Tweet History tells us flavored ices date back to ancient China, but the first frozen dessert in Italy actually came from Sicily. Arabs brought an icy treat of frozen water, ...
Spotlight Recipes
Marsala-Poached Pears
Tweet The Sicilian city of Marsala, (from the Arabic “Mars-el-Allah,” meaning the ...
Ricotta Gnocchi
Tweet Gnocchi (pronounced neeyo-kee) are small dumplings. They should be light and ...
Mangia Bene!
Vegetable Panini
When it comes to making panini, (Italian for sandwiches), it begins and ends with the bread! I prefer using Ciabatta, an Italian rustic looking bread that is available in loaves and rolls. It is different from other breads because it is made from a lean yeast dough, meaning that there is no fat present in […]
Apple Bacon & Pecan Salad with Creamy Provolone Dressing
I love a good salad! And I am not talking about a plate of iceberg lettuce with bottled dressing! There are a multitude of easy-to-find ingredients that add flavor, texture and color to create incredibly delicious salads. Ingredients, such as, seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh greens, grains, beans, legumes, fish, meat, poultry and seafood, pasta, […]
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
There are many cultures in which an egg drop soup is made. Chinese cuisine offers a version, also known as egg flower soup, the Greeks make theirs with avgolemono (a mixture of eggs and lemon used to thicken soups and sauces), and stracciatella, the Italian egg drop soup from Rome. As I had a bowl […]
Mediterranean Lentil and Bulgur Salad
Lentils are one of the world’s oldest health foods. This little lens-shaped legume came to the Americas in the early 16th century. During World War II, people began to see it as a low-cost, high-protein meat substitute. Both my mother and grandmother served them often. Two of my favorites are lemon-y lentil and Chickpea Soup […]
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, […]
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