Strawberry season is here, and big plump local berries were piled high at our market this past week 🍓.  A sight for weary eyes indeed. For the last few weeks, we have been completely consumed with a new renovation project here at our little old home. The old carport was in a state of disrepair when we purchased the property and after years of legal hoops and approvals, we finally got the green light to replace it with a new garage.

Continue reading A Strawberry Crostata to Celebrate the Season! ❤️ at Our Italian Table.

I am not sure what has me more excited….this crostata or that we are headed back to Italy next week! (Ok, I really know the answer to that but this salted chocolate crostata was pretty darn tasty 😉) First, lets talk about the crostata, shall we? This supremely chocolate-y piece of heaven is super simple and makes you feel like you were just hugged by a huge fuzzy chocolatey (nice) bear.

I had a hankering for something comforting and chocolatey this past week and remembered a photo in one of my bazillion cooking emails I receive that had a delicious looking chocolate and pear dessert – I thought the pears would at least add a little healthy kick atop a chocolate ganache filling – well, let me just say that once I poured the chocolate in the pastry I knew that was it – not a pear would touch that shimmering surface – but rather nice flaky sea salt.

Continue reading Salted Chocolate Crostata (& off to Italia we go!) at Our Italian Table.

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.