~My Apple Pie~

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Yes, I know the actual date was yesterday... I spent it with my family and some friends (mostly people I didn't know), but I didn't have to cook!! I'm always so excited for the holidays because I have an excuse to cook all the amazing dishes that normally I wouldn't prepare. So....we decided to celebrate today, just us. I enjoyed myself cooking all morning and sharing a delicious meal with my loves, really feeling thankful for ALL that God has done for me, especially the gift of my husband and children.

I want to share with you my Apple Pie. It is my favorite pie to make and to eat. I've recently discovered a website that inspires me a lot. All the pictures are amazing and the recipes too!! I made the pie crust following THE BUTTER HALF 's recipe.. easy and delicious!

This is what I did:

~APPLE PIE~

crust:

3 cups flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut in cubes

1/2 cup ice water

1 beaten egg (for brushing)

filling:

3 large apples

1 lemon (zest and juice)

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup brown sugar

•  Mix butter, sugar and flour in a food processor (or in a mixer using the leaf attachment) trying to be quick, not to let the butter melt. When it's all crumbled, add the iced cold water. Mix rapidly until it sticks together. Form two balls and let them rest in the fridge.
• In the meantime peel the apples, take out the core and slice them very finely. Put them in a bowl mixing the rest of the filling ingredients.
• Roll the dough for the bottom part of the pie and cover a 9 inch pie pan (grease the pan before laying the dough). Poke the bottom with a fork, add the apple filling.
• With the second ball of dough you can use your imagination. You could just roll it thinly to perfectly cover the top and give it a rustic, old-fashioned look, or you can be creative a make your own design. 
• Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg.
• Cook for 35 minutes in preheated oven at 345 degrees or until golden and beautiful.

As you can see from my pictures below, I cut 4 wide strips of dough and a few decorative flowers with a cookie cutter. You can find "pie crust cutters" HERE .

   

Let me know if you try this recipe! I would love to see how you decide to decorate your crust. 

Ciao for now.

xoxo,

Sweetest tea party

I've always loved a cup of tea in the afternoon. Today I prepared some scones from scratch for the first time. I had recently bought a jar of clotted cream, as I was so curious to see what it tastes like, and I know it needs to be spread on scones together with delicious jam. 

The scones came out delicious (I followed this RECIPE).

             

The clotted cream can be described as a fluffy, sweet butter. It was fresh, dense and it created a perfect marriage with the jam. I am not deceived but very happy with my purchase. It's a product of England, not easily found in the States unless it's imported.

You can order some HERE .

              xoxo,

Matcha Love ~ Yes or No?

Hello everyone!!

I was wondering if also you have the "matcha fever"..I don't even know if that's a thing, but I have been noticing more and more how popular matcha is becoming. If you are among those who don't know what I'm talking about, you can get instructed through this LINK and wikipedia will magically answer all your questions.

Have you ever tried a "matcha Latte"? It's something looking like this:

You can find the recipe here from bon appetit

You'll need this for the Latte recipe.

It looks and sounds delicious, a creamy green tea... kind of like a mixture between a tea and a cappuccino! It's on my wish-list of new drinks to try.

My only experience with matcha is the KitKat candy bar!! I was so fortunate to have a friend traveling through Japan, I asked him to buy me one "green KitKat" and he brought me a whole box!! I have been sharing the delicious treats with my husband and kids. I posted a picture on my Instagram and a few people were curious about it...so I decided to share the link where you all can find it without having to go to Japan! You need to try it!

Happy Shopping!!

Please let me know your experience about this new trend!! Have you tried anything matcha? Do you like it? Leave a comment if you like.

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,