A Tribute to Memorial Day

On Monday, the 26th of May 2014 celebrations were held across the nation in recognition for the freedom of America protected daily by those that serve in the military with honor to the men and women who lost their lives serving the country’s armed forces.  Now that the parades, bbqs, and festivals have come and gone let us pay tribute each day to commemorate the men and women and the families of those that have died in war or military action in service of The USA.  The magnitude of appreciation the people of our country have for the armed forces of America was depicted with traditional acts, American flags decorated gravestones for lost soldiers in national cemeteries.

Memorial Day Weekend denotes the kickoff to summer often marked with beach trips, boat or sport outings and picnics to welcome the outdoor season. Festivals are filled with food associated with summer from grilled corn on the cob to fruits at their peak ripeness, truly the time of year that a foodie reigns.  Frozen desserts get a heightened awareness as the temperatures rise, the sunshine becomes standard and people crave a treat to cool down.

Custom gelato cake by Pino Gelato 

The significance of Memorial Day is never to be out shined by the parties and seasonal fun ahead, the utmost order is to honor the heroes of America.  The summer does present the busiest season for gelato, welcomed is the time of year to Scoop Some Happiness to the many customers to be served over the next few months.  Pino Gelato offers a military discount; to the men and women who are serving or have served our country, thank you.

How did you celebrate Memorial Day 2014?

Organic Easter this Spring

Spring has begun! Fresh, premium ingredients are desired by consumers when shopping for a numerous range of products.   Quality items have become more readily available and often, even surprisingly affordable. The fun can begin.  Transition during the change of seasons, especially into Spring (yes- it is here), brings with it a reminder of the variety of bountiful seasonal produce. Spring marks an opportunity to easily embrace “the healthy” found in aisles and at markets, but there are more routes to truly embody fresh, natural and premium product scouring.  Easter is the perfect holiday to depict the select food, craft, and household products easy to adapt to during the awakening Spring.

photo credit: etsy

Pastels, perennials, and pie illustrate Easter. Organic products and food are more frequently becoming the top choice in many categories, yet not all switches to the natural version are attainable whether due to cost or demand. The eco-friendly and healthier options are actually more accessible than the preconceived notion surrounding the steadfast trend.  

Dying Easter eggs is a tradition, instead of the chemical laden box dyes use the following suggestions for natural produce egg dye decorating that turn eggs amazing colors!

Photo credit: serious eats

Beet Juice (boiled eggs can go right into a jar of fresh beets for a couple hours).

Gently warm fresh berries on a stove top or double boiler then crush berries in a strainer over a dish to extract the juice.  Add ¼ cup of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to each extracted juice.

Raspberry juice.  Intense pink!

Blueberries/blackberries: same as above, but blue!

Spinach (truly, works) : boil fresh spinach leaves then extract juice as above.  

Carrots: boil carrots in as little water as possible and use the marigold colored water for dye, add vinegar as above.

Easter flowers/plants are customary to bring to households hosting the holiday gathering.  This year, select perennials from a local farm stand or take it a step further and give the gift of an herb garden starter.  Supply handwritten instructions for organic garden care if in possession of a green thumb or direct to Organic Gardening for herb sustaining tips.  Basil and mint are exceptional gifts.

Easter Pie, not of the dessert variety but a savory Italian Easter Pie filled with meats and cheeses is typically made on Good Friday and served on Easter Sunday.  For more on Easter pies visit the 2013 Easter post be sure to make the pie at home with the freshest, quality ingredients sourced from Italian specialty stores.  Actual dessert? Simple, fresh, premium berries or homemade berry pie with a scoop of gelato harmoniously blend with the natural options used to celebrate this Easter and Spring.

Italian meat selections used for traditional Easter Pie.

Enjoy a fresh approach. Happy Easter and Welcome, Spring! How will you incorporate organic in Easter this Spring?

Spring Break 2014, Go!

Break out the sunscreen, bikinis and limes, it is time to gear up for a sea of neon- this is Spring Break 2014. After a rough Winter season for much of the US, travelers find it more reasonable than ever to justify a desired break from school, work, and shoveling the snow. Time to find the ideal place to relax and touch feet to the sand. The party stigma is forever linked to traditional spring break, but there are endless ways to enjoy the time off to actually explore a city and refine the experience.

Cuisinart Resort on Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla 

c/o cocktails&gelato

Often, Spring Break marks the first trip taken apart from family and is planned by students across universities in the country. Tens of thousands will travel during the Spring weeks to validate certain hollow expectations of college life.  While the beach, booze, and boats are all suitable categories to adhere to the practice of a legit Spring Break, there are recommendations to elevate the time spent on vacation above a blurred week of partying.  The message to student Spring breakers: no matter the destination selected find the actual sights of the city... and tour them.  Obvious as this may sound, too often the large group of friends will travel to and from without taking in all a place has to offer.  Try the local fare by way of the many websites used to filter places to dine categorized with such labels as ‘best cheap grub’, best ice-cream/gelato, and best for group dining. Plan properly to get a true taste of the city all while keeping to a budget.  Skip the daily hangover and encapsulate the well versed traveler within to discover all there is to the destination.

Alternative Spring Break trips are sponsored by nonprofit organizations and other charity or specialty groups to give students the option to spend the week volunteering for a cause with a magnitude of reward. To further explore this route and get involved read over this article about Missouri University in The Columbia Daily Tribune about the Mizzou Alternative Break trips (service trips) program and students arranging to benefit people through Habitat For Humanity, United Way and many other causes.  2014 it is more popular than ever that students are devoid of the standard expectations set by peers in order to give back.  

Time.com has created a list of the top ten popular places students are going for spring break this year, for reference to those that would like to fly with or steer clear of this crowd.  If traveling to a fancy beach town is not on the agenda this year, then Spring Break at home it is.  Easy to find local community charity programs to enable time spent to give back, explore the sites unseen that draw others to the closest large hometown location (day trip), and create atypical dining with awesome combo dessert drink recipes from Food52. Regardless of where or how to spend the break, let there be focus on enjoying family and friends, fantastic food and beverage, and giving back.  Relaxation and mini umbrellas to top drinks do not cost much: to the party people or not, spend time to revivify over the sundry Spring Break 2014.

Mini umbrellas

How are you spending your Spring Break this year?  If you are planning an alternative trip, we would especially like to hear about it!

Romantic Travel: Plan the Ideal Getaway.

Blow it this Valentine’s Day?  Got it covered. Make up for slacking on February 14th with a grand gesture... everyone wants to be swept away on a romantic travel escapade.  Relax, explore, and connect with a special person.  Go ahead and hop on a plane or jump in the car, let the adventure begin with a romantic travel plan in 2014.   

The itch to leave town is always heightened after the holidays have come and gone and before the majority of the country sees temperatures that stay steady at mild.  Of course, there are numerous places in this world to travel with lists-upon-lists of romantic cities and hotels to source for selecting the perfect destination. Europe is always high-seeded on such lists, with cities that define romance. From France’s Champagne countryside to Paris, Spain, and Italy (5 Italian cities spanning across the top 10 in this list), the slower lifestyle and varying landscapes in Europe are ideal for all.  The food… unbelievable.  

Love is in the air in Charleston, SC. Photo Credit: Jennifer Bearden

Depending upon the interests of a couple there are fantastic ways to make the vacation memorable and stay stateside.   Begin to feel the breeze or ski the slope, there is a place for fun waiting for every type of couple to delve into the romance that started it all. Narrowed down to a top 5 here is a list of romantic cities in the United States. Some boast European flair others have the beaches people yearn for in the lion that is March, either way referencing the selections below is the first step toward getting away with a main squeeze. Another perk, these cities all have impeccable dining.  Click the city and state for a link providing information for planning a romantic getaway in each destination.  

O’ahu, Hawaii For obvious regions as the beautiful beaches, adventures, and a paradise life- complete with flowers behind the ear and lei’s draped around necks.  

Charleston, SC Romantic cobblestone streets reminiscent of Europe with nearby beaches and a historic gas light district for exceptional evening dining.  

Aspen, CO The adventure in the mountains with amazing ski resorts, romantic cabins and resorts, and a downtown fit to canoodle in.  

Sonoma, CA Wine country, luxury, and landscape with pure beauty, sustain romance for the couple selecting Napa/Sonoma region. The vino is a particularly ideal souvenir, open a bottle a month after returning and remember highlights from the trip.

Destin, FL The Sunshine State’s 24 mile Emerald Coast is the ideal beach and boat trip with gorgeous emerald coves, white sand beaches, and bountiful water activities. Try paddle boarding together, experiencing a new activity together is a proven method to connect.

Emerald Coast. Photo Credit: National Geographic Travel

Here’s to romantic getaways, or even just daydreaming of them! Where is the most romantic city in the US you have traveled to with your sweetheart?  

Toast to Happiness!

Winter drab has gone on long enough. People in most parts of the country need a bit of hoopla to entertain at this point.  No need to rush to the local watering hole, keep it downright interesting with an adult beverage, complete with gelato.     

Mixologists have affirmed the creative cocktail trend is here to stay.  More advantageous? Bartenders ahead of the curve are mixing alcohol and gelato to create the happiest of hours in existence.  

Recently, a list of 15 Food Reasons Italians Are Better at Life appeared on Huffington Post (an enthused shout out to numbers 12, and 1), to build upon this accurate list number 16 easily should be Italian liquors.  Campari, Limoncello, Sambuca, Frangelico; the span of flavor across the famed spirits of Italy are ideal to infuse in gelato or sorbetto to create supreme recipes combining alcohol and the luxury frozen dessert.  It is becoming increasingly more common to find gelato with rum or another standard spirit on menus across the world.

A gelato cocktail that will go over well with everyone.

Surely, one of the most fabulous ways to enjoy gelato and get through the impending storms is to add a dash of the “good stuff” for a tasty way to make it to spring.  A favorite gelato cocktail recipe brilliantly uses pistachio gelato, espresso, and coconut to make a luscious concoction.  Worthy modifications include caramel drizzle on the rim, best served in a chilled glass. Honestly, even a "plain" vanilla gelato cocktail is delicious.

Gelato and Italian liquors add sophistication to dessert time and/or happy hour.  Celebrate this match made in heaven with a gelato cocktail toast to happiness!

Pino Gelato is available in quarts and pints for you to order to make your own gelato cocktail recipe at home! Please share your favorites with us in the comments section. Salute!

Thanksgiving & Game Day Fare

Avid football fans, elevate the game day experience with a harvest chow down.  Turkey tailgates and enticing food arrays will elicit enjoyment during the game from the most discerning in the crowd to the non-sports enthused.  Incorporate traditional holiday fixings to create the ideal atmosphere for the ultimate in football fare.

Turkey & Football unite via sliders

Turn up the heat on the barbecue, the turkey is here.  Football and Thanksgiving have long paired up, over the next two weekends revel in the combinations of game day and grub.  Stadium tailgating will no doubt showcase the trend of football turkey- inclusive of grilled up drumsticks, but at home viewers can set up in the same fashion.  Pulled turkey sliders displayed with a toppings station of fresh cranberry sauce, gravy, and stuffing is a simple, creative, and tasty spin on a commonly reinvented offering.  No to mention the grab and go style is conducive to spectators not wishing to miss a play.  

The specialties of the season provide numerous recipes to delight guests with a twist on the ordinary.  Sweet potatoes used for potato skins in this recipe are a hit, follow the directions but feel free to try out favorite cheese and toppings of choice.  To amend standard antipasti spreads to adhere to the theme, stack figs wrapped in prosciutto, mozzarella, and roasted squash for skewers that reach a new level entirely. Putting leftovers to use for feeding a crowd is easy, this pizza holds it’s toppings and for an early game time create a quiche with the Thanksgiving extras.

Sweet potato skins. Photo credit: www.marthastewart.com

Sweets are a welcomed must for entertaining, even in a crowded parking lot dessert can be done well.  Handheld mini pies, assorted pastries, and cookies with fall season flair (think cinnamon, pumpkin, and nuts) will satiate the sweet tooth and wake up those impaired by a food coma.  It may even be appropriate to whip up the first batch of eggnog of the season, add a scoop of gelato to serve a seriously delectable version.

Thanksgiving-fueled menu options perfect what game day parties are all about.  Utilize seasonal culinary trends to rally the fans and their taste buds.  Food, football, and family unite this time of year... dig in!

The "Best" Plan for Gelato in Italy

Asking somebody, “What is the best gelato in Italy?” is a bit of an oxymoron.  Believe it or not, there seems to be a list of particular favorites that perhaps set the bar for the rest to sit just shy of. History, food bloggers, and avid travelers have reviewed and noted the best of gelato in Italy typically categorized by region.  An ideal trip, travel through Italy by way of gelato.  Here is a plan sure to supersede the very best recommendations and is certain to score an interpretation of top gelato in Italy. 

Taste for yourself, is there a best? Plan a trip to Italy!

Gelateria (photo credit: goitaly.about.com)

First, to skim and filter the top recommendations of locals and noted world chefs, food gurus, and a favorite among rookie bloggers, a highly regarded gelateria is San Crispino Gelato, in Rome.  History and fame have built the foundation for San Crispino to continue to win the favor of stellar review for their gelato.  Next, stop by Antica Gelateria Alberto Pica in Rome, Alberto Pica is the president of the Association of Italian Gelato Artisans, an artisan himself and the owner of this renowned gelateria.  Pica is established in the gelato world suitable enough to judge the Gelato World Tour (more to come in a moment). Lastly, venture to Bologna’s Carpigiani Gelato Museum and/or University.  This is the top International place for teaching the craft of gelato making, and has been since the very beginning of gelato. Taste the product and innovation being taught to the gelato world.

Beyond these three must-try locations, please succumb to the exhilaration of popping into any seemingly off-the-radar gelateria, sometimes finding “the best” means exposing a true undiscovered gem, the gelato connoisseurs must do this themselves.  

               (photo credit via Facebook)

The actual best laid plan? Hunt down the 16 participants that were selected in competition for Italy’s representation in The Gelato World Tour.  The Gelato World Tour, literally a tour throughout the continents of the world, scheduled through to a finale in September 2014 when the top winner from each participating country will compete for top billing as the “World’s Best Gelato Flavour”, unbelievable! The list of Italian gelato artisans, and the flavor each used in competition, is documented in a press release explaining the criteria of selection among the country oozing with gelato forerunners. 

Go to Italy, and go here:

*Following is the list of 16 artisans and their flavors:
Vito Carmine Calogero, Gelateria Bella Blu (Polignano, BA)– Flavor: Four Seasons Almond Maria Annunziata Carbè, Pasticceria Gelateria 2000 (Ellera Umbra, PG)– Flavor: Signature Gelato Marco Ciampini, Ciampini (Rome)– Flavor: Truffle Enzo Crivella, Kriò gelatocaffè (Salerno) – Flavor: Bread and Jam Giuseppe Cuti, Al gelatone (Palermo) – Flavor: Zammù Raffaele Del Verme, Di Matteo (Torchiara, SA) – Flavor: Figs in Chocolate Giuseppe Lancierini, Gelateria Fiore (Suzzara, MN) – Flavor: Pistachio Francesco Mastroianni, Il Cantagalli (Lamezia Terme, CZ)– Flavor: Grumpy Heart Antonio Mezzalira, Golosi di natura (Gazzo Padovano, PD)– Flavor: Patavino Emanuele Montana, Retrò (Rome)– Flavor: Orange Delight Santo Musumeci, Gelateria Santo Musumeci (Randazzo, CT)– Flavor: Green Gold of Sicily Mauro Serani, Gelateria Bruno.com (Antrodoco, RI) – Flavor: Apple Cake Luigi Tirabassi, Gelato e Cioccolato (Subiaco,RM)– Flavor: Grand Marnier Cream and Orange Marmalade Francesco Dioletta, Gelateria Duomo (L’Aquila)– Flavor: Aquila Flavors Antonio Ravese, Paradise (Gioia Tauro, RC) – Flavor: Paradise
Fardin Khosravi, S. M. Maggiore (Rome)– Flavor: Dark Chocolate

The Gelato World Tour Kick-Off!

Anybody is bound to find the best gelato in Italy with the above list functioning as a tour guide, provided such a determination truly does exist. Dream vacation, check. 

What would be the creative flavor (complete with a cheeky name) you would enter in The Gelato World Tour, if you were a gelato artisan?  

*List from The GelatoWorld Tour, for more information visit www.gelatoworldtour.com

Pizza Cones for the Family!

The kids are out of school for the summer, now it is time to figure out what to do with them.  Long hot summer days, rainy days, or once the crew officially has had too much beach, camp, and kickball, the place to turn is in the kitchen.  Pizza cones are the route to take to entice little chefs to learn to prepare a quick, fresh, and mess-free transformation of the beloved pizza slice. 

Pino Gelato’s pizza cones lead as forerunner of the Crispycones state-side debut a few years ago, stemming from the popularity abroad.  The pizza cones immediately took off after coverage on the Food Network’s television show “Unwrapped”, and have been a lasting hit since. Crispycones, based off of an Italian company’s creations, are made with special flaky dough with a seal on the bottom that is filled with a variety of quality ingredients from cheese to Caesar salad.  The individual cones are prepared fresh daily and baked to perfection on the spot. 

Here comes the fun part for the kids!  Stop into a Pino Gelato location offering pizza cones and allow them watch custom pizza cones be prepared in front of their eyes.  A handful of pizza cone making kits are available for order online to truly delve into the DIY project, and purchase the fresh ingredients at a grocery store or via our store.  Pino Gelato plans to have a pizza cone making class at their Hilton Head, SC flagship location (potentially at others) later this summer.  Stay on our social media radar and website for specific details, and keep the kitchen clean by bringing the kids to ours! 

The pizza cones are best described by Pino Gelato CEO, Ramona Fantini, “This product is a healthy, easy meal for patrons in need of a quick lunch, children who want a fun meal and everyone in between”. Certainly, the entire family benefits from an activity that encourages creativity in the kitchen and enjoying the delicious creations the kids made.  Let the little ones venture out from summer boredom and become pizza cone masters.