Wednesday, December 25, 2013

New Lavazza Drip Coffee With Traditional Christmas Cookies & My Family Italian Cookie Recipe

Tis' the season for eating and baking, especially in any Italian American household. This year, I got together with my sister Maria, my niece and my mother for some holiday baking. Mostly, my sister is more the aficionado on baking, I like to document with photos and video and lastly decorate the cookies. We tend to make more  traditional Italian cookies, along with my mother's variations, where she usually bakes up a honey biscotto.  As you can see to the left. 

This year my sister incorporated her variation of the cookie which we worked on together and was actually not so time consuming, a great traditional Italian cookie. 





Here is the recipe :

Biscotti de Natale

1 lb butter
1 cup sugar
Six eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour

6 teaspoons of baking soda

-Bake at 375° 10–12 minutes until light golden
-Combine butter sugar vanilla and eggs. 

-Add flour and baking soda
-Should be fluffy and not stiff drop by rounded teaspoon onto nonstick cookie sheet bake and allow this thoroughly cool.


Icing
-One box of confectioners sugar
-2 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract
-Combine and ice cookies for the traditional decorated look.



Lavazza Drip Coffee
To accompany a traditional holiday cookie, is a great coffee, as you know we are truly lovers of coffee from our traditional espresso to our cafe Americano, as you know Lavazza is our staple for espresso, so when I was introduced to the newly available concept of drip coffees for Lavazza I was so HAPPY!  My favorite coffee is now in drip varieties!  This is truly Christmas!  

I received a wonderful package from the Lavazza team, which included a variety of the new drip coffees and gift cards to make this wonderful batch of Italian Christmas cookies. 

My family enjoyed these amazing coffees this holiday and I will be using for the rest of the year to make my daily coffee.   I hope you enjoy the cookie recipe and Buon Natale! 

You can shop the new line of drip coffees here http://www.shoplavazza.com/  and it maybe available at your local grocery stores.  Don't forget to follow www.twitter.com/LavazzaUSA on Twitter for coffee inspiration, recipes and more.

~Buon Natale!

*This post was sponsored by Lavazza.





Sunday, October 13, 2013

Happy Columbus Day 2013 - Controversial Holiday for Italian Americans or Hype?

Monday, September 23, 2013

Italian American Girl Presentation at Rider University - Writing For the Media, Blogging

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Italian Consulate to Close in Newark, NJ - Italian Americans In New Jersey Get the Short End of Stick Once Again...

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

End of Summer Recipe - Italian Organic Tomato Salad - Basil, Scallions, Olive Oil

HITWEEK 2013 North American Return FRANCO BATTIATO | CANZONIERE GRECANICO SALENTINO & NICOLA CONTE

Nicola Conte

Hit Week – the world's only music festival showcasing Italy's current scene on the global stage — returns to North America with it's strongest line up to date.  A greatly expanded edition of the annual event touches down in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto between September 7 and October 30th.  Headliners announced include iconoclastic Italian singer, songwriter and composer Franco Battiato and Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Italy's top act on the international world music circuit.  Renowned DJ, producer and musician Nicola Conte will bring his DJ set Stateside.  Additionally, 2013 Sanremo Festival winner Marco Mengoni makes his US debut appearance and critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Erica Mou rejoins the Hit Week fold after headlining the festival's inaugural event in Brazil earlier this year.

The core of Hit Week's fifth tour of the North American continent is a coast to coast run of concerts taking place between October 4th – 12th.  Highlights include Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and Nicola Conte at the Hollywood ArtsPark (Miami) on October 5th with a redux of the bill on October 8th at New York City's Highline Ballroom.  Franco Battiato takes over the Highline stage onOctober 9th for the first in a pair of rare Transatlantic performances before heading to Canada and Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre on October 10th.  Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino then offers a California concert double header on October 11th at UCLA and October 12th at Taste of Italy Los Angeles.

Here are upcoming show dates:


September 7         Los Angeles, CA (TBA)       Erica Mou at Hit Week Preview
October 4           Miami, FL (TBA)             Nicola Conte at Hit Week / Rhythm Foundation
October 5           Hollywood, FL               Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Nicola Conte
October 8           New York, NY                Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and Nicola
October 9           New York, NY                Franco Battiato at Highline Ballroom
October 10          Toronto, ON                 Franco Battiato at Phoenix Concert Theatre
October 11          Los Angeles, CA             Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino at UCLA
October 12          Los Angeles, CA             Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino at Taste of Italy
October 28-29       Los Angeles, CA             Marco Mengoni at The Billboard Hollywood Reporter Film and TV Music Conference


Franco Battiato

Wednesday | October 9, 2013  | Show 8:00pm (Doors 6:00pm):                      New York, NY     
FRANCO BATTIATO
Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th St (Bet. 9th & 10th Ave.)
(212) 414-5994
Tickets: $60-$100 in advance, $70-$100 day of show
http://highlineballroom.com/show/2013/10/09/franco-battiato/

Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino

Tuesday | October 8, 2013  | Show 8:00pm (Doors             New York, NY      

CANZONIERE GRECANICO SALENTINO + NICOLA CONTE DJ Set
Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th St (Bet. 9th & 10th Ave.)
(212) 414-5994
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 day of show
http://highlineballroom.com/show/2013/10/08/canzoniere-grecanico-salentino/




Wednesday, August 21, 2013

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




Thursday, August 8, 2013

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!  


*Photo from ErosRamazzotti.com -- Paolo Zambaldi 2012

Friday, May 31, 2013

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?  

Sunday, May 12, 2013

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

Saturday, March 2, 2013

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.


Monday, February 11, 2013

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**

Sunday, December 9, 2012

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 

Introducing our New Italian American Girl T-Shirt With Our New Design!

I'm really excited to announce we just updated our site and also redesigned our new Italian American Girl T-Shirts to match our new logo!  I absolutely love the design and could not be happier with the quality! You can purchase the T-Shirts here:

http://www.italianamericangirl.com/p/italian-american-girl-t-shirts.html




Thank you everyone for your support!

Baci- xoxo 
~Margaret

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Italian American Girl Goes To Rider University - All about Media & Writing


It's been almost 4 years since I launched the Italian American Girl site and since then amazing things have come from this labor of love.  I've been asked to participate in national commercials, been invited to celebrity events, asked to guest write for other amazing influential websites and most importantly guest speak at my Alma mater, Rider University.  Of all the events, this is one of my most favorite things to do.  To share what I know about something I love so much, which is producing, writing, social media and mainstream media.  Not to mention, I love my college and any opportunity to go back and actually teach, a serious dream come true.  I connected with Professor Kathy Magrino (a fellow Italian American Girl ) on social media one day when she posted an interactive question on Twitter for her class at Rider; it caught my attention and I wrote her back saying 'whatever I learned at Rider, has been applied to my real life career in so many ways..tell your students to pay attention..it will all matter once you get  a job in the work force...."  She immediately responded back and so we began an interactive engaged conversation on Twitter where then Kathy invited me to come speak about the Italian American Girl site and my experiences with my career.   The main focus of my talking points are to discuss the real elements that go into producing this site.  Writing is extremely important and you really have to be in the mood to write from experience and make it compelling enough so your readers don't get turned off.   What I think the students were most surprised about is that SPELLING AND GRAMMAR count.  When I went to college ( oh God I sound old) we were just getting savvy with Spell Check, now if you publish something with a mistake, it's really your own fault.. of which I have made plenty of those, but reading your work out loud will always help and re-reading is also important.
At Rider University
The biggest take away to writing is actually writing about what interests you, your passion.  My site, Italian American Girl is my passion, my goals are combined in the production of the entire site - video, writing, photos, social media these are the elements that help create the success of my site. 

Sometimes when you are caught up in your career, the daily grind, and deadlines you sometimes forget the joys of what make you tick and for me it's the success of this site- the media elements.  Being a guest speaker with such bright students who have such huge dreams recharges me and inspires me to want to do more with my own site and including my career. 


An amazing experience, and I always look forward to sharing my knowledge with such wonderful students and a great professor! Thank you Rider University!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Passione - A Film By Italian American Director & Actor John Turturro

John Turturro directs the sequence for 'Don Raffe'.
'Passione' a film by Italian American actor and director John Turturro, an amazingly 'passionate' documentary on the regional history of Neapolitan music.  If you've ever been to Italy you know that every region has it's own dialect, music, dance, food, etc.. so when you really dig down to the origins and history of the musical evolution you can really be left wondering --how can so many cultural influences be present in Italian regional music?  As an American you might say it's Italian music--but as you delve further into the film you meet other home grown artists, who tell their stories how Neapolitan music influenced their particular styles, such as famous Italian Neapolitan musician James Senese. Life and love are truly raw in Italy.. there is almost no filter to what people feel there-- so the title, 'Passione' is a great word for this film because it really describes the raw passion in Neapolitan music.  

As many of you know, I am Calabrese, but I love Neapolitan music. There is something so beautiful and deep in how these musicians deliver their songs that you want to hear more. Naples is unique, it has a long history of war, crime, and economic hardship, but like this famous quote -- "Vedi Napoli e poi muori!  (See Naples and then die)  --Really explains that Naples is so full of beauty that there is nothing else after that...  -- A little dramatic but true for many reasons. ) Throughout the film, John Turturro narrates and then participates in different musical scenes, which I found to be incredibly wonderful - not only did it show his diverse talents, but also gave the film a sense of raw musicality.

Overall, a fantastic film directed by Italian American actor John Turturro, you have to watch it for yourself and it's definitely an educational film even if your origins are not from Naples. Italy is one big history book, Naples is a very important chapter. This film was well done and I was left feeling that I learned more about Naples it's people, music and regional culture. 


Visit John Turturro's 'Passione' site for more information and how to order the film on iTunes, Amazon, etc..

http://www.passionefilm.com









 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

The Italian Culture of Coffee - Conversation, Family and Love

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:



Monday, August 13, 2012

JOVANOTTI, ITALIAN ARTIST, TO TOUR THE U.S - Fall Dates Announced!


Culminating a lifelong love affair with America, Jovanotti (Lorenzo Cherubini) is now engaging professionally with the U.S. as never before. ATO Records is determined to introduce American audiences to him with today's release of Italia 1988-2012, a career retrospective including four new tracks.
In October, the Tuscan artist, who has sold over five million albums in his native Italy, will tour this country, performing in sizable venues nationwide. Please see below for an itinerary including the fall tour and shows this month in San Francisco (at the Outside Lands Music Festival), Los Angeles (an in-store performance and CD signing at the legendary Amoeba Music in Hollywood), Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, OR.
Italia 1988-2012 is the artist's first physical album of studio recordings to be released in the U.S. In fact, very little of the material has been released here in any format. The album has garnered pre-release acclaim from The New York Times http://nyti.ms/N60i3e , NPR, The New York Daily News and others.
Jovanotti Summer U.S. Dates

August 16 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
August 18 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
August 19 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater

Jovanotti Fall U.S. Tour Announced

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
See you there!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Italian American Grandchildren Understanding Their Culture

Anthony & Gianna
Yesterday, my nieces and nephew were eager to help my mother collect the ripe tomatoes off the plants my parents had growing separate from the garden. My mother had done it earlier and the kids went crazy, asking 'Nonna, why did you do that without us?' She had to think quick and tell them OK, we have the other plants you can collect from -- she saved the day otherwise there was going to be trouble. As I stood there watching and laughing at their enthusiasm, it made me so proud. They listen to every word my mother says, on how and which tomatoes to pick, the kids understand that growing your own garden is second nature and they know Nonna makes the most amazing tomato salad with the tomatoes and basil fresh from the garden. Sometimes, I think will my nieces and nephew have the same passions as Italian Americans like my siblings and I do? Today it's harder than ever to raise kids to know or even understand their background. We're so saturated with technology and lack of culture in suburbs or maybe even in the cities - there is an disengagement factor that happens and it's not on purpose. My nieces and nephews get their education straight from Nonna and Nonno, which I think is amazing. They know they're Italian American and they know my parents came from Italy. They understand the struggle and learn more about our traditions as they get older and become more aware of their identities. I'm so happy the kids get this pure exposure to their culture. Growing up Italian American can not be compared to anything else.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Digital Diary - Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy - 7 Days, 7 Artists, 7 Videos...

I was contacted by one of the producers of the Digital Diary series when they first produced the first video in Basilica, since then they've produced a newer one in Friuli Venezia Giulia - it's by far one of the most interesting takes on showcasing Italy and it's amazing regions. They have 7 artists, (producers & camera people) travel within 7 days of their designated project and shoot their 7 videos, which then becomes the digital diary masterpiece. Here's a bit of their explanation on what they do:


'7 Artists. 7 Days. 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

I will start my post off by saying, I love that I grew up Italian American, have Italian parents, and know the value of culture, family, love, support and yes this may shock many of you, but I will also add disfunction. This may be the first time I ever wrote anything about this topic and quite frankly to keep the blog real, if you tell me you've experienced no disfunction in an Italian American family then I'm gonna have to call you out and say you're full of it. I am sure many families not just Italians go through this, but I have to say as Italians or Italian American everything is magnified x10!!!

As Italian Americans we grow up with people in our families speaking loudly, arguing, and maybe even getting more animated than the norm. Now a days, this is considered bad behavior or grounds for analysis. To you and me as Italian Americans, we may not know any different and think it's normal. Along with the arguing is something called family dynamics, yes you know what I mean.. it's all about making sure you give certain people the right amount of respect and interacting with some family who you may not get along with, but you do for the sake of the family.

I love my family very much, but I think we all reserve the right to be who need to be as individuals, I don't always agree with my parents or siblings but in the end or when we need each other most YOU can best your ass we are there for each other. I always say blood is thicker than water... and this is true. So, without our disfunction we would be boring, and that very disfunction is also the element that keeps our family strong. I embrace the disfunction.. and sometimes have to laugh, because at times you think do other people's families go through this madness like us.. or is it just us??? I'm finding we all have our madness somewhere, but LOVE and family are everything. Can you relate?

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Rick Steves Travels To: Rome, Italy: The Ancient Forum

You know what they say, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' If you've never been to Rome, your missing one of the most historical and educational trips of a lifetime. To be in Rome is to be in the middle of history. The structures, streets, architecture leave you in awe and all the while you're standing in modern day Rome. Watch this tour with travel guru Rick Steves as he ventures into historic and new Rome.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Happy Mother's Day to my Italian Mother....

My Italian Mother - Happy Mother's Day


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.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Keeping Italian Traditions in an Italian American Life....

It's been a while since my last post, but I had to sit down right now and write about this..because lately it's been weighing on me heavily. In previous posts, I've talked about the struggle in maintaining our Italian cultural traditions in our everyday Italian American lives, but I feel as the days goes on and I become busier with projects and just keeping up those important traditions seem to be taking a back seat.

So you may ask, 'what are those traditions?' and quite honestly I would say not all Italians or Italian Americans have the same traditions, but one thing is very consistent and that's maintaining a strong family connection. When we are all so busy with our daily lives, it does become a challenge to spend that time together, or respect your holidays like Easter, but it seems reality of life in America dictates. For example, my brother was so upset about the fact that he had to work on Easter, his job has certain days assigned to holidays.. so it was hard for him to take that day as a holiday. Of course, my family we were certainly sad not to see him for the day, but we understood he had a commitment to work.


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.

I was having a conversation with friends the other day, they happen to be Italian American, I
was talking about that new show on TLC, "Mama's Boys of the Bronx." Of course as we know many reality shows are exaggerated and larger than life and usually with a negative stereotype on the Italian American. I asked my two friends, "do you think this show is exaggeration or reality?" They having grown up and lived in the Bronx said something to the effect, that's it's real but somewhat glorified.. of which I agreed. Look, we would all be lying if we said our Italian mothers don't do everything for us and treat their sons like kings. I know my mother does, if my brothers are around, my mother starts cooking and serves everything up just to make sure they've eaten and are happy. But with that, my mother takes great pride and happiness in making her sons happy and making sure she spoils them. To her she shows a part of her love this way. So, if you're not exposed or educated on these traditions in the Italian American family you might watch that show and say 'wow, these guys live at home with their moms and their mothers spoil them..' I say yes and no.

Not all Italian American men live like the guys on the show. Of course, there are limits to what's normal and not, but I'm talking about the factor that most Italian women take pride in spoiling and taking care of their children. I would probably do the same, it's a learned behavior - a part of my culture. Even till this day, if I have lunch with my father, I cook lunch and I serve it...or if my brothers come over.. I do the same.. I cook and serve the food, which most people wouldn't think true of me, but I am old school and love doing that for people I love. It gives me happiness to know I did something that my family appreciates.

Where do these traditions fit into our daily American lives? Will we maintain those traditions like our Italian mothers did?

Photo Credit: TLC



Sunday, April 8, 2012

Buona Pasqua A Tutti - Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone, hope you all have an amazing day filled with family and love.

Love-
Margaret
Italian American Girl