This dish is a bit of home on my plate. If you have a garden bursting with zucchini, this is your new best friend and it can be served a variety of ways throughout the week. The recipe isn’t fussy and the ingredient amounts are completely flexible. I’ve never followed a recipe, just watched my…
Tag: food
Sweet & Spicy Mostarda
Winter in California brings citrus – lemons, oranges, tangerines and limes. This year, I am fortunate to have friends with bountiful backyards and citrus farms that have gifted me with some gorgeous lemons. So, today I shall make mostarda – which is essentially candied fruit with essence of mustard (which a friend brought me from…
Polenta Parmigiano
Last evening I made some tomato soup which, not surprisingly, always ends up more like my spaghetti sauce. So today I was faced with leftover sauce. What should I do? I wasn’t in the mood for traditional pasta and when I hunted through the cupboard I found the makings for rosemary parmesan polenta – a…
Caffè in Italia
Nothing screams Italy more than a great cup of espresso. On my last trip to Rome I stayed near the Pantheon and the famed Sant’Eustachio coffee bar. Oh what a joy. They have some proprietary method for making espresso and cappuccino that yields an amazing dark foam substance – they even have a magical way…
Dutch Baby Morning
So – I’m on holiday. On vacation. Not working and not on any schedule. After sleeping 14 hours last evening, I got up and saw a post on Facebook about popovers. Lovely, gorgeous popovers. I wanted them but, alas, no popover tins. So the next best thing was a dutch baby – or puffed pancake. …
Tuscan Sunshine and Gelato
Piazza Cisterna in San Gimignano gleams in the bright Tuscan sun. It’s a place that is well photographed by tourists and professionals alike – with good reason. While you are there don’t miss the chance to grab some Gelato from the master at Dondoli. If there is a line, it usually goes quickly and is…
Cicchetti in Venice, A Tasty Treat
Hello. It’s me. Yes, it’s been awhile but I’m back! Since I last posted I’ve been on many journeys. Up and down in Spain, Tuscany and Rome again, Venice for the first time and to the Friuli region of Italy. The photo above is from Venice where the Spritz reigns king. Here you can see…
Festa della Mamma – Happy Mother’s Day
We celebrated my mother with a tasty Blueberry Lemon Cake recipe from Food 52 . What did you do today?
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 which isn’t particular about portions. Just use what you have in your house and…
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…
Italy....and Me 