Bake with abandon!
There must be something wrong with me. For lunch today, I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich with 5-year-old orange cheddar on whole wheat European-style sourdough bread. And what did I do to it? Burned it? No. It was crispy golden brown. Dropped it? No. …
Good things come in bunches. Like carrots. When I saw these at the Farmers’ Market I was impressed by the sheer volume. I don’t think the carrots would have had the same impact if there had been only a handful. And a single carrot? Well, …
I’m chuffed. And confused. Recently, Lisa from Magic Sprinkles nominated me for a Brillante Weblog thingy. (See the logo on the left.) This pleases me immensely since Lisa’s blog can be pretty funny, especially when she has disastrous results with cake balls. I’m confused because …
Who is Ioan Gruffudd (pronounced YO-an GRIF-th), star of Horatio Hornblower, Fantastic Four, and Amazing Grace, talking to? It could be yours truly. You’ll have to take my word for it since the little audio clip I’d prepared refuses to upload. Something about needing a …
I don’t have a drop of Italian blood in me. Fortunately, Debbie does. And with typical Italian generosity, she shares her family’s spaghetti and meatball secrets. It’s a true family recipe, not one ripped from the pages of a magazine and incorporated into family lore …
Not bad for a first try. Gnocchi has intimidated me ever since I visited friends in Italy and returned from a day of sight seeing to find my hosts and their entire kitchen covered in flour. While I was touring the colosseum in Verona, they’d …
Italian cuisine can be full of surprises. Despite calling for two whole tablespoons of minced garlic, this dish is sweet and unexpectedly subtle. Too subtle for some. Like my father, who diplomatically suggested I shouldn’t bother making it again but was open to lemon pie. …
Reviewing my Italian week line-up, I realized that unless you’re carb-loading for a marathon, you’ll need a break from the starch I’m about to foist upon you before the week’s over. Stromboli, risotto, spaghetti and gnocchi are all wonderful, but I can feel my waistband …
It’s Italian week and I’m more than a little intimidated. You could spend a lifetime studying its regional dishes and only take a small bite out of the country’s offerings. Where do I start? What should I cover? Can I do The Boot justice? So, …