Eggplant Pie

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following during "Food Week". The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the material presented this week are photographs also taken by me, based on the subject matter of homemade recipes. We hope that you may be able to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

It was more than just a dish.  It was a dish filled with the most delicious items one could imagine.  To carry on such an Italian tradition was empowering.  It felt so fulfilling recreating what your extended family and ancestors created over and over.  I was told you always needed your fair share of olive oil in your cabinets for you never knew when such a dish would need to be created.  Ripe eggplants were also a must.  Italian sausage, onions and peppers as well.  Auntie's cabinets were always full.  Her pantry bustling over.  The smells of Italian soups, pastas and fresh fruit and vegetables protruding from the ceramic bowl in the center of her table.  Her home was always so welcoming, so inviting and so full of laughter.  Her table set for at least six or eight at all times.  The doily cloths that were draped over the glass were made by her mother, my great grandmother.  Coasters were the base for the crystal wine glasses and the best silver was always presented.  I loved how my husband laid out the brown parchment along the counter to soak up the remaining oils of the eggplant.  Layering the pie and preparing it for the oven were very important steps in this recipe.  Through my husband I found out how our family's were somehow connected - through a land mass resembling a boot.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo.

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Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Winter Ritual

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us. The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the paintings presented are the original works of my husband, Dean DiMarzo. We hope that you may be able to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

Charlie transported the summer wood out to the small fire.  Judy was indoors preparing her famous batch of pie filling and forming her decorative pie crusts.  Charlie added more wood to the fire, as Judy placed the her pies upon a large silver baking tray.  Steadily handling the heavy tray, Charlie strategically placed it across the top of the fire, allowing the pies to bake comfortably.  Judy joined him outdoors.  The aromas that poured into the crisp mountain air were refreshing.  The smells spread throughout their acreage, into the neighbor's yards.  An hour went by before she knifed the first pie to see how it was progressing.  The steam poured out of the slit wonderfully and the knife pulled out clean.  Charlie broke off a small piece of the warm crust to taste.  He nodded, showing complete satisfaction with their successful winter ritual.  They both grabbed a mitt and proceeded in walking the tray back indoors.  The strong apple scent lingered throughout the kitchen and upstairs into the bedrooms.  Judy eagerly grabbed a fork to sample her first bite.  She smiled from ear to ear, showing she was pleased with the achievement of their annual ritual.  Two plates of warm pie awaited with a scoop of rum raisin.  They sat peacefully looking into the fire, enjoying every bite of their seasonal reward. 

~Written by Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo

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Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Pierre Der Dumont Orchards

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us. The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the paintings presented are the original works of my husband, Dean DiMarzo. We hope that you may be able to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

We carefully observed as they morphed from early shades of yellows and greens to bright stark reds.  It was similiar to watching the autumn season arrive.  As each leaf turned color, it seemed no time before each was falling to the ground.  Grandfather said that if the apple twisted off of it's vine with ease, it meant it was ready to be picked.  We did a trial run down by the river and sure enough, he was correct.  It was then he grabbed the handles to the dusty old stack of apple pails and off we all went skipping down to the orchard along it's path full of hay.  When we arrived, it seemed the sun became alive because it snuck out from behind the clouds almost instanteneously.  Leaning against one gigantic tree trunk was a tall wooden tool with three wooden prongs.  It looked like some kind of device one would use to capture the apples.  Louisa was overly curious and carefully jumped up to sit upon my shoulders.  As I handed her the nifty item, we noticed she had some practice with this object, for as she was twisting those ruby red apples with such ease, they were blissfully dropping onto the canvas below that Tommy and Angela were stretching ever so tightly.  Again, just as grandfather assured us, apples fall from the sky when they are ready.  Years later I would unearth this precious picking staff from the grounds of an old New England Home. 

~Written by Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo

"Pierre Der Dumont Orchards", original acrylic measuring 5' X 5'.  For more information on purchasing this painting, please contact me at dimarzos@aol.com.

See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Sanchez Brand

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us. The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the paintings presented are the original works of my husband, Dean DiMarzo. We hope that you may be able to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

She was defined as the infamous voluptuous object of the Golden Age of Tango.  Adorned in her ruffled five-layered flamingo dress, she captivated the townspeople along it's square.  Her well known Spanish tango dance was not only flowing with bountiful, graceful moves but with beautiful poetic lyrics to be heard from any distance.  As she sang in her romantic tone on the gazebo, her voice seemed to attract the beauty of doves.  One particular white dove landed upon her bare shoulder, while the others took a seat on the railing surrounding her.  Their webbed feet tapping to the beat in combination with the clapping pattern heard from the crowd.  The townspeople cheerfully chanted her name, "Mejores Peras, Mejores Peras"!  Her mandarin colored dress swung up and down with each kick of her long legs.  She energetically pulled willing children onto the platform with her.  It was then, the remaining white doves from the railing began landing on the shoulders of each little boy and girl in the audience.  The doves sprinkled them with a subtle tango magic.  The children began dancing around in circles until they became entirely dizzy and fell giggling to the floor.  Various townsmen and women caught onto this glorious vibe.  The doves stimulated them also.   Mejores Peras' golden voice rose.  This enchanting day had only just begun to unravel.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo

"Sanchez Brand", original acrylic measuring 5' X 5'.  For more information on purchasing this painting, please contact me at dimarzos@aol.com.

See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Mavericks

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following. The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the paintings presented are the original works of my husband, Dean DiMarzo. We hope that you may be able to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

My mother's tightly covered Tiffany bowl was always adequately stocked.  The royalty they portrayed was enduring.  The timeless pride they emitted was captivating, as well as their distinctive, unparalleled flavor.  I had aspired to visit where they were first cultivated, even planning a future itinerary for Western Asia.  Whenever the bowl in the parlor was low, the next minute I blinked and could hear their hard, whitish exterior shells battering against the sides.  I would scoop a few off of the top of the overflowing bowl.  Snapping their shells with great anticipation, I was fascinated by their mauvish skin and light green flesh.  Each one had distinctive qualities all of their own.  Often times I would line them up by size upon our glass table top, examining them intensely, then relishing them at an intimate pace.  Hours would go by and my mother would inquire if I was going out to play with the other children.  Instead, I chose to continue writing notes about my obession in my scratch pad.  I knew I needed all the time I could get especially knowing that these fine bites had a twenty year peak date.  Hence, the answer to my mother took her by surprise.  I was off to locate the seed of my virgin delicacy. 

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

"Mavericks", original acrylic measuring 5' X 5'. For more information on purchasing this painting, please contact me at dimarzos@aol.com.

See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Malaga Brand

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following. The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the paintings presented are the original works of my husband, Dean DiMarzo. We hope that you may be able to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

His studio was far from tidy.  Several of his paints and brushes could be found along the dusty window sills and crusty table tops, uncovered and stale, while others were wet and appeared more current.  Blank canvases lay stretched and unstretched along the marble floors.  Several were heaved upon empty desks and backs of chairs.  They say his studio in Paris was a gathering place for the city's most modern artesians.  Standing behind the screen walls made that very apparent.  It became clear why he was able to draw before he was able to speak.  His priorities and artistic nature, made him a genius then and now.  Cigarettes and ash trays lay everywhere, emitting a strong but pleasant stench.  She imagined it was similar in all of his homes.  The light through the long, vertical windows poured in like a river flowing into it's sanctuary.  The elegant golden clips supported the deep maroon drapes while creating an intimate backdrop.  He inhaled his long smoke with palette in opposite hand, as he proceeded in scooping a large palette knife full of burnt sienna onto his canvas.  The outline he composed was childlike with a subtle sophistication.  He glanced over at his still life,  integrating the deep reds and canary yellow tones from the roses ahead of him.  The Catalan music playing in the background of this wondrous scene rose to its climax.  Sitting back in the velvet upholstered chair, she hungered for the day she too reached ninety two.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

"Malaga Brand", original acrylic measuring 5' X 5'.  For more information on purchasing this painting, please contact me at dimarzos@aol.com.

See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Idea #5

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following during my week long series titled, "Idea Week".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

Who says you never see the light at the end of the tunnel?  Have you ever physically climbed into a tunnel, struggled all the way through it, squirming your body to the finale while the light at the light at the other end, quite a distance away serves as a beacon of hope for you?  They see the light every day.  Sometimes without even going to such extremes.  They already know what will be next.  They both reach for the correct switch to flip. 

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention: 
Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you Monday on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Idea #4

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following during my week long series titled, "Idea Week".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

Travelling down the road, passing several station wagons full of trash confirmed that some held a genuine kindness for humanity and community.  Others with their piles thrown off to the side, just sitting, accumulating and stenching more every day, weren't examplifying much.  She tried to hand out flyers for any that would accept.  She got rid of what she needed to, her puppy watching her intensely.  He threw the dog another bone as she jumped back over to her seat.  His blue eyes were so young and honest.  She thought aloud why her pup never stayed put for the man whom she knew she was getting a treat from.  "They'll be plenty of time for that", he assured her.  Her car started with a roar.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Idea #3

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following during my week long series titled, "Idea Week".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

They thought they looked invincible wearing their seven inch heels.  They didn't realize the heels only measured an honest four.  Their weight contradicted their fashionable character.  It took every bone in his body not to mention a lick about nutrition or exercise to them.  He already knew those words did not exist in their vocabulary.  The pink lettering imprinted on the box of donuts was their saving grace.  This strong illumination of color shined through their bodies, crossed their driveway, into his yard and managed to spread the entire length of the street.  Eight AM couldn't come quick enough for their next fix.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Idea #2

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following during my week long series titled, "Idea Week".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

There were parts to her that you just couldn't possibly understand.  The more you tried, the less you wanted to.  The Benjamin Moore color charts did not have just one color that defined her, but many.  One day she could be referred to as, "The Grey Lady", the next week she seemed to be "The Queen of Sheba".  Why couldn't she just stay predictable and steady?  Knowing you never knew what you were going to get from her, you had to be on your toes at all times.  All ten of mine were always curled tight.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Idea #1

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following during my week long series titled, "Idea Week".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

It came to me one night while lying in bed.  I thought everyone must think this, right?  My thoughts got carried away with my imagination and before you knew it I was in the middle of a cold sweat nightmare.  He wouldn't stop chasing me and circling all around me.  His black cape swooping over me as the background colors of my dream kept switching from shades of blues to pinks to light greens.  What was he trying to portray to me?  Should I be nervous?  Should I research my thoughts further?  I frantically sat up, exhaling slowly.  I made my way downstairs for a tall glass of water.  Tucking myself back under my covers,  I was assured she would be here soon.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Frosty

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us during my week long series titled, "Winter Comes Again".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

"You may only go out to play when all of the frost and ice from the big pine in the front has disappeared", she shouted.  What good was that he thought?  That meant as all of his friends were out sledding, his strict nanny would not let him outdoors until it reached at least thirty six degrees.  What kind of rule was that?  Ted's eyes filled with tears as he stared at the few icy branches left.  The sun was beginning to set.  He wondered how many years this ridiculous nanny would be residing in their home.  At that moment, he received a phone call from a friend who inquired why he wasn't out having fun with the rest of their crew.  Determined, Ted grabbed his hat and mittens and expeditiously zipped his snow suit up.  Maria's head was in the oven, preparing the evening's dinner, so it seemed the perfect time to escape.  Ted snuck out the back door without a peep.  When he arrived at the school's sledding hill, everyone cheered him on, yelling:  "Hey Frosty, you made it"!  He gladly accepted his silly nickname that evening, for he was feeling such an uncontrollable sense of freedom from the mountain air.  His sled hit the hill with amazing power, while the smile on his face appeared as large as a full upside down rainbow.  Ted was exactly where he belonged.  The temperature had just reached thirty-six degrees.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you Monday on my blog for my week long series titled, "Idea Week"!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

The Weighted Tree

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us during my week long series titled, "Winter Comes Again".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

The whiteness, the purity.  The coldness, the bitterness.  The beauty, the elegance.  The frost, the quiver.  Winter comes again.  She felt awful for the other three seasons that didn't seem to get their fair share of time in the sun or even their "fifteen minutes of fame".  The roads, the plows.  The quietness, the calmness.  The tardiness, the accidents.  The joyfulness, the freedom.  Did winter deserve such recognition?  "The Weighted Tree" continued to prosper and grow within the white field with such class.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Winter Comes Again

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us during my week long series titled, "Winter Comes Again".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

The tree resembled the largest Christmas tree he had ever laid his eyes upon.  He retrieved his father's fourty foot ladder in conjunction with a box of Christmas ornaments from his mother's loft.  He aspired to start stringing away, as a large clump of heavy snow fell onto his hat at that very moment, as if to say, "Leave me alone,  I do not want to be decorated"!  The boy spoke back to the tree expressing that he believed she was the most dazzling thing, with or without decor.  He portrayed to her how much he admired her trunk, her free-flowing branches and how impressed he was with the way she displayed herself through every season.  He cherished collecting the mini pine cones she shed during the autumn months, as well as enjoying viewing the numerous birds that conjugated upon her daily.  He imagined attaching some rope to her so that his little boy could swing in the shade under her large canopy.  All of a sudden he noticed she elongated her entire tree trunk and spine, as if she could read his very thought.  She swung her branches aggressively from left to right repeatedly.  The snow quickly landed upon him rather abruptly, even burying his little puppy, Samuel for a few seconds.  This was a sure sign that she just wanted to be left exactly the way she was.  He slowly sank down in the snow and sighed.   He would now just have to settle with welcoming this second coming of winter.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia

Spider Web

Welcome to my blog and thanks for following us during my week long series titled, "Winter Comes Again".  The writings are created by me, Jennifer Alfia DiMarzo and the photographs presented this week are taken by me, due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!  We hope that you continue to join us Monday through Friday, throughout the next year on our creative journey! Enjoy!

They wondered how high he would reach?  Was he cold?  Did he enjoy his bare arms and branches?  Or did he miss his bountiful leaves?  While munching on the nuts in their chubby mouths, they looked up to the sky.  They fantasized that the tree was the world's largest spider web and it was being weaved directly in their front yard!  How could it be?  The more they viewed, the more a branch seemed to grow off to the right and then one to the left.  Some were bent, some were erect and some created a special segment through another branch.  Their bushy tails swung on every branch all the way up to the tippity-top.  The weight of their full bellies, bellowed out many of the branches, but then snapped them back into place once they jumped to the next section of the "web".  They all arrived back at the notch with their cheeks bursting with nuts.  They planned to store them on the largest base, closest to the top.  They felt safe on this veiny web.  It was their home.  Did he enjoy them climbing up him?  Was he comfortable?  Did he miss them when they weren't around?  As they continuously thought about his feelings, it seemed countless branches sprouted, creating more of a mysterious weave for them to frollick upon.  They were thrilled.  They scurried down to the bottom and spread the news to the others.  There was no limit to their boundaries and they treasured knowing this.  The six of them sat very still, with their tails swinging and paws to their mouths.  As they chewed steadily away at their blessed nuts, another branch had just given birth.

~Written by Jennifer Alfia

Attention:  Please understand that these are all photographs taken by me this week due to my husband's show and commission schedule.  Thanks for understanding and keep on reading!
See you tomorrow on my blog!  Please share my blog with all of your friends.  Don't forget to hit the "Follow" button to become a "Follower"!  Thank you!

Creatively Yours,

Jennifer Alfia