When Shelley put out the call for entries for La Mia Italia while she’s on her honeymoon, I didn’t even think twice. Besides the fact we never took a honeymoon (sniff, sniff), the last thing you want to do is worry about the blog while you’re on vacation. La Mia Italia….My Italy. I thought about [...]

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When I first moved to Italy, I spent a lot of time alone. I really only had one friend from when I studied here in 1999 and she was in Tuscany, and my timing wasn’t great because during the summer Milan empties out for vacation. The few friends of friends I had met at the [...]

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What is a farrata, you may ask? It’s a type of rustico, a savory pastry and this one is eaten only at Carnevale time. The farrata is apparently native to Manfredonia, and is called such because it is full of farro, spelt (what is spelt?). Maybe some of you are deep in your quaresima, lent, [...]

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How to make hot pepper chili oil…and feed an addiction and use it everywhere! I mentioned at the beginning of the year, one of my recent flavor obsessions is pepperoncino, hot peppers, and the most seductive form of peppers to me is olio piccante, hot pepper oil. (Like cooking? Check out my other Recipes) It’s most [...]

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I’m back from vacation, and it’s back to work work and back to the blog! Sometimes you just have to get down and dirty and do some research. I’ve been hard at work tasting different chocolates so you don’t have to over the past months. I willing submitted myself to “taking one for the team.” [...]

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