A $100.00 Smile

A $100.00 Smile

Today per her request by email, Anna wanted to be on the blog since it is her special day. Happy Birthday Anna.

LaScala Ballet

Anna placed a trick candle on the cake for grandma! What a special cake and dinner!

LaScala Ballet

I am celebrating another birthday and this year it is in Milan with our oldest daughter and her family. Tonight Don and I will attend the Ballet "La Bayadere" at LaScala and then have dinner in the Galleria. If you go to the website of LaScala there is a video of the ballet. www.teatroallascala.org/en/index.html .

Milano Torte

Anna with her prized confection Meet Juanita

Anna emailed Grandma that she would like her to bring some marshmallows on her recent visit to Italy. Marshmallows are not an item available in Europe. Juanita is the "domestica" who assists our daughter with managing the household. Juanita helped Anna bake the cake and Anna decorated the cake with ... marshmallows. This is a favorite cake when we visit. I call it the Milano Torte.

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Ingredients:

5 eggs,

9 Tablespoons sugar

8 Tablespoons butter

1 1/3 cup ground hazelnuts

11 ounces dark sweet chocolate

8 Tablespoons water (or coffee)

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Directions:

Beat egg whites and gradually add 5 Tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff. Grind nuts and mix with 4 Tablespoons sugar. Melt chocolate in 4 tablespoons water and cooled. Mix egg yolks with chocolate stirring until well blended. Gently fold ground nut-sugar mixture in beaten egg whites in four additions. Mix remaining ingredients being careful not to over beat mixture. Prepare a cake pan with a loose bottom. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Remove, turn out and cool. Cake will fall when cool. Frost if you wish.

Tip: Toast the hazelnuts at 300 for 8-10 minutes until skins blister. Remove from Oven and place in a cotton towel to finish steaming. When cool twist towel to make a pouch and rub nuts together to remove skins. Not all skins can be removed. This will intensify the flavor of the nuts.

December 26 ..... Italy celebrates the feast of St. Stephano

December 26 in Italy

December 26 is celebrated in Italy as the feast of St. Stephano. The day is observed almost as holy as Christmas as he is the patron saint of Italy. Do you remember the song about Good King Wensaslaus he went out on the feast of Stephan, When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even. That song was written for the day of December 26. Christmas 2006 we celebrated in Milan with our oldest daughter and family. Laura is the older granddaughter and Anna is the younger.

Traditional food is served both days. Fish is served on Christmas day. Early the morning of the 24th, women hurry to the grocery store to select the freshest fish and the other groceries they will need to prepare the holiday meals. Our son-in-law Silvano is an excellent cook and assists our daughter Mary with the holiday meals. Our son-in-law's mother speaks no English and I speak no Italian and we truly do enjoy each other's company with the help of our granddaughters translating for us.

We were truly impressed how the grocery stores as well as any other stores are closed December 25 and 26. Traffic is very light both of the days as time is spent with family. Traffic picks up in the evening of the 26th as family members return home.

This year our youngest daughter leaves tomorrow for a flight to join Mary and family to celebrate New Years eve and day. How lucky we are with modern day travel that we can traverse this world in hours. It does keep our loved ones near.