Tweet There are three types of meringue, the differences lie in when and how the sugar is added. The one you are probably most familiar with is the French meringue. ...
Spotlight Recipes

Marsala-Poached Pears

Ricotta Gnocchi
Mangia Bene!

Marinated Baby Artichokes
Native to the western and central Mediterranean, the artichoke is a domesticated variety of the wild cardoon. Cardone, in Italian, is a thistle and looks like large stocks of celery. My grandmother used to coat them in breadcrumbs and fry them. They were amazing. Unlike an artichoke, you eat the stems not the flower buds. […]

Easter Monday
Easter Monday, known as la Pasquetta in Italy, literally means little Easter. It is also known as ‘Lunedì dell’Angelo‘ (‘Monday of the Angel’) – the day to remember the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene visiting the Holy Sepulchre, finding it empty, and being comforted by an angel. After the solemn season of Lent with […]

Sicilian Cannoli
I remember the cannoli my grandmother used to make and I am so very grateful that I have her “handwritten recipe” for this iconic Sicilian sweet treat. I use stainless steel pastry tubes (which can be purchased on Amazon), my grandmother’s were made out of wood. My grandfather made them from a broom handle, which […]

Pear, Pecan & Gorgonzola Salad
This past New Year’s Day, I made this sensational salad with caramelized pears. It’s really good! Today, I only have one pear and am in a bit of a hurry. So, this is basically the same ingredients, using a room temperature pear, rather than a warm caramelized one, and a different presentation. It’s still amazing! […]

Holy Week
During Holy Week, we enter into Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. This is known as the Pasqual Mysteries. We not only commemorate the important events of our salvation in a historical way but, we also celebrate them in a sacramental way that makes these sacred mysteries, present to us. We accompany Jesus from his glorious […]

Rosemary Lemon Sea Salt
Rosemary, native to the Mediterranean region and a regular ingredient in Italian cooking, is one of my favorite herbs. While living In Tucson, I had several huge plants. These evergreen plants with purple blossoms thrived in the Arizona sun and were part of the landscape surrounding many of my neighbors homes. Some grew into hedges, […]

Double Cauliflower with Chard and Onions
Inexpensive and readily available, cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse. It is high in vitamins C and K, potassium, manganese, folate, fiber and cancer-preventing glucosinolates. If you are (currently) not a fan of this cruciferous vegetable, perhaps it is because it wasn’t cooked properly. I say cooked because as much as I enjoy cauliflower, there is […]

Palline al Cioccolato (Chocolate Balls)
These little chocolate balls, a thoughtful gift for your favorite Valentine, are a variation of Palline all’ Arancia. This is one of the very few confections in which the Sicilian nuns used chocolate. Traditionally, they were made with rum. Since I don’t care for the taste of rum but, do enjoy anything with an almond […]

Super Bowl Chunky Chili
Many years ago, when my husband, Jack, and I were first dating, he invited me to a Super Bowl party he was hosting. Now, you would think this strong, healthy, handsome, athletic (he played college football), guy would have had the barbeque fired up to grill burgers or steaks or a side of buffalo. I […]

The French Market
The historic French Market stands today as an enduring symbol of pride and progress for the people of New Orleans. The first iteration of today’s French Market was erected in 1791, when the city’s French administrators erected an open-air market on the river side of the levee between St. Ann and Dumaine Streets. Since that […]