I chopped my ass off

no, not that ass, because there's nothing to chop. I spent all day today, off and on, chopping frigging rice! I wanted to make Risotto Milanese, since I made Osso Bucco (they're often eaten together). It seemed endless. When I make rice, I like to make it look bountiful, but my God...I chopped until the cows came home to fill this platter :-/. The other pics are of one more pizza and a bowl of (Italian) pears.

Osso Bucco and Stuffed Calamari

Surf and turf, dude! Italian style!! I made stuffed calamari and osso bucco. You know what I love? Bone marrow. So does my sister. There have been many times when mom has made something with bones, and by the time I get to it, the bones are hollow. Yep, my little sister strikes again!

I'd like an olive oil IV drip, thanks...

and maybe one for Sriracha hot sauce. And Diet Coke. Ok, scratch that last request, since I am trying to wean myself off of it :-/. Speaking of olive oil, here are two more Italian inspired dishes, heavy on the oil! One is grilled, marinated eggplant with pine nuts, and the other is something new. Something I RARELY make! Fish :-D!! They're sardines. I seem to be somewhat obsessed with making sardines, and I don't know why. I don't eat them much anymore, but sometimes, when I was little, gramps would open a can of them, add soy sauce, a side of rice, and I would tuck in, very happily. The little bones never bothered me...but then, I have been known to eat shrimp, shell and all, including the heads (my favorite part!). Try not to gag!! Actually, I have gagged before, on a shrimp head. You know those sharp, pointy things that stick out of it's head? It harpooned me in the roof of the mouth. There was a bit of blood, and a shitload of pain!!

Orecchiette with sausage

I forgot this one! Instead of rolling long, thin pasta, I made "ears".

Italian avalanche

At Lance's request, and since I haven't done a post in ages (kinda), here's some Italian food ;-)! The pizzas are a lot of fun to make...in fact, I had to stop myself from going nuts and making too many of them! Too many possibilities...

Things are going swimmingly...

Pun intended ;-).  More fishies for your viewing pleasure!

Cassoulet and pet fish

I'm at what I hope is the tail end of a nasty inner ear infection, but I thought I'd do a blog post, since I keep disappearing! A lovely customer of mine asked me to make Cassoulet and Boeuf Bourguignon. I've always loved making stew- like things: making all the little components, and assembling them all together. Of course, I went overboard, so I ended up with enough for an entire set to list as well! It cracks me up because my mom will see something I make in miniature, then make the real thing the next night for dinner! Yes, we had Cassoulet tonight! She always puts her own spin on dishes, though (no recipe needed!), and I swear, they often end up tasting miles better then any version I'd ever had before, no joke. She added chicken thighs, Portugese sausage, and drumroll....BELLY PORK.

The other bits below are versions of my "pet fish" ;-).