Yes, you read it right – pickled zucchini! You might be thinking how is this possible and that zucchini would go mushy but you will be surprised at the crunchiness and amazing flavor of these zucchini preserves. The process is simple and quite honestly how a lot of the preserves we make are started – a simple brine. In Italian, we call this type of preserve ‘sottaceto’ which translates to under vinegar.   The vegetable, in this case, zucchini, sits in the brine for a given amount of time and is then pressed or squeezed of the brine and stored in jars filled with oil and can sit on a shel ..read more

  Chickpeas have been on the trendy list the last couple of years and rightfully so! I enjoy eating them in Indian dishes, salads, soups, and of course – hummus, but my real love of this awesome legume started as a child. Pasta e ceci, or pasta with chickpeas, was eaten regularly in our house. Dried chickpeas, beans, and lentils are a staple in any Italian pantry after all. Try this pasta with chickpeas recipe and you will probably add them to your pantries as well! Go to Recipe I fondly remember my nonna cooking a big clay pot of chickpeas over the fire all day long. This was typically a ..read more

Do you have memories of food that touches all of your senses and brings you back to a time you associate with family and comfort? For me, that would be these apple spice cookies. I recall that my mom would make these often, all throughout the year, but especially when their apple trees were full of fruit in the fall.   I have been going through mom’s extensive recipe collection to organize, protect and preserve them, and much to my delight I found this recipe! Truth be told, I do not know who gave her this recipe but I do know that my mom made these cookies for the longest time and I tho ..read more

    Ahh the good ole days – when you just popped in at family and friends and had spontaneous visits and dinners! Every mom & Nonna would have a section of the freezer dedicated to cookies and food for when company came over. It wasn’t a matter of if but when so you didn’t dare be caught off guard:)   This was one of the cookies my mom always kept on hand and now I see why. These anisette biscotti are so easy and quick to make, freeze well, and look nice on a platter when serving, yup – of course – espresso! Depending what decade you grew up in, right now you may be picturing the tableclot ..read more

EGGS! Besides being delicious and nutritious, we personally use them in our kitchen in so many ways. From homemade pasta to frittatas and all the baking we do, eggs are a part of everyday cooking for us. This post is sponsored by Burnbrae Farms but as usual, all opinions and statements are our own! Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn more about the Burnbrae Farms Family. We were very excited to have been invited to a Burnbrae Farms’ recent grand opening! Not just another chicken barn I’ll tell ya! This is their first solar-powered farm and is located in Oxford C ..read more

Hard to believe it’s almost Canadian Thanksgiving here in southwestern Ontario. It’s a busy time of year for canning, freezing, and dehydrating to preserve the abundance of garden goodness, but alas, our growing season is definitely coming to an end. Time to enjoy the last of the fresh produce from our gardens and local farms. For us, this grilled vegetable panini hits the mark! Sure you can make this any time of year, I guess, but the taste of fresh local produce just can’t be beaten. That’s why you need to spark up the bbq and give this a go! Really there is no rocket science to this ‘rec ..read more

To say that the last several months have been very difficult would be a complete understatement. From the stark reality of my father’s passing to my mother’s rapid decline from dementia, my life as I knew it has been upended. I am quickly understanding that grief is not something that evaporates with time, rather a new normal that we need to adjust to. As the summer months pass and we head into fall, I find myself constantly thinking about what my parents would be doing in the garden and kitchen. How I miss seeing them outside, perfectly manicuring their yard and harvesting the fruits of their ..read more

To say that the last several months have been very difficult would be a complete understatement. From the stark reality of my father’s passing to my mother’s rapid decline from dementia, my life as I knew it has been upended. I am quickly understanding that grief is not something that evaporates with time, rather a new normal that we need to adjust to. As the summer months pass and we head into fall, I find myself constantly thinking about what my parents would be doing in the garden and kitchen. How I miss seeing them outside, perfectly manicuring their yard and harvesting the fruits of their ..read more

This vegetarian ‘pie’ was inspired by my mother-in-law’s rustic ‘rapa and patata‘ recipe. Her recipe is usually made to be a side dish and as many Italian dishes go, pairs perfectly with some crusty bread. We wanted to change it a bit to avoid eating so much bread so we fancied it up, and it is delicious! The traditional rapa-and-patata is nestled within a thin layer of potatoes that are brushed with pesto for added flavour. The presentation of this pie is beautiful and our friends and family loved getting their own little ‘pie’ at a recent dinner we hosted.  Go to recipe For this dish we ..read more

The weather here in South Western Ontario today is snowy and very cold! Remedy? A nice hot bowl of Pasta Piselli to warm our bellies! Extra bonus – the kids love it, yay! This is a pasta dish but eats almost like a soup. After simmering away for an hour, these few simple ingredients burst with flavour. Time here is the difference between eating some bland pasta with some peas and tomatoes versus eating a satisfying bowl of unified flavours! Go to recipe Pasta e piselli is common throughout Italy. This Calabrese version is with tomatoes and is almost soup-like. Other variations do n ..read more