As an Italian, I have been eating meatballs my entire life and the recipe has been passed down to me from my mother who learned it from her mother. I believe they are the best meatballs you will ever taste.
To make these meatballs taste just like Mamma's, you will need to make her sauce too! Click here, for the recipe for Brodo Di Mamma.
Read MoreWhen you have a busy schedule from morning ‘till evening, it’s difficult to get dinner on the table without a little stress. For me, the kids get off the bus and it seems like a high speed chase until bedtime. I have found to make the nighttime shift a bit easier is to prep as much as I can during the day so that when six o’clock rolls around, dinner is on the table and everyone is able to enjoy a delicious meal.
My sister and her husband recently got back from a quick jaunt to Rome (lucky ducks!) and introduced me to a new cookbook, Tasting Rome. After scouring the pages, I found that his recipe fit the bill! Easy, delicious and like most Italian cooking, only a few ingredients that lead to the perfect dish.
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Sometimes, you just don’t want to make a big dinner. Sometimes, you just don’t feel like a really dirty kitchen, tons of dishes and loads of prep. I get it, days are long, the kids are busy and many nights, we don’t have it in us. However, before you grab the take out menu, please consider whipping up a crispy Cast Iron Skillet Pizza. It's easy and tastes so good! And, at the end of the day, you still get a pat on the back because its home cooked and the kids will be begging for more.
Read MoreMy kids love to cook. Probably, because if they want to find me, I’m usually standing in front of the stove cooking, testing or occasionally, baking up some treats.
We recently started a nice Sunday tradition. The girls pick something they really like and I teach them how to make it.
Alessandra loves Chicken Francese, most likely because I try to convince her that one of my late ancestors created the dish. She is a big fan of FoodTV and all the kids cooking competitions so she really enjoys getting in the kitchen and trying her hand at making something good to eat.
Read MoreJust like the Irish have their soda bread for Saint Patrick’s Day, Italians have a special bread made once a year for Easter. Italian Easter bread is a slightly sweet, braided bread adorned with hard boiled eggs and sprinkles. Some Italians will even dye the eggs before placing them in the bread but we do not. My mom doesn’t use sprinkles either. Her bread looks similar to a challah, lightly scented with anise seed.
This year, my mom and I decided to make the bread together. I have never made my own before so I decided to make some additions like sprinkles, lemon zest, a bit of sugar and almond extract to my mom’s recipe for a sweeter, more colorful bread. Also, I made mine into a wreath like I have seen in Italian bakeries. She stuck to her tried and true Calabrese recipe. Both came out wonderfully and I’m so happy I finally learned to make it.
Read MoreIna Garten is my food idol and here is why. She is completely self taught and didn’t start her career in food. Early in her career, she realized that food made her happy, took a leap of faith, bought a little deli and the rest is history. Her food is approachable, easy and always tastes good. Most importantly, her recipes never fail.
I have made so many of her recipes and honestly can’t pick a favorite but there are some true stand outs. Now this recipe isn’t her's but she did pick it as a favorite and learned how to make it. This pasta dish comes from one of Ina’s favorite Hamptons restaurants, Nick and Toni’s. It might seem like penne alla vodka and technically it is. However, it is the best penne alla vodka you will ever have.
Read MoreAs I mentioned on Tuesday, this year, I decided to throw a Cupid’s Cocktail Party in honor of the ‘Day of Love’. I needed an excuse for a get together and it seemed like the perfect time to invite my friends for a night of cocktails, yummy bites and of course, dessert.
I have asked my guests to bring a dessert they love to the festivities and I decided to do the same. I went with a favorite, an old stand by, Tiramisu. Just like any great love, it never disappoints and everyone digs in. Layers of delicious lady fingers and creamy mascarpone cheese and of course, lots and lots of espresso. When it’s made right, it’s a dream on a plate.
Read MoreGrowing up in an Italian home, I didn’t eat a lot of rice. We preferred pasta and my mother served it regularly as our staple carbohydrate. Once and a while, however, my mom would whip up a risotto and I would pout through dinner, pushing it to the edges of my plate hoping my father would think I had some.
Truth be told, I hate risotto. It just doesn’t do it for me. If I am going to eat something creamy and full of carbs, hand me a dish of cheesy polenta and I’m a happy girl. The one positive to hating risotto though, is that my mother had plenty leftover to make rice balls with for us the next day. Golden brown and crispy on the outside and creamy, cheesy inside make for a killer combination.
Read MoreThe next time you realize you totally forgot about the cookie swap you need to go to tonight, make these and everyone will be asking you for the recipe. So easy, so good and they come together in minutes - these cookies are awesome! All you have to do is roll out some pie dough, sprinkle some really good filling, roll it back up and bake. That’s it! It's all the good toppings of a quality ice cream sundae rolled up in a pie crust.
Read MoreThis recipe was given to my mother Gina many years ago by a neighbor. Florentines allegedly come from Florence Italy so one more reason to love Italy! They are buttery, nutty and sweet from the fruit. My mom always smears the backside of the cookie with melted chocolate. They are pretty and delicious - a great holiday combination.
Read MoreIf there is one recipe I know my children will remember me by it’s my Italian Tricolor Cookies - my husband Phil's favorite Italian dessert!
This cookie is really a mini cake. Its three layers of thin cake (tinted red, white and green) made with almond paste and slathered with apricot jam. The outside is enrobed in chocolate. You can find them in the case of any classic Italian pastry shop. For years, he would always buy a box from the bakery near our dorm and talk about how it’s the best cookie you could ever have. Even though he loved them, I never thought about attempting to make them at home. It seemed complicated.
Then, about 15 years ago, my mom was sitting in a hair salon thumbing through a Good Housekeeping and came across a recipe for tricolors. She ripped it out and gave it to me. The recipe is perfect. It makes the most delicious tricolor cookies you will ever have. They are even better than the pastry shop’s version. I have been making these cookies, every year since, for Christmas. I hope is that even when I’m old and grey, my children and grandchildren will ask me to whip up a batch of these cookies for the holidays.
Read MoreThis recipe comes to me from my lovely friend Claudia. She is a true Italian girl with both of her parent’s families hailing from the old country, northern Italy and Sicily. Even though Claudia always jokes she isn’t much of a cook, I tend to doubt it because she definitely has some incredible cooking genes. Her father was generous to share a few of his specialties and Claudia has saved many of the wonderful recipes her mother used to make.
Most of Claudia’s mom’s recipes come from her mother, Claudia’s grandmother Mary Zeppieri. Mary came to the US at the age of 25 from Veroli, Italy and raised five children in upstate New York. She was a dedicated wife and mother and always cooked homemade Italian food. Claudia has dear memories of walking to her Nonna’s house every Sunday after church for these wonderful cookies.
Read MoreI haven’t ever met a person under the age of 18 that doesn’t LOVE pizza. Most kids will eat it any day of the week. My kids not only love cheese pizza, but they really enjoy the process of making it with me. Homemade pizza tastes really delicious and my kids always seem to eat much more when they help with the cooking.I love how proud they are of the finished product. Cooking with kids is fun and educational. Roll up your sleeves and give it a try!
Read MoreI’m a big fan of Tapas because you get to try a whole bunch of items without having to commit to one dish. When I am entertaining, aside from some salted nuts, a great cheese plate and veggies with dip, I always serve bruschetta. Traditionally, tomatoes and garlic are used but if you like, get creative and other toppings like ricotta and honey or brie and apple. With a delicious piece of butter bread as your base, it’s hard to mess things up.
Read MoreThis Friday’s recipe is very special and really encompasses why I started Heirloom Kitchen. A few years ago, my friend Gina made me these biscotti for Christmas. Hands down, these are the most delicious biscotti I have ever had. A delicious combination of anise and almond, they are light, crunchy, and simply perfect with a cup of coffee.
What really makes these biscotti so special however, is not merely how they taste, but where they come from. This recipe was created by Gina’s paternal Nonna, Olga Giovannoni and came here with her, all the way from South Africa.
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