Ms. Adventures in Italy » e-books http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog My Stomach and the World. Food, Recipes, Travel and Photography by Sara Rosso. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:07:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy: the ebook on Amazon Kindle! http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2011/11/15/how-to-order-an-italian-coffee-in-italy-the-ebook-on-amazon-kindle/ http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2011/11/15/how-to-order-an-italian-coffee-in-italy-the-ebook-on-amazon-kindle/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:25:27 +0000 Ms. Adventures in Italy http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/?p=3637 How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy by Sara Rosso

I published a post on how to order an Italian coffee in Italy years ago on this site – the definitive guide to Italian coffee for coffee lovers! Since then, it’s been one of my most popular posts, and I’ve had requests to make it into an ebook and expand it ever since.

I’m happy to say it’s now available for Amazon Kindle! This concise ebook is great for anyone who loves coffee, anyone who is traveling to or loves Italy, and makes a great gift!

If you have a mobile device or even just a computer, you can read this ebook – the Amazon Kindle App is available for just about every device aside from Kindles (read below for links & info!)

Here’s more information about How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy – I’d love it if you bought a copy!

How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy by Sara Rosso

How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy is a comprehensive and concise guide to all of the major variations of coffee, or caffè espresso in Italian, as they can be found in Italy.

A descriptive look at the most common coffee options for travelers to Italy, with close-up photos of each variety and the proper names in Italian with pronunciation guides so you’ll be ready to order your favorite variety in any bar in Italy.

Also included are descriptions of special coffee drinks, non-coffee drinks you can find in a bar, and all about sweeteners for your coffee.

Bonus chapters include: Italian breakfast – what to expect and order to eat with your coffee; Understanding the bar culture in Italy; and How to make coffee at home like an Italian.

Buy How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy in your Amazon store!! (note: the content is in English regardless of the Amazon store you buy it from):

Loved the original post? Here’s why you should buy the ebook:

  • you’ll always access to the content wherever you are, no internet connection necessary
  • more than twice the content than in the original post
  • new chapters on Italian breakfast and bar culture
  • dozens of full-color photos (black & white photos only on Kindle devices, full-color on mobile devices/computers & Kindle Fire) including new and updated photos
  • new pronunciation guides to help you order in Italian
  • you can gift the book to any of your coffee-loving friends with a single click!

Frequently Asked Questions:

I don’t have a Kindle – can I read this ebook?
Yes! Here are links to the (free) Amazon Kindle App software for Android phone, Blackberry, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Windows phone, Web OS or Mac or a PC. After you download and install the Kindle App software, you can buy the book and read it on your device!

I don’t have a mobile device or Kindle - can I read this ebook?
Yes! If you don’t have a mobile device or Kindle, you can still read this ebook. Here are links to the (free) Amazon Kindle App software for Mac and PC. After you download and install the Kindle App software, you can buy the book and read it on your desktop/laptop!

You can now also read Kindle books in your browser! To start reading, go to http://read.amazon.com using Chrome, Safari on iPad, Safari on desktop and now Mozilla Firefox.

Is the ebook available in X format?
I’m working on making the ebook available in other formats, but for now it’s available on the Amazon Kindle platform and can be read on all the above devices.

Can I give this book as a gift to someone?
Yes! Gifting ebooks is becoming one of my favorite things! All you need is that person’s email address, and on the Amazon page near the buying options, click on “Give as Gift” and insert their email address. Boom! Instant gift!

Why are you charging for this content when it’s free on your site?
The ebook is not just a copy of the original post – it’s actually twice the content, including expanded existing content and new chapters on Italian breakfast and bar culture in Italy which aren’t in the original post. I added pronunciation guides so you can order that much easier, and I also added several new photos and updated some of the existing photos, too.

Can I lend your book with the Kindle Lending program?
Yes, I enabled lending for this book. Hopefully your friend will love it and buy their own copy after, too.

Why isn’t X included in this version of the ebook?
I had to stop expanding at some point and publish it, but if you have a suggestion for what should be in a future edition, let me know! I’m open to suggestions.

You misspelled X or forgot X in the book.
If you find an error in the text, I appreciate you letting me know so it can be fixed for future purchasers. Contact me with specifics.

Have a friend or family member who’s a coffee lover who might like this book? Tell them about it, or gift it!

How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy by Sara Rosso

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]]> http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2011/11/15/how-to-order-an-italian-coffee-in-italy-the-ebook-on-amazon-kindle/feed/ 10 2007 Year in Review http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2008/01/11/2007-year-in-review/ http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2008/01/11/2007-year-in-review/#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:16:49 +0000 Ms. Adventures in Italy http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2008/01/11/2007-year-in-review/ I know I’m late – but last year I did a review of 2006 and some of the highlights, tools and favorite links from that year, so I wanted to continue the trend.

Reading and Watching

  • Books (new) read in 2007: 65 (of which 55 were ebooks). I am almost completely digital now. I just find it so convenient – you can read my previous posts about ebooks. When I borrow paper books it’s almost harder for me to finish them. Though the number of new books read in 2007 is lower than 2006′s 98 books, I had a ton of re-reads now my electronic library is so large. That’s another e-advantage! If I finished a book while on the tram, I just opened the next file!
  • Biggest reading month: August – 12 books. Gotta love the beach. This is also the biggest month for bookstores in Italy.
  • eBook readers used: old Palm Zire, HP PocketPC and I just received an old Treo from a friend that I am going to test out. Still waiting to buy a dedicated ereader, I’ve briefly played with the Bookeen and I’ll hopefully have a chance to test the Iliad soon!

I enjoyed Publishers Weekly’s 15 Trends to watch in 2008 and how much they talked about digital – I can’t wait for e-formats to keep growing and gaining popularity!

Movies: I saw very few movies in the theater, though I was glued to my in-flight entertainment on all of my long flights! I enjoyed this sneak-peek into some of 2008′s new movies. – a few from the list that tickle my fancy: Australia, Be Kind Rewind, The International, The Love Guru, The Other Boleyn Girl – and with a nod to my series/sequels I definitely can’t miss: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Sex and the City: The Movie.

Blogging, Photography and Computing

Website logo and design: I found these Logo trends interesting. My own website went through a redesign in early December.

Moving away from Microsoft Office: I think I created less than 10 Office files this entire year for personal use. I’m using Google Docs heavily but I’ve been checking out Zoho and Open Office as well. I think the most important thing about documents, spreadsheets and presentations now is mobility! I can reach them from anywhere.

Food, Cooking & Eating

  • Stops documented on the Tour del Gelato: 22!
  • Food Trends in 2007: Pomegranate, panna cotta, matcha tea, pumpkin, marshmallows, gelato, cupcakes (Serious Eats Ed Levine has his 2008 trends and predictions)
  • Trends in 2008 I see coming up: Flax seed, champagne, fennel/anise, semifreddo, the rebirth of the egg
  • My dominating tastes of 2007: Pistachio, Hazelnut chocolate, Onion foccaccia
  • Leaving behind this year: Treacle toffee – Sadly, I OD’d on this in September after Scotland and it will never be the same for me.
  • Does My Blog Look Good in This (DMBLGIT) recognitions: 3 – This definitely motivates me! This year, I’ll be hosting DMBLGIT in April, so I’m really looking forward to it!

How did I do on my “I Dare” cooking challenges for 2007? I think pretty good.

  1. Eggplant Parmigiana – I made Eggplant Parmigiana stacks but I haven’t done the way S’ mother does. That’s next.
  2. Troccoli (pasta)- I made pasta quite a bit this year, and every time I like adding my special touch like hot pepper or lemon.
  3. Gelato - David Lebovitz’ Perfect Scoop gave me some inspiration for this goal and I made both Watermelon Sorbetto-Granita and Fig Sorbet!
  4. Roast - I did not make a roast this year but I saw that Pioneer Woman just put up a post about a roast so I’m sure I’ll be tackling that one soon!
  5. Bread - I made bread a few times, most notably around Easter with the Sage, Honey & Pecorino Heart Bread and some multiseed rolls for Thanksgiving.

So what’s in store for “I Dare” cooking goals of 2008?

  1. Macarons - Everyone’s been abuzz about macarons for some time and since I went to Paris and sampled them from Laduree and Pierre Herme directly, I’ll be able to judge my own attempt more accurately, since I have something to base it on.
  2. Roast - It will be taken off this year!
  3. Orrecchiette and Ravioli- I want to continue my foray into handmade pasta. It’s incredibly satisfying.
  4. Bread - Continuing the bread theme, I’d like to tackle two of my favorites – naan and challah.
  5. Indian - I took an Indian cooking class, I went to India and I brought back spices! Nothing should stop me now.

Well Fed recognized Food Blogs in their annual Food Blog Awards – find a new blog to follow!

Travel and Moving Around

Cities lived in: 1 – Milan, Italy (finally I stayed put. Living in the center is great).
Countries visited: 6 – U.S., Germany, Scotland, France, India, Switzerland
Years without a car: 4.5 and counting. We may buy one in 2008 but I’ll still continue to use public transportation or my bicycle for everyday travel.

Buying More Handmade

In addition to going more digital, I am going to try and buy more handmade things this year. I am looking to Etsy.com for inspiration, but I have a lot of crafty lady friends that I hope will step up to the plate and put some of their things on sale for me!

To help keep abreast of designers and crafters, I follow several blogs:
Design Sponge, Oh, Joy!, SwissMiss, ThisNext and even NotCot have some good discoveries.

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m not really big on NY Resolutions, but this year I am making…one.

Here it is: Improve my (outgoing) relationship with the Post Office. I want to get better at organizing, scheduling and mailing things here in Italy. I will have a lot of opportunities to test this in the new year with all the contests and events I have coming your way!

How was 2007 for you? Did you make a New Year’s Resolution? Do you hate them?

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]]> http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2008/01/11/2007-year-in-review/feed/ 9 Kiwi Cantaloupe Ice Pops and Summer Reading http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/08/10/kiwi-cantaloupe-ice-pops-and-summer-reading/ http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/08/10/kiwi-cantaloupe-ice-pops-and-summer-reading/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:27:44 +0000 Ms. Adventures in Italy http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/08/10/kiwi-cantaloupe-ice-pops-and-summer-reading/ I’m excited to announce that this month, Ms. Adventures in Italy has been honored as one of the winners for Best Originality, in July’s Does My Blog Look Good in This (DMBLGiT) contest!

This is the winning photo, first published on Watermelon Sorbetto Granita! Thanks so much for the honor and check out the other winners and entrants here – every month there are some amazing photos, and very inspiring. Plus, then you get to discover some delicious new sites and recipes.

Watermelon Sorbetto - Granita

Hail in August This weather has got me all mixed up! This past weekend it was so hot, I just wanted to eat only really icy things and keep the house as cool as possible. Then the weather changed. Two days ago, I witnessed one of the worst hailstorms I’ve seen in years! Here are some of the hail that remained after it finally cleared up hours later. They look like little ice bullets!

During the weekend, I made another few rounds of icy treats, this time a multi-layered flavor mix that I treated as an ice pop instead of a granita or sorbet (which it could be easily made into). Again, using David’s The Perfect Scoop as inspiration, I made a Kiwi Sorbet and a Cantaloupe one, and then for a third flavor, I mixed the two of them. In my opinion, this mix was the best flavor of all, since the tartness of the kiwi was set off by the subtler cantaloupe.

Kiwi and Cantaloupe Ice Pops

1 cantaloupe
8-10 kiwis
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
1 lemon
1 pinch salt

Blend the melon pulp along with 1/2c. water, 1/2c. sugar and salt. Add one squeeze of lemon to the mix, taste. To make the mixed flavor, I used about 1 1/2c. of the melon mix with 3 kiwis (and no additional sugar) in a separate container. In a third bowl/container, peel and chop up the remaining kiwis, removing the hard ends. Add 1/4c. sugar and a squeeze of lemon, tasting to adjust for tartness (I like mine tart!)

To freeze, pour your first layer into the ice pop mold or some plastic cups (note: try some ice cubes for fun!). After 30 minutes or so, the mixture will not be frozen, but solid enough to not mix with the additional layer. Spoon it in gently. Rinse and repeat until you have the layers you desire! You can use a wooden stick to make ice pops or cut the forms with a sharp knife after releasing from the molds.

Kiwi and Cantaloupe Ice Pops

Summer Reading

If you ask many Italians when they read most during the year, you will hear: Summer vacation.

Today, my vacation officially begins, so what better way than to talk about reading? I’ll be spending the next two weeks bouncing between Puglia and Sicily, so that means a lot down time traveling and (hopefully) laying around with a book in my hand. Or ebook reader, to be exact.

If you remember from my 2006 year-in-review, I love to read. A lot! In 2006, I read 52 ebooks (about 95% available also in print) and I’m a big advocate of ebooks – I’m continuing that trend and staying as “mobile” as possible. Of course, there are some books that just have to be touched, and in some cases, licked, if you remember the cookbooks I bought in June, and I still prefer to buy business-marketing type books in paper version so I can make notes, but I save quite a bit of money buying ebooks, being abroad.

If you’re interested in purchasing ebooks, Dearauthor.com just did a recap of how-tos about ebooks and a price comparison of some ebooktailers and their prices, including some of my favorites, eReader, Fictionwise, SimonSays, and newcomer Books on Board. The NY Times also jumped on the bandwagon yesterday with an article yesterday on ebooks and digital libraries, so you know things are getting serious. TeleRead is also a good blog focusing on ebooks and devices.

This year’s reading has “suffered” since I haven’t had the commute to work I did most of last year and therefore not as much time. Lately I have been using an old Palm Zire that my Dad sent me to read electronic books. I always have a book “at hand” and my reading rates have increased once again.

Some of my summer reading picks:

  • Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen – I’ve pretty much finished with this book, now I’m going to review some of my notes about it.
  • Good to Great – Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t – by Jim Collins – This has been on my TBR (to be read) list for a long time.
  • Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – by Chip Heath, Dan Heath – A good follow-up to the Tipping Point, it examines ideas and how to make them stick (read: be successful).
  • Birthday Stories and Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami (I really enjoyed his Kafka on the Shore earlier this year)
  • Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3 ) by Stephenie Meyer – it’s no Harry Potter, but selling more than a million books ain’t bad, either. All three of her books (Twilight, Book 1; and New Moon, Book 2) are in the top 20 right now at Amazon. I got a hold of the electronic version and “saved” quite a bit since I saw the hardcover version here for 22 euro. People are crazy.
  • Kitchen and Hardboiled|Hardluck by Banana Yoshimoto

I also have a ton of romancey-beach reads I’m loading on my ebook reader. If you’re a lover, too, send me an email and we can exchange lists.

Interested in reading some books about Italy or living in Italy this summer? Here are a few of my picks – you can find more in my Amazon Store:

For another holiday reading list, check out How to Italy’s Holiday Reading post.

What are you reading this summer?? It’s not too late for me to stick something in my ebook reader – give me a suggestion!

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]]> http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/08/10/kiwi-cantaloupe-ice-pops-and-summer-reading/feed/ 5 2006 Year in Review: Tips, Tricks and Best Discoveries http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/01/04/how-i-conquered-the-world-and-how-you-can-too/ http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/01/04/how-i-conquered-the-world-and-how-you-can-too/#comments Thu, 04 Jan 2007 11:53:22 +0000 Ms. Adventures in Italy http://blog.sararosso.com/index.php/2007/01/04/how-i-conquered-the-world-and-how-you-can-too/ Did you have an amazing 2006? Did you set a Guiness World Record? I tried to upset the Frosted Cupcake in Freefall record but failed (I only ate 47).

BUT…

I think I had a pretty good year and I wanted to share some highlights, tools and tricks that keep me going and hopefully can be useful to you in 2007.

Add your own helpful sites and links in the comments!

READING AND WRITING
I’m a big reader and I’ve been slowly converting as much as I can to ebooks as the English bookstores here are not always fully stocked and I get tired of paying �10+ a book, and Amazon’s shipping rates leave something to be desired.

Stats:

  • Books read in 2006: 98 (52 of which were ebooks)
  • Slowest month: October (3)
  • Fiction Novels ideas entertained and elaborated: 7
  • Fiction Novels finished: 0 (ah, win some, lose some!)

Links:

BLOGGING, COMPUTING & ORGANIZATION
I’m also going as digital as possible – moving around countries and cities means I need to keep physical items to a minimum. I upgraded to Flickr Pro so that I can upload all my digital photos and have them backed up somewhere, and stop juggling multiple CDs or DVDs. I’m also starting to use Google Documents to keep documents and spreadsheets online and centralized, I’m even collaborating with my mom on our recipe book which is a shared document on Google – we can both insert and keep it updated!

Stats:

  • Blog posts this year: 113
  • Bloglines feeds following: 217 in 15 categories
  • Pictures taken / on Flickr: 1176 / 115 (+ some private)
  • Bloggers met in 2006: 13 (Gia, Sara, Cynthia, Nicki, Avery, Shelley, Melinda, Yael, Judith, Carole, Annika, Kellee, Tania) and some other non-blogging Expats in Italy!

Links:

EATING

Not much to say here. I hope to eat in 2007. Hopefully healthier and food of better quality, and more that I make myself.

Stats:

  • Stops documented on the Tour del Gelato: 8 – Add yours!
  • Dominating tastes of 2006: Pepperoncino – Hot Pepper, Cioccolato Fondente – Dark Chocolate, Gorgonzola
  • Tastes I’m leaving behind: Milk Chocolate, Kinder chocolate, Mayonnaise, Panettone
  • A re-discovery: Beets. After 20+ years of hating…I kind of like them now. I’ll have to try a few beet recipes I saw.
  • Favorite kitchen helper: My silicone pot holders

Links:

As for me, I’m following Ilva from Lucullian Delight’s example and making my list of “I Dare” cooking challenges for 2007:

  1. Eggplant Parmigiana – I always enjoy my mother-in-law’s and I know if I perfect this, my husband will marry me again. Don’t worry Mom, we’ll elope to Vegas.
  2. Troccoli- I’ve done homemade gnocchi a few times without a potato masher (lots of work) but I thought I’d try my hand at Troccoli, a handcut spaghetti-like egg noodle, this year
  3. Gelato- I talk about it enough, I should just make some! That way the best stop on the Tour del Gelato will be at my house.
  4. Roast- I have never made a roast. Can you believe it? I’m not sure if I’ll go with the English variety or the Italian one more like my MIL’s.
  5. Bread – I don’t know much about breadmaking, so I’d like to experiment a bit. The no-yeast bread sounds intriguing.

TRAVEL & MOVING AROUND

  • Cities lived in: 2 – Pavia and Milan, Italy
  • Countries visited: 2 – U.S. (once) and England (3 times!)
  • Miles run this year: 65 (this was a very slow year starting with the gym membership in September – I’m hoping to change that in 2007)
  • Amount spent on public / private transportation: �600 / �100
  • Methods of transportation used: 8 – Train, plane, automobile, metropolitan, bus, tram, bicycle, feet

Links:

MISCELLANY

  • Money helped to raise for charity: $60,000 + �120 euro (work-related fundraiser)
  • Pregnant bellies touched (no strangers): 3
  • People I asked “Do you mind if I take a picture of ___?”:7
  • Cameras broken: 1. Boo.
  • Average hours spent on computer/day: 14 (not good)

Still have spare time? Links:

Happy 2007!!

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