We arrived in Lecce the day before by train and had trouble sleeping. We woke up to the early morning light and crept out into the stillness of the morning, the grit on the damp stones beneath our feet making the only sound. Read more
Sunday Chicken Soup Bone Broth Recipe
Sunday is chicken soup day at my house. We had a freakish May rain storm last night with gale force winds which brought much cooler weather than expected for the beaches in southern California. Here’s an easy recipe for bone broth Read more
No Stir Saffron Risotto with Peas
No stir risotto? Seriously? Yup and Judy Witts Francini has the secret. Head on over to her new Dining with the Diva YouTube channel to learn her secret to this delicious saffron risotto with fresh asparagus. I substituted peas, because that’s what I had in the house, and that’s what cooking is all about. Super easy meal in just under 15 minutes.
San Francisco North Beach Jazz Mural
Last year I spent a weekend in San Francisco enjoying Little Italy and noticed the North Beach Jazz Mural for the first time. What a cool building. Can’t believe I’ve never noticed it before! The 30 by 40 foot mural was painted in 1987 by Bay Area artist Bill Read more
Crispy Phyllo Dough and Sweet Berries
All it takes is berries, phyllo dough, butter and little love. Who knew?
Sunday Sauce
It is Sunday…….after all.
Prepping for pasta…
I don’t always make homemade pasta, sometimes preferring the chewy bite of a dried pasta. Never for things that require an extruder – although that is on my bucket list. Read more
Trattoria Sostanza in Florence
Mouth watering wild strawberries in fresh cream. True Italian style. This simple and the sublime dish was served up to me at Trattoria Sostanza, Il Troia as it’s often called, after I dined on a decadent dish of baked chicken smothered in butter.
My Sicilian Family
My Italian American moment: On February 23, 1915, after a 15 day journey aboard the SS. Guglielmo from Palermo, Sicilia to New York City, my great grandfather Andrea Bavetta and his family arrived in the United States. Andrea was born in Sicily in October 1861 – not long after the unification of Italy.
