il recipe y lei (recipe for y'all)

I have decided that every now and again I will post relevant recipes. In light of the past Thanksgiving Holiday and the Christmas Season now upon us- I will impart two recipes direct from Feel the Love Studios, which adorn my family's table every year for both Holidays. Hope you adore them both.

POTATO ROLLS

**THIS IS A RODMAN FAMILY RECIPE!

375 degrees

-2 1/2 tsp. of active dry yeast dissolved in 1 1/2 c. of lukewarm water

-2/3 c. of unsalted butter

-2/3 c. sugar

-2 eggs

-1 c. of warm and mashed potatoes

-1 tsp. of salt

-6-7 c. of flour

1. Mix the wet ingredients first

2. Add in flour and mix- my preferred method is diving in with my hands

3. Continue to knead dough and add flour until you have a nice smooth round ball of dough

4. Place dough in a buttered bowl and cover- let rise for a couple of hours or until noticeably different in size

5. Roll the dough into lovely little round balls and place on a buttered sheet pan

6. Let rise again until double in size- or nice and puffy

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes (golden brown on top)

**OPTIONAL STEP/TIP: After Step 4- You can refrigerate the dough over night. Then when you are ready to bake just continue with Step-5

CRANBERRY SAUCE

- fresh or frozen cranberries

- sugar

- orange juice

**This recipe does not have measurements but I will throw out a few hints as how to gauge

1. In a pot place as many cranberries as you would like sauce

2. Turn on heat to a medium- medium/high heat

3. Pour in orange juice- just enough to barely cover the cranberries

4. Add sugar- you have to go by taste- but to give you an idea for about 6 cups of cranberries I add 1/2 cup or maybe a little more of sugar

5. Cook until the cranberries begin to pop, and the orange juice cooks off

6. You can remove the cranberries from the heat when the sauce has thickened

7. Let cool for a little while- then place in a dish or bowl of your liking. You can serve this warm or cold. It lasts at least a week in your refrigerator.

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...giving Thanks

Let it be known-Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday- because the focus of this day revolves around two of my most favorite things 1) Family and 2) Food! I happen to be particularly lucky because I not only love my family but I like them, too. and the majority of them happen to be pretty dang good cooks- so its a win- win by my account!

I guess this is my proclamation-making it known that I am damn blessed. I have siblings that give me hell and love all at the same time, friends that offer support equal to the air I breathe, incredible parents that gave all of us 5-Rods the best gift ever (in addition to life)- love, work ethic and self-confidence, delightful grandparents that make/made us feel special always, and a huge network of aunts, uncles and cousins- and step-siblings, and significant-others- that make things sparkle.

A couple of years ago I heard a very interesting report on NPR, stating that after your immediate needs are met; ie: food, shelter, clothing- the amount of wealth above meeting these basic needs is of no relevance to ones happiness. I mention this to make no moral or political statement- because I love things and fine things nonetheless probably more than anyone- its more or less interesting to me- because I have thought about this from time to time- and mirrored it to my own life situations and have found it to be so true. A little nugget for you to ponder perhaps.

It's the salt

I was quite perturbed as I exited the local Hi-School Pharmacy, my lovely champagne in clutch..I did not even get carded by the little high school kid attending to my purchases! I surmised it must have been the two boxes of Kosher Salt also part of my purchase that concluded that I was above the drinking age-..not my looming celebration of 28 years on this blessed planet! It’s the salt!

grazie y amore

grazie y amore (thank you and love)

This is a dedication to all of you that have extended your heart to me and show me daily what it is and how it is to love.

You all are enrichment- the wheat to the flour;the kosher to the salt; the extra to the virgin;the heirloom to the tomato; the bubbles to the prosecco- you are molto fantastico not tipico- a class and grade all of its own.

Your love is so good it had me craving more- it rose to the top just like good and rich cream- it rose above groves of olive trees, outstanding leather, high-end fashion, glorious sun, gold and cobblestone streets- you all are the "good stuff" - the filling to my canoli

Grazie! brava mi amore

Back in the "U-S of A"

I have been back in my motherland for a couple of weeks now. Being gone brought things into perspective. No not the huge weighted thunderbolt answer to all of my questions and my soul searching- but rather I was given gratitude. I missed my people. I have the best web of hearts and hands anyone could ever ask for. I longed to be back in their presence. These people- these fantastic, amazing people that make me full, happy and loved. These are the people that read my blog (because they support and love me), that pick me up at the airport with a hand-made welcome home sign carefully crafted by their 18 mo. old daughter, have flowers waiting on my door step with welcome home letters by their 2 yr. old & 4 yr. old sons, the crazy wonderful people that make a gigantic poster and stretch it across my door welcoming me home in Italian, the people that set their phone to Rome time- just to know when I am waking up, the people that get me a travel book and phone card to be connected in the country and out, the people that gave me life, the people that pray for me every day, the people that run through a train station with me, the people that give me a journal because they know I love to write my thoughts, these people I share meals with, these people I drink coffee with, the people that say hello with genuine interest and smile. These people, they are my people. I love them- they make my world beautiful. Thank you for being you and sharing your heart with me.

Firenze..also known as...... Florence

I arrived in Florence with a gung-ho determination to seek out art. Florence is home to many a museum and some of the best art in the world. My first night in Florence I enjoyed, I had a nice meal at ZaZa Trattoria-albeit a hit with the English speaking tourists, and then found my runner up for the best gelato prize, and that would be Grom. I had super fabulous gelato and was befriended by two locals who gave me a mini private walking tour of Florence’s sights near the Duomo. I have realized that because of my attraction to people and my genuine fascination with them, that these experiences of connection are what elevate and transform any experience for me. The next day I did go see the Duomo in the splendor of the sun and take in the Uffizia art museum- home to what feels like zillions of pieces of Renaissance art. I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day from walking and walking and walking (which I love), and from essentially darting the tourist scene. This trip has been revealing of myself in a lot of ways, and one other thing I have recognized that maybe wasn’t so emphatically clear earlier, was that tourist destinations tend to annoy the hell out of me. I find myself scathing at the English speakers- which totally isn’t fair- I speak English and am pretty horrible when it comes to Italian, but I do try! Not to mention I am in Italy to discover it too! So my prejudice is completely unfounded and ridiculous. I will take it one more layer and uncover a character issue here. I like things that I discover or experience to be mine- and mine alone or at least limited to who I choose to experience it with. This is a running theme- I was like this with my sister growing up, when discovering a new restaurant or new find I stake claim in it as my conquering alone, I hoard the attention of others and at times won’t invite other people to attend something because I want all of their attention and don’t want to taint it with someone else experiencing it…so I guess this trip has helped me realize once again a trait maybe not so beautiful. Ahh introspection what a glorious thing!

Lucca

Lucca is the last in tact and remaining fortified city in Italy. This creates a fun atmosphere in of itself. It is a pretty quiet city…except when it comes to their soccer team! I was walking through the town in my aimless way, feeling the gravitational pull to the inside confines of shopkeepers doors, and I heard this chanting and loud music coming from down the street. Like the pied piper the sound pulled me in and I started walking toward it. I walked to a square where there was a whole hoard of people and a stage. I managed to walk right into this parade of sorts. The community of Lucca was having a celebration to announce its soccer team. The event was M.C.’d by some beautiful celebrity (have no idea who she is), televised and certainly not lacking with enthusiasm. Often whomever was talking; puffery and long winded speeches is not limited only to our politicians and friends in the states-like I have learned with so many things, some things are certainly universal; would be interrupted with this super loud chanting from these young men that were reverent in displaying their love for their hometown team. Lucca in my opinion is understated with its prominence and could easily be forgettable and blend in with other Italian cities, its this simplicity that is maybe its most attractive feature.