Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

It seems like all I ever do lately is complain about the heat? Well, that’s because it’s HOT here, people! Really, really hot. And humid. Hot and humid is miserable. Thus, I am miserable too. Hot, cranky and miserable! Yes, I know it could be worse. The grass is …

It seems like we have zucchini coming out of the woodwork these days! Everyone has it growing like mad in their gardens and no one can use it up fast enough. I happen to adore zucchini, but even I’ve been feeling a bit challenged trying to find some different …

Until recently, I never understood some people’s fascination with biscotti. My parents loved them. I did not. To me, they were long, thick, rock-hard bricks with a peculiar licorice taste, obnoxiously trying to pass themselves off as cookies. They didn’t fool me, though. Whatever they were, I was certain …

There’s a popular story that’s been floating around my family for years. My mother revels in telling it, and every time she does, it elicits a mixture of nervous laughs, horrified looks and hasty signs of the cross. It’s about my mother’s childhood BFF, Rosie. Rosie and my mom …

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even though I grew up in an Italian family where more than half of my relatives, including my father and grandparents, were actually from Italy, I had never heard of mascarpone until I was an adult and discovered it for myself. …

Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is synonymous with chocolate. It’s the food of love. Who doesn’t melt a little when presented with one of those precious little heart-shaped boxes on this day when we celebrate love and romance? But, chocolate isn’t only for the sentimental. It’s big business too. …

When I was a little girl, my grandfather worked as a longshoreman for the New York Port Authority. For most of his career, he worked the night shift. This meant that from Monday through Friday, he was rarely ever around at dinner time. As a result, my Nonna usually …

Ack! I’ve done it again. With all of the craziness of Thanksgiving and my life in general, I completely forgot that Saturday was the reveal date for the November Daring Bakers challenge. It wasn’t until I opened my reader last night and saw all of the DB posts that …

As a little girl, I perceived my mother’s kitchen as a mysterious and intriguing place where sights and smells and sounds converged to become yummy things for me to eat. Of course, I understood nothing about the art and science of cooking. I only knew that after the swooshing …