Vol au Vents, although originally from France, are widely used in Italy and even though they were probably more in fashion a few years ago, they are still often found on buffet tables and finger food dinners. I really like them. There is nothing better than biting into a crispy and flaky shell of puff…
Cheese Bitterballen
The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was brought to us by Andrea from 4pure. She introduced us to one of her family favorites which is soon to become one of yours, too. Welcome to the world of Dutch Bitterballen! Oh that sounded intriguing! I love discovering new dishes and this one sounded particularly yummy and… exotic. But…
Fried Manchego with Tomato and Orange Blossom Jam
In my early 20’s I visited Spain a few times. Oh Spain, an amazing country, one of my favourite places in the world. I have been to the North (in the Basque country), the center (Madrid is such a beautiful city), the east (I left a piece of my heart in Barcelona and Catalunya) and…
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…
Margarita Chicken Wings
In the recent couple of years I have come to LOVE eating chicken wings. They are really not something Italians eat a lot of. I mean, we do eat them when we cook a whole chicken and we use them a lot to make chicken broth, but they are not an appetiser kind of food…
BUFFALO STYLE WINGS
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…
ALBÓNDIGAS EN SALSA DE ALMENDRAS
The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice. Wow! What a great theme!…
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO PANNA COTTA
I know I know… I am sure you are thinking that I must have gone mad. Yes, Parmigiano Reggiano is a cheese and Yes again, Panna Cotta is (usually) a dessert. But hear me out. What is panna cotta made of? Basically, cream. To which we add flavours, milk (sometimes), gelatine and sugar. If you…
CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE MINI CUPCAKES
If you follow this site more or less regularly, you already know that I love small desserts… I love the fact that they are (almost) guilt free and even more I love the fact that you can eat 2 or 3 different desserts for the calories of a single big one. You see, I love…
COCA COLA CHICKEN WINGS
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. Each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in turn…
STRAWBERRY AND LEMON CHEESECAKE IN A GLASS
Who doesn’t love cheesecakes?? I do! I must say that I discovered them quite late in my teenage years as they are not an Italian “thing” (though now they are quite popular in Italy too). I was in New York for 3 weeks as an exchange student when I was 17 and one of the (many) things…
SWEET CHILLI AND ORANGE CHICKEN WINGS
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. Each month you are assigned a participating food blogger to make a recipe from and in turn…
PASTEIS DE BACALHAU
When I was 18 I went on holiday to Portugal with my parents. It was one of the best trips I took as a child and one I will never forget. We flew to Lisbon, rented a car and drove around the country… in spring. The sun was shining and the sky was so blue! …
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…
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…
CIAMBELLA RUSTICA – SALAMI AND SMOKED SCAMORZA BUNDT CAKE
The weather is getting warmer around here… this is the time of the year when I prefer to eat out. In a few weeks it will be too hot for my liking. So I try to enjoy this weather as much as I can! Today I am going to share with you the recipe for…
SWEET SUSHI
I have been wanting to make sweet sushi for a while now! I always thought that it looked great. My daughter’s birthday party was the perfect occasion as it was a “sea themed” party. I have to say that this was probably the most successful dish of the buffet as it did look quite real and impressive,…
SEA MARSHMALLOW POPS
Organising a little girl’s birthday party can be lots of fun… but it also requires a bit of research. Especially when the little one has a clear idea of what she wants (and she’s only 5!). The theme HAD to be The Little Mermaid. So I started looking around the web for ideas (thank you…
MINI MEAT PIES
You cannot get more Aussie than this: meat pie is an iconic Australian dish and it had to be a part of my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” 24×24 event. You can get it almost anywhere and there are also shops that only sell these. They can be made with different fillings (chicken and…
WHOLE WHEAT CHEESE CRACKERS
The other day, I was drooling over checking out Foodgawker and when I saw these, I just could not get over them. I don’t know if it ever happens to you… you know, when you see something that you “just have to make”, right then and there! Well, I was lucky enough to have all…
SUPER BOWL OR FOOTY NIGHT SUGGESTIONS
I must admit I am no football lover. In fact, the only football I like is soccer… I am Italian after all. After reading quite a bit about the upcoming Super Bowl though, I started thinking that the most fun part about the event would be watching it with friends and family while sharing some…
SAUSAGE ROLLS
Today we celebrate Australia Day! You all know I was born and brought up in Italy… but I also became an Australian citizen 2 years ago. I love this country and I am very happy to be part of such a wonderful and diverse community. People often ask me how I cope so far from…
SUPPLÌ AL TELEFONO
Today’s recipe takes us to the Italian region of Lazio. Lazio is a coastal region in Central Italy and it includes Rome, the capital of Italy. Many of the most popular Italian dishes come from this area. They include carbonara, amatriciana, abbacchio, carciofi alla giudia and many more. So stay tuned for more recipes from…
GORGONZOLA AND MASCARPONE FILLED DATES
I love cheese… I am almost as addicted to cheese as I am to chocolate and coffee!!! And gorgonzola is my all time favourite cheese. This is a very easy “recipe” for an elegant appetiser that is perfect for Christmas or New Year’s Eve or any other special occasion. The contrast between gorgonzola and the…
OLIVE ALL’ASCOLANA
This has always been one of my favourite antipasti, perfect along a good glass of chilled white wine while waiting to serve dinner. I have never seen it here in Sydney and I was looking for the perfect occasion to try and make it at home. And what better occasion than my series on Regional…
CURRY PUFFS
I love Thai food. It is the first Asian cuisine I learnt to enjoy. I love everything about it: textures, flavours, spices, smells… the full package. Whenever we go out to eat Thai, curry puffs are always among the appetisers we order. I love these crunchy little parcels of fried pastry filled with all kinds…
BACCALA’ FRITTERS – FRITTELLE DI BACCALA’ – MY GUEST POST AT SUNSHINE & SMILE
When my friend Kankana from Sunshine & Smile asked me to write a guest post for her site I almost jumped out of my seat! Probably you guys do not know this (not even you Kankana), but she has been the first person to comment on my blog! Since then we have exchanged lots of…
