Lucia September 12th, 2007
I have big aspirations, whether we’re talking about life or decorating my home or buying groceries. My dad’s always teasing me that I have champagne taste on a beer budget. For instance, I don’t want to go to the River Walk in San Antonio for vacation. I want to go to the Grand Canal in Venice.
I don’t want a sensible, make-do beige sofa from a big box store. I want the crimson curved beauty featured in a designer magazine. And I don’t want to shop for specialty olive oil in a supermarket. I want to buy imported gourmet extra virgin, guaranteed for its quality, from a world market. Click to continue »
Lucia September 6th, 2007
Just when I thought I’d tried every conceivable olive oil out there, I discover infused olive oil. My mom, of all people, turned me on to it by giving me a bottle of Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Surprised the heck out of me. Click to continue »
Lucia August 28th, 2007
Despite what Dolly Parton says, less really can be more. Maybe not when it comes to bling, but if you’re talking about Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then less does mean more. Less, as in Click to continue »
Lucia August 23rd, 2007
Don’t go thinking I’ve got Madonna on my iPod. This kind of virgin has to do with olive oil. I was at my parents’ home, and Mom asked me to explain what virgin oil was. Dad made a dumb joke. I snickered, and Mom rolled her eyes and swatted him on the arm with the newspaper she was reading. My dad’s corny, but he always makes me laugh.
I told her the phrase virgin olive oil was Click to continue »
Bob August 20th, 2007
A study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Aug 2007) provides further evidence that olive oils have healthful benefits. Olive oil contains phenols, which have been shown to fight clotting in lab tests. Click to continue »
Lucia August 18th, 2007
Okay, I have just one complaint about this olive oil thing. Why can’t all the producers in all the countries call it the same thing and have some kind of uniform labels where all the terms mean the same?
I’d decided I was going to make my mom’s Fresh Apple Cake. This is a dense, moist cake that weighs a ton, and it’s totally delicious. I got her recipe, but Click to continue »
Hannah August 12th, 2007
You’ll never believe this, but I discovered something funny when my best friend and I went to Italy on vacation. Italians really do say, “Mama Mia!”
The first time I heard Pasqua, our guide, say this I thought perhaps she was doing it because we crass Americans expected Italians to do so. But then I heard people in the street say it so I guess it’s a case of a cliché being a cliché because it’s true.
Pasqua took us to a little village in Umbria. Excitedly, she told us we were going to have the privilege of Click to continue »
Bob August 11th, 2007
I just finished reading Amy Scattergood’s article in the LA Times called Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Updating an American icon. WOW! She takes grilled cheese sandwiches to the gourmet level. One of her suggestions, on how to make the ultimate comfort food sandwich, is to Click to continue »
Lucia August 6th, 2007
I read on a blog the other day something Anthony Quinn, playing a guy named Zorba, said in an old movie called “Zorba The Greek.” Something about everybody needing a little bit of crazy.
Well, I’ve got my crazy. I’m crazy over good food. Isn’t everyone? I’ve never understood why some folks go on a dinner date and pretend that all they want is to nibble on a lettuce leaf. Food is to be enjoyed. By the way, my cholesterol is healthier than the average American’s. I attribute that to olive oil. But the state of my health isn’t what I wanted to talk about.
I want to tell you about this Greek place I went to the other evening. Click to continue »
Lucia August 2nd, 2007
When I was a kid, I saw “My Fair Lady” with Audrey Hepburn. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. And she could sing too. “The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain, of Spain.” I drove my mother nuts singing that song because that’s about the only line I knew.
It wasn’t until years later I found out Audrey had lip synced the song. I was shocked. Just about as shocked as I was to realize Spain produces more olive oil than Italy. Now don’t think I’ve gone around the bend about the subject of olive oil, but, I have to confess, the more I learn, the more fascinated I get. Click to continue »
