Simplifying Life and a Blood Orange Crostata
Over the past few years, I have had a growing realization that that the things I treasured most had nothing to do with the things filling my …
Nesting in Winter: Spaghetti Nests (Nidi di Spaghetti)
Winter. In all its frosty glory…how I pine for spring! To be fair, winter in my hood has been fairly mild this year. No snow …
In Search of Castelluccio Lentils
While in Umbria on vacation a few years ago, we went in search of fabled Castelluccio lentils. We had seen these lentils for sale when …
Detoxing Italian Style: Fabulous Fennel
Buon anno, tutti!! With the holidays behind us, many of us have gone a bit overboard with the continual stream of cakes, cookies, libations and …
Mussels and Shells in a Saffron Tomato Soup
With Christmas Eve fast approaching, it’s time to starting thinking about that uniquely Italian-American tradition of the Seven Fishes. Probably born from the Italian tradition …
Drunken Octopus Salad
Octopus is finally available again in seafood stores in Southern California. In Italy, being able to buy freshly fished octopus is nearly a birthright. Along …
The crostata revisited
Way back in 2009, one of my first food posts was for an apple crostata. I just ran into a friend at church this weekend who …
Calamari ripieni alla marchigiana (Stuffed squid)
While we were in Marche, Italy this spring, we had stuffed calamari prepared by my cousin’s wife, Maria, several times. These beautiful squid from the …
Because Everyone Needs More Granita in their Life: Peach-Strawberry Granita
Summer is in full swing – bring it on, my friends. Life always feels so much more colorful during the summer months – sort of like …
Bring on Summer! Grilled Peach, Prosciutto and Mozzarella Salad
SUMMER.IS.FINALLY.HERE!! I live for these warmer months when the rhythm of life moves outdoors. Mornings in the garden (fighting off the rather large garden snake …
Basil-infused Cocktails to Start the Summer Right
Oh, dear friends. Sometimes you just have to let it all go and trust. This past week was a tough one….the Orlando mass shooting (when …
A Bolognese and a Battuto
When I was a kid, I used to sit at the kitchen table on a weekend morning watching my mother chop mounds of onion, celery …