Today’s recipe is a really quick and simple snack idea. These Peanut Butter Nutella Banana Bites are perfect to satisfy any sweet cravings you or your kids may have, as it is relatively healthy. The base of the dish is fruits after all… 😉 You can dose the ingredients as per your taste, so I haven’t put…
Nonna’s Poached Pears
Today’s recipe brings back very fond memories of my grandmother Bice. She was a fantastic cook and she could whip up amazing dishes. These easy pears though were like a trademark. Only she could turn something so simple into a fingerlicking dessert. To make this recipe, you need small cooking pears that are still hard…
Prosciutto, Goat’s Milk Ricotta and Rockmelon Skewers
As I promised, today I am back with an idea on how to use the home-made Goat’s Milk Ricotta from my latest post. Today’s recipe is the perfect summer appetiser, but it also works well as a palate cleanser any time of the year. It looks very elegant, but it is actually very easy to make. If…
Banana Milk
Today’s post is a special one. The recipe itself is so easy that I am not even sure it could be passed on as a “recipe” per se, but it is my eldest daughter favourite treat and she insisted I “put it on the blog”… so here it is. When I was a child, my…
Apple Roses
I love apple desserts, don’t you? When I was a child, my favourite cake was this Apple Tart and it is still one of my favourites. Today’s recipe is quite common in Italy and there are a few variations to it. Some people cook the apples, others use them raw, some people sprinkle cinnamon on…
Watermelon and Strawberry Salad with Ginger and Lime Syrup
October is breast cancer awareness month and it provides an opportunity for us all to focus on breast cancer and its impact on those affected by the disease in our community. According to a research, breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Australian women… did you know that 42 women are diagnosed each day…
Biancomangiare with Citrus Salad
Today’s recipe is all about Sicily. Last week I shared with you the recipe for Sicilian Almond Milk, a deliciously sweet drink. Besides drinking it plain, it also makes a great base for desserts like Biancomangiare. Biancomangiare (where bianco means “white” and mangiare means “to eat”) is a traditional Italian pudding and in its Sicilian version it…
Torta di Mele della Nonna
Today’s recipe is literally called “Granny’s Apple Cake”, but it’s not my granny’s recipe. It is indeed, a very classic Italian style apple cake, one that my granny would have loved. I have a thing for apple cakes and pies. I find them really comforting. As it is the beginning of winter here in Australia (and…
Razzleberry Pie
The combination of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries plus a crumb topping makes for a scrumptious Razzleberry Pie! As you know, I am travelling at the moment, so I thought of asking some of my favourite food blogger friends to come over and share some of their amazing creations with all of you! I told you…
Pomegranate Panna Cotta
Oh yes, another panna cotta recipe. I know, I know… I already have quite a few on the blog, but it is a dessert that I really love and I often make it. Besides, it is so easy and quick to put together that it often comes in handy. Panna cotta is a little like…
Cinnamon Apple Chips
During the Christmas holidays, we all tend to eat a lot. And we also snack a lot more than during other times of the year. I find it easier to snack on healthy food and fresh fruits here in Australia, as it is summer, but for all my friends and family up in the Northern…
Vanilla Poached Tamarillos #SundaySupper
This week, the #SundaySupper bloggers are sharing recipes with ingredients that are hunted or foraged. This can include wild game or vegetarian options or also special ingredients that you have to source online or hunt down at specialty markets. I love the theme! As I regularly cook with ethnic ingredients (where for ethnic, I mean…
Strawberry Jam
Mmmm strawberry jam… who doesn’t like it? It was my absolute favourite for a long time. As a child, it would be the only one I would eat. Growing up I have learnt how to appreciate a wider vairiety of jams and preserves, but my love for strawberry jam is still there, intact. Making your…
Pomegranate Risotto
As you know, autumn has come to the Southern hemisphere. I can’t lie… I don’t mind it. I welcome the fresher air and the leaves changing colour on the trees. It is a beautiful season. And I LOVE autumn food: mushrooms, chestnuts, quince… pomegranates. In fact, pomegranates always put a smile on my face: I…
Watermelon Margarita
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought of sharing a cocktail recipe. The very first time I had a margarita, it was in Tijuana. I was 19. Yes, I know what you think… but no, I hadn’t gone there to drink to my heart’s content. In fact, I have never been big on…
JASMINE AND MANGO PANNA COTTA SHOOTERS
These panna cotta shooters are a very elegant and exotic dessert. I believe they would be the perfect dessert for any New Year’s Eve dinner party. When I smell jasmine, I am always brought back in time… you see, in the house I used to spend my summer holidays in Sicily, we had a beautiful…
BANANA BASIL JAM
Left over bananas. Why is it that I ALWAYS have left over bananas in my kitchen? Ah, yes… wait. It must be because my kids always beg me to buy them when they see them at the grocery store… they promise they will eat them and then, they don’t. I am not a huge fan…
Blood Orange Margarita
There’s no better match for ghost stories and pumpkin lanterns than a Blood Orange Margarita. Bright, tart, and just spooky enough for grown-up treats. Happy Halloween, everyone! I can’t believe October is almost over. It feels like Christmas is already peeking around the corner. My parents will be visiting soon, and we are already planning…
PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Today’s recipe is a spur of the moment kind of recipe. I had some fresh pineapple in the fridge and some butterscotch sauce leftover from another dish and I knew they would taste delicious together. So, I came up with a quick dessert: pineapple and butterscotch crumble. We all loved it. The slight tanginess of…
PINEAPPLE AND PASSION FRUIT JAM
If you follow Manu’s Menu, you already know that my family and I have recently returned from a holiday in French Polynesia (Tahiti). Both in my travel diary and in my review of Hilton Moorea, I have told you about the amazing jam we tasted while we were there. Moorea actually has some of the…
SPINACH, ROCKET AND STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE
I have seen quite a few recipes of salads that include strawberries lately and I was very curious to try one myself. I usually enjoy having fruits in savoury dishes and I think strawberries (and berries in general) make for fantastic savoury ingredients as they are slightly tart and not overly sweet. I have even…
WATERMELON GELATO
Today, for my Regional Italian dish series, I am going to take you all back to Sicily with the perfect summer recipe. I know, I know… it’s winter down here and it’s also been quite cold lately, but my family and friends are enjoying summer in Europe, so I thought of publishing this today. I…
STRAWBERRY, BANANA AND APPLE SMOOTHIE
I won’t lie… my kids, especially my 5 year old daughter, do not like fruits. Yes, I know what you are thinking “you are food blogger, and you can’t get your own kids to eat their fruits?!”… ehm… sort of. But I am working on it and smoothies are a great way to get my…
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…
BANANA, COCONUT AND PASSION FRUIT SMOOTHIE
Lately I have been experimenting quite a bit with smoothies and shakes. The truth is, I have been left with some ripe fruits that needed to be used and I wanted to make something light and healthy with it. Besides, I always find that smoothies are a great way to get my fussy children to…
MIMOSA COCKTAIL
Today I want to share with you a very easy recipe for quite a sophisticated drink: the Mimosa cocktail. This delicious and pretty looking drink is basically made of sparkling wine mixed with fresh orange juice, could it get any easier? As tomorrow we celebrate International Women’s Day, I thought this would be the most…
LAMB TAJINE WITH QUINCES
When I feel like having some comfort food, I often make stews. Just the aroma of a stew cooking on the stove (or in the oven) has a somewhat relaxing and almost therapeutic effect. When I make a stew on a rainy day, even the bad weather seems more bearable and from annoying, it becomes captivating and…