Hello Italian Food Forever Subscribers!

It has been a very hectic week moving back to Umbria, but we have managed to scrub our farmhouse clean from floor to ceiling, plant flowers in all the pots around our property, open our pool, and most importantly get my kitchen stocked and organized. I am now free to head into my kitchen and work on some new recipes. It is impossible not to be an inspired cook with all the amazing ingredients available to me here!

One of my favorite activities when we are in Umbria is to visit the local farmer's markets. Every day of the week we have at least one market open within driving distance. This past week we hit the Perugia market as well as the one in Marsciano, and tomorrow we'll head to Ponte San Giovanni which is my favorite market of the week. Lots of artichokes, asparagus, spring peas, and fava beans right now so I am one very happy cook!

As well as visiting the local markets, we try and go to all the major food festivals and sports activities in our area. Saturday we attended Porchettiamo (Porchetta Festival) and Sunday we drove to Tuscany to see the start of the 9th stage of the Giro d'Italia. A very busy week it has been!

The view above is a photo I took yesterday while walking the dog down the street. With all the rain Umbria has been having, everything is VERY green!

Contest Giveaway! Enter to Win a 3 kg Tub of Nutella + My New Favorite Italian Cookbook!
My friend Alex over at Wholesale Italian Food and I were talking recently and realized it was time to do another contest giveaway. This giveaway is very unique, one of a kind, and directed towards all those who love chocolate. Wholesale Italian Food is donating a 3 kg tub of Nutella as the prize, valued at $45. For all those who love this amazing chocolate hazelnut spread, this prize is for you! This Nutella is imported directly from Italy so is as authentic as it can be. Read More.....

Spring Peas With Mint
Although I now love peas, it wasn't until I was an adult that I discovered how amazing fresh spring peas truly are. Growing up, we were often served canned peas, and I developed a terrible dislike for them, finding them mushy and totally inedible. As an adult, peas were the only vegetable I wouldn't eat until I was married and my Mother-In-Law served me fresh peas cooked with mushrooms. I was amazed that peas could actually taste that fresh and delicious, and now every spring I enjoy fresh peas as often as I can. Read More......

Blanched Asparagus With Quick & Easy Hollandaise Sauce
Asparagus is one of those vegetables than most people enjoy, and when prepared properly, it always seems to be the perfect side dish. I recently decided to blanch a bunch of asparagus and then dress it up with a mustard flavored Hollandaise sauce. I make a great easy blender Hollandaise, but my husband had recently seen a Hollandaise sauce made on SeriousEats.com using an immersion blender that was even easier than mine and takes less than two minutes to make that he thought I should try. Read More......

Lemon Panna Cotta With Blueberry Sauce
We do not eat dessert often in our house, but when we entertain I do like to end the meal with something light and sweet. One of my favorite desserts is Panna Cotta, which translated as "cooked cream". It is simply a pudding or flan made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, then mixing this with gelatin, and refrigerating it until set. Though Panna Cotta is usually simply flavored with vanilla, I like to play around with other flavorings and toppings. For this version, I decided to combine lemon and blueberries which are always a tasty flavor combination. As well as lemon peel, I used some Fiori di Sicilia, a favorite extract combining vanilla and lemon that I buy at King Arthur Flour. Read More......