Insalata Russa

This caloric bomb hardly counts as a salad, but "Russian Salad" is an antipasto staple, and frequently comes out at Christmas lunch with the Nonna Angela.

Boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, chopped prosciutto cotto (ham), and a jar of pickled mixed vegetables are tossed in an abundance of mayonnaise, and served along side sliced meats, cheeses, olives, mushrooms, and crunchy grissini. It can also be plopped into the middle of a large slice of prosciutto cotto and rolled up.

It's snowing in Sicily!

 

Ok, you may not be able to see it too well, but if you zoom in on the darker parts of the picture you'll see dust like flakes of snow. 

It only lasted a few minutes (the sun came out a second later, and the snowy cloud drifted away) and it didn't even make it to the ground before it turned into rain, but I can't tell you how excited these few ice crystals made me.

But to give you a vague impression of my behavior, imagine a maniac dancing on a balcony in big fluffy green pajamas, squealing with delight.

It's no white Christmas, but I'll take what I can get.