Buon estate, tutti!  The summer heat has kicked into high gear here in Pennsylvania.  To ride out the ‘ondata di caldo‘ (heat wave), we have been spending our days dangling our feet in the river (ok, the river is so low I should really say dangling our toes in the water) or floating mindlessly around the pool, cool drink in hand.  After the really rainy spring, the warmth – no matter how hot – is really welcome in my book.

Continue reading Easy Ricotta Desserts to Beat the Summer Heat at Our Italian Table.

I was reorganizing a few cabinets the other day and came across some old photo albums – those old photo albums that many of us of a certain age 🙂 remember from childhood. (Peel back the plastic, stick on your photos, lay the plastic back on top.) The yellowing pages contained photos of my mother’s family at our frequent weekend picnics and parties – their smiling faces staring into the camera; kids romping in the background, food tucked into every possible corner of the tables alongside.

Continue reading Childhood Memories and a Few Sauces from Sicily at Our Italian Table.

Quick post but I had to share! I have tried VERY hard to resist the urge to buy yet another kitchen gadget! I did. I really did. However, I can explain myself.  THE. ZUCCHINI. MADE. ME. DO. IT!

I have been staring at a huge pile of zucchini for over a week now.  I have been making zucchini roasted, pickled, fried, buttered, smothered and sauced….and I don’t actually love zucchini.

Continue reading Oh my, oh my! Zucchini Pasta with Garden Fresh Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil at Our Italian Table.

As the temperatures plummeted outside yesterday, I was craving something light and warming for dinner.  With football and a fire planned for the evening festivities, this felt like the perfect dish for us to eat fireside.  This simple meal takes less than 30 minutes to pull together so I barely missed a play while steaming the clams in the kitchen.  Fennel adds a delightful sweetness to the broth. Serve with some nice crusty bread to sop up all the yummy flavors (yes, I watched with big sad puppy dog eyes as my boyfriend munched on his crunchy bread while I am still on my ‘no-grain’ kick for a few more weeks.)

You can substitute mussels for clams should you desire  – or mix it up and include both.

Continue reading Snowy Saturday Supper: Littleneck Clams in Fennel Broth at Our Italian Table.