Andy's Diner

This Weekend's Theme was: "Innovation and Productivity"

We've tried a lot of new recipes lately, including a raspberry chipotle marinade and sauce on roasted lamb with roasted Yukon Golds.

That was very nice, but the two recipes from CiaoItalia.com proved that Mary Ann Esposito is ALWAYS a go-to source for sensational ideas and food. The first was a fettucine with cannelini beans, sage and pancetta...

Unbelievably delicious, simply and hearty. The sage-infused olive oil and the creaminess of the beans makes this such a winner. And when we thought that we couldn't improve on that...

we made the Leek, Fennel and Sausage Tart, which I assure you could be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. INSANELY good. I modified the recipe a bit due to one of our family member's allergies (the original recipe calls for artichokes as well), and I left the top crust off, but this one is a keeper for sure!

In between cooking, we did a little drywall repair. There's nothing like checking off big items on the "To-Do" list to make you feel productive... and I made a huge pot of chicken soup for one of the kids with the flu...

Making homemade chicken soup even better was the pasta I used: lemon pappardelle that my sister sends me from Trader Joe's. It works really well in a soup like that. All in all, a VERY productive weekend.

We Might As Well Be In Brooklyn...

It has been quite a Goomba-esque few days around here, with some minor departures.

This is the departure: homemade hummus on garlic toasts. And now back to our velour track suit, chain-wearing, Vinny and Guido show...

Huge ravioli filled with ricotta and a red sauce made with short ribs.

The remainder of that meat sauce used in some baked macaroni (mezzi rigatoni).

And some pizza for lunch today with Italian sausage and dollops of homemade pesto.

My 1,000th Post!

The hiatus has been self-imposed. Not that I stopped eating, but I knew this next post would be my post #1000. When I started this blog in January of 2005 I had no idea how much I would enjoy it and how it would connect me to people I already knew and those I had yet to meet. There's nothing like sharing a meal with friends - new and old alike...

and that meal probably has to include great wine...

which just makes it even better.

The original idea of the blog was to tease my far-flung father and sister about what they would eat if they lived nearby. It quickly morphed into my place to document everything - from nostalgic photos of my youth to the salumi I could have eaten kilos of in Ravenna in 2006. Intinsic to everything, however, is a celebration of the elements of family tradition and the cultures that influenced who I am and who I have become.

And a life-long love of food.

Many of the newer influences in my life have come from places and people I have fallen in love with - especially the Love I found in Miami. Let's just say I discovered that Italians are European Cubans or Cubans are Caribbean Italians - all I know is that the Italian/Cuban thing WORKS!

In love and friendship, it's a beautiful thing.

I have made some wonderful friends through the blog, including the authors of other blogs I read and am inspired by: from Japan (Blue Lotus' AMAZING blog here: http://blue_moon.typepad.com/), Parma (Gracie's INSPIRATIONAL blog which allows me to see Parma, Italia here: http://mylittleplace.blog.com/) and the US southwest (Kelli's socially conscious blog here: http://www.africankelli.com/). It has been so cool to connect with readers of the blog from California, Chicago, Wisconsin, Washington DC all the way to Denmark and beyond - Iowa EVEN! ;)

And I've watched my kids grow.. From this

to this

From this

to this

From this

to this

The bottom line is that some of the greatest times I've had with the people I love are around the table... It always has been that way

in some of the most wonderful places on earth...

And I've got a feeling it always will be...

Here's to the next 1000!