially since I have so many new challenges in store. Maybe I’ll be able to accomplish them faster than my last goals. Thanks, Mr. Italicano. 🙂
Moving back to the Unites States after spending 10 years traveling and living abroad has closed a chapter and has opened a new one in my life. Before embarking on this journey in 2008, I had made a list of goals
Travel the world
Live abroad for an extended period of time
Learn fluent Italian
Write a novel
This list was my compass that guided me throughout the last decade and it’s been a wild adventure pursuing these dreams and passions. In 2008 I spent 10 months traveling to 13 countries before settling in Italy where I’ve lived for the past nine years. Mr. Italicano says that I am fluent in the language and that I even talk better than some Italians, but I still make so many grammatical and pronunciation mistakes. I think it’s safe to say that learning a language is a lifelong endeavor. And, my novel? Well, if it weren’t for the inner critique, fear of failure and straight laziness I would have finished it and tried publishing it ages ago. It’s been written for over two years now, but I haven’t yet gone through the next steps of editing or trying to get it published. I still believe in this book, and my childhood dream of becoming a successful writer. So as this new chapter begins for Mr. Italicano, Pepper and I, I’ve reflected a lot about what is important to me as I created a new list of goals. As I’ve found in the past, in order to accomplish big things I’ve got to dream big. And, then take Mr. Italicano’s advice: do one thing well each day to achieve these goals.
My new goals:
Raise curious, courageous and compassionate children.
Build a successful business with Mr. Italicano that gives us a creative outlet, brings us personal satisfaction, keeps our minds challenged, helps our customers solve a problem, does well for the environment and give us monetary means to one day afford a small house and a boat on the lake surrounded by nature.
Publish my novel and continue to write until I become a best selling author.
Continue to learn and share with others all I have learned about the Mediterranean Diet Lifestyle by teaching cooking classes in Seattle, publishing regular content on Italicana Kitchen, writing for magazines, appearing on TV cooking shows and writing a cookbook.
These goals won’t be accomplished overnight. They will probably take 10 years…20 years…or even longer. But now I have a plan and a new compass that will keep me on path. I know there will be challenges ahead with both successes and failures. The successes will keep me going when I want to give up, and the failures are how I will learn the most. I know that I won’t necessarily be “the best” in whatever I do, but as long as “I’m my best” that is all that I can ask of myself. And, with showing up and giving it my all, it’s the perseverance to keep going until I make my dreams happen is what will make the difference.
Coming soon, I’ll be sharing a new calendar of cooking classes and demos around the Seattle area. I hope to see you in person at some of these events. I cannot thank you enough for supporting me in this journey and in our common love for delicious simple foods.
And, you? What are some of your long term goals and what is your mantra for keeping you on course to achieving your dreams?
Sorry for dropping off the map! Mr. Italicano, Baby Italicana and I spent over a month in the USA visiting my family ❤ and I did cooking classes and demos around Seattle, Portland and in Virginia for Caruccio’s and Smeg USA. Now we’re back in Italy, and I’ve been aching to write a recipe post, so let me get straight to it and tell you about these amazing mini farro tarts!
Besides being just extremely cute, these mini farro tarts were a huge hit with the participants at my kid’s cooking class at Caruccio’s, a beautiful new culinary event space in Mercer Island. In this cooking class each child made her own tart, filled it with a homemade lemon curd and topped it with fresh berries. Not a crumb remained!
Here is what a I love about these mini farro tarts:
Kid Friendly — They are the perfect recipe to make for (or with) your child. Fill them with homemade lemon curd, jam or yogurt and top them with berries for a healthy breakfast, dessert or after school snack.
Low in Sugar — Most desserts are pumped with sugars. This tart crust just has 1/3 cup raw turbinado sugar. Obviously, depending on what you fill it will make it more or less sugar-y, so if you are looking for a simple & healthy treat, opt for a good yogurt and fresh fruits, nuts and/or seeds.
Farro — I am a huge proponent of farro. It’s an ancient grain grown in Italy which is nutty in flavor, high in protein and fiber and is often suitable for people who have gluten sensitivities (but not those who have celiac disease). Just search farro recipes in the search box for more recipes. One of the brands I collaborate with and absolutely love is Poggio del Farro.
Since I love discovering new ways to cook with farro, I thought I would bring my knowledge to the USA! I created farro recipes for all of my adult classes, pop-up dinner and demo’s at Caruccio’s. Throughout the various events, we made homemade farro salad, farro beet soup, farro ravioli, farro matcha pasta, farro beet pasta, farro crostataand farro chocolate chip cookies. Participants were enthusiastic to learn more about farro, the health benefits and and the best recipes to make with this ancient grain. I was really delighted to see how curious everyone was (even kids!) to learn about farro. ❤
The pasta is bright in color, packed with antioxidants and I put in just the right amount of matcha to not leave any bitter taste—making it easy to pair with any sauce.At some of my demos, I also showed how to make matcha tea with Smeg’s Variable Temperature Kettle (<—affiliate link). I really enjoyed using Sugimoto America ’s delicious organic matcha culinary and ceremonial grade teas. I’m not a big tea drinker, unfortunately I often find it too bitter, but matcha tea is one that I actually like because it’s smooth and I find it less pungent.
I’m surprised with how “italicana” I’ve become over the eight years of living in Italy. My usual craving for a Starbucks coffee has passed—for me it’s too sugary and sweet. I usually drink American drip coffee (straight up black) or I choose to make a homemade latte with just a little added maple syrup for flavor or I’ll make a quick espresso, macchiato or cappuccino. I love how Smeg’s 1950’s style Espresso Machine(<—affiliate link) is easy to use, so stylish and takes up such little space on my countertops. In this video I show you how simple it is to make a macchiato using it!
Another simple but satisfying recipe I had the pleasure of demoing is a sparkling citrus juice using Smeg’s 1950’s style citrus juicer (<—affiliate link).
Now that I have Baby Italicana to think about, I’ve been consuming many homemade non-alcoholic drinks. Here’s the easy and delicious recipe:
For a Sparkling Citrus Juice:
1. Squeeze some oranges or grapefruit in a glass
2. add equal parts sparkling water
3. top with a mint leaf
It’s that easy! Great for prego’s like me, for kids or to serve as a nice refreshing drink for your family and friends. 🙂 I made these citrus juice drinks for my nieces and nephew at Lake Chelan when were there with my entire family celebrating my mom’s 70th birthday. They adored this “fizzy drink” and I love knowing that I, their auntie, was giving them something that is 100% natural. ❤
How is Baby Italicana?
This little globe trotter is doing well! She’s 29 weeks old and we’re already in the 3rd trimester! She has become a little ninja in my belly and is kicking all the time (the most incredible feeling ever). She loves her daddy and responds with kicks and high fives when Mr. Italicano taps three times on my tummy (I think he’ll soon start teaching her morse code. Hah!). We love celebrating life moments with her. For my and Mr. Italicano’s 4th wedding anniversary we took her to a Seattle Seahawks game…
…and spent a night at Sleep Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth where we got married.
We took her on the outdoor stage where we said our vows, to a beautiful rock overlook where with views of the river and mountains and strolled through the rest of that magical place describing to her all of the special memories of that unforgettable day. ❤
These mini farro tarts are the perfect recipe to make for your family. Fill them with homemade lemon curd, jam or yogurt and top them with berries for a healthy breakfast, dessert or after school snack.
⅔ cup (150 g) cold butter, cut into cubes + more to butter pans
Zest from 1 organic lemon
⅓ cup (75 g) turbinado sugar
1 large organic egg + 1 egg yolk
For the filling:
Greek yogurt, lemon curd, homemade jam (etc)
Fresh berries
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment, add the flour, baking powder, salt and butter. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
Add the lemon zest, turbinado sugar and eggs. Combine until the dough comes together as a ball. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Butter fifteen 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Divide the dough into 15 pieces. Push each piece of dough into the tart pan until the dough evenly covers the bottom and sides. Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork many times. (If you have fewer tart pans, you can take turns baking. In this case, keep the dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can also use this recipe to make the crust for an 11-inch (28cm) pan crostata. If so, follow the recipe in that link for tips on how to roll out the dough and fill the crostata.)
Bake the mini farro tarts for 22-24 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Add your filling of choice (Greek yogurt, lemon curd, homemade jam etc) and top with fresh berries. Enjoy!
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In this post, there are affiliate links and links to the companies I work with. These collaborations allow me to work full time on this blog. I am very selective in my choices of collaborations and products that might be of value to those who follow me. Thank you for your support. ❤
During my 13 week ultrasound, the doctor told us that he was 95% sure that it was a girl. So why didn’t I reveal this news weeks ago? Well, after talking to countless Italian friends with kids, I heard so many stories where the doctor said it was a girl, then they found out at their 20 week ultrasound that it was a boy or vice versa! So even with this news, I tried to keep an objective 50/50 mindset of having a boy or a girl to not get too attached to one or the other, only to be disappointed.
But, it was hard.
I kept on using girl pronouns with our baby when talking about her.
And… I secretly wanted a girl…so did Mr. Italicano. Of course, don’t get me wrong. A baby boy would have been an absolute blessing and we would have welcomed him with open arms and loving hearts. ❤ All that matters in the end is that our baby is healthy and happy. But… to be 100% transparent, we did have a preference—we hoped for a little girl.
Which is strange, really.
All my life, I had the image of someday having boys.. 3 or 4 of them. In my mind I could foresee a full house of rambunctious, fun-loving boys–no girls.
Boys:
I LOVED growing up with two older brothers. They protected me and they made me tough. I idolized them. In fact, I wanted to be one of them. When I was little, I hated dresses and loved their hand-me-down clothes. I tried to join Boy Scouts like they did, but the Scout Master told me no. Which in my opinion was so unfair. Girl Scouts at the time did (and maybe still do?) very “girly” activities. I wanted to learn how to use a compass and knife, to build things and to survive in the wild. #totalinjustice)
And… boys usually aren’t drama. I hate drama.
Yes, in reality I should be dreaming of a boy.
Yet, I wanted a girl.
I want to teach her how to be tough, how to be independent and the importance of perseverance. I want to teach her not to gossip, not to start drama and to be compassionate towards others.
Mr. Italicano is excited to play legos with her and teach her how to build things. (He majored in industrial engineering.) He too doesn’t want our girl to follow gender stereotypes. We want our little girl to know no limits.
Baby’s Name
December 24, 2015
It’s a beautiful sunny and cold afternoon in the Italian alps. Mr. Italicano and I are staying a week in the mountains to celebrate Christmas, to spend as much time as we can snowboarding and to get some alone time together before Mr. Italicano leaves for 3 months to India in February for work, while I head to the states. Today we decide to go for a hike. As we walk towards Lake Nambino our conversations drift to various topics, and when we reach the crystal clear mountain lake, the subject arises of starting a family.
We daydream of what it will be like to be parents and have a little one to play with and teach, to kiss and cuddle. We hypothesis baby names. We both start naming off girl names, uncommon names related to nature, to cities and to food, until there is one name that make both of us stop in our tracks and smile:
Pepper
We know in that instant that is our future baby girl’s name. ❤ It’s unique and meaningful. It reminds me of my dad Lee who always covers his entire plate of food with black pepper and usually keeps a little pepper packet in his front pocket as a reserve. It’s also related to food, both as pepper as a seasoning and pepper as the vegetables. The name is strong and a little spicy. 🙂
So, when I say we had a preference for a girl, I wasn’t lying. It was 2 years ago that we had thought about this little sweet pea. And, although we didn’t start trying to conceive her until 2017, she was always in our minds and hearts.
We can’t wait to meet you, Pepper Gail Lorenzini. ❤ We can’t wait to hold you and snuggle you, tickle your tiny toes and kiss your little nose.
Here is a video that we made that very day for our future baby!
Why Gail as a middle name? It’s both my mom’s and my middle name. I wanted to carry on this little family tradition. Pepper will be the 3rd generation to have that middle name. And, who knows how long it will continue. 🙂
Baby Italicana in Tuscany:
What do you think of my overalls? I bought them because they are quite the Italian fashion, and they were perfect for the upcoming event at our wonderful client’s Poggio del Farro in Tuscany. For those who follow me, you probably know that I have been collaborating with them. I love their farro products and their quest for only the best quality for their customers. For those of you who don’t know about farro, an Italian ancient grain, here is an article that gives some more details on this super food. You’ll find tons of delicious recipes with farro here on my site as well as on Poggio del Farro’s recipe page.
While there, we got to participate in their 2nd Annual Threshing/Harvest festival. We watched an agricultural demonstration while admiring vintage machinery and tools. For the large open air lunch (with over 400 people!), I prepared a fresh farro salad with a lemon dijon vinaigrette and Milena (Poggio del Farro) prepared a delicious tomato, feta and olive salad. The majority of the traditional Tuscan food was prepared by 15 women who started the day prior preparing many dishes like the traditional Tuscan ribollita (vegetable soup), pappa al pomodoro (tomato and bread soup), farro e fagioli (farro and beans), bruschette con pomodoro e basilico (bruschette with tomatoes and basil) and delicious ficattole (fried bread).
Baby Italicana Heads to the USA:
Little Baby Italicana made her second trip to the USA!
Note to pregnant mama’s, overalls are also PERFECT for long international flights! It was like flying in my PJ’s.
Well…almost.
When you fly, there is always the risk of deep vein thrombosis, a condition where you develop blood clots in your legs from prolonged sitting. That is why it’s advisable to always get up and move around on flights. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable and so wearing sexy compression hose helps to increase circulation, reduce the risk of swelling and clotting. Not the comfiest things in the world, but definitely necessary.
For extra leg comfort, Mr. Italicano and I also upgraded to Premium Economy. The tickets cost around 25-30% more but we thought it would be well worth it this time. Also because I’ll be in the states for 40 days and a second piece of large luggage is included for free with Premium Economy–that we filled with presents and of course Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. 4kg (9 lbs) to be precise! One piece of luggage (like every trip!) arrived a few days late, but now we’re quite use to it.
Back to our seats. We got a sweet surprise of being put in the exit aisle row! ✈️ Premium economy + emergency exit = I can do yoga in the aisle! ❤
The only problem that the aisle was so big that other passengers thought it was a walkway and would actually stand in front of us as we tried to watch a movie on our monitor!
Now on to some information on the USA Tour and Recipes I’ll be doing around Seattle and Portland!
USA Cooking Tour Calendar
I have some great events coming up starting with interactive adult and kid/teenclasses, demos and a pop up restaurant at the grand opening of Caruccio’s, a new and beautiful culinary event space in Mercer Island by Lisa Caruccio! All of the dishes are based on farro, an Italian ancient grain, and sponsored by Poggio del Farro. You can check out the menus, availability and buy your tickets online by clicking on one of the dates below:
Caruccio’s
2441 76th Avenue SE
Suite 100
Mercer Island, WA 98040
(206) 232-2320
Info@caruccios.com
Pink Beet Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Gorgonzola and Toasted Walnuts
Farro Chocolate Chip Cookies
After these fun cooking events, I will be doing complimentary cooking demos with Smeg USA , an amazing Italian appliance brand, at Nordstroms and Williams-Sonoma around Seattle and Portland. I’ll be showing how to make homemade pasta with Smeg’s stand mixer and pasta attachments, how to make summer citrus juicers with Smeg’s citrus juicer, how to make a rejuvenating matcha tea full of antioxidants (that will be supplied by matcha tea producers Sugimoto USA) with Smeg’s controlled temperature kettle, and how to make espresso drinks with Smeg’s espresso machine. {affiliate links}
I hope to see you in person at one of these cooking events! ❤ I look forward to teaching you how to make nutritious and easy recipes for you and your whole family. Big hugs to you all and I hope you are enjoying your summer! ❤
I am so excited to be on another food tour with Smeg, USA!
Probably by now you’ve been aware of my obsession with their 1950’s style small appliances. I just love the cool design; it’s the only appliance that I want to leave out on my countertops. My favorite appliance is their stand mixer and pasta attachments. I love the look on peoples’ faces when I’m able to show them how to make fresh, homemade pasta in 20 minutes. Eating, healthy good food has never been so easy!
Come stop by at these free demonstrations, say hi and I’ll share with you all of my pasta making tips and tricks. I’m excited to see you there!
Here is the lineup to the upcoming events:
Vancouver, Canada
Hudson’s Bay Company
Address: 674 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1Z6, Canada
Thursday, January 12th 12-2pm and 4-6pm
Friday, January 13th 12-2pm and 4-6pm
Sunday, January 15th 12-2pm and 4-6pm
San Francisco, USA
Thursday, January 19th — Williams-Sonoma — 12-2pm
340 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
Friday, January 20thBloomingdale’s — 12-2pm
Address: Westfield San Francisco Centre, 845 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Saturday, January 21st — Williams-Sonoma — 12-2pm
340 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
Sunday, January 22nd — Bloomingdale’s — 12-2pm
Address: Westfield San Francisco Centre, 845 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
This post is in collaboration with Smeg USA. All of the thoughts are my own.
In a perfect world, I would have written this post on the plane and published it the day we arrived like a blogging sorceress. But, I was a little distracted…:-) 
So, here I am two months later finally getting it online. Oh dear, am I slow. I have so much respect for the moms who got this whole work life/mom life balance down. I am constantly struggling to be the best mom I can be for Pepper, a good wife to Mr. Italicano, a caring friend, a competent cooking instructor and communication strategist for our clients and a valuable content creator for Italicana Kitchen.
Or, working on projects for clients and moving across the world…but I’ve seen people who have a lot more going on who are able to get more things done, like all of my favorite food and mom bloggers on Instagram. Somehow they are able to create fantastic stories, photography, video and valuable content daily. I know that to create a beautiful photo, a video or a live story where everything seems easy and perfect, behind the scenes there was a lot of work, preparation and attention to details. You need a lot of time and imagination. I admire those who have found a rhythm and who are organized and efficient. I often don’t succeed. I often feel like a disaster. 
Just the other day he told me these very wise words as I was having a meltdown on how much there is to do and how little time there is to do it. He said, “Do one thing well each day. That’s it. Concentrate on doing one thing well and at the end of the day you’ll be satisfied with your work and will probably have learned something new. At the end of the year, you’ll have done 365 things well.”
This list was my compass that guided me throughout the last decade and it’s been a wild adventure pursuing these dreams and passions. In 2008 I spent 10 months traveling to 13 countries before settling in Italy where I’ve lived for the past nine years. Mr. Italicano says that I am fluent in the language and that I even talk better than some Italians, but I still make so many grammatical and pronunciation mistakes. I think it’s safe to say that learning a language is a lifelong endeavor. And, my novel? Well, if it weren’t for the inner critique, fear of failure and straight laziness I would have finished it and tried publishing it ages ago. It’s been written for over two years now, but I haven’t yet gone through the next steps of editing or trying to get it published. I still believe in this book, and my childhood dream of becoming a successful writer. So as this new chapter begins for Mr. Italicano, Pepper and I, I’ve reflected a lot about what is important to me as I created a new list of goals. As I’ve found in the past, in order to accomplish big things I’ve got to dream big. And, then take Mr. Italicano’s advice: do one thing well each day to achieve these goals. 
These goals won’t be accomplished overnight. They will probably take 10 years…20 years…or even longer. But now I have a plan and a new compass that will keep me on path. I know there will be challenges ahead with both successes and failures. The successes will keep me going when I want to give up, and the failures are how I will learn the most. I know that I won’t necessarily be “the best” in whatever I do, but as long as “I’m my best” that is all that I can ask of myself. And, with showing up and giving it my all, it’s the perseverance to keep going until I make my dreams happen is what will make the difference. 
…and spent a night at Sleep Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth where we got married.
We took her on the outdoor stage where we said our vows, to a beautiful rock overlook where with views of the river and mountains and strolled through the rest of that magical place describing to her all of the special memories of that unforgettable day. ❤
The only problem that the aisle was so big that other passengers thought it was a walkway and would actually stand in front of us as we tried to watch a movie on our monitor!
Probably by now you’ve been aware of my obsession with their 1950’s style small appliances. I just love the cool design; it’s the only appliance that I want to leave out on my countertops. My favorite appliance is their stand mixer and pasta attachments. I love the look on peoples’ faces when I’m able to show them how to make fresh, homemade pasta in 20 minutes. Eating, healthy good food has never been so easy!
This post is in collaboration with Smeg USA. All of the thoughts are my own.