Carbonara was a dish that alluded me before I moved to Italy. It flies contrary to the cooking style of Americans. We view all sauces as containing cream or tomato sauce but this is not true of Italian pasta. The sauce is usually very simple, so simple we can’t imagine it to be correct.
I’ve been hearing about the Garden of Ninfa since I arrived in this part of Italy. It is a beautiful garden that thrives and blossoms on the ancient crumbling ruins of Ninfa, a settlement with a temple dedicated to Nymphs. Nymphs are mythological maidens said to inhabit beautiful mountain regions and lakes.
I currently live in Italy and this recipe for Tiramisu has become my new “go to” recipe for making a dessert for company. It is prepared the day in advance, it’s easy and always a hit! Whenever we have guests arriving from the US we always make this dessert and it woos them everytime, but even my Italian friends love my recipe and rave about how authentic it is, high praise indeed!
I love living in Italy and trying ALL the delicious food that is available here. However, you can take the girl out of California but you can’t take the California out of the girl. I am used to a multi-cultural cuisine and I still get a serious craving for food that is NOT Italian. Tonight I am craving Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad!
I love the taste of Almond Roca and its so easy to make! I decided to whip up a batch for those moments when you just want something sweet but don’t want to commit to eating an entire dessert. I’ve made this Almond Roca three times since I have been here in Italy. One time it was to give away to friends in small gift bags and all of the girls loved it! Italian don’t really have this type of candy so it’s a real novelty!
Most of us in the United States don’t know much about the Cotswolds, instead when we think of a holiday in Great Britain we think of Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and Big Ben. If we think of the countryside we rush off to Bath or Stonehenge without a passing thought of a beautiful place called the Cotswolds.
So our three months in Italy has come to end much too soon. We have felt the temperatures drop as late summer became autumn and now autumn is turning to winter. The summer clothes have been safely stowed away until once again we are imagining ourselves frolicking on the beaches and strolling through town in flip flops. We have replaced those days with sweaters and boots and hats and scarfs. We are learning how to dry clothes without a dryer when they no longer dry on the line. Now we hang them on the wall heaters and heated towel racks and hope for the best.
Today on my morning run I noticed a subtle change in the seasons. The streets of late August that had been teeming with beachgoers in bathing suits are now replaced by fully clothed individuals.
We were invited to the beautiful area of San Felice Circeo about an hour south from our house along the coast to have dinner with friends. The evening started at 5:00pm as we drove into the scenic area of San Felice Circeo and parked along the harbor.
Today we have taken a morning off and are currently sitting outside at a cafe right around the corner from our house. We come here often for cappuccino and a pastry, that is the normal Italian breakfast, Jeff is loving it. Today Jeff had a pear and chocolate croissant and I had a cappuccino, I have my jogging clothes on and am trying to will myself to go on a run.
