Apple amaretti cake

Soft, delicious apple dessert with juicy slices of fruit in soft cake topped with a light crunch from amaretti that tastes like heaven...

Carrot cake with nuts and nuts

The recipe was presented on my favorite Italian cooking show as a tribute to the author...some dear Italian lady that is not here anymore. I liked it right away...

Capri cake II

I'm always on a look out for a good Capri Cake (Torta Caprese) recipe...

Italian pumpkin rye bread

I'm changing my ideas about bread/pizza/focaccia making. I'm falling in love with the Italian chef, Gabriele Bonci...

Cocoa polenta cake (Amor polenta with cocoa)

Continuing with my cravings for chocolate...I don't take the easy way and buy a chocolate bar, I make a cake.

Oatmeal cocoa cake (vegan)

It's a cake! No butter, no eggs, not real flour.  I'm not turning vegan or anything but I was out of butter and desperate for a chocolate cake. I didn't find anything in this blog so I quickly hopped over to The Veggie Sisters and got what I needed. And by the way... no mixer, no scale either. Thanks, Girls!

Oatmeal crepes

That Sunday morning, I was out of any whole grain flour, so I blended some oat flakes instead and made these crepes...

Chocolate almond fine cake

Between a cake and truffles...

Penne with broccoli in almond milk béchamel

That's how we like to eat broccoli...

Pasta and chickpeas or "Pasta e ceci" with bell peppers and tomatoes

"Rice and beans" is a frequent thing in this home. Then now and then and quite often, Hania demands pasta. I'm glad she does. And I'm glad Italians invented (did they?) and we tried for the first time "pasta e ceci"... 

Ina's plum tart with walnuts and whole rye

Back from Croatia and all I feel like having is either ice cream, rucola or red wine. I've figured why... all to keep Summer in my mind. So today, to bring things back somewhat closer to normal (???....) I turned the oven on and made a pie. 

Reset time. Destination: Croatia.

We are leaving the Baltic and heading down south to the Adriatic. And by "we" I mean the three of us, the Toyota, two tents, two cook tops, one grill, two tables, three chairs... a couple of tee-shirts, dresses, flip flops. The cat stays with my parents.

On the way, we'll stop to spend a couple of days in Italy to check on the summer sales, load the car with Italian groceries and eat the best pizza. And finally, we'll be in Croatia for one whole month at a beautiful camping site, together with a mix of European nationalities where "ciao", "morgen", "hello", "hi", "dober dan" or a smile are all accepted greetings.

I'll still be cooking, outdoors with a view of the blue sea. (Julian will be doing the dishes... outdoors, with the same view). Other than that, I'll be concentrating on doing absolutely nothing...

Marzipan tart with red and black currants

Following my sister's notion of a thin crust, creamy filling and lots of currants on top...

Flipped rye focaccia with cherry tomatoes, olives and prosciutto

In this upside down version of focaccia, juices and flavors from tomatoes, olives and prosciutto don't have any other place to go but into the bread...

Creamy almond cake with red currants and white chocolate

Ah, the red currants... best when grabbed straight from the bushes when spending Summers in the country... years ago.  Grandma doesn't have the garden anymore and I can't eat but a handful of them... too sour. Good news is, with the company of a little sugar and melted white chocolate, the red little fruit becomes a Summer bliss...

Fresh fava bean guacamole bruschetta

Polish Summers with fresh fava beans... very much missed when living abroad. The season is very short, it's happening now and we can't get enough of them.  In any form...

Almond chocolate cake with strawberries

My almond pulp desserts are getting better and ... cheesier.

Cream of string beans with roasted tomatoes and potatoes

One ingredient and one good soup...

Coconut cake with a cocoa heart

Simple, nutty and delightful cake that communicates well with all the juicy Summer fruits around... or an espresso. 

Whole carrot spaghetti

Cooking with whole foods...

Coffee semifreddo

Cold, creamy, thick cappuccino that you slice with a knife and serve on a plate...

Almond (or ricotta) lemon cake with strawberries

Maybe cake, maybe cheesecake but definitely lemon...

Young cabbage focaccia rolls

Young, Spring cabbage tastes nothing like the Winter variety. It's light and sweet. Even better roasted and rolled into a focaccia...

Raspberry semifreddo

Julia made raspberry cream, Giada made samifreddo, I made raspberry semifreddo...

Apricot and almond (or ricotta) delicacy

Some fruit bakes better than others... Apricots, with their flesh that is smooth and not too juicy and a mild flavor that only improves in the oven, are one of the tops.

Chocolate covered ice cream on a stick

One day, I thought it was getting a bit boring to eat ice cream again straight from the carton. So I made a big mess...the good kind, you know.

Cocoa almond or ricotta cake with whipped cream and strawberries

...oh, cake and cream, it was just something to go with strawberries. It all went very well with me...

Split focaccia sandwich with roasted baby beets, goat cheese and yogurt

It's been a baby beet festival in my home for the last couple of weeks. Beets with good bread, a touch of refreshing creaminess and me... one of its best moments.

Semifreddo with caramelized nectarines and raspberries

Another one seen on Italian TV... and delizioso.

Asparagus carbonara

Everybody from La Prova del Cuoco show (an Italian cooking program that I watch whenever I can) is making this at home now, they said, so I had to try it too.  Introduced by a fabulous redhead chef from Tuscany and a frequent guest on the show, Luisanna Messeri, a couple of days ago...

Roasted kohlrabi with barley in parsley Gorgonzola béchamel

Kohlrabi is usually the last produce to go from the fridge before a shopping day. It can stay there probably for up to a week. And then there should be always a couple slices of prosciutto, hopefully Parmesan but that day there was only Gorgonzola. So I just went around the corner to get parsley because it's particularly good this time of the year and accidentally, with all that, we had a fantastic lunch...

Risotto with whole baby beets

Welcome to my baby beet party...

Rhubarb, strawberry and nectarine crisp under vanilla ice cream

I'm so glad someone invented crisp ... and so glad someone put it with ice cream.

Milkshake recipe in 30 sentences and Hello strawberries!

Hania was to write her favorite recipe for a school project. Minimim 30 sentences. I suggested: the strawberry milkshake. It is what she's been making and eating lately. The idea of putting fruit and ice cream together sounded nice and easy, but have you ever tried to put it in 30 sentences? I tell you, our brains were smoking...

Young potatoes with dill, yoghurt and egg

With the first hot days of the year, my childhood memories together with my appetite go back to this...

Frittata with asparagus and young potatoes

I wanted to make it look like a whirlpool of asparagus. The eye came out kind of irregular, but the outside got some spin...

Rye focaccia with baby beets and feta

Baby beets, another early Spring favorite...

Cheese(or almond)cake swirl brownie with raspberries and rhubarb

Dear "Skinny Chick", thank you for your fabulous recipe. Just one thing, there was no way I could have waited 2 hours for the brownie to cool...So my bad...or my good, I tried it after 40 minutes. I like it already. However, after several hours in the fridge, the brownie tasted like the best ice cream, Hania said. It was creamy, smooth, firm...cold and full of wonderful flavors. :) ela

Young potato, tomato and cucumber salad with Dijon dressing and Spring herbs

No matter how big I make it, we fight over every piece till all gone.

Split focaccia sandwich with giant beans and Spring herbs

One of my favorite ways to eat beans...

Penne gratin with asparagus alla carbonara

Lately, I've putting together meals without plans for posting and then when they are ready, I can't help it: I take the camera out and start clicking. Others can't help it and start eating...

Rhubarb loaf with white chocolate

To continue my fascination with this long and lean vegetable, I had to put in a loaf. Turns out, it was made for it...

Spring rains and rainbows

Caught outside our windows, lately...

Bok choy soup

After a weekend of indulgence, I was happy to feed me and others this light but satisfying soup.

Rhubarb almond (or ricotta) delicacy

I had a picture of it in my head before I made it. I wanted whole stalks of rhubarb on top, as if they were lying on my kitchen table.

Rhubarb bars with almond crumble

I got 4 pounds of rhubarb during the week. I was so excited when I saw it in the store first time this year. I made two rhubarb cakes over the weekend and used most of it, just three stalks left in the fridge.

Focaccia with asparagus and Spring herbs

Spring comes and do I start eating salads...? Occasionally and accidentally - yes. Preferably - I let the greens and the reds get all tasty and tender on top of focaccia.

Whole spelt Paradise cake on berries

I had way too many eggs leftover after Easter. With their expiration date approaching fast, I decided to make Paradise cake, or Torta Paradiso in Italian, with 8 eggs, butter, flours, sugar and lemon.

Where the river meets the sea in yellows and reds

...is where we live. Just a few steps outside our door and we are on the breakwater that also guides ships in and out of the port. Obviously, a great place for a walk. Preferably late, late afternoon when everything looks and feels better. When everything is covered with a gray tint but some things stand out. Like...