Okay, I admit that I may be biased but I had extraordinary grandparents.😁 They were four, very different and unique individuals - each exceptional in their own way. I value the relationships that I had with my each of them and I feel like I discover more personality traits that I share with my grandmothers, in particular, every single year. My very young self would have described my grandmothers as lovers of people, creators of amazing meals and all around fun-loving individuals. It wasn't until later when I started to see them as the examples of strong, intelligent, generous and compassionate women that they were. My maternal grandmother was a lover of walks along the road, big family gatherings and playing the piano. This small framed, dark haired, college educated music teacher devoted herself to managing her household of 4 children and a husband. She was truly a woman ahead of her time. In my grandmother's house, there was an exceptionally long dining room table. I have no idea how long that table actually was, but somehow, there always seemed to be a seat for everyone, even at the largest family gatherings. When I visited, we ate all of our meals at this table. It was grand and even as a young child, I have no memory of ever seeing it without a starched, white linen tablecloth. My grandmother was a lover of all things sour. "Tart" as she would say. She loved rhubarb and grapefruit and I'm pretty sure she would have embraced the sour patch candy if she had been introduced. 🤣 I distinctly remember eating breakfast at her fabulous dining table one morning when I was somewhere around the age of 10. I sat beside my grandmother happily devouring a stack of her famous buckwheat pancakes while my grandmother methodically segmented and scooped the flesh out of a particularly fresh looking grapefruit. There's no doubt that I was rambling on and on to her about my latest soccer game or piano recital while she patiently listened to every story I shared. When she had consumed the last bite of fruit, one of my Florida relatives walked into the room and pointed out that the fruit that she had just eaten was in fact ... a lemon. 🍋😅 A LEMON!! "I thought it was a little tart" was her unruffled responce in the most even tone. 😂 I'm not sure that I could ever sit down and eat a lemon with a knife and spoon but I have inherited her affection for "tart" foods. I too am a lover of all things citrus. Especially this time of year. Adding lemon to Spring and Summer desserts just seems to add a bit of sunshine and brightness. ☀️ Lemon Berry Bundt Cake is exactly that. Bright, sweet and in honor of my grandmother - just the right amount of "tart." Lemon Berry Bundt Cake 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup almond flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup prepared lemon curd 2 cups mixed fresh berries Lemon Cream 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup prepared lemon curd 1 Tbsp. sifted confectioners' sugar mixed berries
Serve cake with lemon cream and berries.
Most of my childhood memories involve food in some way or another. 🤷🏻♀️ I'm not sure if that's a result of growing up in an Italian - food centered family or because I've just always been a foodie at heart. 🤣 But I'll always treasure the memories of the time that I was able to spend with my grandparents. This one's for you grandma.😁 Ciao!
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Tradition and food have always been very closely knitted together. All of our family traditions are intertwined with food in some way. For every event, milestone or holiday, we have a meal or a particular food that become synonymous with it. It's hard to even imagine birthdays without cake or Thanksgiving without turkey. I shutter at the thought of a cookie-less Christmas. 🤣 Today is April 15th - it's Good Friday and it's the start of Passover! People all over the world, from different faiths and communities will be celebrating with great food today. For the Jewish community, a Seder meal will mark the beginning of Passover, this evening. There's no stronger example of the link between food and celebration than a traditional Passover feast. Jews all over the world will be celebrating tonight and sharing a traditional Seder meal. Every food that is served at this feast is intentional. Each has a significance and a purpose and guests partake in the 15 step meal as the story of Exodus is retold. I am not Jewish and all of the Passover information that I shared with you, is new to me. I did some research on the Passover after I was asked to prepare some desserts for a traditional Seder dinner. I was so enthralled with learning about this fascinating holiday, that my investigation went far beyond recipe collection. Needless to say, I was honored to play a small role in two local Seder meals this week. And I actually got to attend my first Seder dinner this year and and it was impactful. Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch 4-5 Matzo squares 2 sticks butter 1 cup brown sugar 12 ounces dark chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Sprinkle pecans over chocolate and allow to set. Remove from pan using foil. Cut into squares. I mentioned that I made two different desserts with the Matzo crackers. The second dessert was a Chocolate Matzo Mousse Cake. I will post the recipe for that soon. If you need the recipe before it gets posted - drop me a note and I'll email to you. 😅 It's equally delicious.
Ciao!
We began our Spring break at the airport and judging from the number of people trying who were also trying to get through the security lines at the world's busiest airport, I can only assume that there were only a handful of people NOT travelling last week. 😅 Kidding of course. There were lots of flip flop wearing, straw hat sporting, beach bag carrying travelers - obviously headed to warm, sunny, tropical locations. 🏝 Unlike many of the travelers last week though, we chose to go North instead of South so that we could spend some time with some of our very favorite people. Loved ones that we don't get to see nearly often enough. When given the option, I'll choose quality time with family over laying on a beach, every time. I'm immensely grateful for the time that we were able spend in Ohio last week and the many memories that we made together. Ir's become somewhat of a tradition for me to bake biscotti when I visit my parents in Ohio but unfortunately, there simply wasn't enough time for me to fit biscotti baking into last week's busy itinerary. My parent's and I share such a love for biscotti that I'm starting to wonder if it's genetic. 🤣 FYI, if there's someone out there studying the "biscotti gene" - I will volunteer myself to participate in all studies associated with the Italian treat. 🙋🏻♀️😂 Even though I didn't make any biscotti on my most recent visit, I still associate the crunchy twice baked treats with travels to Ohio. So in honor of last weeks Northeast Ohio Spring break adventure - I'm sharing a biscotti recipe that I made a little while ago. This Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti is my first ever, savory, biscotti and I'm a little obsessed with it. A subtle kick of black pepper and a sprinkling of salty parmesan makes them more than a little addicting. 😅 I recommend a nice glass of red wine as an accompaniment to these delectable treats. Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti 1½ Tablespoons whole black peppercorns 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 2 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes 4 large eggs 1 cup whole milk
Lay slices on baking sheet. Bake an additional 20 minutes on each side. 99% of the time, I eat biscotti with a cup of coffee or a tea. But this savory biscotti is the exception. Pair this biscotti with a nice glass of cabernet and you've got a perfect afternoon treat.
Ciao! I'm an introvert by nature. A fact that won't surprise anyone who knows me. 😅 It's taken me a long time for me to accept the fact that being an introvert is a part of what makes me - me. It's not necessarily a personality flaw but I've still had to learn to how to deal with it. I've learned over the years that after I spend time socializing and interacting with people, I need to recharge by spending time alone. I've also learned that by contrast, extroverts (like my husband) glean energy from other people. We've been married for nearly 29 years and we're still trying to understand the intricacies of each other's personality traits. He's learned to accept my need for solitude but I still don't think he'll ever understand it. One of the things I do when I feel the need to reenergize myself is retreat to my kitchen. There's a reason that I chose a neutral, monochromatic color scheme that evokes a sense of peacefulness and calm when I redesigned my kitchen last Fall. It's also the room where I spend a lot of alone time. My family is well aware of the fact that if they linger in the kitchen for any length of time, I will assign them a task. Sooooo, they tend to avoid hanging out in there and as a result - I get a lot of alone time in the kitchen. 🤣 Solo baking is actually therapeutic for me. 🥖 For some reason, I find the experience of combining simple ingredients into light, fluffy loaf of bread - incredibly fulfilling. It's not an experience that can be rushed or forced. It takes time and a whole lot of patience to be a bread baker. These loaves of Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread took 3 days of preparation. It may seem like a long time but most of the time during those 3 days are spent waiting for the dough to rise. Trust me when I tell you that this delicious bread was worth every minute of time that I invested into it. Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Sponge 2 cups bread flour 1 cup warm water 1/2 teaspoon yeast Soaker 3 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup wheat germ Dough 6 Tablespoons butter, softened 1/4 cup honey 2 Tablespoons yeast 2 Tablespoons oil 4 teaspoons salt
Place loaves on baking stone, reduce heat to 350 and bake 40-50 minutes or until loaves reach 200 degrees. Cool 2 hours in pan before removing.
I can think of so many reasons that I need to keep a loaf (or 2) of this bread on hand at all times. 😅 Ciao! I'm a terrible poker player.🃏 I'm just not very good at hiding my feelings and even though I might not always say everything that I'm thinking - my face always tells the truth. 😬 Those that know me tease me about the fact that I have absolutely zero poker face.😅 It's not necessarily a bad personality trait but it's gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion. I'm not a wine snob or a wine connoisseur in any sense of the word. I enjoy a glass of wine when we go out to dinner and I generally stick to something in the cabernet family. One night I decided to stretch outside of my relatively small wine comfort zone and order something different. The server recommended 2 different wines with so much vigor and conviction that I ordered a sample of each. 🍷 What I did NOT expect was that our most gracious server would stand at the table and watch me sample her suggested wines.😬 This is where my face gets me into trouble because I just knew that my expression was giving away all the thoughts that were swirling around my head while I sipped. I wanted so badly to tell her that I agreed with her recommendations and I loved them both, but after one sip, there was no denying the fact that I wasn't a fan of either wine. 🥴 So, I did what every socially awkward person would do in that situation. I attempted to avoid the condemning stares from the server and sidestep the conversation by asking for a sample tasting of third type of wine. 🤦🏻♀️ I'm honestly not sure whether the 3d glass of wine was really exceptional but I didn't make a weird face when I drank it, so I'm took that as a good sign and I ordered a glass. 😅 I'm not the only person in my family that has a hard time maintaining a poker face when I eat something that doesn't meet my expectations though. 😑 I've learned to read my family's faces when they take that first bite of something, pretty well. It also helps that they're not shy about sharing their feedback after a meal. 😅 Eggplant Lasagna is always a good choice if I want to get truly authentic facial feedback. It's impossible to eat this cheese and marinara smothered veggie layered in between delicate sheets of pasta, without making a face. You have to either smile because you enjoy it or make the face of someone who is trying to swallow a bite that they wished they hadn't ever put into their mouth. 😋🥴 I'm happy to report that there were lots of smiles at the table when I served this eggplant lasagna. We all agreed that it was delicious and we ate every bite - no poker faces required. Eggplant Lasagna 3 large eggplants 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil, spray olive oil or ghee ———- 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped 6 ounces baby spinach 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper ——- 16-ounce tub of whole milk ricotta 1 large egg 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper —-- 24-ounce jar marinara sauce, about 3 cups 8 no-boil lasagna noodles 1– 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella 1/4– 1/3 cup pecorino 1/4–1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 375. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer. It's completely up to you as to whether or not you want to disclose the fact that it's a vegetable based lasagna, ahead of time. As for me, I'll never stop trying to sneak vegetables into soups and tacos. It's just how I roll. 🤣 Enjoy the recipe!
Ciao! |
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