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Hello IFF Blog Friends!

It has been a busy month, ending with a trip to Puerto Rico where my husband took part in La Vuelta, a 355 mile bike trip around the island. Since I am not a cyclist, I rented a car and drove from city to city with my little Yorkie Luca which was interesting to say the least. I found the Puerto Rican people extremely friendly, the food very flavorful, and I loved San Juan. Though I always enjoy traveling to new places, it is always great to be back home and get back into my own kitchen!

The photo shows the walls that surround the city of San Juan to protect it. The walls were started in 1630 and finished in 1790. Amazing feat at that time with very rustic tools!

My husband just experienced the winter catastrophe in Atlanta that took place this week, and being Canadian where we are very used to LOTS of snow, it is amazing to see a large city fall into chaos with just an inch or two of snow on the ground. Hoping everyone has made it through this latest winter storm safely and that the rest of the winter is mild!

The Foods Of Love
Valentine's Day has now become a very large, commercial affair, but it still remains a special time for us to tell those we love how important they are to us. Every year, as February 14th approaches, candy, flowers, gifts, and cards are exchanged between loved ones, but where did this holiday actually originate? Read More......

Burrata Cheese On Toasted Bread With Anchovy & Lemon Dressing

Buffalo mozzarella and burrata are two of our favorite Italian cheeses, and when we are in Umbria six months each year, we enjoy them often. Over the past year or two, these two cheeses are now being imported into the US, and there are also artisanal cheese companies that are actually now making these cheeses locally too. Though I cannot say that Florida burrata is as amazing as one created in Puglia or Campania, it is a decent compromise! Get The Recipe......

Cheesy Baked Pasta With Cauliflower
I have always been a huge fan of baked pasta dishes as they are always so comforting and homey. Italian comfort food at its best! This dish starts with a basic bechamel sauce that is enhanced with cheese creating a really creamy, rich sauce. The addition of bacon and cauliflower adds flavor, and then the casserole is topped with a crispy, cheesy crust before baking so with every bite you get a combination of creamy pasta and crispy topping. Get The Recipe......

Caramelized Onion, Pear & Blue Cheese Bites
I am always looking for new appetizer ideas that I can serve to our farmhouse guests at Il Casale di Mele for our complimentary Umbrian wine tastings. The combination of sweet and savory along with a hint of sharp blue cheese is truly addictive! This easy recipes uses puff pastry cut into small squares as the base, and then I top each square with a combination of caramelized onion, pear, chopped walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles. Get The Recipe......

Pasta al Ragu di Cinghiale
Wild boar, or cinghiale is something we enjoy often during the 6 months we spend in Umbria each year, whether it is in a stew, made into a pasta sauce, or cured into salami or prosciutto. Once we return stateside however, wild boar is not easily found so we rarely get to enjoy it. I recently came across some ground wild boar meat at a local butcher shop and absolutely had to buy it. Get The Recipe......

Creamy Baked Parmesan Polenta
A big dish of creamy polenta is the perfect choice for cold, wintery days, topped with your favorite tomato sauce or a spoonful of slow cooked stew. I recently began to bake my polenta in the oven and find it a much easier way to prepare it, and although it still takes a minimum of 45 minutes to cook, it requires only one or two stirrings and you end up with the same creamy polenta that you would if you cooked it on the stove. Get The Recipe......

Spinach Puffs
Puff pastry has become a favorite ingredient in my kitchen and I always keep a package or two in my freezer. It is very easy to use, and the results are always impressive despite the fact that you can create delicious dishes, both sweet and savory, extremely quickly using a good quality of pastry. My recipe includes frozen spinach, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese, but you could adapt the recipe to your own tastes and change it around. Mushrooms go well with spinach as do roasted sweet peppers. Get The Recipe......

Veal And Ricotta Meatballs In Spicy Tomato Sauce
Meatballs or polpettine are an Italian favorite with regional variations, but are not served with pasta in Italy as they are in the United States. Some may say that meatballs are an Italian American invention, yet Pellegrino Artusi, author of La Scienza in Cucina e L'Arte di Mangiar Bene, (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well) published in 1897, includes three recipes for meatballs, though none of these recipes include pasta. It wasn't until Italians emigrated to the US and opened restaurants here that meatballs started to be served alongside (or on top of) pasta. Get The Recipe......