Form the dressing into 1-inch balls. Dip in flour, egg, and panko bread crumbs. Fry until golden brown.
Hot Pepper Jelly Cranberry Sauce
1 can cranberry sauce
1/4 cup hot pepper jelly
In a small saucepan, heat cranberry sauce and hot pepper jelly to combine. Serve warm with the Dressing Bites.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The day is one for remembering the many things we can be thankful for and enjoying a great meal with family and friends -- what a great combination! This year we had two Thanksgivings. Our first was at Quail Hollow with family members that would be traveling during the holidays. 
Our special guests were Mary and Larry Nelson from California and Shelia and Herman Peterson from Maryland. Mary Evelyn is a childhood friend of Peggy and Kenny and it was wonderful having them join us this year. 
The meal was delicious, thanks to every one's contributions. The main star was the turkey accompanied by dressing and giblet gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, cranberry casserole, cranberry sauce, cole slaw, rutabagas, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. 
I found a great sale on sweet potatoes so I decided to buy some and try out a couple of recipes for Sweet Potato Bread. I tried two recipes and my stitching friends selected this one as the best. Thanks to Closet Cooking Kevin for the inspiration!
This morning we toured the Vatican with Roman professor, Enrico Bruschini. On our first trip to Rome, Enrico led us through the Forum, the Coliseum and the Vatican. When we began planning this trip, we immediately contacted Enrico to see if he was available for a second tour of the Vatican. Enrico is an expert on the history of the Vatican and its contents. He worked on the cleaning of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. The museums in the Vatican are incredible. You will see sculptures, frescoes, paintings, tapestries, and relics of the past. You can rent one of the audio tours, but it is nothing like having Enrico making the contents come to life.
We left Cortona early this morning for Chuisi to catch the train. Keith gave us excellent directions and the trip took less than an hour. The car rental office is within walking distance to the train station. For anyone taking the train to Rome, do not exit at the first Rome station, wait until you reach Termini.
But the caffe continues to be excellent. I know I have said it before, but I do wish we could get coffee at home that is as good as it is here. Or maybe not! Kenny tried caffe and chocolate gelato at a cafe at the Piazza del Popolo and the two together were delicious.
For those of you who have read Angels and Demons, the Piazza del Popolo is where the adventure begins. There are 3 churches in the piazza - the Santa Maria dei Miracoli, the Santa Maria and the Santa Maria del Popolo. I love the churches. The architecture and the frescos are amazing. It is hard to leave a church in Rome and not feel the hand of God. The Santa Maria del Popolo is home to works of Bernini and Caravaggio and is spectacular.
Today there was a film crew filming the Caravaggio masterpieces. This was a rare opportunity to see the details of the paintings brightly lit.
Nan and I spent the day with Alessandra, shopping and cooking. Alessandra owns a beautiful shop in Cortona, il Girasole , and she conducts cooking classes in her home. We started the morning in Cortona with a cappuccino and Alessandra sharing her love and knowledge about Italian cooking. As she talks, I can't help but see so many similarities with our southern cooking. Alessandra described Italian cooking as a simple cuisine of the poor people who made do with whatever was available. Farm workers were given a place to live and a spot of land to grow their own food, much like the sharecroppers in the South. Alessandra's style of cooking was passed down from her grandmothers and her mother who grew up in the Cortona area.
Shopping in Cortona is a real treat. Our first visit was to the fruit and vegetable stand. This is not a self-service market. Signs request that you not touch the food for sanitation purposes. What a great idea! Alessandra tells the shop owner what we want and the owner picks out the freshest for our approval.
Our next stop is the wine store before going to the small super mercati. Check out the picture above. Yes, that is a UGA sign. Cortona is the location for UGA's Study Abroad program. Here we purchase the staples for the meal.
The butcher is our last stop. I love butcher shops in Italy. The smell is earthy and the selection incredible. The chickens are sold with their heads and feet so you can see the freshness. We buy a beef roast, fresh sausage and a chicken breast. 
Alessandra lives in a charming house built in the 1500's. Her kitchen is the center of her home. We put on our aprons, a gift from Alessandra, and start to work. This is not a "sit back and watch" type of cooking school, but a chance to create classic Italian dishes under the watchful eye of an accomplished cook. During the day we cook, clean, eat and drink while enjoying the conversation. Kenny, Edwin and Keith join us for a wonderful dinner. The menu included:
Dessert
Our hosts, Keith and Tania, have done just that. They decided to leave their home in California several years ago and move to Italy. They lived in an apartment in Cortona before buying Caso bel Posto, a rustic farmhouse surrounded by fields of sunflowers. The young couple has created a cozy retreat for travelers and their hospitality is as warm as the apartment.
eavily planted with olive trees ready for harvesting. We park close to the escalator and begin our trek upward to the city. Our timing is lousy once again. Most of the businesses are closing for lunch so we quickly grab a table overlooking the piazza at the Ristorante La Loggetta. The food here is very innovative. We share a Mixed Plate full of delicious antipasti. My favorite is a pesto cheese thingy, served warm. The Zuppa di Pomodoro was delicious. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of it! The soup was served piping hot in a white bowl garnished with fresh pesto. It looked as good as it tasted. After lunch we stop for a cappuccino before heading back to the apartment to crash. 
For the second course, we followed Leo's recommendation for pizza and it was delicious - thin, crispy crust, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and toppings of artichokes, olives, ham, and mushrooms.
Leo was soon back offering dessert, but we said no. Leo left the table only to return with a plate of panna cotta topped with strawberries that was light and tasty.
Just when we think we can't eat another thing, Leo returns with what Kenny thinks is a bottle of Chivas Regal scotch. Leo pours us all a glass and Kenny is the first to take a drink. The look on his face tells me this isn't scotch. Leo smiles and tells us it is vinsanto, a sweet Tuscan dessert wine, the perfect ending to a perfect evening. Thanks to all our new Italian friends for giving us a night we will always remember. Buona sera!
If you are looking for a great place to eat in Florence, check out Trattoria Icche C'e C'e. This quaint trattoria is located on an isolated alley between Piazza Santa Croce and Piazza della Signoria. We arrived early and looked inside to see the owner Gino and his family enjoying a meal before opening. We were soon joined in our wait with a mother and daughter traveling together from Arkansas. It was good to hear another southern accent.
Tonight after dinner we went on a chocolate hunt. Our destination was Caffe Riviore in the Piazza della Signoria. This upscale cafe is beautifully decorated with pink tablecloths and walls of beautiful art. And there is plenty of art in the displays of chocolate as well. This is a chocoholics dream. Nan and Edwin opted for some chocolates, served on napkins on white plates. Kenny and I went for the Cioccolata Calda, a thick, dark, not too sweet hot chocolate drink topped with whip cream. We made the big mistake of sitting down and paid the price - $24 euros for the drink! You see, the price you pay increases drastically if you sit at a table. Next time we will be standing at the bar enjoying this decadent treat!
Today we have nothing planned except to walk the streets and explore Florence. The streets are full of locals and tourists enjoying this wonderful fall day. At the Duomo, a military band is performing. They are dressed in uniforms with feathered hats. Their music fills the piazza.
The Saffron Crocus
During our tour of Tuscany, Rebecca arranged for us to have lunch at Il Castagnolino, a working farm and B&B about 2 km from San Gimignano. Carmela Cristiano was our hostess and she gave us a tour of her small farm. Il Castagnolino produces saffron and olive oil and she was harvesting the saffron when we arrived. I had no idea that saffron grew in Italy. The blossoms from the crocus plant are picked in late October and early November. The stamen are carefully removed from the flower and allowed to dry. Carmela and her friend, Alessandra, treated us to a Tuscan lunch seasoned with saffron and fresh pressed olive oil from the farm. This is exactly the kind of experiences I wanted while in Italy - to be see how Italians garden, cook and eat. Thanks Rebecca for making this happen!
Antipasti
Primi Piatti
Fresh Pasta with a Saffron Cheese Sauce
It is Saturday night and the streets of Florence are crowded with locals looking for a place to eat. A block from our apartment we find an osteria with a pizza oven and an interesting menu. Il Pizzaiuolo at Via de' Macci 113/r is known for its Neapolitan-style pizza. The pizza was delicious. The fresh mozzarella is complimented with proscuitto, tomatoes, olives and basil and has a wonderful smoked flavor. Now we know where to eat good Italian pizza in Florence!
Today is All Saints Day in Italy and many of the businesses are closed. Thanks to Rebecca, our guide for the day, we are traveling through Tuscany. We leave Florence and head south to the Superstrada, a non-toll highway, similar to our interstate highways, minus the emergency lane. When we exit the Superstrada, we head for the mountains and the beautiful countryside. The roads are winding and Rebecca blows her horn as she enters the tight curves, just to let oncoming traffic know we have the right away since there is no room for two cars. Rebecca is a master at the wheel, a true Italian!
This is olive harvesting time in Tuscany. The hills are full of olive trees and as we rounded a curve, we noticed several men along the roadside picking olives. The men we kind enough to show me their technique and try my hand at the harvesting. A net is placed under the trees and a hand rake is used to pull the ripe olives from the trees. Once the olives are harvested they are taken to the olive press in town to convert the ripe fruit to olive oil.
After the wine tour, our next stop was a saffron farm for lunch. More about that later.To end our tour of Tuscany, we visit the hill town of San Gimignano, known for its Medieval towers. We climb to the top of the town for a spectacular view of the countryside. The Duomo is a fine example of Tuscan Romanesque architecture. The exterior is plain but the inside is full of beautiful frescos. After a cup of cappuccino and a tour of the shops, we drive back to Florence.
If you are planning a trip to Tuscany, I would highly recommend you check out Rebecca Christphersen's web site Tuscan Wine Tours. She is very knowledgeable about the wines and history of the region and will make sure you experience the heart of Tuscany.
Thanks Rebecca for giving us the chance to be Italians for the day!
Posts
All Comments
