Some of the most delicious traditions come from Italian homes during the holidays. Although Italians always seem to take an interest in food particularly during the numerous holidays throughout the year, at Christmas, food always seems to become a priority. Apart from the many religious traditions, this is the time each year when family celebration foods are prepared and families gather together to enjoy this special season. One of the most famous traditions followed each Christmas is the...
Read the whole entry »
Pork tenderloin is a delicious, low fat entree that is easy to prepare and is great stuffed. Pork tenderloin is in fact one of the leanest meats available, and according to the National Pork Producers, it’s nearly as low in saturated fat as chicken breasts. The tenderloin is part of the loin, and you can usually find it sold separately in packages of two that generally weigh about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds each. Since there’s very little fat on this cut of pork, a nice tenderloin can go a...
Read the whole entry »
I wanted to make some savory biscotti for over the holidays that would be great to have on hand to serve to guests with a nice glass of red wine, and although I love my Savory Parmesan Biscotti, I wanted something a little different with a more pronounced cheese flavor. I ended up finding a recipe I liked from Epicurious from December 2006. I did increase the amount of cracked black pepper used because I really wanted to be able to taste the pepper. I also used Pecorino Romano cheese in place... Read the whole entry »
This is such an easy, elegant treat to make and once you’ve made it once you’ll want to do so over and over again. Basically, chocolate bark is simply chocolate that is melted and poured onto a baking sheet, then topped with anything from dried fruit and nuts, to crushed candy. The topping options are really endless! For the holidays I decided to combine my favorite type of dark chocolate, with dried cranberries and pistachios for a festive holiday look. Since this recipe is so...
Read the whole entry »
To celebrate our new blog design we decided to run a contest giveaway and since everyone loves pizza, we thought a pizza party giveaway would be the perfect prize. How would you like to host your own pizza party with authentic Neapolitan products over the holidays? The folks at Wholesale Italian Foods have generously donated this amazing Deluxe Pizza Kit to make over 15 pizzas as a prize. The pizza kit includes San Marzano tomatoes, San Felice Tipo “00″ flour, Mariella Olive Oil,...
Read the whole entry »
I recently discovered this amazing sauce or pesto that I have fallen in love with. Although I’ve made sun-dried tomato pesto many times before and thoroughly enjoyed it each and every time, this version combines sun-dried tomatoes with an equal amount of chili peppers. Add in some garlic, fresh basil, salt, pepper and olive oil and you have a sauce or condiment that is truly amazing! This sauce is really addictive, and can be spread on grilled bread as a bruschetta topping, be used as a...
Read the whole entry »
I am always looking for new apple recipes that I can use at our farmhouse in Umbria. Since our last name translates as “apples”, we named our farmhouse rental Il Casale di Mele. As well as using an apple theme throughout the house in the decor, I like to bake our weekly guests an apple themed treat upon their arrival.
I came across these apple muffins with a cream cheese filling and a streusal topping in a Taste of Home magazine, and they looked so good I had to give them a try.... Read the whole entry »
I really enjoy cranberries, and since they are not available year round, I often buy a few bags and store them in my freezer for later when fresh ones are no longer available. In Italy, cranberries are non-existant, at least anywhere I’ve looked in central Italy. Having just said that, I must say that I did find some dried cranberries being sold in a budget grocery store in Umbria under the label of Mirtilli Americano (American Blueberries) but I’ve yet to see fresh cranberries...
Read the whole entry »
More Recent Articles | 
No comments:
Post a Comment