Tomorrow is Mardi Gras or Carnevale as we call it in Italy. Carnevale is a big event in Italy – kids even stay home from school! Everyone dresses up for almost a week and goes on parades with all kinds of floats.
Honey Hard Candy
Need a sweet treat that’s both homemade and soothing? Honey Hard Candy is easy to make, looks lovely, and makes a thoughtful gift for any occasion.
Tagliatelle Dolci di Carnevale
If you follow Manu’s Menu, you will know that Mardi Gras, or Carnevale for us Italians, is my favourite time of the year! Carnevale is quite big in Italy and all kids dress up for almost a week and go on parades with all kinds of floats. There are many famous Carnevali in Italy, like…
Tahini Honey Roasted Cashews
Today I want to share with you a fantastic recipe for Tahini Honey Roasted Cashews. Italians love and are quite famous for their aperitivo. For who doesn’t know what aperitivo is… it is our way to start off dinner. We usually drink some wine (cocktails have been introduced too, lately) and eat something with it,…
Lavender Sugar
I love the smell and taste of lavender. It reminds me of when I used to travel to the south of France with my parents. One of our favourite spots was Aix-en-Provence. We always stopped at the morning markets to buy beautiful bunches of lavender, hand-made lavender soap and all sorts of lavender perfumed items. …
Rock Candy Lollipops
Crunchy sugar crystals on a stick never stop being fun, and Rock Candy Lollipops make them magical. Perfect for adding a touch of wonder to birthdays, holidays, or weekend treats.
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,…
Bomboloni alla Crema
Soft dough, creamy filling, and a light sugar coat make Bomboloni alla Crema such a satisfying treat. Whip up a batch and taste how good homemade can be. Happy Mardi Gras, everyone! As promised in my last post about Ravioli di Carnevale, I am back with another delicious treat that suits this time of the…
Ravioli dolci di Carnevale #SundaySupper
This week we are going to have a Fat Sunday celebration for Sunday Supper! YAY! As you all know, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras is on the 4th of March, so we are all sharing decadent or Mardi Gras inspired recipes. This is an absolute treat for me. If you follow Manu’s Menu, you will know that…
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…
CHERRY JAM
I must admit that I was not very fond of jams while growing up… I would always choose crème patissière or chocolate over jam filled sweets. It was way too sweet for me. That was until I went to Normady with my parents and some friends. We were staying at a farm and the lady…
TRUFFLE HONEY & VANILLA CRÈME BRÛLÉE
A little while ago, my husband and I went out to have dinner at a delightful restaurant called Chophouse. We ate really well and I was particularly impressed by their Wagyu Tartare with truffle aioli, pear, pine nuts & white soy dressing and by their Wagyu Striploin with harissa… divine! Also, I was pleasantly surprised…
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…
GRAVLAX WITH SWEET DILL MUSTARD SAUCE
Maybe you don’t know this, but since I was a teenager I have always loved Scandinavia. I love the long and bright summer nights and the short and cold winter days. I love snow. I love the beautiful Norwegian fjords and the Finnish lakes. I love the little and colourful Danish villages… Well, I guess…
Crème Brûlée
The caramel crack on top of this Crème Brûlée is unbelievably satisfying. Smooth and creamy vanilla custard makes every spoonful rich and indulgent.
TORTELLI DI CARNEVALE
This is a very special time of the year for all Italian children: it is “Carnevale”, the time to wear costumes and parade in the streets playing tricks on other kids and throwing coriandoli (round shaped paper confettis) and stelle filanti (similar to paper streamers) everywhere. It is like Halloween but it lasts longer (about…
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
Today we celebrate the Chinese New Year: 新年快乐! I am not Chinese, nor do I have Chinese relatives, but I live in a city with a huge Chinese community, so I feel it is the right thing to celebrate this special day. To do so, I made some special sugar cookies… they are eggless and have…
ICED ESPRESSO
I love coffee… well, I am addicted to coffee. Not to the brewed coffee but to espresso. I restrict myself to no more than 2 a day, but I could drink so much more. Only the smell of a freshly brewed espresso in the morning sets the day in the right direction. You know what…
Carbone della Befana (Italian Sweet Coal)
Don’t be fooled by its eerie look. Carbone della Befana, the traditional Italian Sweet Coal, is a wickedly fun and delicious treat to share at Halloween.
TAMARIND CHUTNEY – IMLI KI CHUTNEY
This is a very easy recipe for a tasty tamarind chutney. It’s sweet and sour thanks to the perfect combination of sugar & jaggery and tamarind. The spice mix also gives it an intense flavour. You can make it as mild or as spicy as you like. I tend to make it mild so my…
LIGHT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH LEMON SUGAR CRUST
I know there are many blueberry muffins recipes out there. A couple of years ago I was looking for one, but I did not find exactly what I was looking for. So I came up with this one that is really a mix of 2 or 3 recipes. I tried to look them up on…
