I was 20 years old living in good old “102″ with the girls when I decided to try this recipe for the first time.  I believe Maleesa’s comment was “Kayla, I think this is my favorite meal that you’ve ever made.” So with that as enough encouragement, I’ve had the recipe memorized ever since. Believe it or not, this is one of my “go-to” recipes when I have guests coming to dinner or friends visiting from out of town. It’s surprisingly simple to make and tastes DELICIOUS. The combination of hazelnut, gorgonzola, and sage flavors will fool you into thinking you’re dining at a four-star restaurant.

With the abundance of nocciole (hazelnuts) in Italy, I had to make it again.

Recipe from the kitchen of a Florentine, Italian mother; recreated by the girls of the Florence Chateau.

-b

Ingredients:

1 large package ladyfinger cookies
1 cup freshly brewed espresso
5 eggs, separated
1 large tub mascarpone cheese
5 spoonfuls sugar
1 large bar dark chocolate, finely grated

Directions:

Stir together egg yolks, mascarpone, and sugar. Beat egg whites until the peaks can stand and fold into the other mixture. Dip ladyfingers into espresso and line the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan. Spread one third of the egg mixture on top of the cookies and sprinkle with one third of the grated chocolate. Repeat two more times to make 3 layers. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Another option: Fold the grated chocolate into the egg mixture before spreading over the ladyfingers and dust the final layer liberally with cocoa powder.

One last feast with family in my California backyard in summer.

Fresh California cuisine vs. Rich Italian food

Who will win?

-b

We made this.  It was freaking good.

We used the “Basic Granola Formula” from Blue Jean Gourmet and added lots of spices, vanilla, pecans, walnuts, and toasted coconut.

Yum!

Give it a try.

-b

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“THEY HAVE FEET!!” we cried in triumph, taking them out of the oven. ***

Our first time making French Macarons and we had success.  Maybe the humidity was just right, or the KithenAid whipped the whites perfectly stiff, or maybe these stubborn confections knew how angry Meadow and I would be if they didnt make a stunning debut at her party.  Either way, the Macarons were beautiful and delicious and quite popular at the soiree, and because of them, Meadow and I have graduated into a new level of culinary prowess.

*** “Feet”: The telling feature of a properly made macaron. The evidence that the macaron was perfectly piped into a smooth shell that traps the air bubbles as the macaron cooks, causing the meringe to rise and grow “feet.” You can see those “feet” on either side of the filling.

-b

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Comme un rêve,

un soir,

dans un jardin,

avec une princesse très belle,

une fête d’anniversaire,

d’un conte de fées.

-b

I have new recipes emailed to me daily.  Many I delete, but this one caught my eye.  It is a simple summery soup that takes no time to put together, especially of you use frozen corn and pre-cooked ham or canadian bacon like I did.  I also suggest using only one can of the green chilies if you don’t like a lot of spiciness.  Get the recipe at MyRecipes.com (a part of Cooking Light).  Check out the nutritional facts to see just how healthy this tasty soup is!  Serve with a green salad…if you still have room after the soup.

-b

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Katherine and I have been good friends since 5th grade.  Over the years we have developed a tradition of getting together to make cookies.  I’m glad we can agree that it is both acceptable and delightful to eat cookie dough!  After looking through the Martha Stewart cookie book, we adapted one of the recipes to fit the ingredients and level of impatience we had.  I was surprised to find that the molasses, not the cocoa gives the cookies their dark color.  The complementary flavors of deep chocolate and spicy ginger make these chewy cookies very satisfying.

-b

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“The Best Birthday Cake” : A thick and fluffy yellow layer cake with a simple chocolate sour cream frosting.

I have been dying to make this cake for about a year now, ever since I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen. Luckily out of all the cakes I showed Hanna, this was the one she picked for her birthday party.  She liked it so much, she insisted I make it again when we celebrated her birthday the following weekend with family. Smitten Kitchen was right, this cake is foolproof.  It is rather easy to make and it turned out beautifully both times.

To continue the Italian dinner party theme, I chose to make these Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze, recipe by  Giada de Laurentis.  Thanks to Bailey for introducing me to these soft, zesty cookies!

-b