We’re Having a…
Baby girl! ❤
We are so excited. Little Baby Italicana is joining our family, our team.
Details below on how we found out, Baby Italicana’s name ❤, flying pregnant and a calendar of my USA cooking tour around Seattle and Portland! I hope to see you in person at one or more of these upcoming events! ❤
How We Found Out:
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/teen classes, 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
Adult’s Cooking Class: Thursday, August 24th, 6pm-8pm (PDT)
Spinach Pasta with Kale Pesto, Leeks and Toasted Almonds
Crostata with Strawberry Jam, Fior di Latte Gelato and Aged Balsamic Vinegar from Balsamico Bonini
Kid’s Cooking Class (8-12 yrs old): Friday, August 25th, 11am-1pm (PDT)
Farro Ravioli with Ricotta and Mushrooms in a Butter and Sage Sauce
Mini Farro Tarts with Yogurt & Fruit
Adult’s Cooking Class: Friday, August 25th, 6pm-8pm (PDT)
Spinach Pasta with Kale Pesto, Leeks and Toasted Almonds
Crostata with Strawberry Jam, Fior di Latte Gelato and Aged Balsamic Vinegar from Balsamico Bonini
Pop-Up Restaurant: Saturday, August 26th, 6pm-9pm (PDT)
{Starter} Farro Beet Soup with Greek Yogurt, Pistachios and Orange Zest
{Main} Green Matcha Pasta with Pesto, Leeks and Wild-Caught Prawns
{Dessert} Strawberry Crostata with Fior Di Latte Gelato and Aged Balsamic Vinegar from Balsamico Bonini
Cooking Demo: Sunday, August 27th, 3pm-5pm (PDT)
Farro Salad with a Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
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}
Around Portland:
Williams-Sonoma Washington Square
Tuesday, August 29th 12-2pm (PDT)
9367 SW Washington Square Road
Tigard, OR 97223
Williams-Sonoma 23rd Ave
Wednesday, August 30th 12-2pm (PDT)
338 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210, USA
Around Seattle:
Nordstrom Downtown:
Thursday, August 31st 12-2pm (PDT)
500 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
Williams-Sonoma Alderwood Mall:
Friday, September 1st 12-2pm (PDT)
3000 184th St SW #942, Lynnwood, WA 98037
Williams-Sonoma University Village:
Saturday, September 2nd 12-2pm (PDT)
2530 NE University Village, Seattle, WA 98105
Williams-Sonoma Bellevue Square:
Sunday, September 3rd 12-2pm (PDT)
216 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Nordstrom Bellevue:
Sunday, September 3rd 4-6pm (PDT)
100 Bellevue Way SE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Head to the calendar to see all of my upcoming cooking events!
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! ❤
See you soon!
Cindy & Pepper
Every since moving to Italy, I have adapted a Mediterranean lifestyle.
The art of eating well and feeling good is simplicity. When I got this basic principal down, I didn’t mind getting in the kitchen to cook because it wasn’t a strenuous task, but a way to have fun, relax, slow down and be mindful about what I was putting into my and Mr. Italicano’s bodies. Simplicity also means having a few tricks up my sleeves for our modern lives. Just like I wouldn’t go to the nearest river stream to wash my clothes (thank goodness for washing machine’s!), I also don’t waste my time mashing, kneading, rolling out, chopping and cooking every day. In fact, to keep my life simple, these are recipes that you can make once and enjoy them the following days. I also use use a blender, stand mixer, and a variety of attachments that do a lot of the work for me in rapid time. I heart technology that supports my mission to eat healthy and homemade.
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.
