Zucchini Noodles with Garlic Shrimps, and Olive Caper Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce and Feta Cheese

Are you on a diet currently? If you are then I just want you to know you are totally untrendy. Diets were a thing of the yesteryears. We are now in the era of “Wellness” and it has an entire league of “Wellness gurus” and worshippers as followers.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

I’m packing again! This time I’m off to Florence and as much as I would love to say it’s for play and shopping, it’s not. I am afraid I won’t be able to take in much of the sights of my beloved city this time. I’ve always had somewhat of a love affair with this city. Florence, a city I visited for the first time when I was a starry eyed 16 year old teenager accompanying my dad who had the ability to engage me with his captivating stories and tales. Together we spend several summer vacations touring Italy from coast to coast, but Florence was always in my heart.

Buckwheat Linguine with Aubergine and Mango

 
I want to grasp them in my fist, but they are far too swift, fleeting and melting away into the next. Days … how fast they disappear. No matter how hard I try to capture at least parts of it, to make it last just a little longer it seems the faster they slip away.

Gruyere Bacon Leek and Sun Dried Tomato Spätzle

Mention pasta and one envisages a sturdy nonna shaping and kneading dough for fresh ravioli in a rustic kitchen. She dusts the well used kitchen countertop with flour, rolling, kneading and filling the pliable dough. However, if I were to tell you that Germans can make pretty incredible pasta too would you believe me? 

A Taste of Yellow: Tagliatelle in Creamy Saffron Sauce and Serrano Ham

  

Helplessness! It’s an awful feeling especially when you want nothing more to do than help a loved one or a special friend but can’t. Every part of you yearns to simply reach out and take away the pain, the misery, the unhappiness and your mind screams “it’s unfair!” over and over again.  

Cooking School: Beef Stroganoff

  

The desires of our culinary cravings is ostensibly so dependent on the weather outside. It was just a mere few weeks that I was preparing leafy green salads with strawberries or raspberries and delicious summery tarts with tomatoes and crumblings of goat cheese. Now as the weather turns from the warmth of summer to a rather undesirable cold and wet prelude to Autumn, my appetite seems to long for heartier and more robust meals. But my body is not there yet! 

Spinach and Caramelized Onion Lasagna

  

I like to reminisce in regular intervals. While I am whisking, chopping or simply stirring I will tilt my head to a side and think to myself "So I am whisking now! What was I doing this time last year?" Tom often tells me look forward and not back. But I tend to disagree with that. I believe that by taking a look back at what you have done and where you came from, you can often reassess your goals and check if you are progressing forward the way you wanted to, if not re-focus. Furthermore, if you do not remember the mistakes you made back then how will you hinder yourself from making them again?

Daring Bakers: Lasagne Verdi al Forno

   

This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was very different to the usual challenges we’ve had in the past. This time the challenge was not really the baking but more learning a technique – of pasta making. I love making homemade pasta ever since my in-laws bought me a pasta machine for my birthday last summer.