One of my most favourite desserts in the whole world is Affogato. OK, I think it is THE favourite dessert in my book. Firstly, it is a great accompaniment with Napoleon Style Pizza, the whole reason for creating this blog. Secondly, it is so easy to make and can be enjoyed all year round. What…
Make your own Raisins
Did you ever wonder where that wallpaper boarder with a repeating pattern of grapes came from? My best guess is that it came from the practice of drying your own grapes to make raisins. My grandmother’s village is located in the middle of the Douro wine region in Portugal. If you follow the Douro River inland…
Roman Pizza Crawl
An old classmate of mine, whom I highly respect, recently shared an article of a pizza crawl in Rome. She is currently living and teaching in Rome and living a wonderfully romantic life. Could you imagine? A Pizza Crawl! That is an adventure I can get on board for. Next time I’m in Rome, I’m…
Fresh Approved
How can you tell an item of food is fresh? I was in the grocery store and I noticed that I’m usually the only one smelling my produce, or tapping at a melon or carefully inspecting the meat. As I go through the fresh food isles, I am constantly scrutinizing the products. I realized that not many people…
The Oven
Which type is best for making Pizza? Follow ‘the Oven’ page as I outline my new discoveries about the wood fired oven of choice. How were they traditionally used? What are they made of? What are the pros and cons of each type? Which oven would I ultimately use and hopefully build when the funding presents…
the spiritual experience of cooking
To me cooking is a spiritual experience. I have to be centered and peacefully focused. My whole heart has to go into it. I have to be happy and enjoy the process. I have to be inspired by the ingredients and the dish I’m putting together. During the process, I would almost say that I’m…
culinary diplomacy
Food brings us together. Yes there are certain culinary delicacies that would turn off even the most adventurous foodies but fundamentally, people will come together over a good meal. They will put any prejudices and social stereotypes aside to try that mouth watering, gotta have it ethnic dish. Yes hunger and insecurity are the worst enemies…
Food Traveller
I think about food several times a day… Almost as much as I think about my loved ones. I like to think I have a healthy relationship with food, bordering on obsessive. It’s in my European culture to think about eating all of the time. I can’t help it. However, I always make certain to…
Timing
One might ask, Why now? My first instinct is to answer with why not? But the more I think about that question, I realize that it is quite a valid one. I believe that the ultimate catalyst for this journey are my boys. Ever since they were born last year, I have striven to find the courage…
That’s Amore
You may be wondering what would drive someone to dream of pizza. It didn’t happen over night, it has been an accumulation of my life experiences and a culmination of my many loves in life. When Jack Brooks wrote the lyrics to ‘That’s Amore’ for Dean Martin’s Hit Single, he was writing about the signs…
catia dreams of pizza 