Summer Days in Italy for Rocco, Sofia and Michael

 

Making challah

 

 

Meeting Florentine artisan goldsmith/jewelers 

 

                                         Rome

 

 

Boboli Gardens Florence

 

Rome

Mom's Day Out With Jude

 

Obon Festival at the Orange County Buddhist Temple

Visiting Family at Rose Hills Memorial Park Cemetery

Recipe: Mary's Hawaiian Style Pumpkin Crunch

 

 https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/how-to-make-hawaii-style-pumpkin-crunch-a-local-moms-recipe/

 

This longstanding favorite served during the fall and winter season is by no means isolated to the Islands, but there’s something unique about Hawaiʻi’s version of the dessert when compared to the other recipes you can search online … Is it the thickness, the texture, the whipped cream cheese frosting? Not sure, but it’s ʻono, for sure.

Every Thanksgiving, Christmas and a few little league baseball game potlucks in between—my mom, like many other local mothers, has been making this classic dessert for as long as I can remember. By this time each year, slices of pumpkin crunch squares would manifest (and then quickly disappear) from the table. When I asked for the recipe, she just laughed, like, hysterically.

“It’s not a family secret recipe or anything!” she insists, saying she probably got it from our Auntie Lani, who in turn likely transcribed it from Sam Choy’s cookbook (neither are sure). She’s trying to downplay it, but I think the point here is, and to quote her, “Remember now, everybody’s mom in Hawaiʻi makes this.” It’s not some big, fancy recipe hidden under lock-and-key. And, that’s probably partly what makes it so good.

Pumpkin Crunch

Prep and cook time: About 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can of pumpkin (15 oz)
• 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 oz)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 sticks of butter (one stick is about 8 tablespoons)
• parchment paper
• silver foil cupcake holders

Frosting

• One 8 oz. cream cheese
• 3/4 cup cool whip
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

Line a 9 x 12 pan with parchment paper. Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, cinnamon and sugar. Pour on paper. Pour 1/2 box of yellow cake mix over it. Sprinkle walnuts on cake mix. Layer other 1/2 of cake mix (dry mix straight from the box). Melt butter and spoon over the top evenly. Bake 350-degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. When cool, loosen from side of pan. Invert pan onto a tray (the top is the crust). Frost with frosting and sprinkle with walnuts. Cut into squares and serve in the cupcake holders.

Paint by Number Lunch Fun For Not Just About A Book Club

Grandparents

 

Things That Catch My Eye

 

Recipe Pasta Alla Norma

 I learned to make Pasta alla Norma from my brother in law Vicente. His parents are from the region of southern Italy called Calabria. 

The following recipe is based loosely on his version. The difference is that he makes and bottles his own tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes.  When he makes the sauce he adds his own seasonings salt, pepper and oregano.  When I make it I use canned (store bought) crushed tomatoes and I add the seasonings. There are many recipes on line which you can google to see the various amounts of seasonings and you can adjust to your tastes.   This recipe below that I found on line is close to what Vicente taught me. I noted what we did differently. 

 

 

Servings:

4 servings

Yield:

serves 4

 

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

• 3/4 pound small Italian or Japanese eggplants (2 to 3 small eggplants), trimmed, split in half lengthwise, and cut into 3/8-inch half moons (see notes). Note we cut our eggplant in one inch cubes. It makes no difference and you can use regular eggplants. Use 1 large one for this recipe.

• Kosher salt

• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon) (Note we like lots of garlic so 5-6 large ones for us and I slivered them) 

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (again use the amounts you like)

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (we don't use this but it's up to you) 

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand into 1/2-inch chunks (I used one large can crushed tomatoes and Vicente uses his own home made sauce)

• 1 pound dry ridged, tubular pasta such as rigatoni or penne rigate

• Handful fresh small basil leaves, or roughly torn large leaves

• 2 ounces aged ricotta salata, finely grated (this may be hard to find so pecorino romano is what we used. If you can find the ricotta salata all the better)

   

  Directions:  Fry the eggplant in olive oil slowly til tender. (You can also oven bake if you prefer).  You can choose to peel or not peel the eggplant as you like. Also some presalt the eggplant for 30 minutes then rinse and dry before frying. Up to you.  I remove fried eggplant and then saute garlic in the oil then add the eggplant back in after garlic is fragrant. You can do the opposite and fry garlic first so the oil is infused with garlic flavor. Then add all the ingredients except pasta , basil and cheese.  I cooked the sauce for awhile. Vicente doesn't have to cook his long because his sauce has been precooked.  I want my flavors to blend so I cooked for a long while. Up to you.   After the sauce is cooked to your liking make the pasta and serve with fresh basil and cheese on top.  

Hot Days In Florence

 The kids went swimming at a local pool to cool off. 

 

Swimming caps are required in Italy.

 

When I was a kid those caps were required too. First they were just white with a chin strap. Then they offered patterns and colors and later they added flowers.  We were very excited with the options.  Even more excited when they stopped requiring those very tight, hair pulling caps.

 

 

 

Jude and Julian Model

 The boys are modeling for a local Australian clothing  company.