Buon Ferragosto!

1057845_10200714225870348_226976464_nToday, on August 15th, Italians are celebrating the middle of summer so: “Buon Ferragosto a tutti”.

After spending the last few weeks re-living the memories of my happy childhood back home in this small town in the Dolomites, we are ready to return to Northern California.

Bags are packed and my inspiration is running at an all-time high with plenty of new and easy recipes to share with you. Fall will be here before we know it and we’re looking forward to celebrating it with you!

Enjoy the last weeks of summer!

PS: This isn’t my picture, but the mountains on it are from my town! Come and climb with us!

Let’s Have a Farinata at My House!

IMG_5410Variety is the spice of life. That’s at least the mantra I try to follow when choosing recipes that use lesser known grains or even legumes to broaden the nutritional palette of my family’s diet. Sure, we all have our go-to dishes that are 100% fool-proof and always work, particularly when you are in a pinch. But it’s the new and unknown ones that are fun to experiment with, even more so, if your family is prepared to join you in this adventurous culinary journey. And that is how I came to try garbanzo bean flour. I knew green and dried chickpeas and had plenty of ideas on what to do with them, but stone ground chickpea flour? Cooking with that was news to me. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Let’s Have a Farinata at My House!”

Turn your Pantry into Raw Energy

34fc7db2e20a11e2a0ee22000aeb0fed_7As most of you know, I am an improviser in the kitchen. This makes it harder to follow a recipe to the “t”, but it helps me be inventive with what I have in my fridge, freezer or pantry. With a little inspiration from the newest cookies and health bars hitting the shelves in stores, I experimented with the nuts and seeds in my kitchen and came up with my very own raw, no-bake, chocolate, nut and seed balls. OK, the name sounds complicated but, luckily, they are everything but! Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Turn your Pantry into Raw Energy”

Mind the Mint

8b858fdedd4611e2b23022000a1f9ad5_7When Kathrin asked me to write a post about mint I immediately thought of the spearmint that grows wild in paddocks on my mother-in-law’s farm. As you walk, your gumboots kick up the freshest mint aroma. It’s especially strong during summer when the smell inspires salads, dressings and sauces, all lifted by this versatile herb. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Mind the Mint”