Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (referred to under the brand name Nutella) has exploded in popularity as of late and if you walk into any grocery store you’re bound to find unlimited chocolate hazelnut spread options.  You see mentions of Nutella on social channels on an everyday basis and it seems as though some folks have adopted chocolate hazelnut spread as a […]

If there’s a single, universal, fried dessert treat in Italy it would have to be cenci or chiacchiere – fried ribbons (sometimes called nastrini, stracci, cenci, or frappe).  Cenci are crispy sugared strips of scented dough, fried and then coated in confectioner’s sugar. During Carnivale in Tuscany this sweet treat is made in most homes and are consumed before the Lenten […]

In my view, biscotti (plural for cookie) were created as a vehicle to enjoy coffee.  For example, my daily routing includes making a cup of coffee in the morning accompanied by a single biscotto (the hard cookie satisfies my initial hunger in the morning and provides a buffer against drinking coffee on an empty stomach).    So, while biscotti are […]

In my parent’s region of Italy (Calabria) almond paste cookies are abundant, but rainbow cookies aren’t found in southern Italy (and to the best of my knowledge the rest of Italy is also devoid of this moist and luscious cookie).  Rainbow cookies are an Italian American invention and most likely created to honor the color of the Italian flag.  However, […]

Our version of homemade ice cream cake incorporates very good strawberry gelato, sponge cake, and whipped cream.  We were inspired by an ice cream cake we consumed at a pasticceria in Bagnara Calabra  during our extended summer vacation in 2010; the cake was made with local gelato, freshly whipped cream, and luscious strawberries. The ice cream cake recipe below can be […]

Amarena cherries are a product of the marvelous Emilia-Romagna region of Italy where other noteworthy products include tradizionale balsamic vinegar, Ferrari, Culatello di Zibello Ham
 (the king of salumi), Parma ham, Parmigiano Reggiano, Salamini italiani alla cacciatora, Brisighella Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, etc.  Amarena cherries are harvested in the wild and known for having both a sweet and […]

Monacini cookies are a staple of Italian Pasticceria.  The light and delicious Monacini are dolcetti composed of two soft round cookies filled with apricot jam and dunked on one side in dark chocolate.  We especially the cookies in the morning with a good cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack. We also think that they would make an excellent cookie to include […]

The micro-regionality of Italian life is mind blowing.  Take for example, regional dialects which until recently varied drastically every few kilometers and often divided villages.  In the southewestern region of Calabria near Bagnara Calabra a handful of regional dialects are still spoken and while the 4-5 villages comprising the Comune di Bagnara Calabra (RC) are separated by only 3-5 kilometers you’d be hard pressed to […]

Our fig sauce recipe (salsa di fichi) is an easy and versatile pantry staple than can be consumed with a simple yellow/sponge cake or combined with chocolate sauce and a bit of whipped cream for an Italian sundae.  Alternatively, our fig sauce can be used as a savory sauce for pork and chicken (minus a few of the ingredients below) […]

Recipe For Light and Airy Italian Almond Cookies Referred to as  Sospiri di Monaca (or Nun’s Sighs) When our mother-in-law prepared a fabulous cookie for Easter (I’m not just saying that because she’s our mother-in-law, I know what you guys are thinking) we knew we had to document the recipe or, at the least, share a photo.  However, when we […]