Our first Easter in Italy, creamy tomato and sage cannellini beans, and bright spring veggies with mint and lemon.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Navigating holidays in a new country

Every time a holiday approaches, I get anxious because I don't know how to navigate them in Italy yet. We had many family traditions in LA for Easter, like hosting parties to decorate easter eggs, going on Easter egg hunts with friends, and throwing elaborate lunches for our nearest and dearest in our home. Here, while Easter is a huge holiday that stretches over two days, the traditions are different, focusing on giant chocolate eggs (and chocolate in general!), Easter pastries, cookies, and long lunches with very specific dishes that are only made this time of year. And, don't get me wrong, I love the way Italians do it and prefer our kids enjoy chocolate and homemade cookies versus processed candy filled with food dyes and artificial sweeteners. But still, in creating new traditions and memories, I wanted to make sure they still felt the magic and weren't disappointed it all looked and felt different.

Luckily, the Easter bunny got the memo we moved, and the kids woke up to the excitement of the easter morning, searching for colorful eggs with little toys inside hidden throughout our apartment. Next up was cracking open the giant chocolate eggs each had been given at school and searching for treasures inside. We spent the day hanging out, watching movies, and cooking familiar dishes that made us feel at home. And, on Monday, our family was included in an Italian Easter at the country home of someone we had never met. The kids spent the afternoon running in their big grassy field, playing ping pong, soccer, and football, and setting up a make-believe gelato shop. And even though communication was minimal because of the language barrier, the unspoken connection was there by the end of the day. The kindness and generosity of this wonderful family, including us in their traditions, and filling our bellies with homemade food made with so much love was a beautiful reminder of why we're on this journey.

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More beans!

While I think cooking dried beans makes a superior bean to using precooked jarred or canned ones, sometimes you don't have the time to start from scratch. Cut to these beans that Andre made on a whim one Tuesday night two weeks ago. Just a few ingredients, and thirty minutes later, you have the most addictive, savory tomato, sage, and garlic-scented beans - subtle and delicate in flavor and texture. Eat them with a drizzle of olive oil and flakey sea salt, a fried egg, or a perfect piece of toasted bread.

CREAMY CANNELLINI BEANS WITH TOMATO, SAGE, AND GARLIC

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly smashed

• 1 large bundle of sage leaves tied together with string

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 3 cups of jarred, canned, or cooked cannellini beans with the liquid

• 2/3 cup water

• Sea salt (I like to use fine sea salt for cooking and flakey sea salt for finishing the dish)

• Black pepper

In a medium-sized pot, add the olive oil and garlic and cook over medium heat for a minute or two until the garlic starts getting a slightly golden hue. Next, add the sage, tomato paste, beans, and water. Stir to combine and season with a pinch of sea salt and some black pepper. Bring the beans to a boil; once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove the garlic cloves and sage bundle. Serve the beans topped with flakey sea salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Spring Veggies Have Arrived