Oh, Holiday Revelry!

This week was our annual holiday party. It was interesting. I loved the mode of dress and admired the fancy sweaters. Take a look.

Adrienne looks so happy wearing her circa 1988 "Dear Santa Dear Santa Sweater" complete with shiny Christmas Tree and a nipple bow. Sweet Alex borrowed one of Adrienne's many Christmas sweaters and Nelson was sporting a fancy dark green sweater with bonus present embroidery on the back shoulder! Like a tattoo! 13th Street really represented this year. I expect the rest of y'all to step it up next year.

We had our annual gift exchange. The rules being that you spend $10, wrap and put it on the table. Everyone just swaps. Miles was a winner with his Snuggy, snugglie? Only $10?!?! What a steal!

The biggest loser had to be Jay who, coincidentally received Miles' gift of dried pasta, Rolos and bandaids. I know, gross. I wish you could have seen poor Jay's face. He was heartbroken. Miles kept repeating, "There is 10 dollars worth of stuff in there!" I am sure, in fact positive, that that did not really soothe Jay's devastation. He could have used a picture of Ezra! Look how happy she is! I don't know about you, but a picture of Ezra for $10!?! Ezra, don't sell yourself so cheaply!!

Sarah did an incredible job. She arranged for tamales, tacos and chips and warm spiked cider. Irlanda and Mago made incredible guacamole (best ever! and we had Dante tearing through the place. It was awesome!) and this shrimp salsa thing that was incredible. John after sampling both, opined that our next project should be a Mexican place. Jay made some weird gin concoctions and I heard that after I left some keg stands were attempted. Oh you kids!

The best part of the evening is that some old Capogirians stopped by. Patrick was there! He now is working out in the burbs selling food with judgment and Emily stopped in. Beth finally came back from Germany! We missed you Beth!! We got to wish Christian the best and Chris is off with his most talented wife to Spain. We will miss y'all horribly.

It was a wonderful evening. John and I cannot imagine doing this crazy business without the great personalities that work to make Capogiro what it is. With four cafes we cannot always get to know everyone as well as we want to and last night was incredibly rewarding to be able to talk and find out what y'all's hope and dreams may be. That, or if you are a fun or sloppy drunk. All good. All great.

Thank you.

HOLI! HOLI! HOLI!

This past week was the Festival of Colors in India celebrating Spring. During the festival, people smear color, called gulal, on each other's face and splash colored water, called rang. They dance and sing in the streets and have parties. Young and old, together, seamlessly. It makes me happy.

I want Holi. Can you imagine how much fun that would be? After this horrid snow and chilling cold. Look at those colors? The vibrant happy, almost violently happy colors. It makes me happy.

I want to throw pink water filled balloons out my window and have the person I peg look up and smile. I think I will just have to settle for Tiffin. Honestly, it is not really settling. Tiffin is delicious and I could eat Saag Paneer every day. I love ordering home delivery. The cutest guys show up wearing ties and freshly combed hair. It makes me happy.

Do you think they'd mind if I hit them with a pink water filled balloon?

Passions and Preferences

You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to. We all have our way of doing things. I think I can speak for just about all Capogirians when I say we all have a passion for food; different preferences, but the common thread is definitely passion. We talk about food, we argue about food, and we are always talking about what we are going to eat next while we are eating. When someone travels, you hear, "Oh! You must try (insert bar/bakery/cafe/restaurant/street vendor/younameit here). Do not leave until you do!" Kamala returned from West Virginia with Oliverio peppers, Dan returns from Wisconsin with curds and eye patches (don't ask), Tacy returns from Maine with tales of lobsters and blueberries (you cannot bring those back), Lorenzo returns with artichokes, and I return with hot sauce and beignet mix. We are passionate.

Today we discussed what we ate in our holiday haunts. The highlight for me was probably one of the most delicious sandwiches I have ever had. See this beauty? It is an Oyster Loaf from Casamento's on Magazine Street in New Orleans. I am not one for white bread, but I lovelovelove oysters. This was near perfection. My brother-in-law, Tiger, took John and I for lunch. He said that he brings out of town-ers to Casamento's. 3 dozen oysters, shucked by the most adorable men, oyster stew, fried crab claws, 3 1/2 oyster loaves, and 6 Abita Gold beers served by the sweetest woman, who started out surly because we were mucking up the runway for the servers. Agreed. As I said, I am not one for white bread, but this was not your ordinary white bread: it was buttery and, quite honestly, worth fighting over. The oysters were shucked moments before and fried perfectly. These people are worthy of worship - Food Titans.

That was not the only perfection of the week. There were others. I'll save it for later. Another time.

I am home and thinking I need to create some new flavors. I feel inspired.

Roots and rituals.

How was the holiday? Does your arm hurt from all that Wii action? Are your pants a liiiiiiittle tight this morning??? Mine sure are! I destroyed every hollowed out loaf of bread with spinach dip inside it from here to the Alleghenies.
We spent the weekend in West Virginia (save your kissing cousin cracks; I've heard them all a hundred thousand times before and furthermore, my cousins are for the most part wildly unattractive, overzealous religious fanatics or just totally unkissable...). I love WV in all of it's backwards glory. I love southern foods and traditions (though I hail from ABOVE the Mason Dixon Line) and I'd like to share a tiny piece of my family's heritage with you.

It's my grandmother's (Big Ma's) New Year's Day tradition and she would box my ears from the great beyond if I didn't prepare it annually. Black eyed peas, cabbage, collared greens and cornbread on the first day of every year is said to bring you good luck and prosperity. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with a ceremonial "cleansing" of the system.... but, ummm, thats one of the ritual's "perks".

I steam the greens in a big pot with a giant slab of bacon and force friends and neighbors to indulge. They're generally terrified at first. (Why does cabbage scare people so? It's not as if I'm asking them to eat chitlins and pickled pig's feet, sheesh, grow a pair...). After a few bites the fear dissipates and it's replaced with a newfound addiction to soul food. If you ask me, nothing says "Happy New Year" like black eyed peas and a slab of swine... MAN, I wish we'd make bacon flavored gelato... We ask all the time but, the Reitanos are very ANTI-meat based gelati. Party poopers. ;) Curb your craving with a pint of our Sea Salt Gelato in the meantime, we'll keep begging.

Whatever your traditional or non-traditional New Year's palate requires, I hope it finds you in good health and among family and friends. Happy Holidays, friends and don't worry about the extra pounds. I'd take bacon over a bikini any day.

Seriously? Cyber Monday....

I am a horrible mother when I force the kids to listen to NPR in the morning.  Yup, I do. I feel like they should listen to current events and quite honestly, morning radio, other than NPR, is painful for the most part. Too much D.J. talk intended for an R rated crowd. Tho, I’m no prude, but the constant innuendo is not something I can handle explaining to my 9 year old before I’ve have  had coffee...I am running on and on...My point is that the reports this morning about "Cyber Monday" were plentiful. It made me think; "We should let people know, while they are tooling around online instead of working, that we send out gelato!" Who wants an ole fruitcake or a stupid gift basket with mini jars of jam and weenies? Not me: I want real food.

So get your real food right here....$60 plus shipping to anywhere in the continental United States!  Yup, right to your door.

Mascarpone Cheese with Heirloom Apples

If you must, here’s your cheese basket, Italian style! Imported Italian Mascarpone Cheese blended with Heirloom apples from Lancaster County. Heirloom apples are from trees whose seeds are from the late 1700’s.

Pure King Leo Stracciatella 

A gelato with a pedigree: Royalty no less. Hot house Swiss mint from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, infused and blended to make our mint gelato.  As the gelato pours from our batch freezer we mix in dark chocolate and crushed Pure King Leo peppermints.

Cachi (Persimmon)

The Greeks refer to persimmons as “Fruit of the Gods” or “The Wheat of Zeus.” Sometimes they’re even called a “Velvet Apple”. Wait..., VELVET APPLE!!?! Persimmons are slightly spicy and definitely for an adventurous palate. Think about it; Would Zeus want socks and underwear?

Castagne (Chestnut)

Unfortunately we cannot take you to streets of Florence on a crisp winter’s day to have some roasted chestnuts from one of the ubiquitous carts; but we can take hours and hours of our own time to simmer whole chestnuts in sugar and spices. Then we fold them into chestnut  gelato for your quick getaway.

Mandarancio (Clementine)

Sweet little clementines. History tells us that the clementine was an accidental hybrid discovered by Father Clement Rodier in the garden of his orphanage in Misserghin, Algeria. Regardless of its virtuous past, this succulent fruit is more delicious if juiced moments before freezing. So that’s how we do it.

Cioccolato Scuro

Always, the bitter must tame the sweet, or vice-versa. Deep, rich, black gelato to ease all those holiday worries... or fuel the fire. You decide.

Click HERE to order.