Enjoying a cup of Lavazza espresso with my family --made with my new Philips Saeco Espresso Machine
What is it about espresso and Italian families? The one food element in an Italian family that often brings us together and gives us a sense of comfort at family dinners, occasions and most events. Since I was little, growing up in our Italian household --I always thought coffee was normal where even kids could drink it. I remember my father even putting a little bit of coffee in my bottle as a baby. Granted I may have been a hyper baby, but ask any Italian and they say they put a little coffee in the latte. As I got older, you realize that having a cup of espresso is really a lifestyle. There is style, etiquette and a lot of emotion that goes into espresso. Often when we would visit my family in Italy over the summers, I remember my Uncle Franky taking such pride in boiling the espresso, waiting, stirring the sugar and then serving it right away so it wouldn't lose it's savory taste or heat. Not only did making espresso at home become such an important element in our family, but it also signified a time for family to gather, talk, digest and really slow down to enjoy the moment. You think -- 'Really does espresso do all that? I say, yes... if you go to Italy and someone invites you for an espresso, you better accept! If you deny someones invitation for an espresso at home or at an espresso bar you're basically saying 'I don't want to invest in that slow down or in conversation or time with you.' -(Yes --That is the translation--no, not really literally but Italians can get dramatic..) I laugh as I write this, because to someone who doesn't know or understand the Italian culture you could say, wow Italians take their espresso as serious business. I confirm that!
Recently, I received a Philips Saeco Syntia Espresso Machine along with Lavazza coffee beans from the awesome teams at both companies. I have to be honest with you, I've never made espresso in a machine like this, espresso was always made in the old school pot called a 'bialetti.' The only time you would see an espresso machine would be if I went to an Italian coffee bar.
My first time experience with making the espresso in this machine was beyond any appliance experience, the machine is so easy to use, it tells you exactly what to do, what you need and it respects the process of making espresso so much, that you end up respecting the machine.. it sounds silly, but I honestly want to spend a lot of time now really perfecting and make variations on my espresso.
I was unsure how I was going to make the espresso, let's be honest, when I make espresso I'm usually in company-- and by company I mean by my loud, overly involved family. So I wanted to wait when I knew I could share my espresso first time experience with my family. I'm not kidding. In setting the machine up I had my mother and father in on it too, my mother really loved looking at all the intricate details of the machine and was so impressed with the taste and 'crema' of the espresso.
The quality and taste of the espresso was beyond my expectations and my family's. Let's be honest as Italians we are very critical of food and especially the holy espresso. My sister, Maria was so in love with her cup that she asked if she could take my espresso machine home with her.. of which I said no, but she can come over when she wants. My brother Santo, wanted to try the cappuccino variation and asked me "Marg, what do we need, what kind of milk should we go buy so it comes out perfect?" I mean this Philips Saeco espresso machine turned my family into a competitive bunch of baristas -- of which I have to laugh.. my family is a sit-com in itself. So, I had to fight everyone off not to take my machine home with them, now they're begging to use it or for example my brother is moving into a new home soon and gently hinted "you know Marg, that would make a nice house-warming gift.." I told him .."Sure Santo..." --yeah right.. you're not touching my machine."
So what turned out to be a first time experience using my Philips Saeco Espresso Machine, turned into a night of conversation, family and lottttssss of love. I love my new machine, the coffee beans from Lavazza were also as my mother says, "speciale"-- the brand Lavazza is something we grew up using our whole lives, so when I told my family I have Lavazza beans to use in the machine, they all immediately nodded with approval, because any Italian knows and uses Lavazza coffee. Lavazza is also history to me -it's a familiar staple in the Italian family. Overall, if you're going to invest in a way of etiquette for espresso making the Philips Saeco 'Espresso Perfetto' machine will fulfill your needs and supersede your expectations. Grazie a Philips Saeco e Lavazza!
To learn more about the Philips Saeco machine visit:
To learn more about Lavazza:
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Saturday, September 22, 2012
The Italian Culture of Coffee - Conversation, Family and Love
Monday, August 13, 2012
JOVANOTTI, ITALIAN ARTIST, TO TOUR THE U.S - Fall Dates Announced!
August 16 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
August 18 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
August 19 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
October 1 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
October 2 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
October 5 Boston, MA Royale
October 6 New York, NY Terminal 5
October 8 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
October 9 Orlando, FL House of Blues
October 10 Miami, FL The Fillmore Miami Beach
October 12 Austin, TX ACL Music Festival
October 14 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
October 15 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
October 17 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
October 18 Detroit, MI Saint Andrew's Hall
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Italian American Grandchildren Understanding Their Culture
Anthony & Gianna |
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Digital Diary - Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy - 7 Days, 7 Artists, 7 Videos...
We’ve imported some of the most creative minds around to work on our Digital Diary of Italy. We’ve got young photographers, video makers, animators on the project to give us their impression of Italy.
Totally subjective. Undemocratic. Creative."
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Growing Up Italian American .. and DisFunction is A Key Element
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Rick Steves Travels To: Rome, Italy: The Ancient Forum
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Saturday, May 12, 2012
Happy Mother's Day to my Italian Mother....
Here is a picture of my mother, Francesca. This picture was taken in Reggio Calabria,Italy while we were there visiting on vacation. It's difficult to sum up what a mother means to a person or how they've positively affected you. Don't get me wrong my mother drives me nuts too.. LOL but --I love my mother and thank her for not letting me forget who I am.. Happy Mother's Day Ma!
Photo: Copyright of ItalianAmericanGirl.com - Italian American Girl 2012 - You must ask permission for reuse. Tweet
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Keeping Italian Traditions in an Italian American Life....
When discussing traditional Italian families, it's pretty customary that we take care of each other in some form or another, whether it's just being there for someone or actually doing a physical favor. If any of my family members call me and says 'I need help with....' -- you can bet your ass I will be there for them. I usually get strange looks from people when I tell them how much I did for my sister, mother, father or brothers and likewise if I share a story about how my brother went above and beyond for me, because I know the American mentality is really everyone kind of does their own thing and family members talk to each here and there. Well, we know that's not the case with the Italian American family. We talk to each other all the time and try to see each other as much as possible.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Buona Pasqua A Tutti - Happy Easter!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
"Salt of Life" - Set to Premiere in New York: A Film by Italian writer-director-actor Gianni Di Gregorio
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Italian Superstar JOVANOTTI Announces First Round of 2012 US Concert Dates
North American Label Association with ATO Records
Saturday | March 10, 2012 | 8pm: Miami, FL
GRAND CENTRAL
697 N Miami AV (Downtown)
Tickets: $30
http://www.grandcentralmiami.
Monday | March 12, 2012 | 9pm (Doors 8pm): Brooklyn, NY -- SOLD OUT
MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG
66 North 6th St
Tickets: $25
http://www.
Tuesday | March 13, 2012 | 9pm (Doors 8pm): New York, NY
BOWERY BALLROOM
Support: Chicha Libre
6 Delancey St
Tickets: $25
http://www.boweryballroom.com/
Wednesday - Friday | March 14 – 16, 2012 | TBA: Austin, TX
SXSW MUSIC FESTIVAL
http://sxsw.com/music
Saturday | March 17, 2012 | 9pm (Doors 8pm): Los Angeles, CA
EL REY THEATRE
5515 Wilshire Blvd.
Tickets: $25
http://goldenvoice.com/shows/
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Italian Singer Patrizio Buanne Live in Concert at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ - February 24
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Official Information : Costa Concordia Tragedy - US EMBASSY TO ITALY ISSUES IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Click on the link for official updates:
http://italy.usembassy.gov/news-events/costa-concordia.html Tweet
Monday, January 2, 2012
Digital Diary of Basilicata : A Video Masterpiece of Italy
This is by far one of the most beautifully shot videos I've seen of Italy. 7 artists, 7 days travel in Basilicata, Italy - capturing the most captivating images ever. The project is called, http://www.cantforget.it/people/get-involved -
To learn more about this project visit the site: you can get involved. Tweet
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Italian Merry Christmas - Buon Natale a Tutti!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Italian Singer, Giada Valenti Performing Christmas Show
Italian singer, songwriter and amazing performer, Giada Valenti is set to perform a Christmas concert on December 11, 2011 in the the beautiful Alumni Theatre at Caldwell College.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The American Dream...My Mother Graduates College
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Best Italian Film - 'Cinema Paradiso' - A Look Back
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
International Star and Italian Singer Patrizio Buanne Releases New Album 'Patrizio'
Patrizio says, "I'm not just an Italian guy singing Italian songs. It's important to give people the kind of music I am known for, but I also wanted to open myself up artistically and give them something else or rather something "more of me" that's why we called the album PATRIZIO.
In this new album Patrizio takes a different avenue on his style of singing and really digs deep into soulful standards. Famous standards, like 'Fly me to the Moon, and 'Crazy' are spectacularly sung by Buanne. His sound and delivery really infuse an inspiring and emotional sound into these songs.
I've seen Patrizio perform in person, and can tell you his stand out element as a performer and singer is his ability to convey passion and sincere emotion. Come on, the guy is Italian. (what do you expect) If his past success is any indication of the success of this new album, then he'll be on the American Music Awards before you know it. Patrizio Buanne is crossing over big time, with each feature we've been lucky enough to publish on him, his success and popularity are consistently growing. His fan base is completely committed to Buanne and will support him to make his cross over a success in the USA. We wish him the best on the release of this new album. I personally have a few favorites on this album especially, 'You're My Everything' - beautiful.
http://www.patrizio.tv/
Friday, October 28, 2011
Photo Of The Day: Italian American Girl in Venice
Monday, October 24, 2011
Italian American Girl Featured On Bertolli Meal Soups 'Today' Cooking School
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Recently, I was invited by the Bertolli team to be part of their new 'Today' Cooking School series on MSNBC.
In this new cooking series, we met the Bertolli team, where we were given an opportunity to shoot this cooking segment along with other influential bloggers such as Jen Luby from Second City Soiree and Paula Jones from Bellalimento. There is nothing better than being able to be yourself and be part of a great project. Not only was I lucky enough to participate, but my sister, Maria was also a master in the kitchen in this segment.
The soups really were delicious and as an Italian American, who grew up with my mom's cooking, the soup was pretty authentic. So, I hope you love the series, watch it once or a million times, I love it! I'm so excited! Thank you to the Bertolli Team!
Watch other cooking school segments here:http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34318224#44951128
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Il Volo - 'O Sole Mio - Teen Italian Opera Singers?
Wow, is all I can say-- these guys are seriously making a huge impact on the American music industry and audience. Teens who can sing opera and kind of look boy bandish? Oh yes, and they're right out of Italy; doesn't get any better.
To hear more check out their channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/IlVoloVEVO Tweet