Queen of Easy

I love to cook, but not to spend all day sweating over long, tedious recipes.
I have no big machines got rid of all those.

My way of cooking is to tweek recipes to make them easy,
but without losing the flavor and quality.

A perfect example, instant mash potato gnocchi
the basket is from Calabria and puts the ridges on the gnocchi.

Fresh tomato sauce and handmade pesto!
Perfetto!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at my classes at Ramekins in Sonoma and COOKIT in Santa Barbara as well as my reunion with the Kansas City Slow Food, with Jasper!

Look out here I come!

Raw?

Although I spent the last week grilling, baking and cooking in a woodfired oven, my friend has just started a new blog which appeals to me for the summer...

Eating Raw

She said her hubbie has already lost 14 pounds.. sign me up!

From the Farm to the Table

a man

his pig

fabulous products

Why is food so great in Chianti?
As my mother-in-law Tina taught me,
spend more time shopping and less time cooking.

When you source your ingredients, search out people with a passion for what they are doing, the quality of the ingredients ,
hence your food takes on a flavor and depth that will reward you and your loved ones!

Take time to shop.

From the Farm to the Table... what could be easier!

Not Just Pizza!

The Perfect Recipe for a Good Time

5 days in chianti
2 women chefs, one from France, one from Italy, both Americans
Lots of great ingredients from Fabulous Artisans
Location, Location, Location

Crank up the Heat

Oven owner Marcello pre-heated his 300 year old oven for our week

Wine Women and Meat!
Kate Hill and Judy Witts Francini
your grill and oven mavens

Artisan butcher- Great Big Hunks of Meat
Dario's house specialty
PANZANESE STEAK

Before

After



Simply FABULOUS

I have just returned to my computer from the hills of Chianti, Kate is off to discover what the Adriatic has to offer on her way to her grandfather's home town in Abruzzo.

I will let you sneak a peak at what we created during our week of wood burning oven workshops.

Roasting, grilling, baking and more.

The heat is on!

Getting ready to grill with my friend Kate Hill,
the heat is on!
Florence has warmed up as we get ready to stoke up our wood burning oven and light the BBQ!
But after all that hot stuff... we'll all want to cool off with some nice gelato!


Chocolate semifredo and fresh fig ice cream at Damiani, just past Piazza Tasso
Another unlisted treasure!


If you are in Florence and looking for a way to stay cool,
try using my list of wine bars for light meals and then
a treasure hunt for the best Gelato in town.

What's your favorite place?
and flavor?

worth a thousand words

While touring it is impossible to blog.
Here is a "Taste" of our Chianti Classico Experience!

We successfully dodged the rain and had a splendid week exploring the countryside, meeting the masters who have set the bar for the BEST there is.....
shopping, eating fabulous foods,drinking great wines and enjoying breath-taking the views!

first porcini of the season

"Bread of the day, wine of the year with friends of a lifetime"
Tuscan saying

building out Italian palate at the Central Market

timeless faces at the Siena Market

Tuscan breakfast at the inn

chefs sharing their secrets for new presentations of classic recipes

New presentations for michelin star restaurants.... twisting classics

Nothing like spring in Chianti

new grapes promising wine

young unripe walnuts waiting for June 24th to become Nocino!

Sharing my Tuscany with new friends is like seeing it for the first time
again and again!

Mille Grazie!