Fresh Pasta: Spaghetti & Fettuccine

This is where the magic happens...  (hint: replace fairy dust with generous handfuls of flour)

Combine one nonna, one over-excited granddaughter, a well-oiled pasta machine, and a couple of hours after lunch...

 Fresh pasta.

Fresh pasta was the bread and butter of Nonna's upbringing in the village in Italy.  I don't need to spell out how synonymous pasta is with the Italian way of life, but I assure you that it's not a cliche.

Pasta is verrrrry necessary. 

I promise I cranked the handle too, and did a reasonable amount of kneading...

There are three unique pasta shapes/types to Nonna's own tiny village which makes me wonder how many pasta shapes Italy has produced.  Can a hedge a bet at 50,000?

Nonna reminded me that there wasn't always a pasta machine on hand, and demonstrated the way to make the fettucine village-style.

Tossed through lots of fairy dust/flour...

Magic.

One month since Christmas

Christmas in my world revolves around the birth of my Saviour, sparkly decorations, some crazy gift shopping, family time and home cooked food.

This year we all went back to our childhood Christmas Day place... Nonna's house.  My Christmas lunch

was haunted by memories of the boys claiming the turkey drumsticks, wrapping paper under the couches, posed photos under the gum trees with new presents and the smell of percolating coffee.

2013, and the boys still got the turkey drumsticks.