Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

One of the things I love about native Italians is that they say what they mean, and they don’t mince words. Take these cookies, for instance. They’re called Brutti ma Buoni, which means “ugly, but good”. Don’t you love it? These unassuming, delicate little puffs of meringue studded with nuts and in this case, chocolate, are kind of ugly. But at the same time, they are crunchy, chewy and downright delicious.

These cookies were on the menu at my last cooking class and as my students were “oohing” and “aahing” over them, it hit me that I had never shared them with all of you before. And, what a crying shame it is, because not only were they one of my childhood favorites, but they are also super easy to make.

$more of what\'s cooking...$

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 • 29 Comments

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m not a big fan of chocolate ice cream. Never have been. I really don’t know why that is, because I love other chocolate things. I love brownies, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake. And, I absolutely adore chocolate pudding, especially when it’s homemade. …

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 • 33 Comments

Hello, my lovelies! It’s time again for another droolworthy creation from the Daring Bakers. This month it’s all about the perfect summertime treat – cool and creamy ice cream. The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s World – Life and Food. Sunita challenged …

Friday, May 7, 2010 • 27 Comments

One of the perks of being a fabulously famous food blogger is having tons of various product vendors, food companies and book publishers send you scads of all kinds of great products to try out. Since I’m not a fabulously famous food blogger (except maybe in my mother’s …

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 • 56 Comments

I’ve always considered myself to to be a hip and trendy kind of girl, especially when I was in my twenties. As you get older, though, it gets a little harder to pull it off. Still, I try to keep up with the times. Having a sixteen year old …

Thursday, February 11, 2010 • 24 Comments

It’s always so nice to give (and get) a lovely heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. But, think how much more special such a gift would be if the chocolates were homemade with lots of extra love thrown in! Don’t think you could do it? Think again. Homemade …

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 • 58 Comments

I was pretty excited when I learned that this week’s TWD recipe was one for brownies. Aside from the fact that I love brownies, it gave me an opportunity to use this:

It’s my new handy, dandy Perfect Brownie Pan! (Don’t scoff. When you can’t sleep at 3:00 …

Friday, February 5, 2010 • 36 Comments

I love Nutella! And, I’ve been enjoying it for as long as I can remember. As a kid, while all of my friends were bringing PB&J sandwiches to school for lunch, I was munching on Nutella sandwiches. Sometimes, all by itself, sometimes with bananas, and sometimes with another …

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 • 57 Comments

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.
The Nanaimo bar is …

Thursday, December 17, 2009 • 19 Comments

The other day, I was frantically racing strolling down the baking aisle at the market when I saw these Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips by Andes. You know Andes, don’t you? They’re the ones that make those little Crème de Menthe chocolates that you get at many restaurants along with …