life lately

From around our home this week, here are a few of the little things that have made my heart glad.

 

"Forget going for a walk; let's take this old Fiat for a spin."

& crazy cactus in the neighborhood

How I've been spending my evenings lately: in bed next to Elliott with my knitting and this book.

(the heavy metal book clip on the corner keeps the pages open so I can knit and read at the same time)

 Pink clouds wreathing Mt. Etna at sunset; our town is perched on the cliff in the foreground

& whole wheat pancakes enough to last Lena for a few snacks.

Knitting and snuggling with Siena.

Her favorite toy (hours of entertainment each day, I kid you not)

& the young artist at work.

Lena's berry and Greek yogurt homemade popsicles are a daily treat (that she likes to share, too!)

& after this we learned how to put things back where we found them...

A big order of fingerless gloves finished and ready to mail!

Crouch... and pounce!

Amazingly, Siena never seems to mind.

Linking up with Lindsay today for it's the little things.

it's the little things

In theory I like to stop and savor the little things of life that make it sweet, such as Lena's glee when I pick her up out of her crib, Siena's faithful shadow, having just one baby for a little while longer, or waking up beside Elliott each day (something a military wife learns to never take for granted).

However, in the hustle and bustle of life lately, I've taken fewer photos and often forget that we live in Italy, for crying out loud. (One reader pointed that out recently... to my conviction!)  This week I tried to capture some things that have made our lives sweet recently.  Here are a few glimpses into life in our home:

 in the phone booth in town, I love that she's talking with her hands!

& morning light in the neighborhood

main square

& view of our town and Mt Etna, the largest volcano in Europe

running down the hill into the main piazza

& a visit to the little general store where I picked up some of my favorite tortellini for lunch

a pit stop for a drink on a walk

& stairs from the valley leading up to our house on the edge of the cliff... a long walk with a baby on your hip!

Daddy's cowboy hat

& a mailbox in our neighborhood

 dazzling morning light

& looking out over our town

 our first trip to Centro Sicilia mall... which is all of 10 minutes from our house

 making the switch to greener kitchen products

 my little girl

 where did those neighborhood kittens go?
& well, there's one of them

 bella principessa before church on Sunday
& bike on a balcony


Today I'm linking up with Hello Hue and InstaFriday.

Lemon Chicken & Orzo Soup with Sweet Cornbread

We had friends over the other night and I made an enormous (and I really mean eee-nor-mous) pot of this soup.  We had so much left over after we all partook that I sent them home with a quart of it, froze another quart, and then ate the rest of it all week while Elliott was out of town.  Lena ate it with me, sweet little thang.

(Why does she have two spoons and three cups?!)

Anyway, I was thinking of all my East Coast friends who are stuck in Hurricane Sandy and this sounded like a cozy meal to enjoy tonight.  If you've still got power (and can read this) and also have the ingredients (hah?), here are both delicious recipes:

Lemon Chicken & Orzo Soup

adapted from this recipe / serves 8

Ingredients

• 3lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (thank you, Emily W!)
• 4.5 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth 
• 4.5 cups water
• 1 1/3 cups chopped carrot 
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion 
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 ounces uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or 2 T dried parsley)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Lemon wedges (optional)
• Coarsely cracked black pepper (optional)

Directions

• Mix water and chicken broth in a large pot.  Add carrot, onion, celery, and salt to pan.
• Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
• Add reserved chicken, and simmer 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Keep warm.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. 
• Add pasta to pan with chicken and broth mixture; stir in parsley, rind, and juice. 
• Garnish each serving with lemon wedges and cracked black pepper, if desired. 

Sweet Golden Cornbread

adapted from this recipe / makes one 9-inch pan

 

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2/3 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray or lightly grease a 9-inche round cake pan.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
• Stir in egg, milk, and vegetable oil until well combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

I'm linking up with 33 Shades of Green and Not Just a Housewife today.  This means those two websites have compiled a list of lots of bloggers who are posting tasty recipes or interesting crafts today.