Celebrating Andre and the boys' Italian citizenship and a sweet and savory tomato confit recipe.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Andre and the boys are Italian!

Let me just cut to the chase...in under five months, the kids and I have been granted our Italian citizenship! And what's even crazier is that we didn't submit our citizenship kit until November 24th, so it all happened in less than two months. Even our attorney was blown away and completely shocked by the speed and ease of the process. It never happens like this, especially in a big city like Torino. But for whatever reason, things really came together for us, and what a great way to start the new year. Thank you, Universe!

Now that the citizenship part is complete, the next step is to apply for our ID cards. Once we have the IDs, the boys and I can apply for our passports, allowing us to come and go freely throughout the EU without time restrictions. Also, now that I am a citizen, obtaining Barrett's Permesso di soggiorno will be easier, which will allow her to remain in Italy with no issues alongside us.

If you plan on obtaining citizenship through blood descent (Jure Sanguinis) in Italy, here are a few takeaways from my experience that might be helpful to you:

• Obtain all necessary documents and apostilles with diligence, detail, and dedication. On my part, initially and then with an attorney, it did take a few years to collect the required documents. Be fanatical about making any corrections and requesting additional supplemental documentation in certain instances. Anticipate any issues. This really made the difference in how quickly our application was processed. Also, I informed the attorney of any details that could be used to bolster our case during the process at the Comune. Once all documents were in order as best as possible, they needed to be translated, court-certified, and tax-stamped. When you have your citizenship package ready, make a complete photocopy of it in the same order. Originals and copies will be pulled as necessary during an appointment, and you don't want to give them any reason to tell you to come back. They will absolutely ask you to come back before you can say "Buongiorno," and you want to have all the ammunition needed to further your case during your initial appointment.

• Have an attorney who speaks English well and can interface in person with the local clerks at all appointments. The attorney must know what to say and when to say it and convey any additional information you may need to give to plead your case.

• Be proactive, persistent, and self-advocating. There is no case exactly alike for these processes, and every city and Comune follows a different way along with the clerk you will get on the day of. Anticipate issues and prepare for them. But only give information that is requested and try not to complicate things. More information is not always better here. Many in the bureaucratic system want to do the least amount possible, so keeping it simple and straightforward helped speed the process along for us.

-Andre x

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Tomato Confit

If you crave sweet tomatoes during the winter months, making a quick tomato confit is an easy way to satisfy this craving and have flavorful tomatoes on hand to add to any number of dishes. The options are endless; whether you want a silky omelet with goat cheese, tomato confit, and herbs, a hearty turkey sandwich with wild arugula, tomato confit, and mayo, or a savory bowl of spaghetti coated in tomato confit oil, the chopped tomatoes, and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano.

On Thursday, we bought a beautiful bundle of tomatoes at the farmers' market, and I decided to make a batch of tomato confit to last us through next week. The below is more of a framework than a recipe; you need just a few things on hand to make it happen.