Maria’s Spiced Cauliflower Flan / Lo sformato al cavolfiore e spezie di Maria

Since the 4th of December, when I started working part time at a goldsmith shop, my weeks have been quite hectic. Recipes and blog post scheduling, the weekly appointment with Wing Chun training, trying to be present on my usual social networks and fitting in multiple appointments hasn’t been easy. Let’s add my Panettone Obsession and the picture is quite clear. But chaos is my element, stress has always been my cup of tea (or loaf of bread) and even though feeling a bit tired I wouldn’t change a single thing.

Naan Bread and a different kind of Curry / Pane Naan e un curry un po’ diverso

Bread comes first, always. I am quite amused, because this post would reasonably have to be about the curry recipe. Curry the main dish and bread just something on the side and not vice versa. But you know I’m a little crazy and love to do things all the other way round. Why put bread first? There are several reasons.

Panettone Yule Log, the recycling of a monstrous Panettone / Tronchetto Natalizio di Panettone, o del riciclo del Panettone dilusione

Panettone, only Panettone on my mind. Every step I take, every move I make am thinking about IT and yes, it does sound a bit like a bitter-sweet nightmare. What I have been avoiding for years, the most difficult and scary of leavened has now become my obsession.

Comfort food: Buckwheat and Hazelnut flour Pie with Broccoli and Walnut filling / Comfort Food: Crostata salata di grano saraceno e nocciole con ripieno di broccoli e salsa di noci

Last week I started working again, part time, after 10 months unemployment. It feels weird, since the blog was born it became a fulltime job for me and it’s hard to let go, even if a little. Still struggling to make my schedules meet, maybe Panettone weekend wasn’t helpful and scrambled my brain a little, I had the chance to bake some bread only once with a semi-failed experiment that turned out nicely (but in the rush forgot to take notes). This is not good.

MTC Challenge’s Chestnuts: Chestnut flour Ravioli, stuffed with walnuts and bread, topped with melted cheese / Le Castagne dell’MTC Challenge: Ravioli alla farina di castagne ripieni di noci e pane, con fonduta di formaggella ticinese

And here I am, out of breath, red faced and perpetually late. Kind of funny, because this is not my usual self. Indeed, more than often I am the one standing at the meeting point staring nervously at the clock ten minutes in advance (In fact I was almost one hour in advance at the Migros contest!). But with the blog things work differently and last minute posts are the rule.

Green Adzuki filled Mochi, for a new friend / Per una nuova amica: Mochi agli azuki verdi

Food speaks to me, and I speak my feelings through food. The ones that know me best are accustomed to this form of communication, and happily welcome my unspoken but cooked/baked words. A meal, a dessert, a “simple” loaf are to me very important and significant gestures. When visiting my friends, may it be in Italy or around the world, dedicating a little of my time to work in the kitchen and put together a meal to feed the people I care the most about is the norm. I am a Southern Italian Mamma deep inside my heart.

Poppy seed snails for Serena / Delle chioccioline ai semi di papavero per Serena

What I love the most about having a blog and a Facebook page is having inputs from fellow bloggers, followers and friends. Sometimes I wish I’d dedicate more time of my time to studying from books, but 90% of the time I end up following another blog’s inspiration, or responding to special requests from friends and family. This time around Serena (who works here, how cool is she?), an old friend from Padoa Art School, asked me whether I had a good recipe for a german pastry she loves.

MTC American Breakfast Challenge: An Autumn Delight / MTC Challenge e la colazione all’americana: Una delizia autunnale

Few weeks ago, in one of my usual daily stroll into the blog universe I stumbled into Cranberry’s blog, drawn in by a very nice biscuit recipe. And as it happens more and more often I got lost into this “dark forest” of recipes (did I ever mention my love for Dante?). What a delight! I discovered raviole del plin and ended my journey onto MTC challenge’s. Nothing like a nice good old challenge to push me into a new recipe! I immediately wrote a mail to Alessandra who kindly accepted my enrollment into the MTC crew.

Buckwheat Lasagna with Scampi and Leeks / Lasagna al grano saraceno con scampi e porri

There are some culinary first times you cannot forget. The first look, the first taste, the first time that you venture into cooking a new recipe. I do not remember the first time I tasted a lasagna but certainly I’ll never forget the first time I made one. I was about 17-18 years old and madly in love with my first boyfriend, Christian, despite on and off and the usual teenage love drama.

Banana Bread, the ultimate comfort food / Banana bread, cibo coccola per eccellenza

Autumn is slowly drawing in, climate is getting colder, days are getting shorter. We are hit by mixed feelings about whether adventuring out of the house risking to catch a cold out of a sudden watery change of weather, or stay in, sipping on an old good cuppa. Tea time, comforting and soothing. Nothing wipes away fatigue, stress and anxieties like a mug of black tea. There’s no game, tea wins over everything. It can be savoured with a good varieties of foods, may it be sandwiches, scones, biscuits or cakes. One of my favourite options is toasted banana bread, with a gentle spread of salted butter.