Energetic Breakfast

What a better way to kick start your day with a super healthy and energetic breakfast!
This bowl of goodness I have made will keep you focus and give you energy.

Ingredients:

- A handful of raspberries (Or any other berry you might prefer)
-Al-bran flakes
-Honey (or Agave nectar)
-Almond Milk (or Greek yogurt)

Mix everything together in a bowl. Remember you can add also bananas.
This is also a great post-workout breakfast.

Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Super Nourishing Hair Mask

This is my first post about a beauty recipe, instead of a culinary one.
Also important parts of our body such as our hair need to receive a proper nourishment.
This recipe contains some really good nutrients that will aid hair growth, improve shine, reinforce strength and provide anti-oxidant benefits.

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp Pure honey

-2 or 3 Vitamin E gel capsules
-1 can of coconut milk
-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix everything together in a bowl. When adding the Vitamin E capsules just make a little hole in them and squeeze the content.
Make sure to coat all over your head with the help of a hair brush or cotton pads. Leave in for around 3 hours or, even better, overnight.

Enjoy looking fabulous!

Minestrone - Italian Vegetable Soup

This is a really traditional dish of the Italian tradition. Perfect hot on a wintry day or cold on a summer day.
I need to thank my lovely Nanny Tata for giving me her delicious recipe that brings me back to my childhood.

Ingredients

-1 Zucchini or Courgette
-2 Tomatoes
-1 onion
-2 carrots
-2 potatoes
-2 cans of borlotti beans (or fresh)
-1 handful of runner beans.

 In a big size sauce pan mix all the vegetable cut into small pieces.
Add 1-1/2 litre of water, a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cook on medium heat for around 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Add the canned beans 10 minutes before the end.

Enjoy! Buon appetito!

Magic Fairy Cake

Recently I stumbled upon this magical recipe of a 3 layers cake using only 1 batter! The bottom layer is like cheesecake, the middle layer a custard and the top layer results spongy.

You will not believe how this cake turns out! Simply stunning! :)

Ingredients:

120g  flour
2 cups of warm milk
4 eggs
150g of sugar
125g melted butter
1 tablespoon of water
3 teaspoons of vanilla

Sugar powder

Bake for 60 mins at 325 F, 163 C. Cool for 15 minutes, then fridge for 2 to 3 hours, sprinkle some sugar powder on top.

Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Pasta with Cream, Peas and Ham

This is one of my absolute favorite Italian pasta dishes!
The combination of flavors and consistency of the cream in this pasta dish makes it so heavenly delicious! A must try trust me!

 Ingredients:
-1 bag of frozen peas
-1 onion
-Ham already cut into cubes
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Penne pasta
-Heavy cream or double cream
-Brown sugar

In a nice big pan (Wok style is good too) start by 

browning the chopped onion with olive oil 1 teaspoon of sugar (so that the onions will be deliciously caramelized) and salt. 

When golden throw in the peas (even from frozen). Let it cook until the peas will be tender.

Now add the ham and cook until brown.

In the meantime bring water to a boil in another pan and cook the pasta. 

Add the cream to the ham and peas, as well as some salt and pepper. 

Mix pasta into the cream mixture and serve!

Enjoy! Buon Appetito!!

Sunday Chicken Roast

Sunday funday!
The only day of the week when we can relax at home and just lounge in our PJ's a little bit longer. It is also the perfect day of the week when we have more time to make some yummy home cook meal.
Believe it or not this was my first time making a roast chicken! Of course everybody knows that the best side dish to go with roast chicken is roasted potatoes and you can find my recipe for sublime roasted potatoes on my blog!

Ingredients:
-1 whole chicken
-Butter (room temperature)
-1 big onion

-Rosemary
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Garlic
-1 lemon

Begin to loosen up the skin from the meat, gently use your fingers to create like a pocket.
In a bowl mix the butter with salt, pepper, finely chopped garlic and rosemary (you could even add some fresh lemon juice).
Make the butter mix into a ball and insert it in the pocket between the skin and the meat.
Spread the butter well massaging all around the chicken (this step will prevent your chicken from drying out and will keep the meat yummy and juicy).
Use the remaining of the butter mix to spread it all over the outside of the chicken.
Cut the lemon in half and insert both halves inside your chicken.
Now cut the onion in thick slices of 1/2 inch. Oil your pan and place the onion slices at the base. Make sure you position the chicken on top of the onions slices and not in direct contact with the pan. This trick will make your chicken cook evenly since it is resting on the onion slices and the heat can circulate better all around it. You will not believe how delicious and yummy the onions will be!
Place everything in the oven at 175 Celsius for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the juice runs clear.
Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Pimm's Cocktail

This was my first summer here in the UK 2013!

I got really lucky cause apparently last year they had a miserable summer here, but this year it was simply gorgeous! During this amazing time I had the occasion to experience one of  British summer traditions: Pimm's!

This delicious recipe is a mixed drink with real fruit, cucumber and mint... so yummy and refreshing!

Ingredients:

• Ice cubes
• Pimms, No. 1
• Lemonade
• Handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
• Cucumber, finely chopped
• Slices of orange
• Strawberries

Just mix everything together filling up a jug and enjoy on your summer parties! 

And yeah, this one below it's me enjoying my Pimm's! ;-)

Plokkfiskur (Icelandic Fish Pie)

I have recently visited one of the most fascinating countries in the world... Iceland.

With its myths, legends, fairy tales, delicious food and breathtaking landscapes, Iceland definitely conquered a piece of my heart.

The magical atmosphere that you experience in Iceland is something that words can not explain. During my first day in Reykjavick i went on a mission... to find the best traditional cafe in town. I found Cafè Loki. An amazing cafe just by the famous city church.

I decided to try a very traditional Icelandic dish, The icelandic Fish pie. It was simply to die for!!!

-Ingredients:

1 1/4lbs cod, halibut or haddock

1 1/4lb potatoes, boiled and peeled 

1 white onion

12 oz milk

2 oz butter

3 tbsp flour

salt and pepper 

2 tablespoons chives, freshly snipped to add color, flavor & garnish 

-Directions: 

1. Skin, bone & break up the fish into flakes.

2. Roughly chop potatoes & finely chop onion.

3. Slowly heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boiling point.

4. While the milk is heating, in a medium to large sized non-stick saucepan, melt butter & saute onion over medium-heat until soft. Do not allow it to brown.

5.Sprinkle flour over onion, stir well & cook for 1-2 minutes. 

6.Gradually add warmed milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 3-4 min, stirring often.

7.Add flaked fish & stir briskly to break up the fish flakes completely. Season liberally w/salt & pepper.

8.Add potatoes & stir gently. Cook over low-heat till heated through.

9. Spoon into 4 bowls & sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tbsp chives. Serve hot w/dark rye bread & butter.

Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Strawberry Tiramisu

This is a delicious spin to your classic Tiramisu recipe.
In Italy we have several variations of Tiramisu and the strawberry one is definitely one of my favorites!

Here is how you make it:

500 grams of lady fingers

500 grams of strawberries

3 eggs

125 grams of sugar

250 grams of mascarpone

200 ml whipping cream

Ingredients for the strawberry syrup:

200 grams of strawberries

100 grams of sugar

300 ml of water

2 tablespoons limoncello (optional)

Begin to prepare the syrup by blending the strawberries with sugar.

Add water and lemon and put it in a saucepan and boil until it thickens, turn off and let cool.

Start now to prepare the mascarpone cream ... separate the yolks from the whites and whipping cream in a bowl .

Whip the egg yolks with the sugar, add the mascarpone.

Add the egg whites and cream previously whipped.

Gently mix the mascarpone cream and put it in the fridge.

Dip the ladyfingers in the cooled strawberry syrup and arrange them at the base of your pan. 

Pour a layer of mascarpone cream over the ladyfingers .

Cover the cream with strawberries cut into slices leaving aside 1/3 for the top decoration .

Cover with another layer of ladyfingers soaked in strawberry syrup .

Finish with a layer of mascarpone cream .

Decorate with strawberries that have kept aside and refrigerate everything for at least 3 hours.

And there you have it! Enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Ham & Veggies Pasta Bake

Hello everyone!
I must apologize to all my readers since I have been gone for so long... many changes happened to my life and I even moved continent, infact I am now writing to you from the UK.
During these past few months I have been gathering lots of pictures of new recipes to share with you all!
Enough chatting now... let's get started with this delicious heartwarming dish!

-Ingredients
500 gr Pasta (whichever shape you like)
2 big Broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper
Extravergin olive oil
Breadcrumbs
1 onion
1 heavy cream carton (or Double cream)
Grated parmesan
Ham cutted into cubes
Grated mozzarella cheese
Salt & Pepper


In a pan, sautee the onions with olive oil, broccoli and bell pepper. All the veggies need to be cut in small pieces. When all vegetables are super tender add the ham and brown it for a couple of minutes. Now add the heavy cream, salt and pepper. In the meantime boil the pasta according to the time indicated on the package. When the pasta is al dente (which means ready but not too soft) pour it in the pan with the condiment and mix it all together. Prepare a good size oven pan and oil the base. Pour the mix with the pasta, sprinkling to each layer some mozzarella and parmesan cheese. When it is full, top it off with a final layer of cheese and breadcrumbs. Leave in the oven at 160 degree Celsius for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Enjoy! Buon Appetito!