Today my family had spaghetti, ground beef and something I first tasted at one of Gustiamo’s tastings in December: Pumpkin in Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Maida Farm.

We were about to eat when my dad decided that we should try something from Gustiamo (Well, it was my idea but he was the one who went to the kitchen to get the product). He came back with the Pumpkin in Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Maida Farm.

Now, if you ever got a jar of Pumpkin in Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Maida Farm or anything by Maida Farm in a jar you would know that it is sealed tight. One has to first open the top and then push up the plastic slowly while covering the top so that the oil would not splatter all over the place.

Well, my dad brought the jar to the table and when my sister and I tried to instruct him on how to open it, he let our directions go to the wind.

Little to say, he took a fork and just shoved it into the plastic which made olive oil splatter everywhere.

My sister and I couldn’t stop laughing. There was oil everywhere.

When he came back to the table, we sat there smiling.

This stuff is good! He said. While giving everyone a good portion.

Since it did splatter on him, he got to taste it first.

Hum…It’s s pumpkin in olive oil. It’s like the oil is used as a preservative.

And good it is, it is  seasoned with wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, parsley and chili peppers. Spicy but not too spicy. It was the perfect topping to our meal.

Go Gustiamo!

(Pictured is Me and Laura at one of Gustiamo’s tastings taking place at Il Cantuccio. It was the first time I tasted  Pumpkin in Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Maida Farm)

The other night my sister, Yunice, cooked for the family.

We had white rice, tossed salad and fried shrimp ( the orange drink is orange juice) and it was good.

Instead of using vegetable oil, she fried the shrimp in Il Tratturello Olio Extra Vergine d’Oliva. The oil was so rich that I could taste it (and still can); nevertheless, it was not overpowering or too much. It was just right.

Now,Il Tratturello Olio Extra Vergine d’Oliva is made in Larino, Molise.

According to Gustiaom.com Larino is a place in Italy not truly discovered… I am not sure what it means to live in a place that is undiscovered, but it sounds somewhat exciting! Something else that is exciting is each olive oil bottle is  very limited, approximately 3,600 litres. Each bottle is manually numbered and comes with a red wax seal. It’s like, no two bottles are alike.

By the way, the seal on my bottle is number 2, order yours from Gustiamo.com today for a true Italian olive oil experience.

I wish you were here my love, close by.

It is now February  and soon it will be Valentine.

oh, how I wish you were here my love, so we could walk hand in hand.

I’ve never been so lonely, some days I can not even stand

to cook or clean the house alone.

For my mind just wander away from me and next thing I know,

the food is burning or the house work never gets done.

But, since you’re not here my love, look in the mail for this gift from Gustiamo to surely come.

Pictured here is the following:

Gianduja – Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread by La Molina in Tuscany, nutella for grown-ups, made with top-notch cocoa and prized Tonda Gentile hazelnuts from Piemonte, a rich velvety cream, addictive, it won’t last long…

Sant’Eustachio Coffee roasted on wood logs in the legendary Roman Caffe’ near the Pantheon, where Romans in the know go for a smooth and round coffee cup, the best in town.

Wholesomely delicious “Coralli di Kamut” Cookies are peerlessly home-baked by Di Ciaccio Pasticcieri Artigiani in Gaeta, wonderful dipped in your coffee or with a smidge of Gianduja cream.

In December, after visiting Gustiamo, I came back home with a few items. And, of all the items that I came back with, the biscotti was the best.

My siblings were from school on their winter break and it was the one time of the year when the family was together. I knew everyone was going to want some of those cookies but I kind of didn’t want to share ( and you wouldn’t either if you had some of those biscotti).

Anyways, I shared because I had too.

I knew that the biscotti were going to taste good because I had them before. I had the “Brutti ma Buoni” Cookies by Di Ciaccio (which I blogged about before) and couldn’t wait to taste the “Fioridimandorla” (Almond Flowers) Cookies by Di Ciaccio.

My brother who is a Chips Ahoy fan, loved the “Brutti ma Buoni” Cookies by Di Ciaccio and kept reaching for the can, which I didn’t mine. I was eager to open up the  “Fioridimandorla”.

Finally,  I got to taste the “Fioridimadorla”, and it was scrumptious. They were not soft neither did they melt in your mouth but the taste was somehow special. It was almost like you could taste the different ingredients that Di Ciaccio used and felt healthy from eating a cookie! Can you imagine that? Felt healthy from eating a cookie?! I am not an artisan and am not the best when it comes to tasting food but one can taste the rich milk and eggs that Di Ciaccio uses for the biscotti.

My desire to not share got the best of me and while my family was talking and laughing, I took the rest of the biscotti (they were almost gone) and put the lid back on the can. Instead of placing them in the kitchen, I put them on the bookshelf and told my family not the trow away the can so I could blog about it later, some how implying that all the biscotti were gone.

The few days, when I got a sweet tooth, I just went to the bookshelf and had the rest of the biscotti!

Should I have shared? *sigh*

Friday night was a fun night  at church. Everyone was laid back and ready for the weekend to begin.

Despite the snow storm this week, many people came to church. After church, I decided to treat the saints to tuna fish.

Many people came into the kitchen ready to eat.

What are you serving?

Tuna Fish.

Oh, I love your tuna fish. I’ll take a sandwich please.

Little did they know, that this time my tuna fish would taste a little different. With eagerness to create something different, new and at the same time healthy, I applied organic Mandarin Marmalade by Caffe’ Sicilia to each sandwich.

I did not tell them that Marmalade was on one side of the sandwich for fear that they would demand a ‘regular’ tuna fish sandwich.

Only two children asked for the ‘regular’ tuna fish sandwich after eating one with marmalade.

The following were the responses I got:

What’s that I taste? It’s like bits of fruit.

It  has an acquired taste.

I think it’s great. I love it. I would like another one.

Do I taste Marmalade?!

What an idea. Who gave you the idea?

I like it, what ever you put in it. It’s good.

Want to try? Pick up your own jar of Mandarin Marmalade by Caffe’ Sicilia for only $11.00 at Gustiamo.com.

When I was little, I hated eating Tomatoes. I was never forced to eat them; however, I ate them anyway because I wanted my blood to be ‘good’ as my mom always told us that tomatoes gave us ‘good blood’.

I think if my mom brought Piennolo Vine Tomatoes from Mount Vesuvius by Casa Barone, I would have a different childhood ‘tomato’ story.

I can eat Piennolo Vine Tomatoes from Mount Vesuvius by Casa Barone straight from the jar without them bothering my taste buds. I eat them almost like I eat cherries, the only difference here is I don’t have to spit out a seed.

I went to Gustiamo.com to find out what was so special about the Tomatoes because after all, I am not the only one who feels a certain way about them. They were mentioned in The New York Times, The Rosegarten Report, and Il Mattino.

They are from a region in Italy called Campania, which you may remember me mentioning before because that is also where the friarielli is made.

They are grown organically on Mount Vesuvius and benefit from the high concentration of minerals of the rich lava soil. Something a few of us think about when eating tomatoes, is the soil it came from.

The Piennolo tomato variety is the ONLY one included in the Slow Food Ark of endangered foods, which means that the tomato is rare and hard to find. (So be thankful that Gustiamo is selling them)!

The Piennolo by Casa Barone tomatoes are the ONLY certified organic tomato of its kind and has been growing on the Mount Vesuvius slopes since 1944. It is also DOP certified and they are one of the very few varieties recommended by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. This I thought was the most interesting after looking up the DOP acronym.

DOP, according to Michele Topor from Boston North End Market Tours stands for Denominazione d’Origine Protetta. Which means that these tomatoes are so special that the European Community makes sure it is the authentic tomato with a ‘homemade taste’ when it is sold.

It’s no wonder that everyone is talking about them!

Get your Piennolo Vine Tomatoes at Gustiamo.com.

This week, I did something I haven’t done in a long time, I fried chicken.

I wanted to serve Gustiamo’s Piennolo Vine Tomatoe’s in a different way.

I had them with pasta and Zenzero (thank God for Google Translate) told me how well they were with soup, even the New York Times suggested having them on your pizza but what about fried chicken?!

While I was cooking, I kept thinking how would I serve the tomatoes? Should I mix it with olive oil and garlic like Gustiamo suggested or just serve it plain.

Because I am used to cutting regular tomatoes and eating them without anything added, I even considered serving them straight from the jar.

And, that is what I did.I did not even heat them.

And, they tasted good. Actually, better than the “regular tomato” I’m used too.

My family had fried chicken, sweet yams and Piennolo Vine Tomatoes.

Last Tuesday, Dec. 28, was the last Gustiamo tasting at Il Cantuccio, so far.

First, I ate as much schiacciata as I possibly could and then I just had fun.

Because of the snow, not as many people as we expected came but it was a pretty good crowd.

All came out to taste oil and all learned a little about Italy in the process.

When my sister, Yunice, who works at Gustiamo, comes home from work, she always tells us what she had for lunch.

Gustiamo has their own style of eating and not only is my family experiencing their style by purchasing some of their products but in return, Gustiamo is getting an idea of how my family would cook their items.

Last week and this week, Yunice came home with some ingredients from the warehouse:

Miele Manias

Salt

Le Penne Classiche dei Martelli famiglia di pastai

Vicopisano

“The Miracle of San Gennaro” Tomatoes

She also came with instructions on how to make Italian pasta.

So, with a little help from everyone in the family, she made her first Italian dish: pasta, sausage, and broccoli. It tasted finger-licking good.

The next day, Yunice brought the dish to Gustiamo.

I can’t imagine the pressure she was feeling. I would have been shaking in my boots if I had to cook an Italian dish for Italians.

Nevertheless, when she came home, she told us that Gustiao liked the dish!

Of course she was given some constructive criticism (she should have used a little more olive oil), but over all, they enjoyed it.