SIMPLE PLEASURES

Take a look at expat message boards frequented by Americans living in Italy and chances are you'll see a request, more like a plea, for cheddar cheese. Some of us were prepared for the fact that there'd be no cheddar in Italy, but it's still painful at times. Pity the poor expat who didn't have a clue! No macaroni and cheese on a cold winter's night. No grated cheese for tacos...assuming of course that you brought the fixins for taco with you..... No cheese cheddar for so many things.....

But here in San Venanzo, we're practically swimming in cheddar cheese thanks to friends from England and the U.S. Janet and Stephen brought us not one but FOUR.....yes, FOUR, packages of cheddar from England two weeks ago, and last week Jill and Larry brought us a nice big package of sharp cheddar, so.....

Yesterday we had some unbelievably yummy omelets....ham, onion, tomatoes, and yes, you guessed it, CHEDDAR CHEESE! WOW! I didn't remember that an omelet could taste sooooo good!

Today Art open the frig and realized that the broccoli we'd bought the other day really needed to be cooked now!,
so I cooked some rice, browned some onions, opened another all-American standby, cream of mushroom soup, then mixed in an egg, some broccoli and a cup of grated cheddar. Thirty minutes later we had a lunch that was filling and delicious! Simple pleasures indeed!