We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
good choice.
http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg

My favorite salad is their Gorgonzola walnut salad with a balsamic
vinaigrette dressing. I could make a meal of this and the garlic
bread.
http://i50.tinypic.com/14ih8hi.jpg

The garlic bread is nicely crunchy with just the right amount of
garlic.
http://i49.tinypic.com/atnm2v.jpg

Stan's favorite is the fra diavolo.
http://i49.tinypic.com/k9jeb7.jpg

Mine is the stuffed shells florentine.
http://i47.tinypic.com/1zf4w49.jpg

Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg

We have some great leftovers.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

koko > wrote in news:fvbik514k3eek01s1o7960n5r30ej3cp1q@
4ax.com:

>
> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
> good choice.
> http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg
>
> My favorite salad is their Gorgonzola walnut salad with a balsamic
> vinaigrette dressing. I could make a meal of this and the garlic
> bread.
> http://i50.tinypic.com/14ih8hi.jpg
>
> The garlic bread is nicely crunchy with just the right amount of
> garlic.
> http://i49.tinypic.com/atnm2v.jpg
>
> Stan's favorite is the fra diavolo.
> http://i49.tinypic.com/k9jeb7.jpg
>
> Mine is the stuffed shells florentine.
> http://i47.tinypic.com/1zf4w49.jpg
>
> Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
> http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg
>
> We have some great leftovers.
>



Thanks... You just reminded me I'm hungry!! :-)

Love the look of that garlic bread.

I was going to ask what Stan's fra diavolo is, but got off my lazy ass and
Googled it.

very interesting tale too :-)

The sauce is named after the nickname given to Michele Pezza, a famous
Neapolitan guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples.

He was eventually captured in November 1806 by French Corsican troops led by
(novelist) Victor Hugo's father, and hanged when he refused to join them!!

Fra diavolo = Brother Devil


BTW, great series as usual ;-)


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


Mary had a little lamb
her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her
between two chunks of bread.

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:32:54 GMT, PLucas
> wrote:

>koko > wrote in news:fvbik514k3eek01s1o7960n5r30ej3cp1q@
>4ax.com:
>
>>
>> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
>> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
>> good choice.

snippage
>>
>> Stan's favorite is the fra diavolo.
>> http://i49.tinypic.com/k9jeb7.jpg
>>
>> Mine is the stuffed shells florentine.
>> http://i47.tinypic.com/1zf4w49.jpg
>>
>> Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
>> http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg
>>
>> We have some great leftovers.
>>
>
>
>
>Thanks... You just reminded me I'm hungry!! :-)
>
>Love the look of that garlic bread.

They do a great job, nice and crunchy too.
>
>I was going to ask what Stan's fra diavolo is, but got off my lazy ass and
>Googled it.
>
>very interesting tale too :-)
>
>The sauce is named after the nickname given to Michele Pezza, a famous
>Neapolitan guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples.
>
>He was eventually captured in November 1806 by French Corsican troops led by
>(novelist) Victor Hugo's father, and hanged when he refused to join them!!
>
>Fra diavolo = Brother Devil

Thank you for looking it up. I just assumed it had something to do
with a monk.

>BTW, great series as usual ;-)

Thank you very much.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

koko > wrote in
:

> On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:32:54 GMT, PLucas
> > wrote:

>>
>>I was going to ask what Stan's fra diavolo is, but got off my lazy ass
>>and Googled it.
>>
>>very interesting tale too :-)
>>
>>The sauce is named after the nickname given to Michele Pezza, a famous
>>Neapolitan guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of
>>Naples.
>>
>>He was eventually captured in November 1806 by French Corsican troops
>>led by (novelist) Victor Hugo's father, and hanged when he refused to
>>join them!!
>>
>>Fra diavolo = Brother Devil
>
> Thank you for looking it up. I just assumed it had something to do
> with a monk.
>


I meant to give the cites as well...... it must be hunger making me
forget!! :-)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fra_diavolo_%28sauce%29


Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, spicy :-)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fra_Diavolo



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


Mary had a little lamb
her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her
between two chunks of bread.

In article >,
koko > wrote:

> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
> good choice.
> http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg

> koko
> --
Well, ainchu the smug one! Check my FB page - the video I posted this
afternoon. Eatcher heart out! "-)

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller 12/28/2009

On Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:10:49 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> koko > wrote:
>
>> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
>> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
>> good choice.
>> http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg
>
>> koko
>> --
>Well, ainchu the smug one!

C'mon, It was so chilly when I left the house today that I had to wear
a long sleeved T shirt, and I took a hoodie along, just in case it got
chillier donchano.

>Check my FB page - the video I posted this
>afternoon. Eatcher heart out! "-)

I saw that earlier, awesome.
I'd take a video of some soap bubbles dancing around in the sunlight
tomorrow but it's only going to be 72* and I don't want to get a
chill. Humm now, where did I leave those ear muffs.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

On Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:43:44 -0800, koko > wrote:

>Thank you for looking it up. I just assumed it had something to do
>with a monk.

Did Stan's have shrimp/prawns?

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"koko" > wrote in message
...
>
> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
> good choice.
> http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg
>
> My favorite salad is their Gorgonzola walnut salad with a balsamic
> vinaigrette dressing. I could make a meal of this and the garlic
> bread.
> http://i50.tinypic.com/14ih8hi.jpg
>
> The garlic bread is nicely crunchy with just the right amount of
> garlic.
> http://i49.tinypic.com/atnm2v.jpg
>
> Stan's favorite is the fra diavolo.
> http://i49.tinypic.com/k9jeb7.jpg
>
> Mine is the stuffed shells florentine.
> http://i47.tinypic.com/1zf4w49.jpg
>
> Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
> http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg
>
> We have some great leftovers.
>
> koko
> --
>

Nice pics! Thank you! I'm glad you guys enjoyed your lunch. I haven't
had/made any good Italian food in a while. I'll have to dig through some of
my cookbooks to see what I can come up with. Hmmm, I have some jumbo shells
in the pantry

Jill

koko wrote:

> Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
> http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg
>
> We have some great leftovers.

And it was all great looking, really, expecially the last pictu
I've never stuffed that format of pasta but by looking at that pic
it doesn't seem difficult at all.
Another new thing to try
--
Vilco
Don't think pink: drink rosé

PLucas wrote:

> He was eventually captured in November 1806 by French Corsican
troops
> led by (novelist) Victor Hugo's father, and hanged when he refused
to
> join them!!
>
> Fra diavolo = Brother Devil

And not only "brother" but also "friar", because "fra'" is also
short for "frate", which is "friar". I don't know this story but I'd
tend to think he was some kind of friar, monk, priest or similar
religious figure. Or it may be just meant as "bro'", without
connections to religious things, just as the southern italian "don"
is used as a form of respect and has no connections with the "don "
prefix used for priests.

> BTW, great series as usual ;-)

I agree, very nice pics
--
Vilco
Don't think pink: drink rosé

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:26:40 +0100, "ViLco" >
wrote:

>PLucas wrote:
>
>> He was eventually captured in November 1806 by French Corsican
>troops
>> led by (novelist) Victor Hugo's father, and hanged when he refused
>to
>> join them!!
>>
>> Fra diavolo = Brother Devil
>
>And not only "brother" but also "friar", because "fra'" is also
>short for "frate", which is "friar". I don't know this story but I'd
>tend to think he was some kind of friar, monk, priest or similar
>religious figure. Or it may be just meant as "bro'", without
>connections to religious things, just as the southern italian "don"
>is used as a form of respect and has no connections with the "don "
>prefix used for priests.
>
>> BTW, great series as usual ;-)
>
>I agree, very nice pics

Thank you Vilco.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:16:37 -0500, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>"koko" > wrote in message
.. .
>>
>> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
>> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
>> good choice.
>> http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg

snippage
>> --
>>
>
>Nice pics! Thank you! I'm glad you guys enjoyed your lunch. I haven't
>had/made any good Italian food in a while. I'll have to dig through some of
>my cookbooks to see what I can come up with. Hmmm, I have some jumbo shells
>in the pantry
>
>Jill

Thanks Jill. I could eat Italian food several times a week and be
happy. That and Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean...oh heck, I like it
all.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:22:21 +0100, "ViLco" >
wrote:

>koko wrote:
>
>> Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
>> http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg
>>
>> We have some great leftovers.
>
>And it was all great looking, really, expecially the last pictu
>I've never stuffed that format of pasta but by looking at that pic
>it doesn't seem difficult at all.
>Another new thing to try

Thanks Vilco. They really are easy to make, I hope you try it
sometime.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:21:16 -0800, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:27:55 -0800, koko > wrote:
>
>
>>Thanks Jill. I could eat Italian food several times a week and be
>>happy. That and Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean...oh heck, I like it
>>all.
>>
>>koko
>
>And when did you say you were coming up here, Koko?
>
>I have a good many of my Italian cookbooks here..including the newest
>Lidia one, most of the Marcella Hazan ones, and a new one on the
>cooking of southern Italy. Oh, and The Spendid Table too....
>
>I think that would be an occasion to put on an Italian Feast.....
>
>For what it is worth, I have the first weekend in February off...
>
>Christine

February is out, but I've been thinking that within the next few
months I'd like to come up.
Poor ol' Daisy is getting a few miles on her, 162,000 to be exact so
I'd have to fly up.
We'd have to go to The Splendid Table for sure, I've never been to
one.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 01/05/10

On Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:11:26 -0800, koko > wrote:
>
>We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
>It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
>good choice.
>http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg
>


Huh... paper place mats *with advertising* atop cheapo (Walmart)
synthetic fabric tablecloths... tacky, tacky, tacky... even for the
lowest of the low guinea joints... TACKY!

koko wrote:

>> And it was all great looking, really, expecially the last
pictu
>> I've never stuffed that format of pasta but by looking at that
pic
>> it doesn't seem difficult at all.
>> Another new thing to try

> Thanks Vilco. They really are easy to make, I hope you try it
> sometime.

Sure! The hardest part will be the finding of a pack of that-big
shells. I have seen some big pasta formats in a shop in town, maybe
these days I'll check that out better.
--
Vilco
Don't think pink: drink rosé

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
| On Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:11:26 -0800, koko > wrote:
| >
| >We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
| >It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
| >good choice.
| >http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg
| >
|
|
| Huh... paper place mats *with advertising* atop cheapo (Walmart)
| synthetic fabric tablecloths... tacky, tacky, tacky... even for the
| lowest of the low guinea joints... TACKY!

Poor little ShelGrinch, gotta see something bad in everything
other people do. What a miserable wretch.
Grinch: "Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate. Double Hate.
LOATHE ENTIRELY!"

pavane

"Andy" > wrote in message ...
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> "koko" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
>>> It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
>>> good choice.
>>> Mine is the stuffed shells florentine.
(snippage)
>>> Seasoned ricotta cheese with spinach.
>>> http://i45.tinypic.com/4fwm1j.jpg
>>>
>>> We have some great leftovers.
>>>
>>> koko
>>> --
>>>
>>
>> Nice pics! Thank you! I'm glad you guys enjoyed your lunch. I
>> haven't had/made any good Italian food in a while. I'll have to dig
>> through some of my cookbooks to see what I can come up with. Hmmm, I
>> have some jumbo shells in the pantry
>>
>> Jill
>
>
> Just be sure to pack those jumbo shells to overflowing!
>
> I got a recipe from rfc or somewhere on the web and was timid about
> packing in the "goods." Turned out rather wimpy.
>
> My fault!
>
> I remember one bit of advice was to cook the shells to before al dente so
> they didn't fall apart while stuffing and they'd cook just right in the
> oven while baking.
>
> Best,
>
> Andy


Thanks Andy. But I don't really need to be told how to cook pasta or how to
stuff shells. BTDT, as it were. I cook less more than just breakfast
around here

Jill

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:11:26 -0800, koko > wrote:
>>
>>We had lunch today at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.
>>It was a little chilly today so sitting at the table in the sun was a
>>good choice.
>>http://i48.tinypic.com/6on9lc.jpg
>>
>
>
> Huh... paper place mats *with advertising* atop cheapo (Walmart)
> synthetic fabric tablecloths... tacky, tacky, tacky... even for the
> lowest of the low guinea joints... TACKY!
>

Tsk tsk, Sheldon. She can't control the placemats or the dining table
setting in a restaurant. And it has no affect on the quality of the food.
Years ago I worked at O'Charleys as a hostess. We handed out crayons and
paper placemats so the kids could scribble on them to keep them distracted.
If it's a "family style" restaurant, sometimes there is a method to their
madness. Koko didn't say it was a white linen 5 star restaurant. Just that
the food was good and she likes eating there. That's what counts.

Jill

"ViLco" > wrote in -
september.org:

> PLucas wrote:
>
>> He was eventually captured in November 1806 by French Corsican
> troops
>> led by (novelist) Victor Hugo's father, and hanged when he refused
> to
>> join them!!
>>
>> Fra diavolo = Brother Devil
>
> And not only "brother" but also "friar", because "fra'" is also
> short for "frate", which is "friar". I don't know this story but I'd
> tend to think he was some kind of friar, monk, priest or similar
> religious figure. Or it may be just meant as "bro'", without
> connections to religious things, just as the southern italian "don"
> is used as a form of respect and has no connections with the "don "
> prefix used for priests.
>

Fron the url I gave K.......

"The nickname "Fra Diavolo" came about due to an old Itrano custom: Until
early in the twentieth century Itrani boys and girls who had recently
recovered from serious illnesses were dressed as monks on the second
Sunday after Easter, for a procession in honor of St. Francis of Paola,
the patron of sick children. On one of these solemn occasions little
Michele, who was apparently a handful to begin with, proved so naughty
that someone called him “Fra Diavolo” which stuck."



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


Mary had a little lamb
her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her
between two chunks of bread.

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:26:32 +0100, "ViLco" >
wrote:

>Sure! The hardest part will be the finding of a pack of that-big
>shells. I have seen some big pasta formats in a shop in town, maybe
>these days I'll check that out better.

The gigantic size shells are not ubiquitous here either. Head for a
tourist area. I saw them when I visited Italy recently.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Christine wrote:

> I think that would be an occasion to put on an Italian Feast.....
>
> For what it is worth, I have the first weekend in February off...

But that's SUPER BOWL weekend! The only way I could support an Italian feast
on Super Bowl weekend would be if one of the teams in contention had their
home field in a town named Naples, Florence, or Rome.

Bob

Jill wrote:

> Koko didn't say it was a white linen 5 star restaurant. Just that the
> food was good and she likes eating there. That's what counts.

To Sheldon, the place mats and tablecloth matter more than the food. But the
consideration which overrides all others is whether the waitress has large
breasts. It's a bit of a dichotomy, since Sheldon is obviously a closet
homosexual.

Bob

Jill wrote:

> I cook less more than just breakfast around here

What?

Bob

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> "Andy" > wrote in message ...

> > "jmcquown" > wrote:

> >> through some of my cookbooks to see what I can come up with. Hmmm, I
> >> have some jumbo shells in the pantry

> > Just be sure to pack those jumbo shells to overflowing!
> >
> > I got a recipe from rfc or somewhere on the web and was timid about
> > packing in the "goods." Turned out rather wimpy.
> >
> > My fault!
> >
> > I remember one bit of advice was to cook the shells to before al dente so
> > they didn't fall apart while stuffing and they'd cook just right in the
> > oven while baking.

> Thanks Andy. But I don't really need to be told how to cook pasta or how to
> stuff shells. BTDT, as it were. I cook less more than just breakfast
> around here

Still, it's good advice to post on this group, because it isn't obvious.
And after seeing those pictures that Koko posted, I'll bet there will be
a bunch of people wanting to make stuffed shells!

The other important reason to undercook the shells before stuffing, is
that they tend to tear when you try to stuff them, if they are too well
cooked. Ask me how I know this!

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> "Andy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>
>> > "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> >> through some of my cookbooks to see what I can come up with. Hmmm, I
>> >> have some jumbo shells in the pantry
>
>> > Just be sure to pack those jumbo shells to overflowing!
>> >
>> > I got a recipe from rfc or somewhere on the web and was timid about
>> > packing in the "goods." Turned out rather wimpy.
>> >
>> > My fault!
>> >
>> > I remember one bit of advice was to cook the shells to before al dente
>> > so
>> > they didn't fall apart while stuffing and they'd cook just right in the
>> > oven while baking.
>
>> Thanks Andy. But I don't really need to be told how to cook pasta or how
>> to
>> stuff shells. BTDT, as it were. I cook less more than just breakfast
>> around here
>
> Still, it's good advice to post on this group, because it isn't obvious.
> And after seeing those pictures that Koko posted, I'll bet there will be
> a bunch of people wanting to make stuffed shells!
>
> The other important reason to undercook the shells before stuffing, is
> that they tend to tear when you try to stuff them, if they are too well
> cooked. Ask me how I know this!
>
> --
> Dan Abel
> Petaluma, California USA
>



Okay, how do you know this? Of course you're right. I tend to assume
everyone knows not to overcook shells or tubes of pasta before trying to
stuff them. Silly me

Jill

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:16:44 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Jill wrote:
>
>> I cook less more than just breakfast around here
>
> What?
>
> Bob

less is more, they say.

your pal,
blake

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:16:10 -0800, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> Jill wrote:
>
>> Koko didn't say it was a white linen 5 star restaurant. Just that the
>> food was good and she likes eating there. That's what counts.
>
> To Sheldon, the place mats and tablecloth matter more than the food. But the
> consideration which overrides all others is whether the waitress has large
> breasts. It's a bit of a dichotomy, since Sheldon is obviously a closet
> homosexual.
>
> Bob

closet ***/mommy fetish. it's all of a piece.

your pal,
blake