first
The first time I’d ever heard of “posole” we were in Santa Fe having dinner at the home of a friend. It was cold and snowy and she wanted us to taste this stew she had prepared. It was the perfect meal for a winter evening-warm and spicy, filled with chunks of pork and this […]
If I had to choose my favorite one dish dinner, this may just be the one. I was introduced to this recipe and to the pleasure of fennel many years ago in a cooking class I took with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, who until last year was co-host of the popular Splendid Table radio show. As […]
Six years ago when I began my Panini Girl trips to Lucca I met a very talented local woman whose passion is cooking. By day she works for the archdiocese located a few blocks away from our apartment and in her spare time she teaches cooking classes. We are lucky to stay in an amazing […]
How can you go to Italy and not be food focused? I have to admit that I might be a little more obsessed than most with all things food related, but what’s wrong with that? One of the perks of staying in Lucca is that Florence is just a train (or bus) ride away. We […]
Although I haven’t been haven’t been taking photos of our meals, I have been cooking. It seems by the time I get dinner on the table it’s getting dark and the photos aren’t what I’d like them to be. I do however want to share a few of the recipes that I recently tried. […]
Over cocktails on Thanksgiving Day I had the pleasure of thumbing through Nancy Silverton’s latest cookbook-Mozza At Home. I’ve been a fan of hers for years, beginning with her well known La Brea Bakery. At the time it was one of the only places around southern California to get what you might call artisan bread […]
I haven’t had a lot of time to blog recently, but I have been in the kitchen. Yesterday I tried a recipe for chocolate caramel walnut bars which I saw on line. They looked like a blondie topped with chocolate frosting. I couldn’t wait to bite into one and planned on sharing with […]
As you may have guessed, I am no longer in Lucca. I always come home trying to hold on to Italy in any way that I can. I went out for gelato this afternoon made by an Italian who went to some “gelato university” in Italy. I’ve made pasta, recreated the dishes from our cooking […]
Yes, the holidays are over and I can’t continue to ignore the blog. I have been cooking and baking, but not taking the time to share any of it with you. Hope you enjoyed the festivities and a belated Happy New Year one and all. There’s something about the New Year that makes me want […]
As much as I am seduced by a counter chock full of vine ripened tomatoes, I am happy to let go of summer produce and jump right into fall and winter vegetables. The squash varieties (delicata, pumpkin, acorn, kabocha, spaghetti and butternut) that are now readily available at the market can be turned into side […]
Panini Girl 