Mal Tempo!

The Tiber
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

For the last few days the weather in Europe has reaped havoc! My sister in Law in Frankfurt woke to a blanket of snow on Sunday and the weather has not been any better since. The rivers have been rising and the snow has been falling. Last night I woke to the sound of hail and wind. According to the forecast we will have a short reprieve and then the bad weather will return!

BAD WEATHER STOPS FOR NOW, TIBER UNDER CONTROL
(AGI) - Rome, Italy, Nov. 28th - Bad weather seems to have temporarily stopped in Italy, although another disturbance is expected. It's snowing in Liguria, even at low altitudes. Snow on the motorway A7 Genoa-Milan from Busalla and on the A26 Voltri-Santhia' northbound from Masone. The Tiber is under control: the high level will last all week, but it will be monitored by technicians that will empty the dam of Corbara. The situation in Fiumicino is improving. In Tuscany the provinces of Arezzo, Pisa and Florence have been hit. Floods in Naples, rain and hailstones in Calabria since yesterday afternoon. (AGI) -

Dad goes back to NY on Thursday. Sam and the girls are off to Frankfurt on Friday. Me, I am off Saturday on a field trip with my Sommelier course to the Barola region of Piemonte. The weather has to improve. It just has too!

Krista

One More Time....

Happy Jack!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Here is Dad getting ready to tuck into his Thanksgiving Day feast. Look how happy he looks to finally be sitting down to dinner. Poor old Dad, who by the way just turned 80, flies to Italy from New York every year just to share Thanksgiving dinner with us. What do I do? I invite the United Nations to join us. At least that is how Joanne describes it. Read her blog, the link is in the sidebar. My suffering father was up at 7:30 Sunday morning to help me dress, stuff and put the turkey in the oven. Then he was slicing and dicing. He even peeled 10lbs of potatos! I must give a big round of applause to my dad. Without him, I couldn't have ever made such a feast for so many!

On a side note. I have been having some fun trying to teach myself HTML and CSS. Hey, you are never too old to learn something new! My frequent vistors might notice my handy work and a few additions to my sidebar. What I have really had a kick with is the site meter I added a couple of weeks ago. Now we can all see how many visitors stop on by to read the blog. How do I know I have frequent visitors? I can see who you are and what country you are from. So, now that we all know we are here. How about leaving a comment once in a while, even if it is just to say hello.

A tardi!

Krista

A Bizarre Bazaar!

Beautiful Sarah!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

After rolling out of bed yesterday with my belly still full of turkey and pie, I got dressed and took the girls with me to the American International Women's Club of Genoa's annual Christmas Bazaar. Though the girls had to skip school, I thought it would be a good experience for them to help raise money for a good cause. Sarah pitched in and helped sell books at one table and Anna worked the crowd trying to sell assorted items and eventually helped sell at the handicrafts table. Most helpful of all, they spent my money at various tables! Their favorite one was the Bottle Table, a lottery where you buy a ticket and get a number then find the prize that has your number. The girls won 2 bottles of cleaning product, shampoo, soda, then finally, 2 bottles of wine and one of Whiskey! Sarah and Anna even brought their own money and bought themselves some lovely things. Anna even found a kilt to wear for Christmas for only 2 euros! Sarah bought an edition of Emily Post's Etiquette published in 1956! Go take a look over at the event at my home page. You might like to also check out what the AIWC of Genoa is all about and even discover more about Genoa!

Hopefully by next week the final accounting will be done and we will know how much we money raised for charity. By the way....FAWCO, the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas in being nominated this year for a Nobel Prize! This is in recognition for the charity work they do all over the world and money raised and donated to numerable good causes. If you feel the need to be giving this holiday season here is the link to the FAWCO site.

Ciao for Now!

Krista

Eatin' Turkey!

Thanksgiving 2005!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Here we all are at the big Pig Out!! Dinner was a complete success. We do hope that all had a great time because Sam and I know we did. In all, we were 28. The kids were well behaved, in fact, we hardly saw them at all. The turkey was succulent and tasty and we left the table with our bellies full. Thank you all for your help and for joining us to make this a fantastic day. Most of all. I have to thank Sam for doing the dishes and Barbara for her pumpkin pie. And Ian....your Brunello was mighty fine too.

I am pooped from cooking and cleaning and I just want to sit down and veg on the couch with Sam. Before I do that, here is the link to my home page, go and take a look at the photos. I am off to watch the BBC and "We've got a new life!" I love to watch other people's misery when they move to another country, tonight, an English family who moves to Provence...How cliche'!

Buona Sera!

Krista

Talkin' Turkey

Thanksgiving 2004
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Here are the kids at last year's annual Crockford Family Thanksgiving Feast!

Today we are gearing up for another pig out at tomorrow's Thanksgiving Dinner. We must carry on with tradition, no? Dad has arrived from the states and we have invited all of our dearest friends from Chiavari - and their families - to join us for dinner. The turkey is ordered, the vegetables are ready to chop, and the dessert is in oven as I type. Seated at the table we will be 28 in all, 13 adults and 15 kids ranging from a 1 year old to a 13 years old! Yikes!!! We are going to be out numbered!

Wish you all could be here to share this day with us.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all . It is simplicity in itself. A day where we cook a good meal, share it with friends and family, and reflect on the bounty that life gives us. Maybe, we even reach out a hand to a someone who needs it. Girlfriend, I am thinking of you.....Be strong.

I know that my American friends already had their turkey day and if they keep with American tradition, they filled their bellies and hit the shops yesterday, A.K.A. Black Friday, to catch all the big Christmas sales!

And just for you Barbara....

Gobble Gobble,

Krista

Weekend in the Monferratto

Piemonte in the Fall
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Saturday afternoon we headed for the hills of Piemonte looking for infamous tartufo bianco d'Alba and a bit of antiquing. We stayed at Chris and Nicola Norton's beautiful hotel, La Villa, which is always a lovely experience. In their ever gracious hospitality, they made a dinner reservation for us at a one star rated Michelin restaurant, San Marco, in nearby Canelli. Being high season, back to the tartufo bianco (white truffle), this booking was made a week in advance. Off we went with our appetites only to walk into the restaurant and find that it was booked for a private party!!!! A bit a confusion ensued and phone calls back to the hotel to make sure we were at the right place. Next thing I knew Sam was being led back into the dining room and up some stairs to the owner's living room! There they were setting up dinner for us and in a flash we were all upstairs sitting down for the most memorable meal of my life, which also included updates from the Roma versus Juventus soccer match from the nonno as he passed by from time to time to check up on us. Upon returning to the hotel we learned that when Nicola phoned to make the reservation, she spoke to the senile old nonna (grandmother) who is not living in our reality! The owner of San Marco must have had this happen to him before and handled the situation with grace and humility and we enjoyed a meal that none of us will ever forget. My dad can go home to NY and tell everyone he has eaten dinner in a real Italian's home! I on the other hand received a written thank you from the owners for our cooperation and understanding! Imagine that! Go on over to my home page and you can see some of the plates that we were served and our happy faces!

Sunday morning we were off to the Antique Market in Nizza Monferatto for a little shopping and to visit with our friends, Oddile and Rosanna, who we buy many of our antiques from. The girls stayed back at the hotel and played with the Norton's daughters, Kelley and Gemma. We strolled the market, bought a few items then met up with Oddile and Rosanna. What was the first thing they asked us? Where were we going for Sunday lunch? Out were the cell phones and next thing we knew we were on our way to another restaurant for a outstanding meal. Sarah and Anna were no sooner dropped off at the market we were in the car and heading for another feast. This time we found ourselves eating at Il Quartino, which is family owned and specializes in the famous Piemontese dish, Bolitto Misto! Yet again we were stuffed to the gills and rolled out of the dining room screaming uncle! We must of been served at the minimum 9 different plates of various typical dishes from the region under the watchful eyes of the truffle hunters and their faithful dogs in the paintings covering the dining room walls!

If you haven't noticed the focus on the food, you haven't really read this post. After living in Italy for as long as I have now, I have come to realize that Sunday afternoon lunch is the most important meal of the week! It borders on a religion for some Italians. It is not uncommon to sit around a table from about 1 p.m. till 4 eating till you cannot anymore. What is wonderful about this tradition? It gives the suffering housewife a break from cooking and it also gathers family and friends together in a warm and inviting setting. Is there anything better in this world than good food, a good bottle of wine, and sharing it with the people closest to you? I think not.

Last thought, we were ever so lucky in the weather, it was clear skies and not too cold. Normally this time of the year the skies in Piemonte are gray and the air cold and wet. And, we started to make inquires about real estate for sale in the area.....

A tardi!

Krista

Mangia Mangia!

Lunch!
Originally uploaded by Krista 1366.

Here is our little Anna tucking into a huge plate of roast pork and french fries! My dad, who was sitting next to her, could not believe his eyes when Anna finished her plate and ordered dessert!

Following up on the previous post, Jack has noticed how much more pleasant it is to enjoy his morning cappuccino and have a nice meal out for this is his first visit to Italy since the smoking ban went into effect. Though like most cities that have banned smoking, you trip over many people smoking outdoors, but at least you don't need to sit next to them while you are trying to enjoy a meal. A surprising upside to the ban, since you can still smoke outside, the bars and cafes have left the outdoor seating set up even as it grows colder, and some have actually added propane heaters!

This evening Sarah is going to her first opera! Gabriele, Sarah's violin teacher, is taking Sarah and Virginia along with her to the Carlo Felice opera house for this evening's performance of "Don Giovanni" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Gabriele is playing violin in the orchestra which includes her husband and brother who play the violin as well. It should be a fantastic experience for all. Seeing that Sarah and Vi will be at the theater early with the musicians they will able to hear the orchestra warm up and the opera singers cue on stage! The girls will be meeting up with the rest of their classmates for the show. If you really want to be cultured, click here for the history and story of the opera and composer!

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Piemonte. Ahh... isn't life grand?!