Today I want to share with you a classic Italian recipe: cotechino with lentils. I don’t think there is a single household in Italy that will not serve this dish on New Year’s Eve. It is a huge tradition. Also, lentils are supposed to bring good luck and money in the new year, so we…
Archives for December 2012
ITALIAN STYLE HOT CHOCOLATE WITH WHIPPED CREAM
Italian winters can be really cold. I miss the short days, cosy evenings and heart warming food that we used to have during those cold months. The truth is, it never gets that cold here. One of the special treats we would have in winter was hot chocolate. The Italian hot chocolate is creamy, thick and sinful. …
PORK MEATBALLS WITH PEANUT SAUCE
Thai is one of my favourite Asian cuisines. Believe it or not, there were no Thai restaurants in Milan, at least up until 6 years ago! Some Chinese restaurants would serve some Thai dishes, but they obviously did not have a lot of variety. That’s why, the moment I saw it, I bought this little…
PANETTONE
Merry Christmas everybody! I know you will be very busy in your kitchens today (or at the malls, getting your last minute Christmas shopping done!), but I just could not stop myself from sharing this special recipe with all of you today: Panettone!
GREEN LASAGNE WITH STRACCHINO, ARTICHOKES AND SAUSAGE
When I think of comfort food, the first image that comes to my mind is a plate full of lasagne… no matter how they are made (with a classic beef sauce, with pesto or with any other ingredients), lasagne represent comfort food to me (and the majority of Italians). They are easily going to be…
PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM SEMIFREDDO WITH ROSE CREAM
Today I want to share with you the recipe for a special dessert. A few weeks ago, my friend Abeer from Cake Whiz asked me if I wanted to be a part of a special project she was working on for Christmas. She asked a few of her favourite bloggers to come up with a Christmas…
BISCOTTI DI FICHI – FIG COOKIES
Today, as part of my series on Regional Italian Cuisines, I want to share with you the recipe for a very traditional Christmas Sicilian sweet: biscotti di fichi. They are made with the same dough and filling of Buccellato (the traditional Sicilian cake I have shared with you last year), but they are a bit…
MARRONS GLACÉS
Whenever I think of marrons glacés, I think of Christmas. They are not Italian, as you would have guessed by the name, but these delicious little chestnut sweets are a very common treat at Christmas time in Italy. I am big fan of chestnuts in general and I really enjoy chestnut sweets of all kind,…
CHOCOLATE FUDGE
Who doesn’t like chocolate?? Well… I know a couple of people who are not crazy about it, but really… not many, right? When it comes to home-made Christmas gifts, chocolate never fails and I try to always include something chocolatey in my little hampers. This year I made my favourite fudge! I made it for…
SHEPHERD’S PIE
Our Daring Cooks’ December 2012 Hostess is Andy of Today’s the Day and Today’s the Day I Cook! Andy is sharing with us a traditional French Canadian classic the Paté Chinois, also known as Shepherd’s pie for many of us, and if one dish says comfort food.. this one is it! When I read this month’s challenge…
PEPPA PIG CHOCOLATE COOKIES
I made these cookies for my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. If you follow this blog, you will already know that the theme was Peppa Pig. I made some Peppa Pig Chocolate & Vanilla Cupcakes, Pizza flavoured Piggy Buns, Muddy Puddle Cups, a Peppa Pig Cake and these cookies. They were quite successful and they were…
CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH ORANGE AND MINT GLAZE
A little while ago, my friend Diane from Muppys asked me if I wanted to take part to this year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I checked it out and immediately said yes. The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap brings together food bloggers from around the world in a big cookie swap: you sign up, receive…
SOFT VANILLA & PINK SALT CARAMELS
I made these caramels to give away as presents for Christmas this year. I had wanted to try and make my own caramels for ages, but all the recipes I came across had corn syrup as one of the ingredients and I wasn’t very keen on it… especially since I have never seen it around…
HOME-MADE BAILEYS IRISH CREAM
Baileys is at the top of my list of favourite liquors. I love it plain or in cocktails… and I also use it to make sweets. I make a killer Baileys Ice Cream and I always recommend it to people who want an easy ice cream recipe that does not even require an ice cream…
HOME-MADE CHOCOLATE SYRUP
Today I want to share with you a very easy recipe. I love making at home, food that you would usually buy ready made at the stores. It is often so much tastier and definitely healthier! I actually had to make this for another recipe that called for chocolate syrup, which is an item that…
MUDDY PUDDLE CUPS
If you have ever seen an episode of Peppa Pig, you will know that Peppa’s favourite game is “jumping up and down in muddy puddles”. I had seen something similar on Pinterest, but I could not find a recipe for it… so I decided to make up my own version of edible “Muddy Puddles” for…
PIZZA FLAVOURED PIGGY BUNS
I saw these piggy shaped buns on Pinterest and I could not get them out of my mind! They look too cute! As the theme of my youngest daughter’s birthday party was Peppa Pig, I thought it would be a good time for me to try and make them! I had so much fun and…
PEPPA PIG CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CUPCAKES
These are the cupcakes I made for my daughter’s birthday party. My kids have a very sweet tooth (they took this after their daddy! ;-P), so cupcakes are a must for their birthday parties. I love making them as I have great fun, especially deciding on the decorations and colours. I was not very adventurous…
PEPPA PIG CAKE
My little Georgia is in the Peppa Pig phase… she adores it and would watch it all day long on TV if I let her… So choosing a theme for her 3rd birthday party was quite easy! I immediately decided to make a fondant cake with an image of Peppa Pig on the top. I…
GEORGIA’S 3RD BIRTHDAY
On the 1st my youngest daughter turned 3 and I have been quite busy organising her birthday party. This was also the first time that her nonni were physically present for her birthday, so it was even more exciting for everyone! Yes! My parents are visiting us from Italy and we are having a great…
COCONUT CHICKEN TENDERS WITH APRICOT SAUCE
If you like sweet and sour dishes like me, this one will make you drool. I like chicken, but it can get a bit boring and bland… especially chicken breasts or tenders. What I like about this recipe is that it is actually very quick to make and it uses a few ingredients that I…