La La Land ~ movie review

"City of Stars...are you shining just for me?..."

I don't know about you but this is my favorite song from the big time Oscar winner musical "La La Land". Whenever I hear that song it takes me back to Valentine's Day when my husband took me on a date to watch it. I didn't know what to expect as I hadn't yet read any review, I didn't know anything about the plot, I just knew it was a musical.

I love musicals, I have acted in some when I was younger {yes, I love to act and sing}. Not many musicals have touched my heart as much as this one. I love the story, the slow and calm flow of the plot, as if it were an old movie from the 50's. It really seems that it was performed in that era, for the way the characters were dressed and also how "clean" and non-provocative the romance is portrayed. Instead there are some elements such as cellphones, remote controls and electrical keyboards that show the times of today. Was it the intention of the director to combine the two different eras? I don't know, but it's a detail that I really liked.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I won't speak about the story, the only thing I want to say in particular is that the end left me with some bitterness...maybe because I'm very romantic and I was hoping for a different, maybe more cliche' ending, but it was not the case. Would I change the end? Probably not, because that's one of the elements that makes this movie so unique.

My absolute favorite thing about this musical is of course...the music!! I listen to the songs almost everyday. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have amazing voices and great talent, even at dancing! The tap-dancing scene is my favorite..I wish I could dance like that. Also the scenery, the amazing views and panoramas, the whole thing just makes you dream. It really depicts well a "la la land", so far from reality, where all of us like to escape when life becomes heavy. I think it's okay every now and then to dream, the important thing is to know how to wake-up.

xoxo,

Picture is from this website

You can purchase the movie soundtrack clicking on my amazon affiliate link:

Madeleines Cookie Recipe

Bonjour!!!

Yes, this is the proper way to start this blog-post as today I'm going to share with you one of my signature recipes.... the Madeleines Cookies, those delicious French little pastries, or soft cookies; I love them so much and they are a big success every time I have guests.

I made them this morning and I took pictures to give you a step-by-step photo-recipe. Are you ready?

Here it is!

Recipe for 12 cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 EGGS
• 2 tbsp SUGAR
• 2 tbsp POWDER SUGAR
• 1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1 tsp ALMOND EXTRACT
• 1/4 cup SELF-RAISING FLOUR
• 1/4 cup regular FLOUR
• 6 tbsp BUTTER
• 1 tbsp HOT WATER
• extra powder sugar for dusting

 

Mix eggs, both sugars and extracts until smooth.

 

Add both flours, sifted together, and keep mixing.

 Melt the butter and slowly add it to the batter, also the water.

 

Pour the batter into a Madeleines` pan. After having carefully buttered and floured it.

 

Cook in preheated oven at 400 F degrees for 10 minutes.

You will see that a little dome will form on top of the cookie...that's a perfect result! They are so good with a cup of tea or coffee. The only indispensable tool is the Madeleines' pan, if you don't have one you can find it here:

Let me know how they come out!!!

xoxo,

This recipe is my own and as an amazon affiliate, I will receive a small commission if you click and buy from my links. Thank you!

My Ricotta Cake

Goodmorning!!

it's Spring Break and my children are all home. They are still all asleep, I was able to wake-up early to sip my big cup of caffe'-latte while reading the news and catching-up on my instagram feed, I love checking everybody's pictures and new posts, it gives me a lot of inspiration.

So, in this time of peace and calm I'll take advantage to share with you a delicious cake I made a few days ago. In Italy it's a classic: the Ricotta Cake. I used to make it all the time, then somehow I forgot about it, maybe because here in the States I never eat ricotta, as it's very different from the one I was used to eat. I saw a recipe online and I suddenly remembered the taste and how soft and tender that cake was. I had to make it!! I adapted the recipe to my taste and memories.

Here it is.

MY RICOTTA CAKE

Ingredients:

• 3 EGGS (whites and yolks separated)
• 1 cup of SUGAR
• 7 tbsp of BUTTER (melted)
• 1 cup of RICOTTA
• 1 cup of FLOUR
• 1 tsp of BAKING POWDER
• LEMON ZEST (1 lemon)
• 1 cup of CHOCOLATE CHIPS (semi-sweet)
• POWDER SUGAR for dusting

1. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy and pale yellow. 
2. Add the ricotta and keep mixing until smooth and the melted butter.
3. Sift-in the flour together with the baking powder.
4. Beat the egg whites until firm and gently add them to the batter, mixing softly, making sure they don't get flat.
5. Gently mix-in also the lemon zest and at last the chocolate chips.
6. Grease and flour dust a cake pan (9 inches), add the batter and put in preheated oven at 350 F degrees for 30-35 minutes. (Always insert a tooth-pick in the cake to check if it's well cooked. If it comes out clean, it means the cake is done). 
7. Dust your cake with powder sugar and serve.

It's a very simple recipe and you'll see how good it is!! Everyone will love it! My children were a little skeptical at first but they ate it all! I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

xoxo,