Ready to impress your guests with these made-from-scratch, deliciously crunchy Italian breadsticks?!?
Imagine. One of these deliciously crispy breadsticks wrapped with savory Italian Prosciutto. Or next to a fancy cheese platter and tasty olives. You can even place some of these breadsticks into a tall glass or in a small vase and make a deliciously edible centerpiece. Everyone will be impressed, especially when they find out you made these from scratch. So remember: go for a rustic look, not perfectly shaped, like store-bought grissini.
The good news, you can wow everybody, without too much effort. Just prepare a simple pizza dough. And as you do for pizza, make sure to knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Store covered in a warm place, and give it enough time for it to rise. Stretch the dough, brush with tasty olive oil, cut it in strips and stretch the breadsticks. At this point you can add different flavors to the grissini, from herbs like chopped rosemary, to poppy or sesame seeds. Make it fun and delicious.
As usual I'm not just going to tell you how easy this recipe is, but I will show you in this video:
This coffee cake is a sure way of perking up your morning.
Soft and moist. With a nutty almond flavor and bursting with sweet, fresh blueberries.
Who wouldn't love to wake up to a slice of this irresistible cake, next to a hot and steamy cappuccino?
I could really eat a slice of this blueberry and almond coffee cake. Every. Single. Morning.
I absolutely love almonds and almond flavored desserts. And when you combine it with sweet and juicy blueberries, you will end up with a deliciously soft, mouth-watering dessert.
Just the thought of this coffee cake in the morning would make jump right out of bed and run for the espresso machine! No more laying lazily under my blankie!
Maybe eating this everyday would not be good for my waistline. But once in a while, why not? Check out the ingredients, it's made from scratch with simple and wholesome ingredients.
Healthy, fresh and easy to make. This rice salad is just what you need for these hot summer days
It's so hot today, I cannot believe it! I went for my run this morning and thought I was going to melt on my way back. Really!! The forecast says we'll have a high of 95 degrees for today and tomorrow (that's about 35 degree Celsius). And for those of you who don't know me, I'm in Southern California near the ocean, with an average temperature of about 70 degree all year long. Breezy and cool, and not extremely hot.
With this unexpected heat wave, I don't feel like baking or cooking very much. So here is one of my favorite dishes for these occasions. It's fresh, wholesome, light and easy to make.
This dish can be prepared a day before and can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It's perfect for a picnic or a barbecue. For a light dinner or to take along with you at work or school for a healthy lunch.
You can really make rice salad with many different ingredients. That's what I like about it so much. Change it up every time and make it fun. Today, I've prepared it with mixed pickled veggies, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, fresh mozzarella and hard boiled eggs. And of course, you need a drizzle of tasty olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil. Sounds perfect, right?
Homemade rustic crostata with sweet and juicy nectarines, a touch of cinnamon, over a buttery and flaky crust.
Perfect dessert for the summer!
Have you ever eaten at GJelina? It's a popular restaurant on Abbot Kinney in Venice, California. So popular that it's always quite hard to make reservations. Even a month ahead! I know, this is L.A. ... what would I expect, right?!?
Anyways, I went there last week with my husband for our special anniversary lunch. And we got lucky. No reservation, and there was a table for two available right away. Woo hoo!
After eating there, now I know what all the fuss is about. Lunch was truly amazing! The menu is fun and interesting. Not really expensive. All the dishes were phenomenal, from start to finish. And without the kids at the table I could really focus on my food. Mmmm... I really want to go back. Soon!
Now it's a week after, and I'm still thinking about that lunch. Especially our dessert. We had a nectarine crostata with olive oil ice-cream. And as you can see from my pictures, I had to try and make it myself right away.
I searched on line and found a great recipe on Bon Appetit Magazine for a rustic fruit crostata. As usual, I made modification to the recipe. You know me: I can't help it :)
The result: NOT exactly like the crostata from GJelina. Probably it's impossible to re-create it without getting the secret ingredients from the chef. But mine, we all agreed, came out excellent nonetheless.
This rustic crostata is super easy to make. Much easier than baking a pie. And it tastes just as good, with a flaky and buttery crust, and a juicy and fruity filling. And let's not forget the delicious aroma of cinnamon.
I made the dough by hands, which takes a little longer than using a food processor. The dough needs to be chilled in the refrigerator for an hour or longer. Once chilled, you can roll the dough, pour the filling, fold the edges up, and stick it in the oven. It's rustic, and it needs to look homemade. So anybody can do it and it doesn't have to look perfect.
You will need to wait a few minutes for the tart to cool down a bit, before cutting yourself a big slice. And if you are anything like me, you will eat it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the side!!
As usual, I'm not just going to tell you how to prepare this dessert, but I will show you in this short video. Enjoy :)
