Not-so-Vanilla Diva

According to James Hanning of The Independent "we've all committed them, but now, at last, we have no excuses. " The Parma-based Academia Barilla, which aims "to defend and safeguard Italian food products made by reputable artisans and certified denominations against poor-quality imitations", has released a list of ten kitchen faux pas, to "teach foreigners how to avoid culinary horrors" in respect to Italian food. The French have the Ministry of Culture in order to secure the beauty and finese of the French language, and now we have Academia Barilla's guidelines to consider whilst we "mangiamo Italiano!"    The rules are as follows: NEVER DRINK A CAPPUCCINO DURING A MEAL: A cappuccino is for breakfast and ideally should be drunk with something sweet. Although the Academia concedes it can be ordered afterwards, it points out that an Italian never would. RISOTTO AND PASTA ARE NOT SIDE DISHES: Unless you're serving it as part of a specialty dish such as l'Ossobuco alla milanese, it's a faux pas. DON'T PUT OIL IN THE PASTA WATER: Oil should be added after cooking. DON'T PUT KETCHUP ON PASTA: 'A true culinary sin', says the Academia. SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE DOESN'T EXIST IN BOLOGNA: They eat their Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle and not spaghetti. PASTA WITH ...

Ingredients 4 (6-ounce) Yellowfin tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick) 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided salt to taste olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 8 cups arugula leaves 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 small bulb) Preparation Sprinkle tuna steaks with 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet with onions and spices over medium-high heat. Add tuna steaks; cook 2 minutes on each side or until desired. Combine 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon oil, and juice in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add arugula and fennel; toss well. Place about 2 cups salad on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tuna steak.

Hello all Travelers!  Traveling Diva is proud to be part of the very first and ONLY Travel & Food show on iTunes! Along with my husband, Emmy winning comedian Mark DeCarlo, each week we will embark on a great quest for food, travel and fun! We'll interview interesting and unique folks across the world who travel for a living, including musicians, chefs, and comedians. Our past guests included Brad Sherwood from Who's Line Is It Anyway?, Rick Browne, author of  A Century of Restaurants, comedian Jimmy Palumbo and Hell's Kitchen Chef Barbie Marshall. Subscribe to A FORK ON THE ROAD show on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2 STAY TUNED !!!  We'll see you at A Fork On The Road! CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR ITUNES PAGE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2

THE EVENT:              Excitement continues to build in the air for the 33rdAnnual Wings Over Camarillo Air Show set for the weekend of August 17-18, 2013 at the Camarillo Airport.   This event will be the only air show in Ventura County. The two-day August air show features some of the most involved military aircraft in WWII, and experimental aircraft, that are still flying on the West Coast.   Wings Over Camarillo features CAF SoCal’s Famous Air Rides for the public including rides on the famous P-51 Mustang, At-6/SN, and PT-19. Rides will be offered Saturday and Sunday before and after the air show.  Please call the CAF at 805-482-0064 to schedule.   Guests enjoy an afternoon filled with air rides, food, fun, and live entertainment.  The after party will feature the band Old School, playing hits from the 70’s and beyond!   The event is legendary.  You experience will be too.   THE AFTER PARTY:  Come join the war birds for a night filled with laughter, fun, food, and dancing! Dinner and Dance on Saturday August 17th 6:30-10pm. Cost per person: $25 includes dinner, entertainment and one (1) drink (beer, wine, or soda) Cash bar after your first drink. Phone (805) 482-0064   THE CAUSE:            The Camarillo Wings Association is a non-profit 501(c)(3) ...

Ritornano #LeRicettedelloChefLorisIndri ! Ogni mercoledì, una ricetta dello Chef del Ristorante Do Leoni, da provare a preparare a casa o venire ad assaggiare al ristorante dell’Hotel Londra Palace, in veranda, davanti al Bacino di San Marco! Oggi un dolcetto fresco fresco! IL “BARATTOLINO DO LEONI” “Prepariamo la marmellata di mango, i savoiardi e il gelato al cioccolato bianco. Una volta pronte queste tre basi, prepariamo il croccante di granella di nocciole con gli amaretti e il burro fuso. Prendiamo ora il nostro barattolino , riempiamo a tre quarti con il gelato al cioccolato bianco mantecato, successivamente una cucchiaiata di croccante, ora una cucchiaiata di marmellata di mango tiepida e finiamo con la decorazione di ribes, menta e una macinata di pepe lungo indonesiano. Infine chiudiamo il barattolino, cosicchè il calore della marmellata, ammorbidisca il gelato e sprigioni i profumi della menta e del pepe. Serviamo con due savoiardi fatti in casa”. Ingredienti: 150 gr di gelato al cioccolato bianco 30 gr di marmellata di mango 2 savoiardi fatti in casa 1 rametto di riber rossi 2 foglie di menta fresca piperita Una macinata di pepe lungo indonesiano 10 gr di amaretti tritati 10 gr di granella di nocciole 10 gr di burro Per il gelato al cioccolato bianco: 1 lt di latte 400 gr di cioccolato bianco 250 gr di zucchero semolato 2 ...

Women are honored as role models for girls served by APCH in its GirlPower Project A Place Called Home (APCH), which for 20 years has provided a safe haven for underserved youth in South Central Los Angeles, honored four outstanding women whose personal and professional lives provide inspiration to the young women and girls served by APCH’s programs, most notably those enrolled in its GirlPower Project. “We’re so fortunate to be able to recognize these four women whose professional and volunteer leadership continues to make a difference for our community’s children,” said Jonathan Zeichner, APCH’s executive director. “We constantly seek to present role models to our young people— outstanding women and men who influence our society for the greater good. There’s little question that Amy Ziering, Dana Green, Susan Feldman and Alison Pincus fall into that illustrious category.” An award-winning and Oscar-nominated documentary producer and director, Amy Ziering was presented with the GirlPower Social Change Award. While the award recognizes Ziering’s body of work, it particularly honors her 2012 documentary “The Invisible War,” a groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape in the U.S. military. The film won major awards at the Sundance Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Awards. Ziering’s other ...

Hello all Travelers!  Traveling Diva is proud to announce the launch of the very first and ONLY Travel & Food show on iTunes! I will be joining Emmy winning comedian Mark DeCarlo each week as he embarks on a great quest for food, travel and fun! Mark will be having interviews each week with interesting and unique folks across the world who travel for a living, including musicians, chefs, and comedians.   This month, we will be giving away Cancun discount coupons and a chance to win a HD Underwater VIVITAR 850W CAMERA to all subscribers! Here's what you have to do: 1. Subscribe to A FORK ON THE ROAD show on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2 2. Let us know you subscribed and give us your email address.  You can do this by following and tweeting @MarkDeCarlo #AForkOnTheRoad, or sending us an email to: markdecarlotv@gmail.com, or leave us amessage at 424-250-FORK. 3. We will send you the code and enter you in the contest.  Winners announced on the podcast JULY 4th, 2013. Also, Mark is here to help YOU the listener with your travel-related questions. All you have to do is call 424 - 250 - FORK, leave your name and contact information and we'll have you on the show ...

Directed by Jason Alexander Produced by Danny Gold & Billy Riback The Hollywood theater scene is all a-twitter with the opening tomorrow of “When You’re In Love The Whole World Is Jewish.”   This impatiently-awaited-for show is currently sold out for the full six week run and anyone who is anyone will be there. When You're In Love is truly a labor of love - the love of comedy and of cherished childhood memories. Based on several ground-breaking comedy albums, this material has never been seen live until now. Producers Danny Gold and Billy Riback decided to mount the show for one simple reason: “We were both weaned on classic comedy,” said Riback, “and the albums “You Don’t Have To Be Jewish,” and “When You’re In Love, The Whole World Is Jewish,” were gut-bustingly funny way back then, and because of the timeless nature of the comedy, part character study, part self-effacing lampooning, but always sweet-natured and good-hearted, they remain just as hilarious today.” With the world growing increasingly crude, rude, and mean-spirited; When You're In Love brings the best of this timeless material to life. There is nothing in this show that would offend a nun, assuming one would come, and yet somehow it's ...

Another year, another glorious Jazz Fest!  Here is the line up for this year's nojazzfest.com. See you at the fairgrounds! Billy Joel • Fleetwood Mac • Dave Matthews Band • Maroon 5 •  The Black Keys • John Mayer •Widespread Panic  • Daryl Hall and John Oates •Phoenix • B.B. King • Frank Ocean  •  Earth, Wind & Fire • Willie Nelson & Family • Little Big Town George Benson •
Jill Scott • Jimmy Cliff • Gipsy Kings Jeffrey Osborne •
Patti Smith Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite •
Band of Horses Gary Clark Jr. • Andrew Bird •
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly  • Juan Luis Guerra y 440 •
Los Lobos • The Little Willies • Kem Roy Ayers • Laura Bell Bundy •
Dianne Reeves  • Stanley Clarke / George Duke Project •
Charles Bradley  • Wayne Shorter Quartet feat. Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade  •  Taj Mahal & The Real Thing Tuba Band •
Calexico Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra •
Vashawn Mitchell Joshua Redman Quartet with Aaron Goldberg, Joe Sanders, and Kendrick Scott Mutemath •
Ana Popovic •
The Mavericks Little Joe Y La Familia •
Campbell Brothers Brushy One String of Jamaica •
Jerry Douglas •
Daryl Coley Magary Lord of Bahia-Brazil •
Malê Debalê of Bahia-Brazil The Del ...

Hello all fabulous divas!!! I am pleased to announce TravelingDiva's tour of Italy and Spain in December 2012, covering the hottest Honeymoon Hotspots for 2013! We will be accepting suggestions for hotels, restaurants, spas, and off-the-beaten-path adventures at diva@travelingdiva.com. Send us your suggestions with links and contact info, and you may be eligible to receive a package full of European goodies if we pick your idea! Email us at diva@travelingdiva.com We look forward to hearing from you! The team at TravelingDiva.com