A.M. Ruggirello's Blog, page 6
January 15, 2017
Jumări {Pork Graves}
Some of my favorite Romanian delicacies are things I know I’d never be able to make (or even attempt to make) on my own. And, ironic enough, they all tend to be pork products. Go figure. The previously featured Clisa {Smoked Bacon} is one of those; a great addition to eggs, soups, campfires, or as a midnight snack on its own. This next recipe-less feature is called
This next recipe-less feature is calledJumări (pronounced jew-mair-ee) is a true treat in my household. Up until Thanksgiving 201...
January 8, 2017
{Galerie} Winter in Romania
header via Augustin Lazaroiu
Sometimes words just don’t do a beauty justice.
Most of the time I hate everything about winter—the snow, the cold, the gloomy gray—but there’s something magical about how winter transforms Romania. It’s straight out of a fairytale, and I’m ready for my story to begin.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s some visual reading material 
January 1, 2017
{Guest Post} Inside The World’s Most Ridiculously Extravagant Communist Building: The Palace of Parliament – Bucharest, Romania
(Happy New Year!)
Well… we made it. 2016 was pretty rough. For all of us.Here’s to a better2017!
I was thrilled to stumble upon an article filled with high-quality images of the famed Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. It’s a point of feature in my new novelOne Thousand Stars That Bind(currently seeking representation), and I’m sure most don’t realize how absolutely beautiful it is, even though it’s a representation of such a dark time in Romanian history. Communism,...
December 25, 2016
Crăciun Fericit {Merry Christmas}
Image via Unsplash.com
Well . . . yesterday, at least 
December 11, 2016
Top 5 Innovative Vampire Novels
header via Unsplash.com
Being a vampire novelist/fan/obsessor, I tend to gravitate towards those types of stories in my reading free time. It has nothing to do with me being Romanian… okay, so it might have something to do with me being Romanian. Vampires are in my blood. Pun absolutely intended. A few years ago I was asked to put together my top five most innovative vampire novels. Since it fits with the folklore of Romania (obviously) I’ve decided to syndicate it. Also, this GIF is TheBomb...November 27, 2016
Zacusca {Roasted Red Pepper Spread}
Romanians love dips and spreads. I’ve already featured Salata de Vinete, an eggplant salad spread, and today I’m excited to bring to you another smokey veggie goodness recipe: Zacusca (pronouncedzah-coo-sk-ah). And… surprise! Even though the star of this recipe is the red pepper, there’s eggplant in this one, too!
Fall is the perfect time to make this recipe. With the Autumn harvest, there’s an abundance of fresh vegetables with robust flavors just waiting to be made into something anew. Zacu...
November 13, 2016
Romanian Flatbread
You’ll notice I don’t have the Romanian translation of this blog title. That’s because I’m not entirely sure it’s a Romanian recipe, though it is a family recipeandas many generations back as I can document my family has come from Romania. So I’m going to go with this recipe having Romanian roots. We call itCoca Bread (pronounced coke-ah) but I wasn’t able to find an equivalent recipe anywhere online so that might just be a family name.
That being said, this recipe is awesome and easy when yo...
October 31, 2016
Halloween Fericit {Happy Halloween}
from freeimages.com
Halloween Fericit! OrHappy Halloween!
While kids and adults are getting ready to go trick or treating—or go out and sing karaoke… no one? just me?—here are some of the traditions from Romania’s Halloween, otherwise known as Noaptea Sfântului Andrei {Saint Andrew’s Night}!
from freeimages.com
Though the dates are a little different—November 30th versus our October 31st—Saint Andrew’s Night is th...
Halloween Fericit!
from freeimages.com
Halloween Fericit! OrHappy Halloween!
While kids and adults are getting ready to go trick or treating—or go out and sing karaoke… no one? just me?—here are some of the traditions from Romania’s Halloween, otherwise known as Noaptea Sfântului Andrei {Saint Andrew’s Night}!
from freeimages.com
Though the dates are a little different—November 30th versus our October 31st—Saint Andrew’s Night is th...
October 24, 2016
Gomboti / Găluște cu Prune {Plum Dumplings}
I’m back from an unexpected hiatus, where I spent almost all of September, and a bit of October, writing and revising one of my novels. It’s set in 1989 Romania, so I’m able to feature a lot of the dishes on From Dill To Dracula within the story, which is an exciting meld of my two hobbies.
And, well, I’m back! I’m ready to kick off the fall season with fall colors, warm drinks, and these delicious plumdumplings otherwise known asGomboti(pronouncedgom-boat-ee)orGăluște cuPrune (pronounced gah...
