Rain

People who live in Umbria are rarely bothered by rain.  Good thing, because other than the wedding weekend when the temperatures soared to summer levels, it’s been raining every single day and night.  Jane tells me they are in a terrible drought and need the rain very badly.  I try to be happy for them.  One day quick and changeable winds wrecked my umbrella.  The next day I lost what was left of it at the movies.  “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” sort of cute and funny but the stars were bleaugh.  eg and my college friend, Nora, went to see “Wolverine” instead and kept gushing foolishly about Hugh Jackman.  Eh.

I have bought some movies on DVD.  I know nothing, so they are almost all on the advice of eg.  Most cost only $5!  That is unbelievable in Italy where even used ones cost thrice that and up.   The buy of the month?  “Milo and Otis”!  Just the best and the only pug movie I know… you often see pugs in movies but not starring.  There are 5 or 6 of them in “Valentino: the last emperor.  Yes I did go see it.  So did three other women and two men!

We celebrated Cinco di Mayo the other night with extremely mild Mexican food.  That wasn’t the intent, but I am no Tex-Mex chef, so that was the result.  More chillies!  We had meat pulled off chicken that was cooked over a chili gravy.  Black beans were heated in the gravy after that.  I served this to wrap in soft tortillas with grated cheddar and sour cream and with a salad, too.  Sopapillas were requested.  Request denied.  This is Washington, not San Diego or Austin.

I found pane Carassau in The Italian Store at Spout Run Parkway in Arlington, so I made Pane Frattau last night.  I must learn to make 5 or more poached eggs at a time, because mine were overcooked.  That really burns me as well as a crust on the bottom of the eggs.  eg happily informs me that Jacque Pepin cooks them ahead and then dips them one-by-one into hot water just before serving.  Hmmm.  As it is I am rarely at the table, but at least the food would be good.  Thanks, Jacques.

We also had crab cakes one night!  Real crab meat in one pound packages!  Whoopie!  The recipe was from “Beat This!” an old time cookbook from a couple of decades ago.  It’s a good recipe, too.

WelI am off this afternoon to Pennsylvania to meet with old internet pals.  I have put on a pair of jeans so tight I can barely sit in hopes of not getting caught up in funnel cake and souse tragedies.  This will be a very low calorie summer, I think.  There are too many opportunities here for Indian, Thai, Viet, Mexican, Salvadorean.  In only 3 weeks I have to get to them all.  Where is the nearest Burmese?  Himalayan?