December 17, 2015

Goodbye to a friend: Marilyn Cameron. Those were the days, my lovely friend, we thought they’d never, ever end.

Marilyn and Randy. It is hard to think of one without the other. It is with great sadness that we are saying goodbye to a special friend, one so full of life and love and laughter, Marilyn Cameron. I remember meeting her for the first time at the kid’s school. As she tells it I was sitting in my car with my feet on the dashboard waiting to pick up the kids and she knocked... View Article

December 8, 2015

Florence food tour with “Italy Customized”

One of the best ways to get an insider view of a city’s food scene is to do a food tour with a local guide. We chose Italy Customized, a Florence based custom tour company run by the lovely Linda Sorgiovanni. Linda also owns the Florence franchise of Urban Adventures, a company offering tours in over 105 destinations around the world.  Between her two companies she offers food, markets and aperitivo tours in Florence as well... View Article

December 2, 2015

Tuscany road trip day 1- 4: Siena

After spending a few days in San Miniato for the white truffle festival we decided to head south and explore some of the Tuscan medieval towns, on my list for their unique history or wine production and to see the countryside beauty of Tuscany. We did not reserve hotels except for that night in Siena. We’ll stop where and when we want, with some time constraints of course. We fell head over heels for siena... View Article

November 28, 2015

Tuscany off the beaten path – a weekend at Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle

After beating the path to many of the well known destinations in Tuscany (posts coming) we wanted to explore the road less travelled and booked a weekend at Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle. The town is located in Northern Tuscany’s “land of the moon”, Lungiana, known for its chestnuts and DOP honey. Travelling off season we were going to be the only guests at the palazzo and the owners Mirella and Francesco drove up from... View Article

November 26, 2015

Fresh ricotta on grilled bread

I don’t know if you have access to fresh ricotta made this morning but I bought mine from the cheese maker next door while staying at the off the beaten path agriturismo Palazzo del Duca in Tavernelle. A blog post about the experience is in the making but I had to use the cheese right away so here is one of the ways I used it, simplicity itself, and in the words of Leonardo da... View Article

November 25, 2015

San Miniato White Truffle Festival (2015)

Travelling off season has its benefits. We are here at the height of truffle season and during the white truffle festival of San Miniato. This year the Festival is celebrating its 45 anniversary and we were here for the celebration. Every November more than 100,000 people descend on San Miniato for the Nostra Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato and the narrow streets and small piazzas fill with truffle aromas and stands of vendors displaying... View Article

November 24, 2015

Risotto with white truffles from San Miniato

The truffle I bought at the San Miniato truffle festival was enough for just two dishes: soft scrambled eggs with truffles and risotto with truffles. It was a fun and short lived, I need to find another white truffle before we leave Tuscany. we are off to Florence in a few days and are staying there long enough to do some cooking, looking forward to that. The truffled risotto is easy to make, simply make... View Article

November 23, 2015

La Dolce Vita: Rapallo, Santa Margherita and Portofino

The Ligurian coast is stunningly beautiful with jewel-like towns dotting the coastline between the Cinque Terre and Genoa. One of my favourite areas is the Gulf of Tigullio, home to three towns, Rapallo, Santa Margherita and the famous Portofino. This is where the rich and famous came to live La Dolce Vita, anchoring their mega yachts near Portofino’s little harbour and filling the luxury hotels and gorgeous private villas on the hills above the town.... View Article

November 20, 2015

Scrambled eggs with white truffle from San Miniato

Some things feel luxurious and truffles are certainly among them. We are in Italy right now at the height of white truffle season and just returned from the white Truffle Festival in San Miniato, still overwhelmed by the abundance of truffles and array of truffle products that were available. We tasted truffles in several dishes, mostly with pasta, risotto, cheese and on crostini, but one of the simplest ways it was served and to me... View Article

November 19, 2015

Italy’s Liguria – The Cinque Terre, how to get there and what to eat and drink

We are stationed on the Tuscan coast, within a short drive of most sites in Tuscany and close to the gorgeous Ligurian coast with its five charming villages known as the Cinque Terre (chin-que-te-rrre). This is where we are headed today. The Cinque Terre are five picture perfect coastal villages, lined one after the other in ravines along a 6 mile stretch of rugged coast. The colourful homes cling to each other and to the... View Article

November 12, 2015

The thrill of the hunt for the elusive white truffle in Tuscany

We are in an oak forest in the Tuscan countryside on a beautiful fall day in November. Our truffle hunter Luigi Leto, his truffle hunting dog Mora and his son Simone are taking us on a truffle hunt outing in the woods. Following the hunt we are invited to a truffle lunch to be prepared by Luigi’s wife Giuseppina’s at her cooking school Cucina Giuseppina at Certaldo alto, the magnificent ancient town on top of the hill. I... View Article

November 11, 2015

Midnight pasta with tomato passata sauce

We are keeping different schedule here in Italy with all the comings and goings and sometime late at night we just want something to eat. Unless I have a dish ready I invariably turn to a quick pasta and use passata as a base for the sauce. Passata is a useful Italian ingredient not well known at home so I thought I’d tell you about it. It is common in Italian kitchens and frequently called... View Article