Our family has never been big turkey fans, especially me. Too many bad memories of my mom’s dry, tasteless bird on the big day. Don’t get me wrong – my mom was an absolutely awesome cook. But let’s just say that turkey was never her forte (along with meatloaf – but that is a story…
One of the true pleasures of being in Italy this past spring was the bounty of local seasonal vegetables. I remember fava beans, fresh peas, baby potatoes, arugula and so much more. But what I remember the most are baby artichokes, or carciofini. Tasting of pure springtime, there was no better side dish than these…
Growing up we called it “pasta fasul”. This warm and comforting thick stew was frequently on the table when the weather turned cool in autumn and downright freezing in winter. Now that the fall weather has arrived in L.A., I made a batch with the last gasp of tomatoes I had from the summer (You…
Ciao tutti! Summer has been a magical whirlwind of travel, guests, family and friends. With my new kitchen now fully up and running, I have loved getting to know its rhythm whether the finesse of using the new range or the simplest of tasks in figuring out how best to stack the new dishwasher. And…
It’s summer in L.A. and it’s HOT! It’s also a time to be celebrating seafood, given that we just returned from ten weeks in coastal Italia and we ate the highest quality seafood you can imagine. My go to fish store in Italy was Pescheria Moreno in Senigallia. Everything they had was super fresh and…
Buon estate, tutti! The summer heat has kicked into high gear here in Pennsylvania. To ride out the ‘ondata di caldo‘ (heat wave), we have been spending our days dangling our feet in the river (ok, the river is so low I should really say dangling our toes in the water) or floating mindlessly around…
Lately, life has been a whirlwind of travel, renovations and lists! It seems I have lists for everything – work, my blog, my Italy tours, things I want to cook, items to finish off the renovation, items to start the next phase of renovations. Those lists have kept my life in order during the frenzy…
We are finally back here in Le Marche Italy visiting my family and walking the same streets as my grandfather who immigrated to the United States in 1911. It’s been a two-year hiatus since our last memorable trip here. All the things I love about this place have come flooding back – family, afternoons at…
Montalcino may be best known for its splendid Brunello but it has some lesser known gems as well. Amongst its rolling hills fly amazing honeybees, silently working their magic amongst the vines. Each visit to my home there has me shipping cases of the nectar back to America. And once my treasured package arrives, it…
Wowza – is it cold here on the east coast! I don’t ever remember it being this cold. It has been interesting to see how my 1830s house on the river deals with the temperatures. Lets just say – our toes are rather frosty! With half the house under renovation, the other half is trying…