Category: product review

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Review

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Review

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (referred to under the brand name Nutella) has exploded in popularity as of late and if you walk into any grocery store you’re bound to find unlimited chocolate hazelnut spread options.  You see mentions of Nutella on social channels on an everyday basis and it seems as though some folks have adopted chocolate hazelnut spread as a […]

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Italian Holiday and Winter Food Treats: Cherry Panettone, Cerignola Bomba Pugliese (Spicey Spread), Fig Syrup, and Frantoi Cutrera Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Italian Holiday and Winter Food Treats: Cherry Panettone, Cerignola Bomba Pugliese (Spicey Spread), Fig Syrup, and Frantoi Cutrera Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Italian Holiday and Winter Food Treats: Cherry Panettone, Cerignola Bomba Pugliese (Spicey Spread), Fig Syrup, and Frantoi Cutrera Extra Virgin Olive Oils The Christmas season is a wonderful time to celebrate food in Italy.  In fact, almost every region of Italy produces holiday specific delicacies from special stuffed pastas to incredible desserts such as Panettone, Paneforte, and Torrone. One of our favorite holiday […]

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La Quercia – Iowa Style Artisan Salumi or Cured Meats

La Quercia – Iowa Style Artisan Salumi or Cured Meats

Like many Italian families in southern Italy, we make our own salumi from pigs raised on family land.  My grandfather would often slaughter a carefully raised pig and thereafter make wonderful cacciatore, coppa, salt pork, etc. (and today  our cousin Guiseppe continues the family tradition). Herb and Kathy Eckhouse correctly realized that the tradition and process mentioned above could be […]

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Philips Saeco Syntia Automatic Espresso Machine

Philips Saeco Syntia Automatic Espresso Machine

We have a love-hate relationship with super automatic espresso machines such as the Philips Saeco Syntia Automatic Espresso Machine (Type HD8833).  On the one hand, we love the idea of a big black box grinding, tamping, and brewing a true shot of espresso (something like a ristretto), yet in our heart of hearts we know there are no short cuts to […]

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Carpano Punt-E-Mes Red Vermouth

Carpano Punt-E-Mes Red Vermouth

Punt e Mes is an amaro-red (sweet) vermouth hybrid made by Carpano and the name means “point and a half” in the dialect from Turin.  The legend goes that a man ordered a glass of red vermouth and half dose of bitters and Antonio Carpano’s bar.   Punt e Mes is made with a variation of herbs and spices and […]

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Hario Slim Mill, Clever Coffee Dripper, and Bodum Bistro Glass Mug: Three Ways to Improve Your Drip Style Coffee

Hario Slim Mill, Clever Coffee Dripper, and Bodum Bistro Glass Mug: Three Ways to Improve Your Drip Style Coffee

Hario Slim Mill, Clever Coffee Dripper, and Bodum Bistro Glass Mug: Three Ways to Improve Your Drip Style Coffee Having studied human cognition formally as a student and also worked as a human factors and usability expert some folks have claimed I have an understanding of what makes good product design.  My thinking on the aforementioned: I’m just a picky […]

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Wines of Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, and Sicilia

Wines of Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, and Sicilia

We’ve been aiming to begin reviewing southern Italian wines for some time now and have finally started the process!  Today we’ll look at four wine regions from southern Italy, including Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, and Sicilia; specifically, Tormaresca Chardonnay, Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture,  Librandi Critone Val di Neto IGT, and Cusumano Nero d Avola.  We promise not to be biased towards […]

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Let Us Feed You Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pastificio Vicidomini Pasta Giveaway

Let Us Feed You Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pastificio Vicidomini Pasta Giveaway

(photo: the three Pastificio Vicidomini pastas and extra virgin olive oil included in the contest – six total items – the photo was taken in our basement pantry so excuse the appearance) We love making people happy with food and nothing warms my heart here at Scordo more than giving away great Italian food products to our loyal readers and fans. […]

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Birra Moretti Lager and La Rossa – Italian Beer

Birra Moretti Lager and La Rossa – Italian Beer

(photo: our favorite Birra Moretti – the traditional lager)  Just the other day I was having one of those peaceful moments informed only by the serene; including an unusually warm and sunny weather, a wonderful match featuring Juventas and Udinese, and a cold beer or birra.  I was consuming Birra Moretti, the iconic Italian brew with the old man with […]

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Italian Olives: Taggiasca and Castelvetrano

Italian Olives: Taggiasca and Castelvetrano

(photo:  The lovely Taggiasca olive from Liguria in northwestern Italy)  We often talk about the importance of the Italian pantry and how critical it is to have certain staple ingredients in your kitchen at all times.  Keeping a well stocked pantry means you’ll never starve, order out, and be relegated to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner.  Among the universal items we keep […]

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