Tuscany: Torta di Mele (Apple Cake)
I’ve been writing about Italy for several weeks now (except for a little hiatus due to work craziness), and I know every place I write about is all amazing and beautiful and historic and delicious and OMG-level. But I hadn’t gotten to Tuscany yet. And all the stuff about those other regions was 100% true, […]
Rome: Ciambelline al Vino with Dipping Chocolate
There’s a very good reason why Rome is so storied and romanticized and revered. It deserves it. I first visited Rome on an organized bus tour with my mom in 1999, then with a girlfriend a few months later while studying abroad in Paris in college. Those visits were very short, but I instantly knew […]
Puglia: Spicy Pepper & Herb Taralli
For most people, visiting Italy means Rome, Florence, Venice, maybe Milan, right? Let’s throw in Bologna or Pisa if you wanna get real fancy. But how many tourists make it to the southern part of the Boot? Destinations like Napoli, the Amalfi Coast, and even Sicily might be on the list after hitting the main handful of hotspots; but an […]
Amalfi Coast & Positano: Wild Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecakes
Everyone has their own idea of paradise, whether it’s a tropical island, a lake in the mountains, a tranquil forest, or whatever place brings you pure joy. Maybe even one’s own backyard. My happiest Happy Place is of the Italian persuasion… which you might have guessed by now. đ One place in particular that I […]
Lombardia: Torta Sbriciolata with Cocoa, Ricotta & Chocolate Chips
Last year I waxed poetic about a cake from northern Italy that I had discovered called torta sbriciolata (sbree-cho-LAH-tah), which consists of a crumbly base and top layer sandwiching a creamy or fruity filling. And I was all, âThis cake is amazing!â and âThis cake is so easy!â and âIâm going to post so many flavors […]
An Italian Love Story: Reflections & Recipes Inspired by my Travels to Bella Italia
Have you ever been to a place that has utterly overtaken your soul… and you didn’t have the faintest desire to resist? A place that seeped into your bloodstream? A place that you fantasize about on a daily basis from afar? A place you know you belong? I love to travel and see new places, […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: S Cookies
I’m slowly building my repertoire of Italian pastries, and I’d like to think that I’m getting fairly familiar with a wide array of regional specialties. (I’m even thisclose to finally posting my blog series based on my two recent trips to Italy– this has been literally years in the making.) But S Cookies? Never heard of ’em. […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Tricolor Cake
I’ve made no secret of the fact that Italy tugs at my heartstrings on a daily basis. In fact, I hope to live there one day… However, there’s one little problem with that. (I mean, in addition to not being a citizen, learning better Italian, getting a job there, and a host of other minor […]
Baked Sunday Mornings: Nutella Chip Cookies
The Italians get it right; when it comes to food, in my opinion their culinary prowess is unparalleled in the world. One such invention is the luxurious chocolate-hazelnut spread that we know and love as Nutella. It is the filling lovingly shmeared on slices of bread by Italian mothers for their children; the ultimate topping slathered on waffles […]
Positano Dreamin’: Amalfi Pear & Ricotta Cake
Imagine, if you will, an Italian beach town paradise with colorful buildings, bright fuschia bougainvilleas, and curly iron balconies cascading down the side of a mountain to meet the perfectly aquamarine Mediterranean Sea. Rows upon rows of orange beach umbrellas carpet the sand in-between, and a few small boats bob in the distance. You are sitting in […]
