Italian ricotta cake. I mentioned it yesterday as an Italian Easter favorite. I was not sure of its spelling, so I spelled it phonetically. I even added in brackets afterwards that “gzzad” might not be the correct spelling.

I have been buried in comments. Some from those who could not find it on the internet under gzzad. Most telling me it is called cassata.

What can I tell you? I have eaten cassata every Easter until recently. It was pronounced in my family  with a “d” at the end.

I thank those who corrected me.

I learned something new, also. Cassata is a southern Italian dish. Primarily, Sicily. Its source was outside Italy. Two are suggested. One is an Arab influence deriving from the Muslim Middle Ages. The other Greece. My Greece!

Recall my writings several times in the past that I thought southern Italian cooking had a great Greek influence. It may have with the cassata.

Cassata existed even before the Roman empire. It was a favorite of Magna Grecia, the Greeks living in Sicily. The Greeks who immigrated to southern Italy to establish Greek bases of commerce. They intermarried and remained. Greek customs became established and blended with Italian ones.

Cassata is probably a blend of Muslim and Greek influence. Perhaps Greek alone. Besides the Italian cassata, there is to this day a Greek cassata. It is known as Greek cassata cake.

Celebrated Easter Sunday with Lisa and the family. Brunch at Lisa’s. A big ham and everything that goes with.

It was a last minute thing on my part buying the grandkids Easter baskets. Publix was closed. Walgreen had one. Note, one. A big one. $20. Very little candy. A lot of games. I had no choice. Bought it.

I thought Robert and Ally would be disappointed. To the contrary, they were overly excited. The games! They did not care there was little candy and they were glad to share the basket.

I did good! By accident.

I spent the afternoon working on tuesday’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Great topics. Some revealing. Like Catholic Church activity not founded in the Bible, world banks wanting water to be privatized, China becoming the most Christian nation in the world, America’s 5 per cent population world wide using 50 per cent of all pharmaceutical drugs, and more.

Took a ride to Smathers Beach later in the afternoon. Private enterprise has taken hold. Lounge chairs and umbrellas are available to rent. White lounges with bright blue mattresses in a straight line as far as the eye could see. Reminded me of most European beaches where lounges and umbrellas are laid out in a similar fashion.

Conch Republic festivities began. Saturday the Queen Drag Race down Duval. In heels! Yesterday, Conch Cruiser Time. Cars and motorcycles painted wildly.

I mentioned yesterday some Italian friends who were celebrating the holiday at their Swiss type chalet near the top of Mount Santa Maria Maggiore in Italy. Twenty inches of freshly fallen snow!

What I did not know and learned after the blog had been published is that one does not drive up the mountain to the chalet. Cars are parked in a valley below. A cable car is taken to the top of the mountain. Cool!

Enjoy your day!