The wonderful Amarena

Amarena Fabbri Wild Cherries in Syrup 600gr CrockAhhh, the sweet Amarena over gelato...

This indulgent wild cherry in syrup will get you hooked. Soon you will want to try it on angel food cake, pound cake, pancakes, the possibilities are endless.

And the beautiful crock can be used for your own preserves and recipes.

Highly recommended and available at amazon.com

The King of Cheese

If you know "parmesan" cheese as the one that comes in a green can, you need to learn a little bit more about this wonderful cheese.
Parmigiano Reggiano comes from a small area on northern Italy around Parma and Reggio Emilia. The cheese is usually grated at the moment and eaten in small chunks.
You will want to try this selection of Parmigiano Reggiano to start treating your palate.
This is the real thing from Italy, a little pricey, but worth it every penny.
Here's the product description from amazon.com:

The Italians are horrified by our usage of this, the world's most famous hard cheese.
Thought of here in the States as purely a grating cheese, the rest of the world savours Parmigiano-Reggiano as a delicious, full-flavored eating cheese.
It began life seven centuries ago in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, part of Bologna and part of Mantua.
Nature blessed this zone with the most idealistic cattle grazing land to create the unique milk from the "Zona Tipica".
The local cheese craftsmen took it from there, utilizing a totally natural process that has not changed for 700 years.
No additives, no machinery, no gimmicks... just sweet, fresh milk in its pristine state... then the artisan's ancient skills... and then nature's own good time (aged from 18 to 36 months).
What you see today is just what the knights, serfs, saints and kings of old ate!
And please, don't compare it to the pre-grated "Parmesan" cheese found in the green can in aisle 4 of the grocery store. Made from raw cow's milk, aged over 18 months.

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy)

The Day of Battle follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then, mile by bloody mile, fight their way north toward Rome.
The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, Roosevelt, Churchill, and their military advisers engaged in heated debate about whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even a good idea.
But once under way, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizingly high price.
The battles at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino were particularly difficult and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula.
Led by Lieutenant General Mark Clark, one of the war's most complex and controversial commanders, American officers and soldiers became increasingly determined and proficient. And with the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory at last began to seem inevitable.
Drawing on a wide array of primary source material, written with great drama and flair, this is narrative history of the first rank. With The Day of Battle, Atkinson has once again given us the definitive account of one of history's most compelling military campaigns.