Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe ~ Ciambellone recipe

Hello Everyone!!!

I noticed it has been a while since I have shared a recipe on this blog. I cook a lot everyday, of course I need to feed my five children and husband, but I mostly do it because I love it. Yes, I cook lunch and dinner....and "merenda" everyday. Merenda is the Italian word for "snack-time", you know, the little snack children need after school. I usually bake a cake. The one I want to share with you is from a recipe I learned last year from a very good friend. It's called "ciambellone" {pron. CHAM-BELL-OH-NAY}...meaning "big donut". It's absolutely not a donut, it just has the same shape. :) Here it is:

CIAMBELLONE recipe {or LEMON BUNDT CAKE}

Ingredients:

• 1 -1/4 cup of SUGAR
• 3 EGGS
• 1/2 cup of VEGETABLE OIL
• 1 cup MILK
• 1-1/4 cup of  FLOUR
• 1 LEMON (zest + juice)
• 1 tsp BAKING POWDER

1. Mix well the eggs with the sugar until fluffy.
2. Add slowly the oil, the flour, baking powder and milk.
3. Grate the zest of the lemon, then add its juice.
4. Pour the batter in a greased bundt cake mold.
5. Cook in oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Please enjoy!!! My family loves it, it's usually all gone quickly. Let me know if you make it and how it comes out!! 

xoxo,

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Hi!!

I know we are not that close to Mother's Day yet, but it's already almost Easter and it will be shortly after that! Sunday May 14th to be exact.

I was surfing around the internet and I found this quote:

pic via web

To all the mamas out there....don't you agree?? :)) It's true that some days I have barely enough energy to do the work of one...but most of the days this is the reality! I don't know about you, but I don't remember ever seen my mom just sitting down doing nothing. It must be in our veins, stuff needs to be done! For the love of our husbands and children... and our sanity. ;)

So, I decided to make a list of things that our Moms {or yourself, if you are a mom} would love as a present for Mother's Day. These are things that I would be happy to receive...

{a click on the images will take you to its link}

FOR THE COOKING MOM:

          

FOR THE TEA LOVER:

FOR THE COFFEE MOM:

FOR THE CRAFTY MOM:

FOR THE GLAM MOM:

As I said, these are just ideas... I had fun looking for different gifts. In the end, Mom would be probably happy even with just a hug and "I love you". 

xoxo,

~But first Coffee...

Buongiorno!!

I was reflecting on traditions and the importance to pass it on to your children. Last Sunday was the feast of St. Joseph (father of Jesus), in Italy is a big deal because that's when Father's Day is celebrated. I have to explain it to my children every year, as in the United States Father's Day is celebrated sometimes in June, I think, and for sure not on the feast of a saint, as it's not a catholic country. 

One tradition that for sure I will never change is the way I make coffee! There's million of coffee drinkers around the world and I think Italians are the most picky. I know because I'm one of them.

This is the way I make coffee:

 As you can see I used a specific machine (mine is electric), it's called MOKA. Yes, that's what you're going to get if you order a "mocha" in an Italian cafe. :)

The result is a thick, extremely dark, luscious coffee. You can mix it with milk (= Caffelatte) or with a foamy milk (=Cappuccino) or just drink it as it is. 

I don't use any type of coffee for my Moka machine, it has to be Italian, because of the way it's grounded and the flavor. My favorite brand is Lavazza {pron. LAH-VAH-TSA}.

If you are interested in authentic Italian coffee and you would like to use my Moka machine you can order yours here:

Once you'll start to make this type of coffee you won't like it any other way!! Trust me.

Now excuse me if I go drink some...

xoxo,

~ Are Unicorns real?

Ciao everyone!

As a unicorn fan, I'm wondering if also you have ever pondered the existence of unicorns. I've always been fascinated by their beauty and graceful look as it's shown in medieval pictures. I was reading about how they liked to rest on the lap of virgin maidens, and when they would fall asleep that's when the hunters would catch them! Also, there's a song I knew when I was little that was speaking about how Noah was gathering all the animals on his ark and the unicorns didn't make it and died in the flood... kind of sad, but who knows....

I recently embroidered a pretty unicorn in a small oval hoop. It would be perfect as a wall decoration in a baby nursery or a girl's room. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Hand-embroidered Unicorn

You can find all kinds of things about unicorns on the internet. These are some of my favorite:

Adorable Candle Holder

l 33" Rainbow Unicorn Shape Mylar / Foil Balloon

Birthday Card

R&M Unicorn 4.5" Cookie Cutter in Durable, Economical, Tinplated Stee

33" Rainbow Unicorn Shape Mylar / Foil Balloon

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick 'Unicorn Tears' 0.11oz/3.0g New In Box

I think I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop here!!! Now I'll go dream about this beautiful, colorful, glittery and magnificent horse! ;)

Love to all.

xoxo,

~Love For Cooking ~ a review

Hello everyone!!!

Those that have been following me for a while already know how much I love cooking. I shared a few of my recipes and I will share more!! I like to cook all kinds of food, but mostly Italian, of course. One of my grandmas was an amazing cook, I learned a lot from her as well as many other people in my life. 

One of the most important things about cooking is using the right tools. My favorite are the classic wooden spoons, I use them for everything, stirring, mixing, whipping.... but I have to say that I recently fell in love with a gorgeous spatula from Tovolo. It has a silicone top and the handle is made of wood {maybe that's why I like it so much!}. The design is really cute, on one side there's a tree of hearts, on the other side it says LOVE. I had entered a giveaway during Valentine's Day on their Facebook page and I had the luck to be one of the winners!

I already used it many times and I have to say that it works perfectly. When I mix a batter I noticed that the top doesn't bend like many other spatulas I've used before, it remains firm and scrapes the bowl clean. Also the size is good, it's bigger than a normal size wooden spoon, but it has a comfortable grip. I cannot deny I'm very happy with it. 

You can find the exact same one on Amazon for a great price! Just click here:  Tovolo Spatulart Love Tree Spatula There's a big variety of colors and sizes. I had never tried this brand before, how about you? Have you tried Tovolo? You'll fall in love.

xoxo,

~This blog post is affiliated with Amazon, if you click and purchase from one of my links I will receive a small percentage of the purchase. Everything written here is according to my opinion.~