bread dipping oil (so good!)

bread dipping oil

If you have been saving your best olive oil for a special dish, this recipe is for you!  This dipping oil is an easy, adaptable, and delicious recipe that comes together in 10 minutes.  Use fresh chunks of sourdough, sliced baguette or ciabatta and dip in. TweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious

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bombette pugliesi – italian street food

bombette pugliesi - Italian street food

The entertaining season is just around the corner!  Christmas is in 47 days and now is a good time to think about what you’ll serve at your next soirée.  I have my go-to finger foods but I always incorporate a few new ones every year.  And boy, do I have a humdinger of an antipasto…

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ciro’s stracciatella bruschetta

stracciatella bruschetta

Mr. S and I LOVE cheese and you know you’re a cheese lover when your friend gives you a book on it! Last October I posted about our local Italian cheesemaker, Ciro. His products can be found at two of our local farmers’ markets and other food establishments.  His passion for cheese making is infectious…

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bruschetta with white anchovies

bruschetta with white anchovies

Bruschetta (pronounced bru-sketta) is a classic Italian appetizer consisting of toasted bread slices topped with fresh ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and extra-virgin olive oil.  There are oodles of variations and I’ve named a few here for you to consider: smashed avocado with chopped tomatoes; zucchini goat cheese bruschetta; smoked salmon with mascarpone cheese. TweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious

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fried olives stuffed with cheese

fried olives stuffed with cheese

What is your favorite snack? Do you go back to the same one time after time or do you like to venture out and try new ones? If you have not tried fried olives, you must! They are a crunchy flavor bomb!  I’ve made these a few times now and each time it’s with a…

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antipasto salad – a cinch to make

antipasto salad

Antipasto (Italian – before the meal) simply refers to the dish that precedes all the others to come. It should be colorful allowing the senses to awaken and gets the palate ready for the meal that follows. It is there to whet the appetite and not be too filling. A typical antipasto dish consists of…

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Grilled Pepper Salad

Simple ingredients mingling together to pull off an out-of-this-world taste! If you’ve never had grilled peppers then you are in for one heck of a treat!  Grilling or roasting brings out their natural sweetness making them so good on their own and they really don’t need much attention to shine, so keep the ingredients simple. …

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stuffed zucchini blossoms

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms…sounds so heavenly.  Summer squash which includes zucchini, is now available in local markets and food shops – they are for me, one of the highlights of the season.  They’re delicate, come in different varieties, tender, juicy, and sweet.  But before the summer squash is formed, the plant produces blossoms. If you’re lucky…

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Grilled Garlic Scapes Pesto

It’s funny how easily I can be distracted when trying to write a post.  I enjoy talking about food but there are times when the energy to write seems to evaporate the longer I sit at my desk looking at the computer screen.  I stare out the window hoping for that aha! moment but my…

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Marinated Olives

The olive bar at any food shop makes me stop dead in my tracks.  I’m a sucker for anything that reminds me of the Mediterranean.  I wasn’t always a fan until one day, a few years ago, I had ordered a cheese plate and Kalamata olives were on it.  At first I scrunched up my…

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