W W W . I TA L I A N C L U B D A L L A S . O R G

Upcoming clUb EvEnts

January

2 - Guest Chef Gina stipo

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 - Cena

5, 28 - hunGer Busters

10 - La Befana

7, 14,21,28 - pasta & WoW28 - Book CLuB

February

2, 25 - hunGer Busters 4, 11, 18, 25 - pasta & WoW6, 13, 20, 27 - Cena

25 - Book CLuB

March

2, 25 - hunGer Busters

4,11,18,25 - pasta & WoW6,13,20,27 - Cena

25 - Book CLuB

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Notiziario Ufficiale del circolo italiaNo di dallas • GeNNaio 2015 • Vol 36 NUm 1

congratulations

The new members of the Board were confirmed at our recent General Membership meeting. Please welcome and congratulate the new Board who will steer the Club into the Future. The new Board members are:

Francesca Barone, Al Demarzo, Paul DiCarlo, Barbie Gumin, Joan Seley, and Ken Venuso....Carol Strippoli remains on the Board. They will elect the new President and executive committee this week. The Board meets the first Tuesday of the month. Meetings are open to members to observe or present to the Board. A big thank you to retiring board members Doug Delsanter, John Gala, Domenick Iacovo and Jay Laurenzi.

icd uso toy drive delivers in tiMe For christMas

In keeping with the true spirit of Christmas our members responded with toys and monetary donations to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to the children of our military heroes. Tina Neal with the help of her son Nick, delivered the toys and contributions to the USO at DFW International Airport on Saturday, December 13 in time to make the season brighter for the children.

Our thanks to all our members who donated toys or made monetary contributions. You all have shown how to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Also, many thanks not only to Tina and Nick but also to Lisa Newman for her help in organizing the toy drive.

Ben Parlapiano - Chair, Charitable Outreach

la beFana will Fly through addison

January 10, 2014January 10th the children and families of the Club will come together to wait for La Befana to come looking for the Christ Child and in doing so leave

the children with bags of treats.

Lunch, symbolic lentils and sausage plus pasta with sauce, Befana Bread with the secret fava

bean will be served. The children and adults will participate in a skit depicting the Befana story.

Time: 11:00 to 1:00 pm

Charge: $5.00 a person, child or adult.

RSVP: with number of children and total number in group

By email marcar32@verizon.net

Or call: Carrie 972-242-8283

Look for a special mailing in early January for upcoming events for the months of January, February, and March!

letter FroM the president

Buon Anno…Happy New Year!

At New Year’s, the tradition among everyone has always been the same: to say goodbye to the old year. What has happened is now a memory of 2014. Ringing in the New Year is the second part of the tradition. With a new year comes new enthusiasm of what is to be, new hopes, new goals, and in the ICD we have a new board of directors and officers.

Like a new year, the new board is excited about what can be in 2015. Our hopes and goals are to continue to do the things needed to support our mission statement.

“To explore, preserve, and promote Italian culture, language, history and traditions, perform charitable works and foster social interaction within the community.”

The board can help lead the way in 2015 but with your help we can do it even better. The board and the membership make up the Club and we are a TEAM. Just as you are counting on the board to give you a calendar with events from the Gala to a Friday Cena, from a Bocce Tournament in tandem with the Special Olympics to a wine tasting night, from a Valentine’s Day Cena to a Wednesday pasta and pizza night, we are counting on your ideas and your participation.

2015 will be a successful year but Our Success will be Your Success. Your participation in Club events through attendance and volunteer activities will be the Club’s Success.

The way to get started is to keep an open mind. We welcome any suggestions you want to offer us. Please let us know what you would like to see in 2015.

The new board is ready to get into action and do the things needed to continue to make the Italian Club the great Club it is and continue our influence in our community thanks to YOU. We will try to be patient, positive and persistent in our efforts to achieve the Club’s goals and to support the mission statement. Our slogan will be…Our Success is Your Success and Your Success is Our Success.

Meet the new board

Paul DiCarlo Francesca Barone Al DeMarzo Joan Seley – Treasurer Barbie Gumin – Secretary Carole Strippoli – Vice President Ken Venuso – President

BOUN ANNO

Financials

novemBer ytD Revenue 14,384 286,541 expenses 23,072 302,995 pRofit (Loss) (8,688) (16,454)

culinary events

Wednesday ~ Pasta & Pizza Night: Jan 07, 14, 21 and 28. Doors open 6 p.m. Every Wednesday evening features our fantastic antipasti bar and one of several pasta or pizza selections for a great price. Add extras if the mood suits you – meat, seafood & veggies. Pasta or Pizza - Members $12 / Non-Members $16; Antipasti Bar only - Members $8 / Non-Members $12.

Call for reservations and large tables (972) 931-9167

Friday cena schedule & pricing

Member Adult $20 / Non-Member Adult $28 Reservations are kindly requested as seating is often very limited.

Regular Cena January 02 Guest Chef Gina Stipo January 09 ***Raffle night January 16 *** Raffle night January 23 January 30

Join us for this occasional visit from our friend from Tuscany, Italy Chef Gina Stipo You know you will enjoy a great meal *** What a great time to regift your extra Christmas gift that you have no use for, bring them at the club, we love to make some money from your donations, we will raffle them and make someone very happy. Each Friday, we make special time to enjoy Cena (dinner) with famiglia e amici (family & friends) Visit the Club for a delicious four-course menu, enjoyed insieme (together). Join us to savor the taste of authentic Italian dishes from fresh ingredients & recipes old and new, prepared by Chef Gerard. Share the joy of good food, good wine and good company ~ Italian-style! Weekly menu available via ClubMail. Reservations recommended at (972) 931-9167 or online at http://icdcena.eventbrite.com.

hunger busters 2015Next year marks the fourth year our Club will be volunteering at Hunger Busters the charity established by Phil and Lillie Romano that provides a third meal to food insecure students at a number of Dallas Independent School District schools. Students are fed breakfast and lunch at the schools and Hunger Busters provides the students with a bagged meal of a sandwich, fruit and dessert to take home.. Other charities provide meals to the children over the weekends.

Our volunteers work at Hunger Busters on the first Monday and Fourth Wednesday of every month with a hiatus during the summer months of July and August. Starting in January, the first monthly volunteering dates are the First Monday January 5th and the Fourth Wednesday, January 28th. Our group of 14 to 16 volunteers is split with 6 to 8 working each date.

It’s been pretty much the same group of volunteers the last three years. Six to eight volunteers make upwards of 700 to 1,000 bagged meals in a 2 to 3 hour span from 10:00a.m. to 12:30 or 1:00p.m. The work is not strenuous, the mood of the volunteers is cheerful knowing how important the work is, and the time goes by quickly. If you can spare 2 to 3 hours once a month we would love to have you join the Hunger Busters crew. Give me a call; and if we have enough additional volunteers we could possibly add another day each month to volunteering at Hunger Busters.

Ben Parlapiano - Chair, Charitable Outreach benparlapiano@sbcglobal.net

MeMber news

On Saturday, December 13 The Italian Club was the site of a very festive and joyful celebration by friends and family honoring Ken Venuso on his 70th birthday. Congratulations to Ken and our best wishes for many happy returns.

Rae Gene Mungioli is recovering after falling and suffering a broken arm. Her arm may be in a sling but her spirits are bright and she looks forward to a rapid recovery.

January booK club news

Welcome back from Christmas break! On Wednesday, January 28, 2015, the Book Club will return, meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the ICD, when our selection will be Chris Bohjalian’s The Light in the Ruins. In 1955, Florence crime investigator Serafina Bettini confronts a serial killer who has stalked and gruesomely murdered members of the once prosperous Rosati family one by one. As she tracks the killer, she must reopen painful World War II experiences to face her own personal scars, and unravel the secrets of the Rosati family.

If you would like more information about the Book Club, please contact the Coordinator, Norma Iacovo at 214-724-4832, or niacovo@tnsk.com.

and the winner oF 10 Kilo pannettone is bart paciFico

With grazie mille! to Jimmy’s Food Store for the donation of the prize.

CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 3/4 cups cranberries

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.

2. With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

3. Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.

did you Know?…that Italy is the longest country in Europe outside of Scandinavia and the Ukraine?

…that Italy is 720 miles long running diagonally through different climate and vegetation zones from the town of Aosta in the northwest (where French is an official language) to the Apulian southeast where Greek is still spoken?

…that while Italian is the official language there are fifteen minority languages that are officially recognized in Italy?

…that Italy has been one of the most easily invaded places in the world. While the Alps look impressive they have been penetrated without difficulty many times since the Bronze Age and most notably in modern history by Hannibal, Attila and Bonaparte?

…that with 4,500 miles of coastline its seas made Italy even more vulnerable than its mountains? The peninsula and its islands were virtually impossible to patrol and protect against predators from three continents.

…that while Italy’s archaeological record stretches back tens of thousands of years, Italian history begins with the Etruscans , an ancient civilization dating to before 700 BC, a time when in Italy the population spoke over forty languages and did not consider themselves the same people, let alone Italians.

…that we will continue a timeline of Italian history in the next issue of Il Cicerone?

…that we hope your Christmas was merry and that the 2015 New Year will be a healthy, happy and prosperous one for you and your love ones.

Ben Parlapiano

icd volunteers assist at cca christMas party

In the true spirit of Christmas Italian Club volunteers gave of their time and energies assisting at the Children’s Craniofacial Association’s children’s Christmas party on Saturday, December 13 at Southfork Ranch. Unlike last year when bad weather necessitated cancellation of the event (the first time in 27 years) the weather was bright and sunny as were the spirits of our Club members as they greeted and registered the children and their families, helped with name tags and distributed flyers, newsletters and door prize tickets and helped at the arts and crafts tables. The excitement of the children knowing that they would soon meet Santa Claus was truly heartwarming.

Our longtime friends at the Children’s Craniofacial Association, Annie, Jill and Char were very appreciative of the help provided by our ICD volunteers. As Annie Reeves of CCA said “The party couldn’t has been the success that it was without the assistance of the Italian Club volunteers.”

Our very special thanks go to Barbie Gumin, Julie and Carmine Nittolo, Ken and Jan Venuso, John Di Tucci, Fred Hansen, Nick Parigi, Carole Strippoli, Carol Castellano and Dottie Parlapiano for their help and for demonstrating the true spirit of Christmas.

Ben Parlapiano - Chair, Charitable Outreach

Make our family, your familyBring home the best from Italy

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W W W . I T A L I A N C L U B D A L L A S . O R G

The Mission Statement of the Italian Club of DallasTo explore, preserve, and promote Italian culture, language, history, and traditions; perform charitable works; and foster

social interaction within the community.

La Missione del Circolo Italiano di DallasConoscere, conservare e diffondere la cultura Italiana, la lingua, la storia e le tradizioni; fare opere benefiche; promuovere i

rapporti sociali all'interno della comunità.

Clubhouse 14865 Inwood Rd.

Addison

Mailing Address: �ost �ffice �ox ������ � �allas, Texas �����

ICD

Boa

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Dir

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Ken Venuso - PresidentCarole Stipoli - Vice President

Barbie Gumin - SecretaryJoan Seley - Treasurer

Paul DiCarloAl DeMarzo

Francesca Barone