I adore spring and this year it came sort of late but is one of the most beautiful in years. The hills are all shades of velvety green and red poppies and yellow scotch broom add touches of color. On...
Each time I go to Sicily it seems more and more like coming home. On my bucket list is to have a home in Sicily and retire there by the sea, so it is with extreme pleasure that I share my Sicil...
I am leaving for a week in Sicily ( I know, poor me) and leave the pantry full for my husband when I go away for any length of time. I had already made some pulled pork a week or so ago and found som...
Where does a cook go when hungry? We are really lucky to have a great family restaurant near by, I Latini, on the road from Certaldo to San Gimignano. Chiara Latini runs this small hotel and restaura...
Often it is hard to know when to change your wardrobe here in Italy. Spring has arrived and the days get longer, more sun and warmth. Next thing a storm blows in and temperatures drop and back to lay...
The weather here has been so odd, that I havent risked walking in the fields to look for wild asparagus. We have had so much rain ( much needed rain) that it would have been a muddy mess. That said, ...
For me, potatoes in almost any form are comfort food. I adore eating out when you eat like you are at someones moms house in Tuscany. Many small family trattorias I go to are like that. For making a ...
Once you have let the artichokes sit overnight in vinegar, remove them and let them sit for a day to drain, upside down, on a plate. When they are dry, place then in a jar and cover with olive oil. I...
When shopping at the market, as I mentioned, we first enjoy all the the seasons best fresh. As the season goes on, then prices start to drop and we think about buying in quantity and putting up the e...
Spring is arriving slowly here in Tuscany, the hills are turning a patchwork of velvety green with rolling hills of wheat and dotted with yellow colza plants. The vines are budding and trees are fill...
red tuscan poppies I left Tuscany with blossoms ready to bloom and came back to full-on spring in my own garden. Now to get back into the kitchen and start creating and preserving. borage blossoms, y...
Once a year there is a culinary conference in America with IACP, where it is my opportunity to connect with other culinary professionals and I ADORE IT. I havent been in two years and was great to co...
Sometimes in Florence, we always go back to the same local trattoria where we know we have great food. Often, there is no real reason to risk a meal. Then there is a reason to go just a little out of...
I was recently invited to participate in a blogger online event, using SABA, from the Azienda Mariotti and the Gusto Ferrara site, invited by my friend Rosella from Rome. Saba is the cooked down wine...
One of the wonderful things about living in Italy is how easy it is to travel around Europe-- time and money permitting. Until recently, I had not had the opportunity to return to Paris. My grandfath...
I felt a little like Heidi when I arrived at the lovely Hotel Villagio in Aosta. My friends Giuliana and Marco had invited me up to cook for a small party for their friends, presenting the...
The snow is gone. My pulled muscle or whatever it was is healed. The sun is shining and all is well in the world. Just when you think you cant take winter anymore, spring sticks out its little head a...
When I first came to Italy, it was in September of 1984. That winter was one of the coldest and snowiest winters, which caused the olive trees to freeze and we lost thousands of trees which then spro...
There nothing more exciting than being involved in a food blog and tasting a product. I was just invited by my friend Rossella of Ma che ti sei mangiato?. Which translates to- "But what did you j...
Today is World Nutella Day---- started by Sara and Michelle in 2007. It has gone wild! I am not a huge Nutella fan. It is too sweet. It is not on my normal shopping list of things to buy, except when...
They say that we are getting the coldest winter spell in 30 years. Time to make soups! my little backyard We are snowed in so will have to make do with what is in the house. Andrea was smart enough t...
It has been a tough week, when I came back from Rome-- I was basically hobbling along. I had pulled a muscle or tendon and bedrest was required. It is so boring. So this week no cooking, no fotos. NO...
i couldnt help myself--- when I saw there was another session with Gabrielle Bonci in Rome for pizza workshop- I had to go again! Larger than life-- with a heart as big as a mountain and a pass...
I am not a kitchen Nazi. I also use short-cuts when I can or teach people how to make life easier and simpler. One of my favorite tricks in the kitchen I learned living here is to use instant mashed ...
Recently on an expat forum, someone threw out that it would be fun to get ideas on something different to cook, asking friends for recipes. The Gastro-Casa Throw down in on---- Something starti...
I am spending the winter finishing my Food and Wine in Chianti APP for Sutro Media, getting it ready for those coming to Tuscany this year. I know, it sounds tough, eating and drinking as work. But r...
In Italy, the holidays end with the Epiphany, represented by a "witch" called la Befana. My husband remembers when he was growing up in Florence the joy of waking up and finding your "cal...
I have lived in Italy since October 1984. I am not from an Italian family and have no recipes passed down from anyone, what I have learned, I have learned here in Italy. What I did come with was a bu...
thanks to lard artist Riccardo Ricci, Macelleria Cecchini for the image. I am so glad to see 2011 end. For 2012 my new years resolution is - SIMPLIFY Doing that I hope everything else falls into plac...
It has been a tough year and I really didnt feel much in the xmas spirit. My husband and I did put up our xmas lights, the wreath on the door and our silly kinder creche set as decorations. But perha...
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