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,

Back to Normal?

 

How have you spent your vacations? I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I came back two days ago from a beautiful week spent in Washington State with my family. We go visit my Mother-in-law every year for Christmas, I think it's our new tradition and we love it! I'm glad my kids have an opportunity to spend some time with their grandma.

Now I wish I could say we are back to our "normal" life.. but we are not!! We are supposed to move in a new apartment.. hopefully that will happen soon! I closed my Etsy Shop for a few days, almost everything is the house is packed, we are living as if we were camping! :) It's fun but I long for the moment in which I will be finally in the new house and everything will be magically in order and organized! Will that ever happen?? We'll see.. ;) I know there's a lot of work ahead of me!

 

One of the most important things for me to do is to organize {somehow in this great mess} the Feast of the Three Kings that is celebrated tomorrow. This might shock you but my children don't wait for Santa Claus every year but for Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar, the 3 Magi who came from far away to bring presents to Jesus and adore Him. It's the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated in the Catholic Church, that closes the time of Christmas.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi

 

Tomorrow my children will receive their presents!! We will hopefully go to a celebration in one of the parishes that has organized the visitation of the Kings (they really come and greet the children!). It's a beautiful way to pass Faith to our kids and really the most beautiful time of the year. We are waiting for them with excitement!

 

Happy Feast of the Epiphany to all those who celebrate it!!!

 

Hugs to all!!

 

 

Italian Traditions: Croccante Recipe

Today is August 26th!!! And for somebody like me who grew up in Lecce {in Apulia, South of Italy} this day only means "Town-Fair"! It's the day in which the Catholic Church celebrates St. Oronzo, which is the Patron, protector, of my town {each city in Italy has a different Saint who protects the town}. The Fair starts on the 24th and ends the 26th at night with beautiful fireworks. The city is decorated with lights of all kinds and shapes. When you walk at night through the old streets of the city.. it's just a fantastic experience! There is music playing from some of the hundreds of "bancarelle", the stands selling different items... food, books, jewels, clothes... anything! 

These gorgeous pictures were taken the other night by one of my friends from Lecce.. you can see the Roman Amphitheater and all the lights in the back {and St. Oronzo's statue on top of the column!}. 

And down here..some of the lights.

One of things I miss the most every year is the so called "cupeta" {in my dialect} or "croccante" {in Italian}. It's a delicious treat made entirely of sugar and almonds.

So, this morning I woke up thinking of it... and I decided to make it!! I want my children to taste its deliciousness and to learn about some of my traditions...

I have to say that I never made it before.. but it came out really good and crunchy.. as it should be {the word Croccante means CRUNCHY!}. Here it is!!

If you want to make it you just need:

• 2 cups of sugar 
• 1 splash of water 
• 4 oz. of peeled almonds (I used the slivered ones)

1. Toast the almonds. You can use the oven or you can sautee' them on a non-stick skillet, until golden.
2. Put the almonds on a piece of paper-wax inside a medium metal container (or a pyrex).
3. Melt the sugar with the water in a "thick-base" sauce-pan at a medium-low heat. It will take a few minutes. Just be patient. The sugar will crystallize and then melt in a brownish gluey sauce. 
4. Pour the caramel sauce on top of the almonds RIGHT AWAY covering them completely.
5. Let it cool down.
6. Finally, peel the paper off the croccante and cut in pieces. Enjoy!! and don't break your teeth!!!!! :))

Here's the recipe in pictures:

       

                         

Et Voila'!!

♥

P.S.

This post is linked to the beautiful blog Create.Craft.Love. 

Please go check out some other great blogs participating in this Party!

:)

Fresh from the Garden.

~~~~I can't believe it's already August!!!~~~~ 

One of my favorite months.. it reminds me of the summer vacations spent on the beach in Italy. So, today I looked in my friends' garden and I found 3 Zucchini Flowers!! They told me I could pick them, as they don't eat them.. well... that's exactly what I did!! I LOVE zucchini flowers!! It's an ingredient found mostly in the Roman cuisine, they fry them or put them on pizzas as a topping. 

{So delicious!!!}

I like them fried and I decided to take pictures to show all of you this wonderful and easy recipe. It is a great side dish, appetizer or yummi snack!

FRIED ZUCCHINI FLOWERS 

(Fiori di Zucchina fritti)

This is what you need:

• 5 or 6 large zucchini flowers
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 splash of water
• 1 pinch of salt
• vegetable oil 

Wash the flowers very gently, detach the little stem inside the flower (and throw it away). 

Prepare the egg-batter mixing the eggs with a pinch of salt, add the flour and mix well until creamy. Add a splash of cold water and keep stirring until smooth. 

Dip the flower in the batter and fry it in a saucepan with hot oil until golden on both sides.

Let the cooked flowers rest on paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Serve warm.

* * * * *

Coffee Date.

All those who know me can tell you how much I love coffee, my day doesn't start well if I don't drink a huge cup of Caffe'-latte {an easy version of cappuccino, basically espresso & milk with no froth}. And I love "coffee-dates", there's nothing better than a chit-chat with a good friend while sipping a delicious coffee.

If today you were over at my house to have a cup of coffee, I would show you how I make my Cappuccino. 

You need real espresso, when I say real I mean Italian.. :) Italian brands are sold in almost every american grocery store {I'm sooo happy about that!! I used to have my Mom sending me coffee from Italy!}, the most common are Lavazza and Illy Caffe'. 

Once you have made a strong espresso, warm up the milk {I know it's more fat, but whole milk is the best!} and froth it.. I use my "frother-pot" that I bought in Italy, but you can find something like this in different stores, I used to have it and it works really well.

Pour the coffee in your cup, add some sugar, if you like it sweet like I do, then add the milk with the froth on top. I like to sprinkle it with powder cocoa! Et voila'!  Deeelicioussss!!! ♥

Here's a little picture-collage I made for you:

..You can link your "coffee-date story" at this fabulous blog post by Alissa from Rags to Stitches!..