Panzanella is a very simple, moist and fresh bread salad from Tuscany. Panzanella is a great summer recipe because you don’t have to turn on the oven – no cooking is required.  Crunchiness doesn’t come from the bread but from the cucumbers and onions. Its fresh ingredients (and a little water) rejuvenate day-old bread, while [...]

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This past weekend was Labor Day in the U.S., and while Italy, like the rest of Europe celebrates Labor Day on May 1st, I was thinking about the multiple barbecues and party food eaten this weekend. One of the ultimate party foods is the (Mexican) 7-layer dip with refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, olives, [...]

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Since I got back from France, I have been dreaming and obsessing over French Onion soup. I ate it quite a bit in France and put it on my list to re-create. When I sat down to make it, I decided I didn’t want to make it exactly as the French do, and adjusted it [...]

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The recipe is at the bottom of this post, but first you have to hear the story for its inspiration.
October is (expat) birthday month??? Besides my own, it’s Michelle from Michellanea’s birthday month, and another Michelle from Bleeding Espresso, Melinda from Living in Florence, and Tracie from My Life Italian and Sigrid from Cavoletto di [...]

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In the valley below my in-laws’ house in Manfredonia, there is a sea of prickly pear cactus, and this time of year they are overburdened with multicolored fruit. They tell me at one time, the whole area was covered with them. In the mornings, I often saw older men walking through the cactus valley, picking [...]

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