Kindle version is out!

Hey did you know Mangia! I Love You is out on Kindle? Check it out on Amazon today.

With love,

Vicki

Happy cooking, eating, laughing and loving!

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Got Figs?

Chicken with FigsWe have this amazingly abundant fig tree giving us these beautiful mission figs, and being new to owning a fig tree, I was not sure what I could do with them besides fig jam, fig cookies, and figs with prosciutto.  There was chicken defrosted for dinner .. maybe I could do something clever with these two ingredients?  Searching the web, looking at various recipes, I created this simple dish, Chicken with Figs that was a combination of several ideas I culled from various recipes I found.  This is super simple – hope you enjoy! Here’s to cooking, eating, laughing and loving!

Vicki

 

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Vicki Interviewed

Last year I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by a woman who has this great internet TV show, The Path Finder Series, geared around people finding their passion and living wholehearted lives.  She just published the video of my interview on YouTube and I thought I’d share it.  The quality is not great (it was a new studio she was trying out) and the audio is a bit out of sync, but the interview itself turned out well I think.

Hope you enjoy and I hope it inspires you to either go gather recipes from those you love, or simply to go find your passion in life!

With love,

Vicki

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Special Family Recipes

Do you have a yummy dish that your mom, aunt, grandma or mother-in-law makes that you only get when your at their house? Maybe one from your grandpa, uncle or dad? You know, that special dish they make that you love? lemon meringue pie

My Aunt Rosie used to make a lemon meringue pie when I was a kid that I absolutely adored. I remember walking into her kitchen while it was baking – the smell filling my nostrils, and my tummy feeling happy at the thought of eating it.  Patiently, I’d wait for it to come out of the oven and cool – it felt like an eternity. The long-awaited moment would come that I’d take my first bite.  The creamy lemony taste with just the right balance of sweetness and tartness would bring the taste buds alive on my tongue.  And then there was the buttery crust with the right amount of crispness that transported those amazing flavors.  Mmmm…. Even as I describe those sensations it makes me smile.

Sadly, my Aunt Rosie passed before I ever got the opportunity to cook that pie with her, but thankfully, my mom got the recipe from her before that sad day. I encourage you to take the time to capture those recipes in writing, and better yet, cook them with the person who created those delicious dishes you love!  An important thing I learned about family recipes while writing the cookbook is that how someone describes a recipe to you and how they make it are often two different things.  What we think is a teaspoon can actually be a half a teaspoon.  Watch them, when they throw a pinch of this or a handful of that into the pot, ask them to let you measure it first.  It will help you be able to recreate it just the way they made it.  Trust me – you’ll be glad you did.

Here is my Aunt Sally’s Lemon Meringue Pie recipe for you to enjoy.

Maybe there are even recipes YOU have that your kids and grand kids would really love to have?  It is a great gift to share the legacy of the foods we love.

Happy cooking, eating, laughing and loving in the kitchen!

Vicki

 

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Leftovers

I love leftovers! Often I’ll make extra of whatever we’re having for dinner just so there will be leftovers to eat the next day or freeze for another day. I love giving leftovers to my kids when they come over for dinner. It gives me the opportunity to show love through my food even when I’m not with them!

It also appeals to the economical part of me. The good feeling of having stretched one meal into two. I think this goes back to my childhood when it was a necessity when my mom was trying to feed a family of six.

Reading some of the recipes my grandma used to make, they were often creations of new meals made with leftovers. Also fun to see what you can create, AND, still have it taste good. I’ll confess, I’m not always successful here.

Some people don’t like leftovers. I’m not sure why that is. If your reading this and you are one of those people, will you weigh in in is and share your thoughts on why you don’t like leftovers?

Have an extraordinary day! Here’s to laughing and loving and sharing food from the heart.
Vicki

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Black-Eyed Peas – good luck made with love!

Black eyed peasEach year for as long back as I can remember (nearly 30 I think) my dear friend Denny has been brining over black-eyed peas on New Years Eve for us to eat the next day to start off the year with “good luck!”  Denny’s peas were the staple of this food tradition in our home, and when she passed away this year, not only did it break my heart to lose my best friend, it also left a hole in our family tradition.

For the first time this year I made my friends recipe on my own – and while I think my friend Denny would approve of the taste, it is the love she put into it that I miss the most!  I’ve attached Denny’s recipe for Black Eyed Peas here, and hope that 2014 a great year for you and yours!

Here’s to Cooking, Eating, Laughing & Loving!

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Your Choice of Utensils can Change How Food Tastes!

yogurtDid you ever think the utensils or dishes you use could influence the flavors of the food you eat?  A few years back our friend Alan had us taste red wine out of glass wine glasses and crystal wine glasses – same wine, same size – and you know what – the wine tasted better out of the crystal!

This morning I read this fascinating article about how utensils used can change the way food tastes and thought I’d share it with you. Happy holidays – hope your holiday baking and cooking is filled with time spent with those you love!

http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2013/07/02/your-choice-in-utensils-can-change-how-food-tastes/

Eat, Laugh & Love!  Vicki

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Eggs Florentine

This eggs florentine recipe is easy and very yummy!

1 clove garlic, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup Romano cheese, 2 cups spinach, 4 eggs.

In large pan, heat garlic, cream and cheese for few minutes, toss in spinach, cook for 1 minute. Create 4 wells in spinach, and place eggs in wells, and continue cooking until eggs are desired done ness.

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Ricotta Cake with Lemon Glaze

lemonricottacakeI’m not really much of a sweet eater, however, I could eat one of these cakes in one sitting!  It is moist, yummy and delicious.  I’ve made this a few times for friends now, and it got rave reviews.  Hope you enjoy too.  you can get this recipe at: http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2010/09/ricotta-cake-with-lemon-glaze/

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Grandma & Grandpa in the Kitchen!

Grandma & Grandpa 1950I just found this photo tucked away in a memorial book from my Grandfathers services from 1972.  It is such a sweet picture of my grandmother Marianna Amico, and Grandfather, Leonard Amico.  I’m guessing by their ages it may be from the early 50’s.  It was taken in the kitchen in their home in Buffalo on Busty Avenue – I love the bottle of my Grandfathers home-made wine on the table in front of them, and the box of salt and possibly pasta behind them on the counter.  This is so reminiscent of connecting with family around food!

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