A while back I wrote about my definition of the la cucina povera or the kitchen of the poor.  I view la cucina povera as a style of cooking centered on cooking with whatever, non bourgeois, ingredients are in the house.  My family in Calabria once cooked in the above manner (mostly due to economic reasons but also because what was “in […]

Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs with parsley, lemon zest, and oregano I love versatile foods because, like many home cooks, I’m lazy and time deprived.  I look for shortcuts and want my food to taste good with minimal effort and, moreover, I think even the most respected food experts on the planet secretly feel this way.  After all, there’s more to life than […]

(photo: while rice balls have nothing to do with personal finance, they are indeed delicious and contribute to a great quality of life!  Thanks A. Williams for sharing her Crispy coated Pesto Sausage Arancini with Mozzarella, served with Basil Pesto photo!) Welcome to the 52nd Best of Money Carnival! If you’re not familiar with the concept of a “blog carnival”, it’s simply a […]

Both of my parents were born in Southern Italy where unemployment is high and quality of life is superb. My mother, A., made it to the 7th grade and my father, T., recieved the equivalent of a technical high school diploma. Both of my parents immigrated to the US in 1975 and are currently debt free, own their own two-family […]

(photo: Many Italians are frugal, but ask an Italian what he or she loves better, a fig or money and the answer will almost always be the king of fruits, the fig) If you haven’t noticed, Scordo.com has been focusing on living the Italian Way recently.  Scordo began as a practical living and personal finance blog, but what I noticed […]

Negotiating With Contractors is in my blood and, like many first generation college grads, I come from a long line of blue collar workers (though I don’t like the “blue color” phrase as, in my experience, many old world “blue collar workers” are as capable and technical as the average college grad here in the US).  My father, for example, was […]

(photo: cast from the film, American Psycho) I see it all the time, twenty and thirty somethings ingrained with the idea that they deserve what they deem desirable, whether it be a new wardrobe, apartment in a trendy city, new luxury car, a monstrous new kitchen, the latest Smartphone, and/or a 6 bedroom home in a privileged suburb.  Let me […]

(photo: my young uncle washing his hands in an outdoor fountain in Bagnara, Calabra – Village of Pellegrina) One of the most important life skills you can teach your child is how to save or, more specifically, why it’s important to save.   My parents would often bring me to the bank as a small child and I observed my mother writing and cashing […]

With the notorious holiday shopping season fast approaching I’m having nauseous visions of deals, coupons, free mass produced turkeys and hams, free shipping, wal-mart, and 40 percent off blow out sales.  The visions are not only vivid and haunting they are actually true!   Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t pass up a deal on a particular consumer item that […]

(The following is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson; who regularly writes on the topic of criminal justice.  See Adrienne’s related article on DIY ways to protect your home.) Your home is probably the greatest asset you own, and when you let it run to ruin you are wasting your money in the worst way possible. A home that is […]