lisiamc's activity

Questions Asked

Since the forum is very quiet today, maybe this is a good time for me to ask a language question.  This is fairly trivial, but it has bothered me for ages:In every Italian course I've taken, in person or on CD, they teach me that the word for

Thu, 11/12/2009 - 17:13

I've always liked country life and have this idea of keeping three or four chickens for eggs when we have our house.  But I can already see that there will be some vocabulary that I will need to catch up on.  So far my Italian classes have not cov

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 18:33

When I put petrol in the car, often the attendant will come out to do it for me, even on the self-service pump.  I would like to know how to ask him to fill the tank. Is it something like "Fa il pieno"? Thanks in advance!

Sun, 06/14/2009 - 09:59

Hi all,I'm new to posting here, and to the new forums.  I've lurked on the old forums a bit in the past.We're planning to move to Le Marche soon, and unexpectedly found a house that rings all the bells - so we may be moving sooner than originally

Sun, 05/24/2009 - 17:30

Comments posted

Wed, 05/23/2012 - 16:44

I think the Little British Food Shop is the bee's knees.  I am very grateful to have a source of things like Cheddar, Branston Pickle, cider and good tea bags so close to where we live.  There is no shame in satisfying a craving for good food, whichever country it comes from.  English foods have become treats for me, and I think Neil's prices are very fair, and sometimes a real bargain (have you priced Heinz Baked Beans in Oasi?)

Answer to: Good fish soup
Sat, 01/09/2010 - 13:55

A good recipe is a good recipe!  I like it, anyway! ________ Nearly Authentic* New England Seafood Chowder 1 large wine glass of white wine 1 large wine glass of water 1 fish stock cube 1/2 rib celery 2  cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife 1 bay leaf 5  peppercorns sprig of dill 1 filet salmon (or cod or haddock or other white fish of choice) (about 200-300g total) 450-500g potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 small packet cubed pancetta 1 large onion 40-50g butter cooked prawns or steamed clams or steamed mussels (about 150g total) 1 410g tin evaporated milk (you can use cream if you like it to be richer) 500 ml milk (whole or semi-skimmed) Place wine, water, stock cube, celery, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and dill in large saucepan.  Bring to the boil, add salmon or other fish and simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked.  Remove fish from liquid, and continue cooking the liquid until it is reduced to 2-3 spoonfuls.  Strain and reserve. Cook pancetta in large pan/wok/stockpot until crisp and lightly browned.  Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside.  Put onions and butter in pan, cook gently until onions are soft.  Add cooked pancetta to pan. Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender,( about 10 minutes) then drain.  Add to onions in pan.  Add fish, prawns/mussels/clams to pan.  Add evaporated milk, regular milk and reserved, reduced fish-poaching liquid to pan.  Heat gently until hot.  Do not boil.  Add salt, pepper and chopped parsley to taste. Especially nice if refrigerated overnight and reheated the next day. *The not-completely-authentic parts are the wine and the garlic.  Salt pork is normally used instead of pancetta in New England. L.

Answer to: qui & qua
Fri, 11/13/2009 - 09:16

Thanks all for making that clearer for me.  I'm sticking with qua from now on. (with apologies to the ducks!)Lisa

Answer to: Pet Insurance
Thu, 10/15/2009 - 11:24

I was wondering about this too.  We're moving to Italy with our 15-year-old cat next Spring.  I'm worried about whether he will adjust easily, but I'm encouraged by your experience, Angie. I hope our cat takes to Italy as well as yours has!  We will organise a vet right away, as he is on a long-term prescription diet.Lisa 

Tue, 10/06/2009 - 09:06

We'll be moving to Italy next year and applying for residency.  At the moment, we live quite near the Italian Vice-Consulate in Bedford.  I'm wondering:

  1. Would I be wise to take our documents there ahead of the move and get them translated?  (If they will do translations there.)
  2. And other than birth certificates, what other documents are required?

Thanks!L

Answer to: Going it alone
Thu, 09/24/2009 - 16:43

There's an intersting blog here by a woman who relocated by herself to Tuscany from the UK. She's married, but her husband elected to stay in the UK.L

Answer to: snakes
Fri, 09/18/2009 - 07:02

I had no idea that there were so many varieties of vipers to look out for.  Spotted, striped, solid colours - every possible combination.  I'm giving all snakes a wide berth!L.

Wed, 09/16/2009 - 11:30

I recorded it and watched it - very interesting.  And the best part - many of the interviewees spoke quite s-l-o-w-l-y.  I could get most of what they were saying without having to resort to the subtitles.  There was one chap who must have been speaking dialect, though - I couldn't understand even one word of what he was saying!L

Thu, 09/10/2009 - 08:28

Thanks for posting this - I'm always trying to improve my wine knowledge.L.

Answer to: Sloe Gin Recipe
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 17:18

I'm liking the sound of this!  I'll have to try it with both gin and grappa.  Thanks for the recipe!L