Ciao again!

Ciao! It's been a whole entire year since my last blog post, but it's summer again and I'm going to try to write more! I just came back from a vacation in Sicily, where I found this awesome t-shirt that was just my size. It has the flag of Sicily in a heart shape, and says Sicilia in pretty swirled lettering. Mi piace moltissimo - I really like it!

I've also been watching with the World Cup. I'm rooting for both the USA and Italy and it's been really fun to watch the games on TV! Have you heard the vuvuzela horns that the crowds blow at every match? I think the noise is funny - it sounds like a swarm of bees to me!

Forza Azzurri! That's the cheer for the Italian soccer team. Literally, it means "Go Blues!" because the Italian team's color is blue. I bought this shirt in Italy a few years ago. See how it has four stars across the top? That's one star for each time Italy has won the World Cup. They won the last World Cup, so it's really unlikely they'll win again, but I'm still going to cheer them on!

Are you watching the World Cup? What teams are you rooting for?

Love, Livia

Anna Lee is coming to visit!

Sorry I've been so bad about writing on my blog! It's been almost a whole month since my last post. Mamma said that since it's summer, I can have a vacation from writing in both Italian and English, and I guess I just got lazy! 

Yesterday Mamma told me really exciting news that I just had to write about - Anna Lee Merced is coming to visit me!!! We spend summer vacation at my grandparents' house on Long Island, so that's where Anna Lee is coming. I'm going to take her lots of fun places, especially the beach, because she's never seen the Atlantic Ocean. She's going to get here really soon and I just can't wait! I started cleaning my room last night so that everything would be especially nice for Anna Lee.

Love,
Livia

Happy Birthday, Mamma!

Buon Compleanno, Mamma!

Oggi è il compleanno della mia mamma. Felicity ed io abbiamo deciso di fare i biscotti per lei. Abbiamo fatto i amaretti, i biscotti italiani di mandorla, e sono stati deliziosi! Ecco la ricetta che abbiamo usato.

Today is my Mamma's birthday. Felicity and I decided to make cookies for her. We made Amaretti, Italian almond cookies, and they were delicious! Here's the recipe that we used.




Italian Almond Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups blanched whole almonds (about 12 ounces), plus 15 for garnishing
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets, then line with parchment paper.

In food processor, combine 2 1/4 cups almonds and 1/3 cup sugar. Process until finely ground, scraping down sides once or twice. Set aside.

In electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and gradually sprinkle in remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Return speed to high and beat mixture until stiff, shiny peaks form. Gently fold in ground almond mixture and almond and vanilla extracts.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls, place 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and flatten slightly. Top each with an almond. Bake until cookies are golden, switching positions of pans halfway through, about 25 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Cookies keep, wrapped, several days, or frozen, several weeks. Recrisp in warm oven.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

La ricetta viene con una leggenda, è molto interessante!
The recipe even comes with a legend, it's very interesting!


"Amaretti

According to legend, in the early 1700s, a Milanese bishop made a surprise visit to the town of Saronno in Lombardy. A young couple paid tribute to the bishop by welcoming him with their unique homemade cookies, made from crushed apricot kernels and almonds, egg whites, and sugar. The bishop so loved the cookies that he blessed the couple, and the recipe became a local favorite.

Today, bakeries throughout the region, and in Italian communities around the world, carry amaretti di Saronno, but it's worth the (small) effort to make them yourself. The recipe is simple, and fresh from the oven, they have a crisp-yet-tender texture that's beyond compare."

Alla mia madre piacevano i biscotti molto, e lei ha detto che sono stati la sorpresa perfetto per il compleanno!

My Mamma really liked the cookies, and she said they were the perfect birthday surprise!

Love,
Livia

Dance Recital

Stasera è il mio recital finale per il mio corso di danza! Praticavamo per il recital per mese in classe, e io praticavo dappertutto a casa tutta questa settimana. Facciamo una danza di "Coppélia," un balletto famoso. Il personaggio di Coppélia è una bambola! E la prima ballerina di mettere in scena il ruolo di Coppélia nell'anno 1870 a Parigi era italiana. Mi piace molto la danza, ma sono un po' nervosa per il spettacolo.

Tonight is my dance class's final recital! We've been practicing for the recital for months in class, and I've been practicing all over the house this week. We're doing a dance from "Coppélia," a famous ballet. The character of Coppélia is actually a doll! And the first ballerina to play the role of Coppélia in 1870 in Paris was Italian. I really like the dance, but I'm a little nervous for the performance.

Il mio tutù è bellissimo - ha i piccoli fiori sulla gonna! Spero che io possa tenerlo, ma invece, dovrò divertirmi stasera al spettacolo.

My tutu is beautiful - it has teeny flowers on the skirt! I wish I could keep it, but I'll just have to enjoy wearing it tonight at the performance.

Love,
Livia

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Oggi abbiamo festeggiato il cinque di maggio a scuola. Abbiamo mangiato il cibo messicano e abbiamo cantato le canzoni in spagnolo. Tutti dovevano portare un libro con un'aspetto della cultura messicana, e parlarne al classe. Con tre amiche, ho scelto "Meet Josefina," e ci abbiamo vestito come Josefina! 

Today we celebrated Cinco de Mayo in school. We ate Mexican food and sang songs in Spanish. Everyone had to bring in a book that had to do with some aspect of Mexican culture, and talk about it to the rest of the class. Along with three of my friends, I chose "Meet Josefina," and we all dressed up like Josefina!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Love,
Livia

Field Day

Domani è il giorno dei sport a scuola! Mi piace molto il giorno perché si va fuori per tutto il giorno e non si sede ma in un'aula! Non mi piace molto tutta la competizione, ma è un giorno molto divertente. I miei giochi preferiti sono di softball, basketball, e tiro alla fune. Questo è la mia mise nuova per il giorno dei sport.

Tomorrow is Field Day at school! I love Field Day because everyone goes outside all day and we never have to sit in a classroom! I don't really like all the competition, but it's a really fun day. My favorite games are softball, basketball, and tug-of-war. This is my new outfit for Field Day.

It's always good to stretch before playing sports

I love love love my new pink sneakers

Let the games begin!

Love,
Livia

Earth Day

Oggi è la giornata per la Terra! A scuola, c'era un'assemblea, e abbiamo imparato modi in cui possiamo aiutare a proteggere l'ambiente. Abbiamo imparato del riciclaggio e altre cose che possiamo fare. Poi siamo andati fuori, e ogni classe ha piantato il suo albero nel cortile. Erano bellissimi insieme! In celebrazione della giornata per la Terra, ho scelto qualche foto di me stesso giocando fuori nella natura.

Today is Earth Day! At school, there was an assembly, and we learned ways in which we can help to protect the environment. We learned all about recycling and other things that we can do. Then we went outside, and every class planted its own tree in the courtyard. They looked beautiful all together! In celebration of Earth Day, I picked a few photos of myself playing outside in nature.







Love,
Livia