Rolled Chicken Bites

The other night I asked for volunteers to help cook dinner. Of course, my daughter, Gabriella, was first in line. She never misses a meal. This girl literally lives for food....she can hear a wrapper opening miles away! And then, of course, she comes running..."What are you eating, can I have some?!"

I mean it, I will try to sneak a snack while riding in the car, and she can see, from the third row of the van, that I am stuffing something in my mouth. "I smell something," she says, "what are you eating?"

One day, her love for food will either make her husband very well fed, or she will fall into obesity and have no husband at all. (My husband is hoping for the latter!)

So back to dinner....Gabriella and her plastic 'sharp' (as she calls knives) were on hand to help make these wonderful snacks that my parents and grandparents would serve up at every party. So as kids, we only ate them when guests or lots of family came over...which usually meant there wasn't much left for us. This made my brother and I especially angry. Let's face it, a hungry Italian is not a pretty sight. So, I decided I would never put my children through such torture.

They are a great party snack, but you can make them larger, like I did, and have them as a meal. So, as promised, another great recipe from the family cookbook: "La Cucina Di Rosa"

ROLLED CHICKEN BITES (call them anything, I suppose...we just named them this as kids)

Getting Ready

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut chicken breasts into strips

Cut bacon strips to half size

Cute a block of swiss cheese into small cubes

Beat eggs with a touch of milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder

have ready: bread crumbs, toohpicks, parchement paper

The Dirty Work

Start with the cheese. Wrap a piece of chicken around it as tightly as you can. Then wrap a pice of bacon around that fairly tightly. Secure with toothpick. Dip into egg mixture, then into breadcrumbs. (If desired, repeat to double coat the breading...its a litle crispier that way.) Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet for about 30 min, depending on your oven (so keep checking!)

You can remove the toothpicks once they're slightly cooled.....then dig in. They are especially good with some marinara sauce to dunk. You could even substitute prosciutto for the bacon, but you can't use too large of a piece since it dries out so easily.

Bon Appetit!

The Modern Italian Network

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I am now a proud member of the Modern Italian Network!!

M.I.N. is a great site that was created solely for the purpose of serving people who are "passionate about Italy." If you become a member (registration is free) you have access to all sorts of Italian info from food and culture to language and travel. You begin to build a network of Italian Americans across the world via the wonderful world wide web....

So if you register, you will have access to my profile and all the other good conversations we'll be having. So take a look, you can access the site via the link on the bottom of this blog, under "I Miei Favoriti."

Grazie Mille....Ciao

The REAL Italian Stallion

"Italian Stallion" -- What's the first thing that comes to mind?

Okay, besides my husband, I can think of three things......

First, Sylvester Stallone, but that thought quickly leaves my mind so as to avoid vomiting.

Then, Rocky Marciano. Sure he retired undefeated, he was heavyweight champion, blah blah blah......boxing doesn't thrill me that much.

But then I think of perhaps the most fascinating piece of machinery ever created...... the pride of Italia for over 75 years.......and perhaps the most well known brand in motorsports --

the Ferrari.

Yes, my friends, the true "Italian Stallion" is and always will be the Ferrari....does anyone care to argue that point? Well, let's just take a look at history...the whole idea of the 'stallion' as the Ferrari logo came from an air force ace in World War I named Baracca. Francesco Baracca always had a prancing black stallion painted on the side of his planes, which made way for his nickname, the "cavalier of the skies.' Apparently Enzo Ferrari made the acquaintance of the noble Baracca family after his death, and was asked by Francesco's mother to put her son's horse on his cars for good luck. And so the Ferrari stallion emblem was born....

You may be asking yourself, what is the point of all this investigation into the real Italian Stallion? Well it's a dirty job, but someone's got to end the bitter confusion that plagues the majority of Italian-Americans who desperately seek answers to life altering questions such as these....

Okay, maybe not. But some Italian out there must (should) care....and so....this one's for you.

Radio Flyer Wagons

Almost every parent has heard of the infamous Radio Flyer Wagons and other toys......but what you probably didn't know is that they were created by an Italian!! Antonio Pasin came to America from a small town outside of Venice in 1914. After a few years of hard work, he managed to save enough money to begin a small business making wood wagons.

By 1923, he had hired several employees and improved his design using metal stamping, as done in automobile manufacturing. He named his company Liberty Coaster Company after the statue of liberty, and he named his Radio Flyer Wagons after Marconi's (another great Italian) invention of the radio, and Pasin's own love for flying.

So today, thanks to the creative mind of Antonio Pasin, we have these adorable radio flyer wagons and scooters (as seen here, my son's pride and joy). Pasin began a company that is still going strong today, and as one of the oldest toy companies is still family owned! Salute Italia!

Italian pride gone too far?

Okay, so we all have a case of Italian Pride. But can you really blame us? I mean,we have the food, the language, the places, the people, the history....An Italian who is not proud of his heritage is almost unheard of. In fact, to some it is very serious. I can't remember the last time I saw my full blooded brother-in-law without some kind of Italian t-shirt on. And even I have the 'Forza Roma' banner in my garage...where it belongs. The signature display of a flag in the garage is one thing, but THIS? This is clearly out of control. Really.....do ya need the Italian flag in every room of your house? What's next? An Italian flag bedspread....oh, wait, they already make those.

Who really buys these, anyway???

photo courtesy of appliancist.com

A Real Man

(This photo taken by this
very talented young lady!)

Those Italian Songs

Being the daughter of first generation Italian Americans, I have been blessed with wonderful memories of my heritage. But I've been cursed with not understanding them all of the time. I always knew the basic rules (Sunday is family day, never buy jarred pasta sauce, etc) but I didn't always know the how's and why's behind them. Another example is this song. I grew up hearing this song. I know the tune by memory, I've even fiddled around with it on the piano....but do I know what they are saying? NO. I can't understand Italian that well, plus it usually goes so fast! So, in effort to keep alive that Italian tradition, I have searched for the lyrics to teach my own kids. (they already love dancing around the house to it!) It's such a fun song, and its about music which is a big deal in my family. So here it is...sing along to an old classic. (I think it was sung by Lou Monte...I'm not sure who sings this sing-a-long version, but enjoy!)