I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Sicily visiting all our current vendors and planning our shipments into America for 2006. I am delighted to share some big news with you! Manfredi Barbera (maker of our Barbera Special Selection Olive Oil, and Saint Alfio and Sicilian Sunset Olive Oils) and I have created 4 new blends of infused oils arriving this summer!

The first one I am pleased to announce is an incredible White Truffle Infused oil. This one of a kind blend will feature the essence of Tuscan white truffles gently infused into our Villa Saint Alfio 100% extra virgin oil! This exceptional new product will be extremely limited. Reserve your bottle now by emailing us and we will guarantee you get some of this truly fantastic oil!

We have also created 3 more infused oils...a hot pepper infused oil, great for dipping, marinating or roasting meats and fish; a basil infused oil that makes a great base for your pasta sauce, and a "spaghettia" oil blended with hot pepper, garlic, parsley and oregano that can be used as a topping for your pasta (just add cheese), on your cold meat sandwiches, or as a dip!

From our friends in Mazara del Vallo, makers of our Poiatti Pasta, we are introducing 2 new cuts of specialty pasta this summer that are the hit of Sicily. One of them, their Cannollini pasta, is an "oven" pasta you can stuff with meat sauce, ricotta and spinach, mushroom, or your own favorite filling, then cover it as you would a lasagna and bake in the oven. Yummy!

Finally, we have signed a deal with a ceramic producer from San Stefano di Camastra who has provided us with a book containing over 2000 forms and ceramic patterns. They have countless varieties of complete dish sets to choose from plus remarkable serving bowls and one of a kind pieces including the most gorgeous Nativity scenes I have every seen!

We will soon be posting all these forms for you to choose from, so stay tuned...

Also, in response to numerous requests we will soon be offering our paté line in smaller jars at a fraction of the price, so you’ll be able to sample and enjoy every flavor we have.

All in all the trip was very successful, and all our vendors expressed pleasure that finally someone is providing an outlet for them so Americans can enjoy their products. To all, they say a big THANK-YOU!!

After spending four glorious days in Rome for Christmas, on December 28th we took the short 1 hour flight and landed in Catania. It's funny how I experience a rebirth emotionally, physically and intellectually every time my feet hit the tarmac at Fonterossa Airport in Catania.

Zipping from the airport to my villa, I opened the door and was inundated with a feeling of finally coming home.

Several folks rented the villa in my absence, and all left gifts of appreciation. One bought an American coffee maker from the nearby Naval Base PX. Another stocked the liquor cabinet. While another left a wonderful note and bottle of wine thanking me for a magical time using the villa. Full of appreciation and joy, the only thing left for me to do was stock the fridge.

We shop at La Zagre in San Gioavanni La Punta. It's a large shopping market similar to a Whole Foods that has two levels...on the first level is an enormous grocery market with wonderful fruits, meats, fishes and pantry items. An escalator allowing you to put your fully loaded shopping cart onto it leads you to the second level which is a department store selling everything imaginable from clothing, dry goods and electronics to books, cd's and computers.
Back on the first level we did our shopping...picking our fresh fish, meat and vegetables from the different departments while sampling all sorts of fabulous delights along the way.
I have one of those cards that you present at the check-out to get points that can be later traded in for free gifts...I was happy to use it...now I have 600 points...almost enough for a coffee cup!
By the way, at the checkout you must bag your own groceries (a lot of folks bring their own canvas bags or you can buy them for 10 cents a piece at check- out), and in the parking lot, in order to get your shopping cart, you must first pay 50 cents, but it is refunded when you return the cart.

Once our house was fully stocked with food, (we ate in every night this time...because I had some killer recipes I wanted to try out using REAL Sicilian ingredients) we headed to Taormina to celebrate and photograph the New Year's Eve festivities there.

Taormina, as usual, was magnificent! This time of the year made it even more so and I highly recommend if you ever get the opportunity to visit Taormina on New Year's Eve day and experience the ambiance please do!
Musicians lined the walkways playing violins on the main piazza, while store windows were aglow with spectacular displays. Sicilian families with children were walking hand in hand up and down Corso Vittorio Emmanuel, eating gelato and enjoying themselves.
We enjoyed stopping for an espresso and watching hundreds of happy families parade by us getting ready to ring in the New Year.
At midnight it was as if a war had broken out, as from every direction we heard the sounds of fireworks and looked up to experience the beautiful explosions of color filling the sky.

New Year's Day was just as special. Massimo and Anna invited us to their house that day and, as you can imagine, Anna prepared us a traditional Sicilian New Year's day meal: Antipasto and cheeses for starters, two pasta dishes (one red, one white) and both pesce spada (sword fish) and polpetti lemoni (hamburg meatballs cooked on a lemon leaf). The wine and champagne flowed as we rung in the New Year Sicilian style.

Of course, we still had one more holiday to prepare for...January 6th, The Epiphany and La Befana (which celebrates the Magi adoring the Christ child and the old woman La Befana still looking for the Christ child.
January 6 is a national holiday in Sicily, so we repeated the whole thing again with Anna and Massimo except this time we also exchanged small gifts.

I am glad I got to experience the Christmas season in both Rome and Sicily...two years ago I was there for Easter and the year before that for Thanksgiving; however, next year I will return for Christmas and possibly my brand new grand daughter Rose will be there with me too...?

In Questa citta` fu fondata nel secolo XI la piu` antica universita` italiana.Quale?

Founded in this Italian city in the 11th century, it is the home of Europe's oldest university. Identify the city...?

With so many tasty aphrodiasiacs we've assured that the way to your valentine's heart will be through the stomach!