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Let’s get one thing straight: this is not the tiramisu you’ve had at one of those chain restaurants. This version is soft, airy, and subtly sweet — the kind of dessert that feels like a little secret indulgence at the end of a good meal. It’s the real deal, made with crisp, Italian-style ladyfingers (none of that sponge […]

Recipes, Travel

Postcards from my Kitchen: Tiramisu, the Right Way

Some recipes transport you — not just in flavor, but in feeling. This one takes me straight back to Montalcino. In 2023, Scot and I had one of those unforgettable meals at a quiet little restaurant tucked into the hills of this beautiful Tuscan town. The food was simple, soulful, and cooked with the kind […]

Recipes, Travel

Postcards from my Plate: Stuffed Chicken from Montalcino

A Hill Country Summer in Italy I’ve just returned from Italy, and while my suitcase may be unpacked, my heart (and tastebuds) are still very much abroad. There’s something about the rhythm of Italian life — the way meals unfold slowly, the way ingredients sing on their own without needing much fuss, the way herbs […]

Recipes, Travel

Postcards from My Plate: Bringing Italy Home with Porchetta-Style Pork Roast

Albert Einstein once said “When you stop learning, you start dying.” I will be honest with you, I was not a fan of school. For me, school was what happened in between sporting events and dances. I enjoyed attending college and did actually learn a lot. However, it was not my favorite thing. As I’ve […]

Recipes, TidBits, Travel

Cooking Classes & Why I am in LOVE!

Before we visited Texas for the first time in 2017, I pictured all of Texas to look like how West Texas actually looks. West Texas looks like a scene from a cowboy movie with the high hills, vistas and desert vegetation. In actuality, the Hill Country of Texas is very green, except when we’re in […]

Travel

Visiting West Texas

Charleston, South Carolina. Have you heard of it? Unless you have been living under a rock, of course you have! Charleston is repeatedly on list of the best cities to live and visit. It is great for a long weekend with your girlfriends, your partner, or a family getaway. I am lucky enough to have […]

Travel

The Holy City – Charleston, SC

The Cliffords go Sideways! When the movie “Sideways” came out in the early 2000s, I was immediately infatuated with the beautiful scenery of the Santa in Ynez Valley Wine region.  I had been working at a lovely restaurant in Massachusetts where I had discovered my love for wine. I was a sponge and wanted to […]

Travel

Visiting California’s Central Coast

If you want to learn how to make pasta, Modena is the place to go! I have tried to make pasta numerous times. I have gone so far as to invest in a pasta roller and cutter attachments for my KitchenAid mixer. Every time I tried to make pasta it had been an epic fail. […]

Recipes, Travel

Cooking Lesson in Modena

Give me all of the background Rimini, Italy is a very well known beach resort on the Adriatic Sea in north east part of Italy. It is located in the Emilia-Romagna region, and is the capital city of the Province of a Rimini. It is approximately an hour and 20 minute drive south east of […]

TidBits, Travel

A Few Days in Rimini, Italy

I am only going to take carry on bags for 10 days and no, I am not crazy Packing can be such a daunting task. You’re excited to go on your trip, no doubt. Most of the time but the thought of getting everything you need in one or two suitcases is overwhelming to say […]

TidBits, Travel

Packing for Italy