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LanaVuk
October 28, 2014
My Italian mother thought the 4 basic food groups were garlic, olive oil, wine and chocolate ! And she made 'gravy'......... meat, mushroom, thick and yummy... not 'sauce'... gravy. It was a shock when my Grandfather passed; he would hunt mushrooms in the forest and dry them and grow so many vegetables. Red onions, walnuts, mushrooms, basil, apples and tomatoes now had to be found at the grocery store (but the taste is still to be found). I named my company after the little village, a turn in the road above Lake Lugano, that my Italian relatives left to land in New York with a monkey and accordian. Memories and smells spur me on to cook and create (why, oh why did I not pay more attention.... or at least ask for better recipes). Any recipe my mom clipped from a magazine always had 'more butter', 'more garlic' in the margins. Well, I am off for a double espresso (with a syringe please) and then to the grocery store...... I must make those Fave dei Morti for Church. Always a great audience... they HAVE to forgive you any mistakes.
Liz L.
October 28, 2014
As a food writer, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I have a patient boyfriend who will wait for me to finish taking photos before he starts eating himself. (He likes to joke that dating a food writer is awesome because he gets to eat all of these delicious things, but they're usually room temperature by then.) I rarely write about baking or dessert because it's so outside my comfort zone. It's something I want to explore more, but time always seems to be find a way to prevent me. If I'm going to make desserts, I want them to be show stoppers - delicious, beautiful, and worth the effort.
Food O.
October 28, 2014
Sometimes the real show stopper is simplicity. The perfect brownie with vanilla ice cream in a vintage china bowl.
Liz L.
October 28, 2014
As a food writer, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I have a patient boyfriend who will wait for me to finish taking photos before he starts eating himself. (He likes to joke that dating a food writer is awesome because he gets to eat all of these delicious things, but they're usually room temperature by then.) I rarely write about baking or dessert because it's so outside my comfort zone. It's something I want to explore more, but time always seems to be find a way to prevent me. If I'm going to make desserts, I want them to be show stoppers - delicious, beautiful, and worth the effort.
christina_alexander
October 28, 2014
Whenever I meet a man that I am particularly fond of I have the urge to bake him all sorts of fabulous things. Out come the more complicated cookbooks, trips for the best vanilla and gift boxes only to realize he isn't worthy of the trouble. But it's all good cause now I have quite the supply of ingredients ( you should see my twine collection!) and someday maybe I'll meet someone endearing enough. Or maybe the he will be a she. Ah, who knows.
Renee
October 28, 2014
Baking reminds me if my grandmother and the loving smile she always had. I also love how I can show off my creatitvity through food.
Terry H.
October 28, 2014
I discovered I loved to bake when my daughter in law asked me to bake her wedding cake!
leighbe
October 27, 2014
I love to bake. I love to cook. I love to feed my family and friends!! I'm half Italian, and getting to Italy is on my bucket list!!! Desserts are probably my favorite thing to make!!
Anne H.
October 27, 2014
My favorite memory related to italian desserts are making cannoli's with my grandma over the holidays. Can't forget that candied fruit and a dash of grandpa's expensive brandy!
Food O.
October 27, 2014
Once upon the time I baked my Aunt Sylvia's Salt Butter Cookies with one (just one) chocolate chip pressed into the marble sized ball of dough. Everyone in the family and beyond loved them and continues, to this very day to debate which way the chocolate chip should go: point up or point down. Please discuss and report back to me.
Angela N.
October 27, 2014
Sitting quietly in my pajamas I plan my first trip to Italy almost solely on where I want to eat each and every meal...in search of the very best dessert. The mystery continues...
Noble R.
October 27, 2014
I love baking. Work at home, anytime i can. Just wish i had more time and money to open my own place.
Lutz W.
October 27, 2014
Once upon a time, there was a woman who loved creating complicated desserts. She took a cake design idea, developed her own flavors, and spent 8 hours getting her recipe right. Her family loved it, but it takes so long to make, she only makes it for special occasions. An 8-hour cake is ridiculous. The end.
Liza's K.
October 27, 2014
There once was a young woman who loved to bake, but needed her day job to pay the bills. Luckily, that's what small businesses are for! Hello Liza's Kitchen NYC.
Alexandra H.
October 27, 2014
My favorite time is baking quietly in my kitchen, in the early morning sun, before holiday guests arrive!
Serena D.
October 27, 2014
Once there was a girl who was asked to bake every weekend for her office. They loved everything, but now she is running out of ideas.
paninigirl
October 27, 2014
Once many years ago I was in between jobs and I set a goal to bake every day. I was really trying to improve my skills with pie and tart doughs but ended up baking more cookies than anything!
Michelle
October 27, 2014
Sometimes all you crave is a chewy, melty chocolate chip cookie. But sometimes, you find yourself in living in an East Asian country where ovens are rare and chewy, melty chocolate chip cookies are even more scarce. Then, by chance, while walking in a posh neighborhood with your mom you see a British cookie chain, run in, and devour the best chocolate chip cookie you've had in years. Craving satisfied. I'll be dreaming of the cookies for a long, long time.
notoriousBiC
October 26, 2014
I worked a short stint at a Japanese restaurant. The owner wanted to authenticate the business and suggested that I adopt a Japanese name. Memoir of a Geisha had just came out in theaters that year so he suggested that I take the name Sayuri. "No one is going to remember that," I said "How about Midori." I have yet to touch the green melon concoction, but I did sell quite a few drinks.
Glenn H.
October 26, 2014
As a punk rocker/industry chef/mentor/food-o-phile/global food and nutrional follower, my interest in the book "Fancy Desserts" is purely academic. Adding another book to my library is a fantastic treat that I seldom regret. By the way, a free book should always be treasured and a free book signed by the author must be truley priceless. Please note that I have never felt entitled to generosity, but rather inspired by it. I wish you many many years of further success and accomplishments.
jillyp
October 25, 2014
The great aunts - Auntie Mean and Auntie Meaner - possibly hadn't spoken a kind word since my grandmother - their precious baby sister Gertrude - had died some 30 years earlier. Until the afternoon Mom served them rugelach. They each stopped for a moment, and, without looking at one another, agreed, "Just like Gert's."
Valerie S.
October 25, 2014
Once upon a time, Sunday meant spending time at Nonnie's house.Drag the porta crib, the high chair, and whatever was necessary to have that Sunday to share with Nonny and Grandpop. Of course the Sunday meal was one you could never duplicate.
pretty_pathetic
October 25, 2014
A story: Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to bake, but her living situation, schedule, and income didn't allow her to bake as much as she'd like. She holds out hope for a future full of cakes, pies, and cookies.
Lorraine F.
October 25, 2014
50 years ago, my Italian family memories from New York are forever in my memory. The best are Sunday dinner's at Mom's house when all the family gathered. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandma, Grandpa. We cooked all morning and ate all afternoon. Grandpa's homemade pasta sauce made from tomatoes from his garden, Mom's lemon chicken, Aunt Marie's blackout cake from Brooklyn, Aunt Laura's German desserts from her husband's family recipes, all the kids and cousins in the next room having fun and enjoying our time together. Where did the time go?
Christina
October 25, 2014
My favorite Italian food memory is during a visit to my parents during which my mom and I decided to try to make tiramisu - my mom had wanted to try to make it forever but she never got around to it. We bought the ingredients, poured over the selected recipe, and then set out to make it...and about halfway into making it discovered that the pan that we had so carefully selected to hold the tiramisu was too small. Determined to make it all fit we somehow stuffed everything in with mascarpone practically overflowing everywhere (why we didn't just make a separate pan I will never know!) But however sloppy and definitely non-picturesque it was, it was divine. Not only that but the fun of making it with my mom was even better than the taste!
Hannah S.
October 25, 2014
Once upon a time there was a pastry chef who got diagnosed with celiac's disease :-( she may no longer eat gluten, but she can still bake on and share her passion with others!
heyjude
October 24, 2014
I am an ex-New Yorker. I miss Black and White cookies from Wm Greenberg's Bakery. I miss Katz's, too.
Stacey M.
October 24, 2014
Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to eat fancy desserts. And she lived happily ever after. The end.
jeanmarieok
October 24, 2014
Once upon a time, I flew to NYC and spent a week, and ate a cannoli at every place in Little Italy that made/sold them. It was a lot of cannoli, like 3 -4 per day. I wish I could do that again, but my eating stamina is no longer what it was.
Sue
October 24, 2014
A story, really? Well, this year I planted 9 tomato plants. Five of them heirlooms (indeterminate type). Luckily 3 of them died. Since then I have harvested over 1000 pounds of tomatoes and dried them, made them into paste, into jam, into sauce, frozen them, eaten them almost more than I wanted to and for the last month just harvested them and GAVE THEM AWAY. Please let there be a heavy frost soon...... I will not do this next year.
EmFraiche
October 24, 2014
Once I made a heavenly apple cake. We ate it all and there was no more and I was sad.
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