Good food feeds the soul
Italy changed how I cook forever. From running the kitchen at a B&B in Umbria to eating my way through Rome, Florence, and Sicily — these recipes carry the soul of Italian cooking. Simple ingredients, technique, and the kind of food that makes you want to linger at the table.
Caprese salad has been one of my favorite salads for years. It’s served often in restaurants in the States. And I loved it. It’s always the best flavors of summer, especially when you get one served with a vine ripened tomato. Unfortunately, most of the …
I usually find the best culinary inspiration strikes when you least expect it. Usually when I’m either eating the dish, or scrolling recipes posts on Insta. Like this totally drool worthy modern take on Pollo alla Cacciatora in Bianco (chicken cooked in white wine) by …
I orginally shared a Chicken Cacciatore recipe here on the blog back in January 2013, wayyyy before I had visited Italy. But after experiencing it at a hunter’s celebration dinner in Umbria, Italy… I took it down. And now I’m sharing the authentic recipe I …
Back in Denver, one of the hubby’s and my favorite places was an Italian restaurant, called Panzano, where they made a lovely fried eggplant resting in marinara sauce that was to die for. So, this week, I’m bringing you my version of the dish – …
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is one of my absolute FAVORITE Italian pasta dishes. And it’s vegetarian! The ooey, gooey cheese with red sauce gets a ‘YES, please from,’ me. Pair with a side salad, some crusty bread, and a nice glass of red wine and you …
Originally posted May 2021. Updated September 2026. Pizza pronta! Pizza ready. The hubby and I heard those words ring out more time than I can count over the six weeks we spent as chefs at Casa San Carlo in Umbria, Italy. Wednesday night every week …
Have a loaf of dried-out crusty bread lying around your kitchen? Don’t toss it. Instead, chop it up into chunks and toss it into the oven to make croutons for salads or dishes like my Pane Cotto with Swiss Chard. It’s healthy, quick, and easy …
The end of an era happened earlier this year. This past January, Daring Cook announced that December 2016 was the last Daring Cook Challenge. Although it’s been awhile since I participated, I’m a little sad to see the challenge go. I made new and strange foods …
Originally posted December 2016. Updated August 2026. Okay, I’m sure you know by now that I’m a foodie. I’ll plan an entire holiday around a food festival. So if you’re on my friends list, you can usually expect homemade food gift kits (or platters of …
Originally published December 2014. Updated August 2026. Our first trip to Italy was back in 2014. We spent 10 days split between Florence and Rome. It was also our first taste of almond biscotti. Biscotti in Italian literally means cookies. They call ‘biscotti’ as we …