Category Archives: Seasons
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NEW SEPTEMBER ’25 CALENDAR WALLPAPER!
With all the heat and rain here in my neck of the Northern Italian woods, it is most definitely mushroom season. The king of all mushrooms - and the only one we pick - is the flavorful Porcino (Boletus eduli). No other mushroom compares, and all the “fungiatt” - the local dialect word to say “mushroom hopeful-gatherers” (the key word being hopeful) are careful not to divulge their special spots.
My brother and my niece have already been scouring the nearby Alps, found a few, and will be heading up again this week. In the meantime, here are a few in this month’s Calendar Wallpaper.
Available for laptop/desktop, iPad/tablet and iPhone/smartphone, the monthly Calendar Wallpaper can be downloaded for free at the link in profile. Or you can comment SEPTEMBER and I am happy to send you the link directly.
Happy September, and happy Labor Day weekend to all my friends in the U.S. of A.
xoxo
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#loob_nature #calendarwallpaper #mushrooms #naturephotography #forestphotography #forestbathing #shinrinyoku #September #porcini #porcinimushrooms #boletusedulis #foundforaged #foragedfood #intothewoods #forestlife #inspiredbynature #naturelover #whatitalyis #septembervibes #summertime #mindfulness
LINGUINE WITH ZUCCHINI BLOSSOM, SHRIMP AND SAFFRON
When I dashed to the grocery store yesterday I found some glorious and fresh looking baby zucchini with blossoms attached. You should have seen my face - sorry there is no equivalent e-moji!
I knew I had frozen shrimp and saffron at home, and parsley of course. So I grabbed some linguine and that became today’s lunch!
Like most pasta recipes, this one is easy, too. You only need few ingredients:
🔸Linguine (pasta) or even fresh egg Taglierini (thin tagliatelle)
🔸Fresh (or defrosted) nice shrimp, shelled and deveined
🔸Lovely baby zucchini with the blossom attached (or even just squash blossoms)
🔸Saffron powder
🔸Freshly chopped parley
and, of course: extra-virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt for the pasta water, fine sea salt and pepper for seasoning the shrimp and veggies
Full recipe to be found in the blog via the link in profile, under Recipes for Summer. It’s one of my most popular posts, so you can also find it on the home page. Or you can comment SAFFRON below and I will be happy to send you the link directly.
xoxo
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#loob_food #recipe #italianfood #pastarecipe #pasta #linguine #zucchiniblossoms #shrimp #saffron #italianlife #summerfood #fooditaly #italianfoodbloggers
In the last few days I noticed how the light and the colors in nature have shifted. The sweltering heat may disagree, but the light is softer and there are more yellow tones overall in nature, and greens are more subdued in the trees, especially the big ones.
I notice this every year, increasingly more keenly since becoming a photographer and thus having learned to constantly evaluate the light. Noticing this subtle transition seems to happen no matter where I am. I used to notice it even when I lived in Hawai’i, where there are no deciduous trees and this shift is much more subtle….
Continued in the comments… .
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#loob_nature #nature #forestbathing #shinrinyoku #summertime #theartofslowliving #momentsofmine #mindfulness #presence #summergarden #summerlife #italianlife #earthenergy #groundingenergy #naturehealsthesoul #sacrednature
It’s so hot in Italy these days that it’s sweltering even on the top of our little hill under lots of green trees. I think about the various places I would like to explore, the friends I want to see, but the only place I feel inspired to go is the frozen section at the grocery store.
And that’s where I went yesterday, where I found such glorious local peaches that today I am making this bruschetta for lunch… again. It’s a favorite. This and variations there of.
My brother has a really happy and lush plant of basil growing in a pot just outside, so I will be using that instead of thyme. But then, peaches and basil are a match made in heaven!
It’s a recipe, non-recipe. You can see it on the blog, but it’s so easy it’s really a list of ingredients put together:
🟠 slices of good quality crusty bread, grilled or toasted (no garlic!)
🟡 spread that with some fresh ricotta or even some burrata cream (the filling inside burrata)
🟠 top that with one or two slices of prosciutto or speck (the smoked version of prosciutto)
🟡 top that with slices of grilled peaches
🟠 a little drizzle of balsamic reduction
🟡 a sprinkling of fresh basil or fresh thyme
A little chilled Prosecco and we can toast to perfect temperate weather all year round!
Happy Monday!
xoxo
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#loob_food #summerfood #peaches #bruschetta #italianfood #thisisitaly #italiansummer #foodstyling #foodphotography #prosciutto
Happy Birthday to my gorgeous Mum! 83 and counting! ❤️
So grateful she is still with us, especially after the scare she gave us a year ago.
This is a portrait (of a series) I did a few years ago with one of her beloved gowns. Definitely a princess, don’t you think? ❤️
She is saying you should go and treat yourselves to some cake, or better yet, her favorite dessert: Panna Cotta!
xoxo
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#loob_people #portraiture #environmentalportraiture #portrait #makeportraits #portraiturephotography #nikonnofilter #portraitshoot
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©Monica Schwartz - all rights reserved.
