Nonno Giving Lessons on 'How To Pick a Ripe Fig' With the Grandkids

Post by Italian American Girl.

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Eros Ramazzotti World Tour Comes to the USA!

Brace yourselves!  Eros Ramazzotti will be making his World Tour debut here in the states, which is sure to excite the droves of Italian Americans who love his music - including me!  He'll be performing in Brooklyn, New York, Atlantic City, NJ - Los Angeles, CA, then onto Miami, FL.  

Check his website for direct links to purchase tickets, see you there!  

http://www.ramazzotti.com/en/category/news/#/en/in-september-and-october-2013-the-noitour-lands-in-america/

*Photo from ErosRamazzotti.com -- Paolo Zambaldi 2012

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What Happened to the American Dream?

You know that saying, you have to write about what you know.  I am very particular about what I post on my Italian American Girl site as you can tell.  I don't write and post just to have anything up here, I am truthful about what I write because I feel the authenticity is what makes this site successful.  I often ask myself about life, 'do other people go through what I am going through?'  We often compare ourselves to others when we are faced with challenges in our lives.  I have been blessed my whole life in many ways and when we work hard, have no time, have family obligations, dealing with other problems, etc. things can  become overwhelming at times.  

In many posts in the past, I always say 'family is everything.'  I believe this is true, who else is there for you or will hand you the truth when you need it? Yes, your family.  So, when I say I am blessed I know I am, regardless of all the challenges.  More recently, my family and I have been faced with having to figure out how to move forward financially with my parents as they are aging.  Thank God, they are both of health and mind, but financially things are becoming increasingly hard as they're both retired.  My father came to this country over 50 years ago and worked two to three jobs, he never stopped.  Granted we were not millionaires and we most definitely lived a modest life, they still do.  After raising four children, my mother went off to work as well, she was not shy of hard work and definitely brought home her half of the bacon.   I grew up in a household where working hard and having a good work ethic were major influences and requirements.  Nothing wrong with that.  Buy your own car, buy your own house, take pride in your hard work -- do and BE the American dream.  

Fast forward to today and now we're working harder than ever, taxes are rising, seniors are living on less than fixed incomes as I know first hand from handling many financial elements for my parents.  My father came to this country when they were telling him back in Calabria that if you come to America, you're set for life -- you have to work hard, but you will be able to retire and your kids will have a better life than in Italy.  He did it, he bought and sold many homes, he never complained, he paid his taxes, he gave to whoever needed help, he gave other people jobs, and now they're faced with how to keep their home, pay debt back, and just live.  Look, this isn't a political piece I'm writing here, I'm talking about the facts, the actions, the history of the American dream, which prompts me to ask, 'What happened to the American dream?'

I am American, I love my country, but I want my parents American Dream supported and not pulled out from under their feet. I'm a child of immigrant parents, they worked hard, I work hard -- Can we get the dream back?   Tweet

Italian American Mother Series - Making Nutella Cupcakes

In honor of Mother's Day, we invited the Italian American Girl readers to submit their favorite story about their Italian -Italian American mother.  Here are a few of the most touching stories. 

By Ann Minard

I love cupcakes and I think this goes back to my childhood and the horrible lack of cupcake goodness throughout most of  it. Growing up in a First Generation Italian home cupcakes were not really my Mom's forte: why make silly old cupcakes when you can make homemade Cannoli, Biscotti, and French Candies? But I always had a deep longing for those oh so simple yet oh so good  All-American cupcakes, and here's why: 1) The size, you get your very own cake! 2) They are portable each having their own carrying case. 3) They are so adorable! 4) Easy to serve, no cutting. 5)Fun to decorate making each and everyone unique if you desire to do so. I guess these All-American treats are a lot like us as Americans: Carefree, Individual, and quite Adorable!

I do have to confess though that my Mom did give in and made me chocolate cupcakes for my 10th birthday, as you can see in the photo below. Although I am sure the very idea of making cupcakes seemed rather silly to such an experienced baker and pastry maker, she could whip out 100 homemade cannoli shells in an afternoon and made 100's of homemade candies and cookies every Christmas, my Mom humbled herself and baked me regular old chocolate cupcakes.

And many years later I finally understood my mother's struggle to give in to such a simple request  when on my daughter's birthday I asked her what "special foods" I could make her for her birthday meal and she all too quickly responded, "Frozen tater-tots and pop-tarts!"

 Nutella Cupcakes Recipe

This recipe is a nod to my Italian American roots: Hershey Cupcakes with Nutella frosting!

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa powder (This is the recipe on the back of the box.)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil or 1 stick butter melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Frosting: 1 small  jar Nutella

Directions
Line 2 cupcake trays with cupcake liners and spray each with some vegetable spray.
Heat oven to 350.
Mix all the dry ingredients together, including the sugar.
Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and butter and mix for 2 minutes on low with a mixer.
Add the boiling water and stir just until combined.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or ice-cream scoop fill each cup 2/3 full with the batter.
Bake for 22-25 minutes. Cool trays on racks for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edges if any seem to be stuck to the pan.
Flip over on to rack, bang bottom and release onto tray, flip each cupcake over and cool completely.
Frost with Nutella!

Note: This recipe make about 30 cupcakes but I find that if you let the batter sit and wait for the first batch to bake and cool they do not bake as well so I usually just make 24 using my 2 (1 dozen) trays at once on the same oven rack and throw out the rest.
Leave these cupcakes out on a counter and covered as they do not refrigerate well.

*Permission to use photos by Ann Minard Tweet

Walk on May 5 to Help Italian-Americans and Others with a Deadly Blood Disorder!

On May 5, the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation is holding Care Walk 2013, a series of walks designed to show support for all those living with the blood disorder thalassemia (often called Cooley’s anemia) and to raise funds for the Foundation’s programs on behalf of people with thalassemia.  Thalssemia is disproportionately found in people of specific heritages, including those of Italian descent.  

Here's how you can help--Care Walk is designed for maximum convenience: We ask people to set up a Walk at a time and place that works for them.  It can be as simple as walking around your neighborhood with a couple of friends or as involved as organizing a larger walk in a park or other area.

Our goal is to have at least one person walking for every person with thalassemia in the U.S.!

You can register for Care Walk or support someone who is Walking by going to http://tinyurl.com/CareWalk2013 or you can email n.perozo@cooleysanemia.org for more information.

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Authentic Italian Organic Zucchini Soup - Calabrese Style

I shared this picture on Facebook and the response was overwhelming, this is my mother's zucchini soup that  she makes all year round. To stick to the authenticity of my blog, I post things about my everyday Italian American life, so this is the real deal.  The soup is a combination of the actual organic zucchini, crushed tomato, boiled potato, garlic,  and onion.  So simple, yet complex in flavor.  I have to say, I can't believe my mother was so willing to give me the ingredients, usually it's TOP SECRET.   Enjoy! 

Recipe:

Add 1 quart of water to pot to boil:

• 1 pound of zucchini cubed (organic or regular- I prefer organic)  
• 1 small onion cubed
• 1 clove of garlic (the whole thing - don't be cheap) 
• 2 medium cut tomato or San Marzano from the jar/can (whatever works for you ) 
• 1 medium sized potato cubed
• 3 leaves of basil 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (don't use low grade- olive oil can make or break a meal) 
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Combine all ingredients in the boiling water, cook about 20 to 25 minutes to tender.   Serve and enjoy!

This is a regular meal I grew up on, ever wonder why Italians are so healthy?

8 Health Benefits of Zucchini

** As a side note, this ingredient list had to be deciphered from an ancient Calabrese coded recipe.. LOL**

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Argentine Tango - Where Italian Culture Plays a Leading Role

As many of you know, I love to dance and where almost two years ago I posted my first story on my ballroom journey. Since then, my love for dancing has evolved into something more profound, passionate and intense, hence my new dance of choice, Argentine tango.  I began lessons in Argentine tango as a way to evolve ballroom dancing, but soon after taking many private lessons -I became engulfed in the mystery and intensity of tango.  It's one of those dances that you just can't explain what the feeling is, but it requires a serious cerebral connection.

It's one thing to know steps, but this is far beyond that, it seduces you in 'being in the moment' and understanding movement.  You learn so much about yourself in this dance.  In today's world, we spend so much TIME worrying about TIME and never living in the moment, tango teaches a lesson.  A large element that makes this special is the Argentine tango music, it's like no other. It's a traditional sound, one that I can recall from childhood. I remember my father and mother always dancing the tango at a family wedding or event and then just listening to this type of music at home, so in many ways it brings back amazing memories.

Some of you  may recall as I was telling the story about my father and when he came to America over 50 years ago, he also taught dancing as a way to make ends meet.  I mean this is a man who worked hard his whole life and had a blue collar demeanor to him always, so when he wore his dress shoes, he was someone else -- the dancer.  One of those characteristics about your parents that leaves a huge impression on you as a child.

In learning more about Argentine tango I began researching the history and music, it's pretty amazing to find out that much of the Argentine culture is directly influenced by Italian culture.  A direct statistic of this fact is that up to 20 million Argentines have some direct Italian descent.   They are Argentine Italians as we are Italian Americans.  The immigrant population from Italy to Argentina spikes up to almost 45% during peak years. So you can imagine, everything from the music, food, culture, traditions, dance, art and education were directly influenced by the Italian culture, that's impressive.   After learning this, I feel even more connected to the culture and history of Argentine tango.  My goal is to make it to Argentina for an educational trip on all things tango, but to also learn about the history of the Italian cultural influences.

Here's an incredibly talented group out of New York City called 'Importango' , who are in the process of creating a tango album.  Listen and watch their introduction here:





Photo Credit: E. Cullari  Tweet