dicembre 31, 2011
My wish for 2012 is to connect the dots.
Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college, but it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever – because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.
Steve Jobs
Posted in About me 
4 Comments »
dicembre 28, 2011
On Christmas day it was really cold here in Tuscany: the sky was clear of clouds and the sun seemed to shine more than usual, but just left the house, warmed by the fire, the freezing air quickly reddened the cheeks and pricked the nose.
The clear winter day was too tempting not to attempt an afternoon stroll, enticed by the bright air and by the sun going down in an almost fairy-tale scenery behind the hills.
The hills in the dusk had turned purple, gradually fading into the deep blue and the moss-green. Then suddenly the nearest trees lighted up in warm colors, red and brown, and the air began to beam in the twilight tones, vibrating of life with the last leaves on the trees.
In these moments you feel the magic of Nature, its power and its mystery. In these moments you value what remains of the day.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in First course, Soups, Winter 8 Comments »
dicembre 25, 2011
Merry Christmas to all of you, special friends, thank you for stopping by on this very special day and all the other days, looking for recipes or just to chat a little bit, thank you, you are essential to me!
Posted in Christmas, Winter 8 Comments »
dicembre 23, 2011
My ghost of Christmas past would bring a Tom and Jerry sweatsuit, a big yellow bag which contained the gifts the whole family, a baked fillet of salmon and a spinach flan. If I had to identify in every Christmas past, flipping through my memories album, an element that is always present, that tastes of home and that is repeated every 25th December, I would choose the spinach flan.
It is reassuring and cosy in its creaminess, intriguing thanks to the crunchy crust, the most desired bit at the table. The spinach flan is a side dish that doesn’t steal the scene to the main course, but accompanies it, dressing whatever it is on its Sunday best.
I remember those Christmases past: Mum and Aunt brought to the table a never ending lunch made of appetizers, two starters, a nice fillet of baked salmon and then a generous spoonful of spinach flan. Margherita, the almost-sister-cousin with whom I grew up, and I waited impatiently for that green and creamy spoonful of deliciousness, much more greedy of that than of the classic pandoro or panettone. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Baked Good, Christmas, Side Dishes, Tuscan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes, Winter 7 Comments »
dicembre 21, 2011
They came home gift-wrapped as only Santa’s elves would be able to do: two kilos of intense Caffarel dark chocolate. They came home along with a shower of chocolate stars, wrapped in a shiny yellow and red paper. As you can see from my pictures, I was put in charge of the 20th of December in the Advent Calendar, a game started on December the 1st with Kja’s chocolate pudding, a festive treat you would’n miss!
I had more than a month to think about my chocolate recipe to perform my part on the 20th of December, and I was perfectly aware of what I was going to make with my two kilos of chocolate, a smooth chocolate spread.
A chocolate spread, especially if made with extra virgin olive oil, can be stored for some time and is a good idea for a gourmet Christmas gift. Make it precious with a beautiful handmade label drawn with old pencils in shades of brown, use a Christmas napkin to cover the lid of the jar and tie it with a velvet ribbon.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Chocolate, Christmas, Preserves, Winter 14 Comments »
Scotland - My Scrapbook
content rss
Recent Comments