The other day my eldest daughter came home from school saying she wanted to bake a crostata for the whole family. We usually make a butter-based crostata dough (click here for the recipe) which tastes amazing and never fails! However, I have recently found out that I am lactose intolerant and she absolutely wanted mummy…
Pumpkin Jam
Have you ever had Pumpkin Jam? I personally love it and I also love the fact that it is really easy to make. This version also has a hint of freshly grated ginger to it, and I think it works really well with the pumpkin flavour. You can use this jam to make tarts, pies,…
White Chocolate Almond Fudge
My husband adores both white chocolate and condensed milk (yes, he has a very sweet tooth!), so I am always looking at ways to use these ingredients together. This White Chocolate Almond Fudge was a huge success. I also liked the slight crunch that the crushed almonds added to it. This fudge makes for a…
Homemade Jelly Candies
Jelly candies covered in sugar were among my favourite candies as a child. I used to love the citrus flavoured ones the most. The crunchiness of the sugar coating and the gummy softness of the candies, the sweetness and tartness were all contrasts I could not resist! This homemade version is healthy and delicious… it…
Aromatic Olive Oil
This Aromatic Olive Oil is a great recipe to have. I personally love the mix of herbs, garlic and chilly it uses and I find is very versatile. You can use this oil for bruschetta, meat, fish, salads, and even as a simple pasta sauce! It also makes for a fantastic edible gift, so make…
Cicatelli all’Arrabbiata
If you follow Manu’s Menu you will very luckily know by now that I have just written a book about pasta: Homemade Pasta Made Simple. It’s been available for pre-order on Amazon for a few weeks, and it has now been officially released! Yay! Click here to get your copy now! So, to celebrate such…
Home-made Apple Pie Spice Mix
Living in Australia, I do not find many of the spice mixes available in North America (or in Europe), so I often make my own. Besides, these spice mixes are usually made by stirring together spices that are commonly available everywhere in the world. I already showed you how to make Cajun Seasoning, Pumpkin Pie…
Black Olive Tapenade
Black Olive Tapenade is a Provençal dish consisting of puréed olives, herbs and olive oil. It is a popular condiment in the south of France, where it is generally eaten as an appetiser, spread on bread. Maybe not everyone knows though, that olive based tapenades are very common in Italian cuisine and trace back to…
Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
I am very excited about today’s recipe, as it brings together 2 of my favourite things: chocolate cookies and home-made vanilla ice cream. Is there anything better than Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches? YES: home-made Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches! The cookies are chocolate heaven and they go so well with…
Home-made Ranch Dressing
I must confess that I had never heard of Ranch Dressing before I started blogging. It’s definitely not an Italian thing. We use more vinaigrette based condiments for our salads and vegetables, so I never really knew it. After trying it though, I must say that I fell in love with it. I am a…
Kinder Cereali
Since moving to Australia 10 years ago (!), there are many things I am not able to eat as they are not sold here. In all this time, I have learnt how to make some of these things like sofficini or pizzoccheri for example. Today’s recipe is another one of such items: Kinder Cereali. It…
Home-made Spanish Chorizo
Here goes my third, and last, Spanish recipe in a row. And what better than home-made Spanish chorizo?? You already know I LOVE to make things from scratch and sausages always come out great! To tell you the truth, I had never thought to make Chorizo at home… I was somehow “obliged to”, as the…
Mango Liqueur
As you already know, I love to make my own liqueur. I really like to experiment with different flavours and fruit based liqueurs are the ones I like the most. I must confess that I don’t drink much (I know… I am a weird kind of Italian who doesn’t really appreciate a good glass of…
Orange Caramel Sauce
Who doesn’t like a gooey, sticky, decadent caramel sauce?? I am a huge fan of caramel anything and this Orange Caramel Sauce has quickly become my favourite sauce! It’s sweet, slightly tangy, salty, bitter… all at the same time. The flavour is so intense and complex that it is really hard to explain… you just…
Marzipan Lambs
Today’s recipe is a classic Sicilian sweet that is made and eaten to celebrate Easter. In Italian these delicious treats are called Pecorelle di Pasqua or Agnelli Pasquali which literally mean Easter Lambs. As they are made out of marzipan, I thought that Marzipan Lambs would be a better translation… at the end of the…
Honey Hard Candy
Have you ever made candy? I have made caramel and sugar decorations (remember my Frozen cake?) and even lollipops, but I had never made flavoured hard candy before. I got the idea when I had my last cold with a terrible sore throat. I used to buy honey candy in Italy and I suddenly felt…
Cajun Seasoning
Today’s post is not a complicated recipe, but it is a very useful one for people who do not live in the USA and don’t have access to store bought Cajun seasoning but still want to enjoy the delicious dishes you can make with it. Even if you can buy the ready made mix, it’s…
Spiced Potato Wedges with Easy Sweet Chilli Sauce
It is time again for the “Secret recipe club” reveal! I am sure you all know what the club is about, but for the few of you who still don’t know about it, here goes a brief explanation. It is a great concept… each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a…
Home-made Grapefruit Liqueur
I love making my own liqueurs. I find that they taste great and require minimal effort. They are also a fantastic gift idea and you can make them of many different flavours. I have already shared with you a few recipes (you can find them here) and today I’d like to add this Grapefruit Liqueur…
Home-made Mustard
For the month of December Jenni from The Gingered Whisk challenged us to make our own condiments. Ketchup, Mayo, hot sauce… nothing is too challenging for the daring cooks. Ah condiments! Growing up in Italy, I never really used/ate any of them, apart from Mayo and Ketchup. They are not really part of Italian cuisine, but…
Olive Bread
Since moving to Australia I have become more and more interested in baking my own bread. When I was living in Italy, buying artisanal bread was easy and convenient. I never lived too far from a bakery. In fact, come to think of it, nobody lives more than a 5 minute walk from one, at…
Marinated Fresh Anchovies
Marinated Fresh Anchovies, known as Alici marinate in Italian, are a classic Italian appetiser. You can find this dish in almost any restaurant and I have always loved it. When I was younger, my dad got the recipe from our fishmonger and has been making it at home ever since, with some minor modifications. So,…
