Pumpkin Cream Soup Recipe by Marinoni

Today we offer a recipe for a tasty pumpkin cream soup - indeed, the pumpkin is one of the autumn's fruits we mentioned in our last blog post. But let's start with a nice picture of the final result:

Ingredients (4 servings)

• ½ pumpkin (or ¼ if you’re using a large one)
• ½ onion
• ½ liter of homemade vegetable broth
• 1 rosemary branch
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 pewter and ceramic bowls
• 4 pewter round plates

Method

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add finely chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the peeled and chopped pumpkin and the rosemary branch – cook for about 5 minutes before removing rosemary. Add the vegetable broth, a pinch of salt and pepper and bring to the boil. After reducing heat to low, cook for about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and blend until smooth. Ladle into bowls and season with nutmeg, serve with toasted bread.

Buon appetito!

Tradition and playful ideas with Easter eggs

Eggs are one of our favorite Easter symbols: you will find them decorated, made of chocolate, hidden. So many are the traditions that passed through the ages and that are still popular nowadays. Eggs have been a symbol of spring since ancient times representing new life and nature re-birth.

Origin of Easter eggs

Easter eggs tradition has ancient roots, it dates back to pagan and mythological beliefs. Did you know that Egyptians considered eggs as the heart of the four universal elements: Air, Earth, Water and Fire? 

It was common for Persians to give eggs as a present during Easter time. Later, especially during the Middle Age, the egg became more and more the symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. 

Easter is celebrated during the time when hens start laying eggs after the winter slow down: this is why children look for eggs hidden in gardens and fields in the contemporary traditions.

Decorating Easter eggs

Creative ways to decorate eggs are a fun way for kids to celebrate Easter but we bet adults will enjoy it too during the pic-nic or waiting for lunch time.

Easter eggs games

There are so many Easter party games that let your children hop, jump, skip and dance their way through this springtime celebration. Here are some of them:

• Egg hunt. Probably the most traditional Easter game for children. Adults have fun hiding chocolate or decorated eggs while kids join the competition to find as many eggs as possible.
• Egg roll. Each child is given a hard-boiled Easter egg. The object of this Anglo-Saxon tradition is to get the egg from the starting line to the finish line. There are several ways to roll the egg, did you know that the White House version allows the kids to push it with a spoon?
• Egg tapping. In this game the two contenders hold a hard-boiled egg and tap each other egg with the intention to break the other's, without breaking one's own.
• Egg dance. The tradition of the Easter egg dance is connected with the egg dance that was performed on an Easter Monday in the late 15 th Century, at the wedding of Margaret of Austria and Philip the Handsome, Duke of Savoy. The aim of the game is dancing on a floor where eggs are laid out, without breaking any. The game is also called hop-egg.

Do you enjoy other traditional Easter eggs games in your family? Or did you have fun inventing your own?

Let yourself be inspired at www.peltro.com

Some ideas to set your Christmas table with handcrafted luxury objects

Are you looking for ideas to lay your Christmas table? Setting the table is what Marinoni makes since 1970 and when it comes to Christmas, we've now acquired valuable experience. Let's prepare the Christmas table with handcrafted luxury objects by Marinoni. Here are some ideas!

Arctic white, glass and Evergreen

Our choices for a snowy and pure table setting are: a pristine white linen tablecloth, pewter and glass charger with beaded rim ,red wine glass, pewter and white glass dessert plate,  pewter and stainless steel cutlery, a white bear figurine (Maison du Monde), wooden hearts (Flying tiger) and fairy lights (Giustacchini Office Store)

Warm wood, pewter and ceramics

Our choices for a casual table: rustic wooden table, pewter round plate> - reproduction of the classic dish called "à venaison", dessert plate of pewter and ceramic, pewter bowl with handle, bowl of soup in the Sixteenth century style, glass for water made in pewter and glass , traditional pewter tumbler, sets of cutlery and candlesticks.

Halloween Party: come apparecchiare la tavola?

Ottobre sta per finire, perché non organizzare un Halloween party? Su, raddoppiatevi, fatica e doglia, ardi tu fuoco, calderon gorgoglia. Ecco la nostra formula magica: utilizza elementi naturali come il metallo, la pietra, la terra e la sabbia. Noi suggeriamo il peltro, l'ardesia, la ceramica e il vetro. E ovviamente la zucca è sempre la star della serata!

Bacchetta alla mano, wingardium leviosa. Guarda gli incantesimi che puoi utilizzare:

1 - Magico e sofisticato 

Ingredienti: colori delicati, luci fatate, oggetti raffinati, zucca bianca, peltro e vetro.

2 - Rurale 

Ingredienti: legno grezzo, zucca tradizionale, color arancione, un tocco di country, peltro e ceramica.

3 - Nero e misterioso

Ingredienti: stile contemporaneo, colori scuri, dettagli spettrali, luce di candela, peltro e ardesia.

Scopri altre idee su www.peltro.com

Tips and treats to style the Halloween party table

October is running out, why don't organize an Halloween party? Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble. Here is our formula: use natural elements such as metal, stone, earth and sand. We suggest pewter, slate, ceramic and glass. Of course pumpkin is always under the spotlight!

Wands at the ready, swish and flick. See three spells you can use:

1 - Magical and sophisticated 

Ingredients: soft hues, fairy lights, refined objects, white pumpkin, pewter and glass.

2 - Rural 

Ingredients: raw wood, traditional pumpkin, orange color, a touch of country, pewter and ceramic.

3 -Black and mysterious  

Ingredients: contemporary mood, dark colors, spooky details, candle light, pewter and slate.

Refreshments | Merenda d'estate con Marinoni

La scuola è finita, i bambini passano più tempo a casa e giocano all'aperto. Anche noi ci concediamo qualche ora in più di svago e relax, approfittando delle giornate più lunghe per vivere il giardino, trascorrendo un pomeriggio a bordo piscina o nella casa al lago. Tra un acquazzone e l'altro, il caldo inizia a farsi sentire. In questa serie di scatti fotografici vogliamo darvi alcune idee per organizzare una merenda d'estate, giocando con i colori per trovare rinfresco e serenità.

School is over, children spend more time at home and playing outdoors. We allow ourselves a few more hours of leisure and relaxation, taking advantage of the longer days to enjoy the garden, spending an afternoon by the pool or at the lake house. Between a storm and a cloudburst, the heat begins to fulfill the day. In the following series of photographs we want to give you some ideas to organize a summer snack, playing with colors to find refreshment and serenity.

Oggetti Marinoni utilizzati per il set fotografico || Marinoni products used for these photos: http://www.peltro.com/en/summer-s-mood/summer-refreshments.html

Al Fresco Dinner | Cena all'aperto con Marinoni

Una cena all'aperto è l'esperienza che racchiude il sapore dell'estate, il bello del tempo passato insieme, in famiglia e tra amici, con spensieratezza e allegria. La luce del sole al tramonto, poi quella delle candele che ondeggia e proietta ombre in movimento sulla tavola, tra un piatto gustoso, una risata, le mani dei bambini. Con questi scatti fotografici abbiamo voluto trasmettervi le emozioni della cena all'aperto, utilizzando le creazioni Marinoni per la mise en place. Perché sono gli oggetti che ci circondano e il modo in cui li disponiamo, insieme alle persone con cui condividiamo lo spazio di vita, a fare la differenza sulla qualità del nostro tempo.

Al fresco dining is the experience that embodies the taste of summer, the carefree and merry moments we spend together as a family and among friends. The light of the setting sun, then the candles swaying and projecting moving shadows on the table, besides a tasty dish and the children's hands. With these photographs we intended to convey the excitement of outdoor dining, using Marinoni creations for the mise en place. Because we believe that the objects that surround us and the way we arrange them, as well as the people we share the living space with, make a difference in the quality of our life.

Oggetti Marinoni utilizzati per il set fotografico || Marinoni products used for these photos: http://www.peltro.com/en/summer-s-mood/al-fresco.html