Manu’s Menu

Authentic Italian Home Cooking & More

  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • About this site
    • About my photography
    • Privacy and Disclosure Policy
  • Recipes
    • Visual Archive
    • Regional Italian Recipes
  • Books
    • The Cool Side of Summer
    • Manu’s Christmas Menus
    • MsM’s Mobile App
  • Work With Me
    • Affiliate Sign-Up
    • Featured On
  • Out & About
    • Africa
      • South Africa 2019
    • Americas
      • Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize
      • CHILE AND ARGENTINA 2018
    • Asia
      • India
      • Japan 2015
      • Japan 2017
      • Japan 2018
      • Singapore
    • Europe
      • Slovenia and Croatia 2019
      • Italy 2019
    • Oceania
      • French Polynesia (Tahiti) 2017
      • French Polynesia (Tahiti)
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • South Island – New Zealand Guide
  • Blogging Tips
    • Blogging Platform
    • Web Hosting
    • Technology Tips
    • Food Photography
    • Increasing Traffic to your Blog
    • Links
      • MsM in Your Kitchen
      • Events
        • 150 years of the Unification of Italy
        • Olio, Erbe e Fantasia – LILT
  • Tips
    • Techniques
      • Pasta and Gnocchi
      • Pizza and Other Doughs
      • Sauces and Other Basics
      • Decorations
    • Cake and Cookie decoration
      • Cake & Marshmallow Pops
        • Flowery Cake Pops
        • Hello Kitty Cake Pops
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Cake Pops
        • Christmas Tree Cake Pops
        • Sea Marshmallow Pops
      • Fondant Cakes
        • Moo Cake
        • South Pole Cake
        • Lola Cake
        • Hello Kitty Yogurt Cake
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Cake
        • The Little Mermaid Yogurt Cake
        • The Little Mermaid Fondant Cake
        • Sweet Sushi Mini Fondant Cakes
        • Peppa Pig Cake
        • Tinkerbell Cake
        • Miffy Cake
        • Olaf Yogurt Cake
        • Frozen Cake
      • Sugar Cookies
        • Heart Sugar Cookies
        • Dorothy the Dinosaur Sugar Cookies
        • Christmas Tree Ornament Sugar Cookies
      • Eggless Sugar Cookies
        • Chinese New Year Cookies
        • St. Patrick’s Day Cookies
      • Shortbread Cookies
        • Shortbread and Chocolate Hearts
        • Baby Shower Shortbread Cookies
        • Flounder Shortbread Cookie Pops
      • Easy Chocolate Cookies
    • Conversion Tables
    • Gift Ideas
      • Christmas 2010
      • Christmas 2011
      • Christmas 2012
      • Christmas 2013
      • Christmas 2014
      • Christmas 2015
    • Ingredients
    • Where I Shop for Italian Food in Sydney
  • Contact
Snow Cupcakes

Snow Cupcakes

I made these Snow Cupcakes for my daughter’s Frozen birthday party.  She loves cupcakes, so they are always on her party menus… This time, I wanted to make them a little different.  You see, I love making cupcakes because I think they look really beautiful and you can play around with so many flavour and…

Read More »

Plate of Troll Cookies arranged together, coated in cocoa sugar with green sugar moss.

Troll Cookies

Perfect for birthdays or Frozen parties, Troll Cookies look like rocky trolls yet taste melt-in-your-mouth delicious, with pecans, vanilla, and a sweet coating dusted in cocoa and sugar.

Sweet Popcorn Snowballs

Sweet Popcorn Snowballs

I made these Sweet Popcorn Snowballs as part of the menu for my daughter’s 7th birthday party.  As the theme was Frozen, I thought having edible snowballs would be a fun idea.  These are easy to make and look quite nice.  You can make them for a winter themed buffet or save the recipe for…

Read More »

Full Frozen-themed cake view with Elsa, Olaf, sugar castle, and fondant trees.

Frozen Cake

Soft yoghurt layers covered in pale blue fondant create a Frozen Cake with a simple winter style, ideal for parties where children want a dessert inspired by their favourite characters and icy colours.

Olaf Yogurt Cake

Olaf Yogurt Cake

Here goes the first of the 2 Frozen themed cakes I made for Victoria’s 7th birthday.  She took this one to school to celebrate with her friends.  The base is a simple eggless yogurt cake: quick and delicious!  I love how it turned out.  It looked impressive (people were asking where we had bought it…

Read More »

Victoria’s 7th Birthday

On the 16th we celebrated my eldest daughter Victoria’s 7th birthday!!!  I know I always say this, but I really cannot believe how fast time flies.  Victoria is turning into a beautiful and thoughtful little girl and I am trying to enjoy these years as much as I can, as I know she will soon…

Read More »

Whole cake dusted with icing sugar on a plate.

Eggless Yogurt Cake

Soft, moist, and surprisingly light, this Eggless Yogurt Cake uses yoghurt instead of eggs to create a tender crumb that’s perfect for breakfast, afternoon tea, or dessert.

Salted Caramel Popcorn

Salted Caramel Popcorn

I only recently discovered salted caramel popcorn.  My husband bought a box of them from Costco for the birthday party of one of our daughters and I was quite sceptical about them at first.  But that only lasted till the first bite.  OMG, how could I have doubted these would taste so good?  In fact,…

Read More »

Mini carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting and fondant carrots served on a plate.

Mini Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Perfect for small servings, Mini Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting stay soft and lightly spiced, finished with fondant carrots on top.

Miffy Chocolate Cookies

MIFFY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

I made these cookies for my daughter’s 4th birthday party.  If you follow this blog, you will already know that the theme was Miffy, the little bunny.  I made some Mini Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, some Miffys/Bunny Marshmallow Pops, a Miffy Cake and these cookies.  They were quite successful and they were all gone…

Read More »

Miffy Marshmallow Pops

MIFFY MARSHMALLOW POPS

I love making marshmallow pops for my girls’ birthday parties.  They are very fast to make, fun and versatile: you can make almost anything out of marshmallows (check out my Sea Marshmallow Pops and my Pixie Dust Marshmallow Pops).  What I like the most though, is the fact that they are easy and quick to make…

Read More »

Finished Miffy Cake decorated with green fondant, flat Miffy design, balloon detail, and small fondant flowers.

Miffy Cake

Miffy Cake cuteness is hard to resist and easier to make than it looks. Bake it for your next party and enjoy the smiles it brings to everyone around.

GEORGIA’S 4TH BIRTHDAY

On the 1st my youngest daughter turned 4!  If you read this blog regularly, you will know that my family has been hit by a bout of flu that put my husband and daughters in bed for a week.  We had planned Georgia’s birthday party for the 1st of December.  Her nonni were meant to…

Read More »

Chocolate Acorns

CHOCOLATE ACORNS

I have seen these on Pinterest and I just could not get them out of my mind.  I think they look really cute and they fitted in perfectly with my fairy theme for Victoria’s birthday party.  I have seen many “recipes” online and they all pretty much use ready made components that get assembled into…

Read More »

Parmigiano Reggiano Cookies

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO COOKIES

I love savoury cookies and I love cheese!  I had been wanting to make these cookies for a very long time and I finally got a chance for my daughter’s party!  These taste AMAZING… so much better than the cheese crackers you buy!  These are made with Parmigiano Reggiano and anything tastes better with the…

Read More »

Smoked Salmon and Prosciutto Crespelle Snails

SMOKED SALMON AND PROSCIUTTO CRESPELLE SNAILS

For my daughter’s 6th birthday party, I wanted to make a few savoury items as well.  As the theme was fairies and nature, I thought of playing around with shapes.  My first thought was to make sandwiches and cut them into cute shapes, but then I changed my mind as I wanted something a bit…

Read More »

Pixie Dust Marshmallow Pops

PIXIE DUST MARSHMALLOW POPS

Pops are always a great idea for kids parties.  I love cake pops, but they can be quite time consuming to make and as I was already making quite a bit of time consuming food for Victoria’s 6th birthday party, I decided to go for marshmallow pops instead.  They were a great hit at her…

Read More »

Butterfly Cupcakes

BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES

My eldest daughter requested some cupcakes for her Tinkerbell birthday party.  I love cupcakes, I think they are the cutest little things, but I was making a cake covered with fondant, serving marshmallows, chocolate and lots of other sugary items already.  The thought of making frosted cupcakes too, was not really appealing to me.  I…

Read More »

Full view of the Tinkerbell fondant cake with green base and character decorations.

Tinkerbell Cake

Sprinkle some fairy magic on your next party table. This Tinkerbell Cake has soft layers, cute details, and all the charm kids love.

VICTORIA’S 6TH BIRTHDAY

On the 16th my eldest daughter turned 6!!!  I cannot believe how fast time flies.  Before I had kids, a year seemed to last forever… now it’s finished before I even get used to saying “Victoria is 5”!!!   She is turning into a precious little girl and she can look so “grown up” at times……

Read More »

Ricotta Crostata

RICOTTA CROSTATA

After showing you how easy it is to make “ricotta” at home, I thought I would also show you an additional way to cook with it.  I love ricotta, both in sweet and savoury dishes.  Sicilians are famous for their ricotta desserts and I must admit I love sweet ricotta.  It is lighter (also in…

Read More »

A full tray of decorated Peppa Pig Chocolate Cookies displayed on a patterned tablecloth.

Peppa Pig Chocolate Cookies

Peppa Pig Chocolate Cookies are playful piggy delights. The chocolatey dough and cheerful icing always bring giggles to the kitchen and make baking feel like a muddy-puddle moment children love.

Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Cups decorated with biscuit crumbs, gummy worms, and colourful paper umbrellas.

Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Cups

Bring giggles to little faces with Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Cups. Creamy chocolate panna cotta, crumbly cookies, and sweet fizzy worms turn playtime in a cup into a tasty party treat.

A tray of Peppa Pig cupcakes decorated with green and blue icing and fondant figures of Peppa, ducks, and clouds.

Peppa Pig Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Few things brighten a birthday like Peppa Pig Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes. The recipe is easy, the flavours are comforting, and the decorations always make little faces light up.

Finished Peppa Pig birthday cake covered in fondant.

Peppa Pig Cake

Bring the fun of Peppa Pig to your celebration with this easy Peppa Pig Cake. Simple fondant decorations, bright colours, and a soft sponge make it perfect for every birthday.

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…

Read More »

Pizzette

PIZZETTE

Today I am going to share with you another piece of my childhood.  I don’t remember ever attending a birthday party as a child where there was no focaccia and/or pizzette as part of the buffet.  Usually you can buy these little pizze (pizzette actually means “little pizze”) at any bakery and kids love them. …

Read More »

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Welcome to Manu’s Menu!

Hi! I am Manu, the author of Manu's Menu. I was born and brought up in Italy and my blog can show you how to create authentic Italian food in your own home! Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

HOMEMADE PASTA MADE SIMPLE – THE BOOK. CLICK TO BUY IT FROM AMAZON NOW!

Homemade Pasta Made Simple

Archives

Categories

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Video Recipe: Orecchiette with Crudaiola Sauce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqSyzFElbRY
foodgawker bowls-150x150
tastespotting150
Tasteologie badge
Pasta & Gnocchi

The Cool Side of Summer e-Book – Click to buy it now! On SALE for only $9.99!

The Cool Side of Summer e-Book

MsM’S EBOOK – CLICK TO BUY IT NOW!

MsM’S EBOOK – CLICK TO BUY IT NOW!
Community Table Contributor Badge
Sunday Supper Movement

manusmenu

Food blogger, cookbook author, food photographer & stylist.

A batch of homemade flaxseed crackers is always ha A batch of homemade flaxseed crackers is always handy to have in the kitchen.

They're crisp, easy to store, and pair well with dips, soft cheeses, fresh vegetables, or your favourite toppings whenever you need a quick snack.

#flaxseedcrackers #mealprep #healthysnacks #homemade #manu #manusmenu
Creamy goat cheese, crunchy pistachios, and a driz Creamy goat cheese, crunchy pistachios, and a drizzle of honey 🍯

The combination of creamy, sweet, and crunchy textures makes this such an easy appetiser to put together when you want something simple but a little different.

Serve with crusty bread or your favourite crackers and enjoy. 

#pistachios #HoneyDrizzle #sharingplatter #manusmenu
After sharing the scrambled eggs and tomato toast After sharing the scrambled eggs and tomato toast recently, I thought it would be a good time to highlight one of my favourite herb blends 🌿

Herbes de Provence is a traditional French herb blend usually made with herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, and savoury.

It's a simple way to add extra flavour to everyday ingredients and works especially well with eggs, tomatoes, roasted vegetables, potatoes, chicken, and soups.

Have you used Herbes de Provence before?

#herbesdeprovence #frenchcooking #mediterraneanfood #herbblends #manu #manusmenu
Scrambled eggs with tomato on toast is one of thos Scrambled eggs with tomato on toast is one of those simple meals that always works 🍅

Warm, savoury, filling, and made with ingredients most people already have at home.

#scrambledeggs #QuickMeals #breakfastideas #homemademeals #manu #manusmenu
This calamari risotto turned out creamy, rich, and This calamari risotto turned out creamy, rich, and so satisfying 🍚

Made as a low FODMAP recipe, it’s a homemade seafood dinner option that feels filling and easier to enjoy for those with sensitive stomachs or lower FODMAP dietary needs.

 #lowfodmap #calamaririsotto #seafoodrecipes #homemademeals #manu #manusmenu
Pumpkin has a naturally gentle sweetness, which is Pumpkin has a naturally gentle sweetness, which is why ingredients like ginger, coconut cream, herbs, curry paste, or lime work so well with it.

Those subtle layers of flavour help create soups that feel comforting, warming, and more rounded 💛

 #pumpkinsoup #thaifood #homemademeals #homemade #manusmenu
Smooth, creamy, and filled with delicious Thai-ins Smooth, creamy, and filled with delicious Thai-inspired flavours 🍲 This pumpkin soup makes such a lovely homemade dinner idea ✨

#PumpkinSoupRecipe #homemadefood #thaifood #manu #manusmenu
A sweet homemade treat for the person who made lif A sweet homemade treat for the person who made life sweeter first 💖
These chocolate date hearts are filled with soft dates, rich chocolate, and a little homemade love for Mother’s Day 🌷

 #mothersday #mothersdaygiftideas #datehearts #manusmenu
more stories beyond the menu ✈️ #MatchaMoments #t more stories beyond the menu ✈️

#MatchaMoments #travelreels #travelwithmanuela
A simple treat for Mother’s Day 🌸 These chocolate A simple treat for Mother’s Day 🌸

These chocolate covered dates pair perfectly with a warm cup of tea and make a lovely homemade gift or afternoon treat.

Simple, sweet, and easy to make at home.

#mothersday #chocolatecovereddates #HomemadeTreats #dessertideas #teatime #manusmenu
This iced chai is simple to make and perfect when This iced chai is simple to make and perfect when you want something calm and comforting.

Made with a few ingredients and warm spices, it’s a drink you can easily prepare at home without much effort.

Sometimes it’s the simple drinks that you keep coming back to. 💓

#icedchai #homedrinks #teatime #homemade #manu #manusmenu
Ever wondered why your iced matcha tastes differen Ever wondered why your iced matcha tastes different every time?

It’s not just about the ingredients. Small details like the quality of the matcha, how you sift it, and how you whisk it can completely change the result.

Even the texture and colour can tell you a lot before you even take a sip.

Once you start paying attention to these steps, it becomes much easier to get a smoother, more balanced matcha at home 🍵

 #matcha #icedmatcha #Matchalatte #JapaneseTea #manusmenu
Follow on Instagram

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2011–© 2026 - Manu's Menu and Manuela Zangara. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.