All posts filed under: home & garden

Pita Bread Pizza

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You know those days when you have a list of things to do, and in the end you get it all done…but oh no what’s for dinner? Tonight was one of those nights… Pita bread pizza’s…Quick,easy and delicious… Pita breads are so versatile…Place pita bread on ovenproof paper,sprinkle a little olive oil and place under grill.When that side is cooked,flip pita and start putting on your favourite toppings.Fresh tomato,red pepper,sliced turkey, mozzarella cheese,sun dried tomatoes,oregano,and chilli flakes. A few minutes under the grill,until cheese has melted and wow! dinner is ready,serve with a fresh green salad Enjoy!

After the Storm

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The early hours of this morning we were awoken by rain,hailstones and violent winds.No electricity,alarms,sirens and an eerie,scary view from our windows.Yesterday,with scorching temperatures,obviously it was natures way of cooling things down. We were lucky in one respect only one tree fell due to these forceful winds,we were amazed that there wasn’t more damage, the vineyard survived.! One of our friends lost his whole crop with damage from hailstones. This is the tree that fell on the roadside in front of our house. After harvesting this was the first Sunday morning home in a long time for Silvano, but had to work just the same… We’ve had grey skies all day, as the hour of sun set approaches however the suns rays are dazzling and playing shadows within the garden. Oak tree and acorns…. The photo above…plant unknown   The vineyard…these are table grapes,which we’ve grafted onto one vine…   These are Pinot Grigio…   A Sunday full of daydreams,writing and reading…quality time for me and with my man… My friends,I hope you had a …

Whistle Stop Cafè –no fried green tomatoes!

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I’m sure everyone thinks of the Whistle Stop Cafè and Fanny Flagg in her country overalls making famous -  fried green tomatoes. But I’m not frying green tomatoes today instead conserving them under oil. One of my Nonna’s recipes. An image comes to mind of when I was little…helping my Nonna pick green tomatoes ready for conserving under oil…I remember how I use to sit at the farms laminated kitchen table and watch my Nonna prepare jars and jars of green tomatoes.I instantly think of this image every year when the gardens full of tomato bushes with their plentiful supply of juicy plump tomatoes. So sneaking out to grab a few green tomatoes, I’m on the run to get them pickled and undercover before anyone notices…   Recipe: Preserved Green Tomatoes 1 kg of green firm tomatoes 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup of water fine table salt estimated guess 300ml of olive oil depending on jar size. 1 garlic clove oregano and fennel seeds   Slice the green tomatoes into thin slices,layering and salting …

Tea for me and Tea for you….Tea for Two

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Make a cup of tea and stay with me for a few minutes, relax and enjoy. Sometimes a cup of tea, just does the trick. A soothing cup of tea relaxing with a book, or these days in front of the computer,with fellow blogging friends.Or finishing off an evening combined with five minutes of solitude. A winter warmer, a summer iced treat. A fragrant favorite of mine is “Tisana Meditazione” – Meditation Tea. It’s a combination of mint, cinnamon, sunflower petals, rose petals,chamomile and lavender. The fragrance of lavender is known to relax and soothe the mind and body. Lavender  tea is known to ease insomnia, help calm nervousness and anxiety. Alleviate colds ,coughs,bronchitis and similar respiratory problems. Fatigue and headaches. Funny enough two of my favourite teas both have lavender in them. Meditation Tea is very fragrant, sweet and soothing if you can find this combination I recommend trying it. Another favourite is “Tisana Dolce Sonno” meaning Sweet Dreams or Sleep, so I guess the title says it all. It’s ingredients are passionfruit leaves, …

Pasta Salad

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With the harvesting of wheat at the moment, I should be doing a feature bread section, but my friends , no bread baker challenge for this hot weekend So I turn to Pasta… A great Pasta Salad. Recipe: Pasta Salad – cavatelli with rocket pesto.  Cavatelli is a pasta originally from the region Puglia, Italy.It’s hand made, forming a hollow rod shape about 3cm long with curved edges. This hollow form is great for capturing sauces,it can be purchased fresh or in dry form.As I’ve used for this recipe. Ingredients for 4 serves 350 grams dried form cavatelli pasta 100 grams cherry tomatoes 100 grams smoked ricotta (grated) 100 grams parmesan (grated) 100 grams fresh rocket 3 tablespoons pine nuts 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 garlic clove, (optional) 1 jar pitted kalamata olives Prepare the pasta, as directed on package, this pasta in dry form, usually takes 9 minutes to cook, drain and wash with cold water immediately to stop the cooking process, leave aside. Prepare the tomatoes. Slice long ways,cleaning out the centre,this takes …

She sells seashells, by the seashore…

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My dreams of a blue and white country style kitchen are still playing in my mind…until that one comes true! Not fun ripping out the entire kitchen to start again! I’ll play around the theme of blue and white, where I can add accessories and have fun with table settings, bathroom accessories, shells, sand, lighted candles and creative starfish giving a Summer ocean blue hue to my home.My Summer ocean blue table setting can be found in detail here Accessorizing in the bathroom, is made easy by changing coloured hand embroidered  ocean motif hand towels and shower towels, add some shells and scented perfume bottles giving freshness to the room.   The talents of creative hands, just couldn’t resist him!   Inclusion in any ocean theme, of course is fresh seafood. For the summer months the availability and variety of fresh fish and crustaceans is at it’s best. Passing the fish market today, I purchased some fresh prawns.Too hot,weather wise today for anything else.I thought I would make a fresh prawn salad. Recipe: Strawberry and …

Open Sandwich – Fantasy

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I’m glad the hot weather has arrived…and I mean hot. Lunchtime again, what’s on the menu today? Although, I cook a hot lunch for my working man,usually pasta or rice with varying homemade sauces. I’m still use to having my salads or sandwiches. Today I thought I’d try this recipe. And I’m glad I did. It’s light, different and with added vitamins in disguise. Recipe: Open Sandwich – Fantasy Ingredients: for 4 servings There was only me…so I more than halved the quantities… 1 tablespoon walnuts 2 tablespoon parsley 100 grams cream cheese or ricotta 3 tablespoons of lemon juice salt and pepper freshly grounded 1 whole meal bread roll or 4 slices of bread 2 carrots 1 granny smith apple Preparation: I used cream cheese, because that’s what I had available, but I think this would work well with any soft cheese.Cut the walnuts and parsley finely,add the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. With a peeler, slice long strips of carrot,(6)and grate finely the rest of …

Potato and Zucchini Moussaka

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This recipe is a variant from the normal  Greek style moussaka. The main ingredient used in traditional moussaka is aubergine, or eggplant parmesan here in Italy. This moussaka is light,and a pleasant change, to the normal heavy tomato based moussaka.   Recipe: Potato and Zucchini Moussaka (serves 4 people) Ingredients: 2 potatoes 3 zucchini 2 garlic cloves, grated 200 grams minced ground beef 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 can cherry whole tomatoes 3 tablespoons lemon juice grounded nutmeg 1 tablespoon dried oregano parmesan cheese, grated 90 grams butter 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 500 ml milk Preparation: Preheat oven 200°C. In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add garlic, cook until transparent, add ground mince and cook for about 15 minutes until brown. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano and a generous amount of ground nutmeg, simmer until cooked about 30 minutes until liquid has evaporated.Turn off heat. Steam the zucchini for 2 – 3 minutes, slice long ways.Slice also the potato (raw) in thin slices.   Prepare the béchamel sauce. Heat the butter, …

Bruschetta: Figs and Burrata

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Ok, so today we’re not counting calories. Burrata is a soft Italian fresh cheese. A mozzarella, white with a  shiny coating outside and a mouthwatering creamy centre. Rich and high in protein it’s made from buffalo milk. It’s hand made like normal mozzarella, except in the centre it’s filled with strips of mozzarella combined with fresh cream. Did I mention we’re not counting calories today.! An indication of the freshness of burrata is from the Asphodel leaves that are wrapped around the cheese preserving it’s pear – like shape.The leaves and the cheese have the same freshness time limit of 3 – 4 days, so if the leaves are dry it’s a good indication that the cheese has passed it’s prime. I however have the opportunity of buying it from our local gourmet cheese shop, where now they wrap it in a paper,with compulsory date limits to it’s freshness. Burrata can be eaten fresh on it’s own with fresh bread or made into a salad, or served with grilled seasonal vegetables. I had a copy of this recipe …