The Kitchen Window

The Kitchen Window
Antique Milk Bottles with Herbs and Flowers

Welcome!

Welcome to the Frog Hollow Farm blog! I've been blogging since January 2010 and have switched from Blogger to Word Press, but I'm back to Blogger because, for me, it's easier to use. My husband and I live on a little farm in Northwest New Jersey. We have some chickens and a very large vegetable garden with asparagus and raspberries, and rows and rows of sunflowers, snapdragons and zinnias. Traveling, entertaining, gardening, spending time with family, studying Italian, blogging and reading keep us busy and happy. With all of this going on, moving towards a simpler life seems almost impossible but it's definitely a daily goal.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Spring

FHFB and I have been away visiting our 2 children in Florence, Italy.  Florence is just a spectacular place to be - full of history and beauty and of course, very delicious food.  Our son spent 5 weeks there sketching and drawing (some life, right?) and our daughter went to visit and generously share the cost of the apartment for 10 days. 
The first day we arrived our daughter put together a yummy little aperitivo for us - she loves to entertain as much as I do.

We had fresh, delicious mozzarella cheese with sweet ripe Sicilian tomatoes along with prosciutto wrapped around sweet cantalope melon.  She also had a wonderful bottle of local red wine ready for us!  And of course, this feast was just the prelude to dinner and the beginning of a night full of delicious food.



I'll be sharing some of our adventures in Italy over the next few posts. 


We were able to take a fantastic and delicious cooking class with Sharon Oddson Gargano from the very delicious restaurant called Trattoria Garga



We were also able to meet a fellow blogger, Eleonora from aglio, olio e peperoncino and took a wonderful street food stroll with her while we were in Rome during the last two days of our trip. 



FHFB, being the authentic Sicilian that he is, of course has cousins that we were lucky enough to visit on their farm in Panicala, a small village in Umbria.  What a fantastic experience!!  Here we are eating (of course) fresh pasta and drinking delicious local wine!


More of these experiences to come in the next week!


I've missed you all and look forward to blogging, visiting and commenting!

Ciao, bella!!
xxoo

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like a fantastic trip! In addition to sharing it with your kids, I love that you had the cooking class and got me meet fellow bloggers. Oh, and I'm sure the wine wasn't half bad either:@)

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  2. LUCKY YOU !!!! what a wonderful trip..i can not wait to see more...glad you're back

    i have missed you, my friend

    looking forward to SUMMER with you....
    we are bbqing teriyaki burgers and pineapple...with corn on the cob...

    so HAPPY to be back in blog land
    :-)
    sending love,
    kary and teddy

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  3. You are living my dream! Soak in all that gorgeous Italian countryside and FOOD!
    Yvonne

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  4. WOW....luck you.....can't wait to hear you adventures!!

    xo

    Jo

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  5. Sounds lovely! I've been to Florence in the past and hope to go back again someday!

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  6. Ann Marie,
    What a wonderful time and such a blessing to have had this opportunity to be with your family in such a glorious country. I love traveling with my family and I hope that when they are all grown up like your children are that I still have the chance to travel with them. Whether its near or far isn't it such a wonderful way to make life long memories with the most important people in your life!! Everything looks beautiful and I so happy you had such a great time!
    xx
    Michele
    PS..If you make the recipe this weekend just add the amounts that you like...My husband doesn't like too many capers or olives so I just adjust it. The most imp. thing is to get good Lobster Ravioli..and No I have not tried the meat markets maybe I will get some soon...these were from Whole Foods, but personally I pefer those at Gary's wine market in Bernardsville better.
    Have a great day. I'm trying to book& finalize some of our summer trips I am really hoping to get to Old Quebec City...Its just scheduling it around my son's schedules and my husband is developing some things at work so I have decided to just go with the flow until things settle down...Oh well I think I will just book everything and see what happens.. Have you ever been? I have been in the winter it is unbelievable but I also hear in the Summer it is gorgeous, I use to love Montreal until I discovered Old Quebec and now I never want to go to Montreal. LOL

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  7. Hi lovely lady. I hope some day my husband and I can go to Italian !!! I love all your photos did you see my tablescape for my Italian dinner did I get it right sweet lady ??
    I hope you and your lovely family have a Great Week.
    xxoo
    Diane

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  8. What a trip! I look forward to reading more about it.

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  9. WELCOME BACK, SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A GREAT VACATION. HOW NICE KATIE, AND FRANKIE WERE THERE TOO. YOU ALL LOOK GREAT.
    ALL YOUR FOOD SOUNDS REALLY DELICIOUS. TAKE CARE, LOVE YA, AUNT RIZ

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