This is a mini-tribute to the Italian flag. I am living here, after all. So why not?
Red: pizza sauce I make from scratch. My kids love it… so much so that they prefer eating pizza IN. It is simply [and very, very conveniently] my basic tomato sauce, pushed through the smallest holes of a food [...]

I find ‘white bean spread’ to be a spy-cover for what it really is: roasted garlic spread (at least—my version of it).
It is so common in trattorias and osterias all around Tuscany and greater Italy, to find a mix of bruschetta or crostini on the menu. In Tuscany we frequently run into these crostini toppers: [...]

It almost makes you want to double the batch—having these ideas floating around in your head. OR maybe just make a batch of polenta, conveniently forget to serve it, then have the whole bulk of it for leftovers.
Polenta is a fantastic stand-in for pasta or potatoes, rice or risotto—a corny starch alternative. And it pairs [...]

My sons and I had a once-in-a-lifetime 6 day Tuscan road trip. I could go on and on about it, but I already have here and here and piled photos here. We drove from Florence to Volterra, took a ferry to Elba Island, hopped back to the coast and visited some of the most beautiful [...]

In Florence and around Tuscany, you can buy packages of [dried] herb blends at butcher shops, grocers, farmer markets and even souvenir shops. There are 2-3 varieties that consistently show up at the register, on a nearby shelf or in cute little 3 packs to take home for your friends—a little gift from your trip [...]

Ribollita (also written Ribolita—with one ‘l’) is a classic Italian vegetable-and-bread soup (or more of a stew?). I have had it multiple times, see it regularly on cafes all over town (I am currently living in Florence, Italy). In fact, I have two favorite ’stand-up-and-eat’ lunch windows—and one of the best bowls of Ribollita I [...]