Celebrating Valentine’s Day after almost a year into the pandemic will either leave you giddy at the thought of a quiet romantic dinner at home -or- shaking your head in dismay thinking that even your partner’s blinking is driving you batty. So, I have provided options! 🙂  

If you fall into the first category – go all out and make both the romantic panna cotta AND the yummy, candied blood oranges. Now if you fall into the later – maybe give your partner a pass for the day and at least serve up some chocolate-dipped candied blood oranges to bring back that ole’ romantic feeling.

Continue reading Blood Orange Panna Cotta and Chocolate-dipped Candied Blood Oranges at Our Italian Table.

Over the past few years, I have had a growing realization that that the things I treasured most had nothing to do with the things filling my home.  I was at my happiest when surrounded by family and friends and new experiences; not surrounded by the trappings of a large home. So like many in America today, I decided to jump on the ‘downsizing‘ train. I moved to a home half of the size of my previous home.

Continue reading Simplifying Life and a Blood Orange Crostata at Our Italian Table.

Aah, the winter beiges! Trips to the local farm market this time of year tend to be rather uninspiring – fresh heaps of gorgeous colorful produce replaced by mountains of (mostly) beige root vegetables. Now – I absolutely love a good rutabaga or celery root. I enthusiastically jump in with both feet at the start of the root vegetable season but by February, with snow starting to pile up outside, everything just starts to feel – well, beige.

Continue reading Beat the Winter Beiges! Sicilian Blood Orange Sangria to Pizazz Your Palate at Our Italian Table.

I can’t think of anything more Sicilian than olive oil cake and blood oranges. This Easter, I went looking for something to do with blood oranges, as they are at farmers’ markets in Los Angeles at the moment. They are only around for about 3-4 weeks so it was now or never (at least for this year). You certainly can substitute regular oranges although go for smaller sweeter ones.

I came across this recipe in the NY Times which I successfully doubled for the 12 people we had over for Easter.

Continue reading Blood orange olive oil cake (Torta di arance rosse e olio) at Our Italian Table.