M M Rainbow Birthday Cake

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This lovely #3 birthday cake celebrated the birthday of a lovely little boy and sure made him and his friends happy. Patterns of M&M rainbows adorn a double bunt cake covered and attached together with chocolate icing. The patterning took only an hour, apparently, and I rate the design of this cake far better than [...]

DIY Butter Mold ~ Cool!

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Over my Christmas dinner I was reminded again on how Italy celebrates numerous types and qualities of butter.  Hundreds of tiny villages are all so proud (and are famous for) their local produce. So, as I am learning that we are living indeed in butter heaven, I realize that the local farmers alas do not [...]

Hummus Recipe

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Homemade hummus tastes great like none other and I love making it. However, in our tiny Italian village, it’s impossible find its core ingredient: tahini. However, a friend of mine found some in a little ethnic shop in downtown Rome and brought me a little jar. ((And I recently discovered that you can buy Tahini [...]

Homemade Jam

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I observed that Italian villagers are still doing many things the old-fashioned way. One of areas where that is most pronounced is in the area growing, handling, cooking & preserving food. i.e. They do things  the wholesome, organic and ‘slow food’-way.   An organic fruit tree on my friend’s land While North Americans may discuss [...]

Olympic Cookies

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These Olympic ring cookies made me look twice! Original!!!  Get ready for the games. To organize some sweet celebrations at home, download the recipe for these festive cookies now (link below).         Image | recipe source: Olympic Ring Cookies by ‘the decorated cookie’   Why didn’t I think of this? These sugar [...]

Minty Water: Recipe for Happiness

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Not sure if this classifies as a food recipe, but it sure is a recipe for joy: add some freshly picked mint to bubbly water from the local well, drink and smile.   Mentuccia Romana I thought this was Mentuccia Romana (Roman Mint), a wild member of the mint family that’s used in some traditional [...]

Bread Pudding Recipe

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Sunday was bread pudding day. We had lots of stale bread. I’ve made bread pudding about a ‘000 times, and each time a little different. Sunday’s recipe version was a complete hit! A perfect flavor balance. The 12 portion-sized ‘cake’ was gone within 45 minutes, and we were just 4 in the room! Needless to [...]

Easter Brunch Carrot-shaped Treats

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These cute carrot-shaped treats are a perfect feature at an Easter Brunch table. They have been popular for some time. I have seen versions of these carrot-shaped treats with all kinds of savory fillings and topped with lettuce leaves or parsley. Beth at Hungry Happenings filled them with egg salad and added fresh dill sprigs [...]

Cupcakes with Hydrangea Flower Frosting

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Pinterest Eyecandy below! Cupcakes adorned with frosting shaped like gorgeous hydrangea flowers that look so real, you have to do a double-take. Don’t they look fantastic?! Learn how to decorate these most amazing cupcakes for an upcoming Spring party from Gloria, the creator of these decorative flowers in creamy, two-tone frosting. I perused both her [...]

Valentines Gifts :: Heart Cinnamon Rolls :: Recipes

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Cont’ from Cinnamon rolls in various heart shapes: a Valentines Idea.   :: Recipe       Valentine Heart Cinnamon Rolls Recipe The Ingredients Dough: 1 cup lukewarm milk 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 packet dry yeast 2 eggs, room temperature 1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted 2 cups of (bread) flour Filling: 1/4 cup [...]