May- Birthday fun!

May is my birthday month and my Nona (Grandmother) always makes a special dinner for each of her grandchildren on his or her birthday. May of 2009 she made my favorite, Arancini: Italian Rice Balls. Besides for my Nona's, there is only one other place I eat arancini...Luciano's, probably one of the best Italian restaurants in Michigan.

This past May we decided to try Italian again, because we hadn't done it since our first cooking club in 2008. We put a little twist on it...something you have NEVER made before. Now, this was a challenge for me.

I enjoy Italian food and I enjoy watching my mother cook it, but I do not like making the difficult things. I consider; homemade pasta, canned tomatoes, ravioli, gnocci, homemade sausage, and arancini, difficult things to make. They are time consuming! I am not lazy, but we live so close to an authentic Italian market, I don't think it is necessary to make such things from scratch. Well, that is until I eat them homemade, then I remember why they are SO much better!

I took on the challenge this past May and I asked my Nona to teach me how to make her famous Arancini. It really wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. Not only did I get the chance to make something I have never made before, I got to spend time with my Grandmother and share one of my favorite Italian foods with my friends.