f you're looking for the perfect way to impress your love - look no further than this delicious Valentine's Day recipe! Flourless chocolate torte is one of those things that feels super fancy - but in fact only requires a few ingredients and about an hour to make! I make mine with vanilla bean paste and Italian espresso to amp up the flavors and give it great texture! Then serve it with fresh red berries and a dusting of powdered sugar! Yum!
Read MoreTo be honest - Lou Falcon is a very good friend of ours - so it was only natural that at some point we feature his food truck! Like me, Lou has a passion for food and we often enjoy cooking together for family and friends. Latin Bites serves up classic Cuban and Puerto Rican food; Lou shares the recipe for their top selling Cuban sandwich - The Big Papi!
Read MoreThis easy egg dish makes a wonderful savory breakfast OR dinner (eggs for dinner is totally a thing in my house!). My version of eggs in purgatory "cheats" a little. Using leftover sauce (I've done it with marinara or even a Bolognese style sauce!), and baking the eggs instead of poaching them. But the results are still a wonderful Italian inspired egg dish - loaded with flavor that's easy to make at home! Served with some crostini (or even good old fashioned toast!) and you've got a great start to the day!
Read MoreThis simple Italian dish is one the best dinner you'll make all week! Four simple ingredients create an amazingly flavorful dish! Pasta aglio e olio - pasta with garlic and oil - will take all of 15 minutes to get on the table - and 10 of those are waiting for the water to boil! Chopped garlic is lightly sauteéd in extra virgin olive oil, along with some peperoncino (red pepper flakes) and then tossed with spaghetti. Done and done!
Read MoreAuthor Andrew Cotto is my special guest in the Cucina this week and we have an AMAZING conversation about food, Italy, & passion - all while showing you how to make his grandmother's veal spiedini recipe! If you love food like we do - you will love this video! The dish is light and delicate, with only a few ingredients! And Andrew's passion and knowledge of food makes him the kind of guest I love to share with all of you!
Read MoreIt was an ancient Italian tradition to give jars of figs in honey to friends and family at the start of the year to encourage sweetness in their lives - so I decided to start the year with this fig and honey jam! Easy to make, perfect as a hostess gift (or, you know, for that person who got you something that you didn't get for - oops!), and delicious all around! Watch how easy it is to make this sugar-free jam at home! I use dried figs which are easier to come by this time of year. Swap the sugar for honey to keep with tradition. And infuse the jam with vanilla! Enjoy!
Read MoreBeth Nydick has the perfect solution for your Holiday mishaps! This Morning Regrets Elixir will have you feeling better in no time! Whether you were too cheerful on Christmas, or rang the New Year in a little too hard - or even, if you wanted to start the New Year being good to yourself - here's how to do it! This coconut water drink is infused with detoxifying lime and antioxidant loaded mint! Topped with a touch of seltzer it'll settle your stomach and calm your body down so you're ready to tackle whatever the new year throws at you!
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My great-grandmother only made this rich, chocolate and chestnut dessert once a year - for Christmas! It was usually served with a little corner cut off so she could taste it before she offered it to the rest of us! And while it's time consuming - the results are well worth it! Start by making a traditional chestnut puree, then add in chocolate and amaretti to create this mildly sweet but incredibly flavorful Holiday dessert! Mamma D is my very special guest this week as we get ready to celebrate Christmas in the Cucina! Buona Natale! It's baking season! To me, there's nothing better than a big platter, or pretty box loaded with cookies for the Holidays! It's what I've been giving friends and family for years! And is there anything more classic than a chocolate chip cookie!? Of course, I add my own spin to this easy cookie recipe. Like browning the butter, using dark brown sugar, and a hefty dose of vanilla bean paste! Then I load them up with walnuts and chocolate chips! But as always, you are free to start here and make your cookies YOUR way!
Read MoreRicotta gnocchi are an easy and delicious fresh pasta shape to make! They're perfect to serve during the holidays because they're much lighter than potato gnocchi - making it easier to keep on eating! Both Thanksgiving and Christmas generally involve a pasta course in my family and these are one of our favorites! We serve these gnocchi in a Bolognese style sauce. The shape is perfect for the hearty sauce! They also freeze easily so we can make them in advance! Plus then we have leftovers for another day!
Read MoreI created this recipe out of necessity (the mother of all invention) - I needed to use up a boat load of veggies I had lying around the house! Grain bowl - done! For me, there's something about pork that just seems to go with Fall flavors so I used some Italian sausage in this dish - but it's an easy veg/vegan convert by simply omitting it from the recipe! After that, roasted squash and sweet potato come together with earthy mushrooms, savory onion, and bright zucchini - held together with farro for a chewy, nutty base! I even roasted off the squash seeds for a crunchy topping!
Read MoreWe're cooking up a Fall classic in the Cucina this week with special guest, Chef Todd Villani of Vesta Wood Fired in East Rutherford NJ! Chef gives us his take on this delicious fall dish, plus his tips for creating the most flavor, and why risotto doesn't need much added to it but love!
Read MoreIt's my BIRTHDAY! So I decided to share MY kind of dessert! I love cake but I like it to have something fun and unique to it. And I don't like sugar-laden desserts. Also, chocolate is my favorite. SO - I present to you, chocolate chai cupcakes! YUM! These are super easy to make at home, and I LOVE making my own frosting because again, I can control the flavor and sweetness. Plus I find frosting cupcakes oddly relaxing.
Read MoreI came up with this 30 minute Greek flavored marinade for a special event I did with my friends at Savory Spice Shop in Westfield NJ! Now I'm sharing it with all of you! My husband says this is "the best chicken you've ever made". So you KNOW it's got to be good! Pair it with rice and a salad with feta, olives, cucumber and tomato and you've got an awesome dinner on the table!
Read MoreWhat an honor (and a surprise!) to meet and shoot with Chef Harold Torres Paz of Trilogia Restaurante ! While visiting Cali this past Summer, we went to his restaurant because he grew up with my husband's uncle! He wow'd us with his amazing food! Creative takes on classics, perfect finishing touches, incredible service and a ridiculously cool ambiance! Then he invited us back to the kitchen where he was prepped and ready to shoot his own Cucina episode! With Go-Pro in hand, we made it happen! Enjoy this impromptu (but still delicious!) episode where we learn how to make Longaniza Clavado!
Read MoreThis delicious Tuscan style ragu comes to us from Fattoria il Poggio - a farm in Montecarlo that we visited on my last culinary tour of Italy! The team there was amazing and they were so generous to share their small cookbook with me and allow me to share their recipes! Their ragu sauce recipe seemed perfect as we head into these cooler days. It's rich and hearty and perfect over your favorite pasta on a chilly day! It does take a little over an hour to pull together so it's definitely best for a Sunday style dinner!
Read MoreSee how easy it is to make this classic Italian focaccia bread! This one is better know in Italy as focaccia al rosmarino because of its rosemary topping! In Italy there are MANY types and flavors of focaccia, but this is the classic version that we have come to know and love here in the U.S.! It's so simple to make focaccia at home, you'll never buy it out again!
Read MoreSee how to cook perfect brown rice, step by step. Along with some of my other favorite whole grains! There's a lot of confusion out there around what is a whole grain, do all carbs have gluten, and how the hell do I cook them? This week's Health Coach Hack is here to answer these questions! Whole grains are just that, a whole grain. They include things like rice, corn, quinoa, millet, farro, kasha, oats and more! Some of them DO have gluten, but not all of them! And they're each loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber, key to human health! Watch the video to see how easy it is to make the perfect pot of brown rice on the stove top. No special equipment needed! Then head to my website to learn more, check out my grains chart AND grab one of my favorite quick and easy rice based recipes!
Read MoreChef Kathleen Sanderson is my special guest today as she shows us the RIGHT way to pack a salad in a jar! She shares her tips and tricks, like these reusable/washable lids (https://amzn.to/2N6Rkcl )! We make a classic cobb in the video but she shares her overall technique
Read MoreWe’re saying “salute” to Summer with one last, refreshing Clean Cocktail for Labor Day Weekend! Beth Nydick is back again and this time we are mixing up some Pineapple Fizz. This pineapple fizz cocktail recipe is quick, clean and easy. Simple fresh ingredients combine for the perfect way to toast to these last hazy days of Summer.
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