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: [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

I used to know what this mish mash was called. In fact, I am suspicious that many cultures make their own version of this mushy yet delicious mash.
I have been making it for a few months, prefer it consumer slightly warm or at room temp, drizzled with my best olive oil and freshly shaved Parmesan [...]

How fun! I thought I had already posted this ‘easy app.’ My sister in law brought it to a holiday party and all it took was a bowl of crackers for this appetizer to gain notoriety among guests. Not much to say (this, coming from the talker?!); all you need is goat cheese (room temperature, [...]

I feel like I am making up New Year’s resolutions as a I go. I seem to have sidestepped the pressure of December 31. But the things I want to accomplish continue to hit my mental temples and I feel the need to organize. No surprise there.
One of the things that keeps showing up in [...]