It’s a chocolate kinda family!

If you know me, you know my love for chocolate. If you know my husband, you know my husband’s love for chocolate. What you don’t know is that our lil creation Luca is also following in our footsteps 🙂

Here is a simple recipe that I use with some good quality chocolate and some in season fruits to satisfy the chocolate cravings of my family.

Enjoy on a special occasion or just because !!

I used a bar of 85% cacao chocolate bar !! 

Melt in a double boiler.. Boil about a cup of water in a pot. Put a glass bowl on top of the stock pot. Break the pieces of chocolate and using a whisk, slowly melt the chocolate on medium heat.

Dip the fruit in the melted chocolate and lay on parchment paper. 
Chill the fruit in the fridge for about 5-6 minutes. 

Enjoy !! 

Pasta for the thighs…. Umm. .I mean for the soul !!

I love a good pasta dish. Well, what I mean by a good pasta dish is that the pasta should be al dente yet tender.. should be buttery and just full of subtle flavors without a lot of heavy ingredients. I like my pasta with a hint of salt, black pepper, basil , butter or OO and maybe a shower of fresh parm…. Delicious !!

Ok maybe I go crazy and add some roasted wild mushrooms and asparagus to the mix.. Well why not ?? 😉

But unfortunately, all the pasta I eat, goes to my thighs !! Yes, not my butt, not my arms, not my belly BUT my thighs !! I have proof.. 🙂 Don’t ask how but I notice that after I eat pasta, my thighs look bigger.. I know.. CRAZY !! BUT that doesn’t stop me from indulging once in a while.. 🙂

So here you go, my recipe for a super easy, drum roll please…….. HOME-MADE pasta noodles served two ways…

Enjoy !! Let your thighs live a little 😉

1.5 cups of Flour (I use whole wheat white)
Extra flour for the rolling board and pin.
3 Large eggs
A pinch of salt

Boiling pot of salted water ready to go !!

In a large mixing bowl or on a clean and dry board, Make a well in the flour.
Crack the eggs in the well. Add the salt.

 With your fingers, start mixing the eggs into the flour slowly and gently.

Try to incorporate all the flour and the eggs till it becomes one sticky and tacky messy blob of flour. Add dry flour and keep working the dough till it is nice and dry. Let rest for a few minutes…

Roll out into a thinnnnnnnnnn sheet. The thinner the better.. The pasta will plump up in the water..
Cut into desired shape. I went with a noodle shape for easy and fun eating..

Drop in the boiling pot of salted water for 4-5 minutes.. They will rise to the top and that’s when you know it’s done. Cook till desired doneness.

Take out from the water and use immediately. Use this with your favorite sauce (Recipe for the Fiery Tomato sauce) or toss with some OO and basil. Dress with fresh cracked pepper and shaved parmesan. Buon Appetito !!
 Enjoy !!

Southwestern tato salad

Summer is here !! That means potlucks, BBQs and cookouts !! Take this for your next one.. Your hosts will be impressed !

A pound of red potatoes, washed and scrubbed. Quartered and boiled till cooked yet firm. Cool. Mix with a red bell pepper chopped, one small red onion chopped, 1/2 cup of cooked corn, 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, 2 Tbsp cilantro chopped, 1 avocado chopped, 1/4 cup sour cream. Salt, pepper and smoked paprika to taste. Mix all together and chill. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon before serving.

Sun tea anyone ??

Sun tea anyone?? 


Filtered water, slices of tangerines, basil and your favorite tea bags… Keep near the sun (window) for 4-6 hrs.. Enjoy chilled on ice with a drizzle of honey… Enjoy !!

Tomato — Fruit or vegetable ??

I think tomato is a very controversial, and yet a very simple kitchen ingredient. The controversy that surrounds it is whether it’s a fruit or a vegetable. 
(Image courtesy buzzle. com.)

As you all know I think in food. I think in flavor. I think in spices.. 🙂
When I think of summer, I think strawberries, I think chilled prosecco and I think tomatoes. 
Sweet, juice and ripe tomatoes. Here is an ode to the complex and yet simple food ingredient “The tomato”.
Basic Tomato sauce:
2-3 Pounds of fresh ripe tomatoes
2-3 medium sized white onions
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp Tomato paste (optional)
OO- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp
1/2 cup of chopped fresh herbs ( A combination of basil, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and oregano – 1-2 sprigs of each)
salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
1/2 cup of white wine
Arrange the veggies in an oven proof pan and drizzle generously with OO. Roast tomatoes, white onions and garlic in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and carefully put in deep stockpot. Add a glass of water, the herbs (optional tomato paste for color and more flavor) and the seasonings. Crush the tomatoes using the back of a spatula. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring in between. 
Add the wine and cook without the lid for 10-12 more minutes. 
Add water if the sauce is too thick. Add the 2 Tbsp of OO. 
Let cool completely and store in washed,and dry air tight mason jars.