Caffe’ shakerato is pronounced as you might expect, sort of “shake-er-AH-toe”.
I know it sounds funny but that’s the way it is.
Caffe' Shakerato
July 6, 2015
Caffe’ shakerato is pronounced as you might expect, sort of “shake-er-AH-toe”.
I know it sounds funny but that’s the way it is.
July 3, 2015
It was called "Circus Pizza" and it was owned by an Italian guy and his Russian wife.
They ran the place like it was their own home. They offered honest Italian dishes and a really good thin-crust pizza. They were both adorable and arguably the best employers I've worked for.
One night after service was over and everyone had gone home, I started making tomato sauce for the next day in one of those huge commercial mixers. Brilliant me decides that if the sauce takes 10 minutes to mix on speed 1, it should only take 1 minute to mix on speed 10.
I patted myself on the back for coming up with such a smart idea and happily turned the dial to 10. Only for a second.
July 1, 2015
I'm a real snob when it comes to pesto — only fresh homemade, thank you very much and a strict no to anything coming from a jar.
Oddly enough, I haven’t posted my recipe for Classic Basil Pesto on TIY yet.
I wonder why.
I made Kale Pesto, Avocado Pesto, Avocado-Spinach Pesto, Radicchio Pesto but not Basil Pesto.
Weird things happen on this blog.
June 29, 2015
The heatwaves are coming and we all know it.
When it gets hot outside the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven.
My apartment is always hot during summer months and turning on the oven would make it the hottest place on the planet.
Not really, obviously, but that’s what it feels like when it’s 100 degrees outside and the oven is cranking at 400 degrees for half an hour.
I have A/C (not central, just a window units) so I can cool the apartment down, but I feel it’s a total waste of money — I don’t know about yours, but my electric bill is bad enough already.
That being said, I don’t completely avoid the oven during the summer, but I try not to use it as much.
June 26, 2015
Hello friends.
Today I have no recipe for you.
Today it’s Friday — the day we’ve been waiting for all week — so I’m doing something a little different.
Today, I’m celebrating Friday.
June 24, 2015
Spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino is an awesome Italian dish — spaghetti made with garlic, olive oil, and hot chili pepper. Served with chopped parsley and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
It’s well loved because it’s so easy and inexpensive to make, and it’s a perfect solution when you’re in a crunch.
For instance, when you’re starving after a night out and you’ve got nothing in your fridge or you don’t feel like getting greasy food from the nearby Deli, making this spaghetti is a cinch.
Even when it’s 3am and you’ve had a few too many.
You know, just to throw a random example out there.
And just for the record, making spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino late at night is pretty common in in Italy — according to my friend Francesco.
June 22, 2015
I have the distinct feeling my Macbook Pro is going to die soon.
I purchased it in September 2008. So I know it is old, but everything works perfectly fine — except for the battery which died after two years and that was about it.
However, two months ago I started getting tons of freezing.
It happens sporadically and it doesn’t seem to be a direct result of me doing anything in particular. The screen will just suddenly spaz out and then the whole Macbook will freeze up.
Every time that happens, I freak out.
I religiously back-up to an external drive with Time Machine every week, so I felt pretty good about not losing any data. Still, I freak out as it feels like the laptop is going to explode or something.
Other than the freezing, the Macbook works perfectly. It is not slow, but the fan starts to run continually, about 1 minute after start-up, and very loudly too.
It feels like the laptop is about to take-off or that it’s hyperventilating.
June 19, 2015
Knowing that you should avoid certain food is different from not wanting a certain food.
For instance, I don’t want escargots because I don’t really like escargots.
But I avoid eating at fast food restaurants, not because I don’t want to, but because I want to be healthy.
Makes sense?
June 17, 2015
My mobile phone fell in the toilet Friday morning.
To be precise, I accidentally dropped my phone down the toilet.
It was 7am, I was ridiculously grumpy, and I was checking my emails. There were so many annoying ones I got upset and I accidentally dropped the phone (read this as throw it..ugh!)
I immediately retrieved it, wiped it off, and powered it down.
I ran to the get the hair-dryer and I blow-dried it for a couple minutes (I didn't realize that the heat is more damaging than helpful — so if it ever happens to you, don't do it!)
Nothing happened.
I was so shocked, I wasn't sure which emotion I was feeling. I wanted to be angry, but I couldn’t. It was so surreal, I was laughing hysterically.
You hear about people dropping their phones in the toilet, sink, pool, sea, lake, cup of coffee, bowl of soup, but you never think you’re going to be one of them.
June 15, 2015
Every time I buy watermelon I face the same dilemma: spending less money to buy too much watermelon (a huge seeded one), or spending more money to buy less watermelon (a small seedless one, or cut up in chunks).
But I always end up buying too much watermelon - I could never say to good bargain.
Since I never want it to go to waste, I make lots of Watermelon-Lime Agua fresca.
June 14, 2015
I eat that stuff with a spoon, plain, or coated in coconut and baked into fries, or stuffed into meatballs, or scrambled with eggs.
And why not a smoothie, ice-cream or a pudding? It adds a filling, creamy texture that just cannot be beat. Plus, it ups the good fats as well as adding a small protein boost.
Not to mention brownies. Avocado boosts the fudgy factor, the healthiest, fattiest kind.
I also make extra-creamy, extra-rich, extra-awesome pesto with it.
The possibilities are endless with this magic fruit.
So without further ado, here are 12 of my fave recipes with avocado!
June 11, 2015
Would you believe me if I tell you that I have found a recipe for ice cubes?
Probably not.
Which — among other things — shows how little faith you have in me.
Well, I have found it.
In an awesome recipe posted to Food.com a frustrated cook offers a recipe for ice cubes, explaining that “I'm publishing this recipe because I'm sure that there are other families who have members, who don't know how or have forgotten how to make ice when the ice tray is empty.”
The rundown proceeds as expected — water, ice cubes freezer — and it’s hysterical on his own.
June 8, 2015
Hi, my name is Mike and I’m an addict.
No, this post is not about chocolate or cauliflower as you might assume, it’s about avocado.
What is it about this green fruit that makes me go crazy?
From salads, to hummus, pesto, brownies, mayo, scrambled eggs, ice-cream, pudding, fries, even cream sauce. I put avocado in and on everything.
Actually, I love avocado so much I might write a song about it (if I only knew how to write music). It’s a love affair that runs deep.
June 4, 2015
I was in line at a major retail the other day and there was this woman in a courtesy scooter with a basket full of groceries.
The clerk picked up the groceries and started scanning them, entering the code for the veggies that had no barcode to scan.
When he reached the eggplant, he put it on the scale and entered the code.
The eggplant was big, at $3.49 per pound it cost almost $6.
As the clerk put in the bag, the woman became livid.
She started arguing (more like screaming really) that eggplants are not sold by the pound, but by the piece. She threatened to take her complaints to the store manager.
The poor clerk - a young college kid - didn’t know what to say and was clearly shaken.
I tried to calm her down explaining that he had no control over pricing and that he just rang up the items.
But she was so mad, she left swearing she would never come back and shop only where the price was “fair” (her words).
June 1, 2015
Ever seen those runners during a race who so effortlessly can drink water out of those tiny paper cups without spilling a drop?
I'm not one of them.
I can’t even count how many races I’ve completed in my life: Ironman, Triathlons, marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, etc.
Not a single time I managed to drink from those paper cups.
May 29, 2015
Sometimes a guy just needs a cupcake.
I don’t care if cupcakes are considered the height of femininity. If they are manly as a bag full of rainbows. With all their beautiful decorations, dainty, sparkly, tiny, fierce, and fabulous — hours spent to get each exactly right even knowing that they will be eaten in a couple of bites. I don’t care if cupcakes are “ars gratia artis” [see David? I know my latin!] which can be translated — in the syntax MGM employed — as “art for the sake of art”.
Sometimes a guy needs a cupcake, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
May 26, 2015
“How much canned tuna can I safely consume a week?”
I get asked this question a lot — particularly at this time of year.
When it’s hot outside and we don’t feel like cooking, nothing is easier than opening a tuna can and chopping some veggies to make a great salad.
Not to mention that tuna is pretty cheap and a good source of protein and omega-3s too.
May 22, 2015
Yoga is a very humbling activity. At least to me it is.
After 5 years of practice, it still feels like learning a foreign language as an adult: suddenly I’m unable to communicate in even the most basic terms.
And you know what? It sucks. It royally sucks.
I've always excelled in sports. I was convinced that somehow I was naturally born that way — but yoga has taught me a different lesson.
Suddenly I’m the slow kid in the class, and that’s a first for me.
May 20, 2015
In grade school, my teacher taught me to use quotation marks to mark a dialogue.
A quotation is something somebody once said somewhere.
But with the introduction of sarcasm in our lives, quotation marks have found a whole new purpose. They’ve become the body language and facial expressions of the written word and they can make any word sarcastic or ironic.
May 18, 2015
I know this recipe seems a little out of place in May.
The weather is getting warmer, the summer is getting closer, we put away the boots, and got the flip flops out.
Yet, here I am, presenting you with a classic winter comfort food when I should be making ice-cream, granita, or sorbet instead.
But you see, sometimes after a long run (a very, very long run) a guy needs carbs, good carbs.
And sweet potatoes are among my fave carb.
They fill me up without giving me the food hangover feeling, all the while being so freaking healthy, it's almost silly.
May 14, 2015
What do you hate with a burning passion?
I know hate is a strong word, but what infuriates you the most?
I have a couple of favorites.
For instance, lately I’ve been having huge problems with my phone’s autocorrect. It’s been acting up on me and I have the distinct feeling that it’s trying to sabotage me.
The other day I tried to type “welcome back” to my friend and it corrected to “suicide neck” (what is a suicide neck btw?)
Also it changes “well” to “we’ll” and “their” to “they’re” all the time. So small but so infuriating.
I know the savvy thing to do would be to turn the autocorrect off.
But I have this love-hate relationship with it. Half the time it works, half the time it butchers everything. That good half is the only thing that keeps me from turning it off.
May 11, 2015
You can never go wrong with a classic.
We all have a favorite classic movie, song, and book. They may depend on the generation we’re from, but we can all agree on some. Like Someone Like It Hot, Born To Run, and On The Road.
They are classics with good reason. They have endured the test of time, proving their greatness over and over again. They bridge age and generational gaps and they’re awesome, just like that.
May 8, 2015
.jpg "Pineapple Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Skillet")
When did you realize you were becoming old and uncool?
All it took me was spending an afternoon with 12-year-old niece.
Until yesterday, I was the young/hip uncle, and all of a sudden I’m an old fart.
When and how did that happen?
I know it’s silly to say but it bothers me. It really bothers me.
I loved my status of “cool uncle” as opposed to the “uncool parents”.
I was not ready to let it go. But times have changed and apparently there’s nothing I can do about it.
May 4, 2015
.jpg "Zoodles alla Norma (with Tomato Sauce and Eggplant)")
I made Pasta alla Norma.
Let me rephrase that.
I made Zoodles alla Norma.
One word: epic.
Another word: simple.
Another word: healthy.
Three words I like to use, especially when it comes to cooking. And I know you do too. Right?
April 29, 2015
.jpg "Roasted Sweet Potato, Sesame and Arugula Salad with Honey-Balsamic Dressing")
Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes eating “healthy”.
Some people abstain from meat, for others it’s just red meat, some give up cheese or gluten (ehm...me?) or fat — I mean, you name it, there’s a eating plan out there that promises that you can live forever just by giving up ice-cream. You know, just to throw a totally random example.
April 26, 2015
To be honest, the weather is still a touch chilly, but I think it’s time to get ready to fire up those grills.
In my case it means I should clean the barbecue.
Because last autumn I didn’t clean it before putting it away. So I’ll need to remove the dust, cobwebs, not to mention the remnants of the last barbecue...
I know what you’re thinking, what kind of person does not clean the grill before putting it away?
Honestly I don’t know what to say. That's just the type of backwards, ignorant life I've led up until now, and no amount of common sense will persuade me otherwise.
Anyways, personally I think nothing says BBQ season like some delicious, grilled-to-perfection chicken.
Definitely a party favorite. At least, my party favorite.
So without further ado here are 12 clean and flavor-packed ways to make grilled chicken that would implant smiles on everyone faces.
April 24, 2015
.jpg "Coconut Crusted Baked Avocado Fries with Sriracha Mayo")
You should have seen my sister’s face when I told her that I would have brought avocado fries for lunch at her place.
Let’s say that her initial reaction was she wasn't really excited about it, at all.
Actually she frowned and said “Really? Avocado fries? What a way to waste some delicious avocado. Why don’t you make some yummy guacamole instead?”
I replied “Trust me, avocado fries are awesome. Plus I coat mine with shredded coconut and I bake them in the oven instead of frying them. They’re light, gluten-free, and delish. You’ll see!”
She wasn’t convinced, but my mind was set. I was going to make avocado fries. I would coerce her into tasting them, and she would love them.
That was my plan, and I knew it was going to be successful. It had to be successful.
April 22, 2015
.jpg "Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chorizo Hash with Baked Eggs")
Do you know the difference between white eggs and brown eggs?
I didn’t, until a couple of hours ago.
I usually buy cage-free, free-range, organic eggs from the Farmers’ Market but never cared about the color.
Sometimes they’re brown, other times they’re white. Every time they taste like, uhm...eggs. So I never give it too much of a thought.
Well, to be completely honest, I usually pick brown eggs because they feel more exotic to me not to mention that I like to support genetic diversity in chickens (HA!)
Anyways, I faced this quandary this morning as I looked in my fridge. There they were: 2 brown eggs and 2 white eggs. As I grabbed them, I wondered: is there a difference?
April 20, 2015
.jpg "Creamy Avocado-Spinach Pesto Zoodles")
I hate when people start launching into “I could never be a vegan” or “I could never live without gluten” speeches.
I’m always like “You know that from experience or are you just guessing?”
Most of the time, people are just guessing.
April 18, 2015
.jpg "Spicy Potato Cakes (Aloo Tikki) with Sriracha Ketchup")
There are many different variations of potato cakes in the world.
There are potato latkes, potato pancakes, tater cakes, mashed potato cakes and then there are Aloo Tikkis.
Yeah, Aloo Tikkis.
I don’t know why, but the name makes me giggle.
Just like as a kid, hearing the teacher talk about Lake Titicaca made me giggle. Now that I’m thinking about it I still giggle at "Titicaca" like I did when I learned of that lake.
Titicaca...HA! Why is it so funny?
April 15, 2015
Sometimes a guy needs a pasta bake, just like mom used to make (no rhyme intended!)
A creamy, cheesy, hearty pasta bake full of flavor and deliciousness.
April 10, 2015
.jpg "Chocolate Covered Lime Coconut Bites")
I know I don’t make a lot of desserts, it’s just that I’m not a huge dessert person.
Don’t get me wrong, I can put away a big bowl of fudgy cocoa ice-cream and enjoy a rich and dense chocolate brownie, but I don’t make a lot of desserts simply because I prefer salty over sweet.
I’d rather have an extra-large helping of coconut eggplant curry or another hasselback potato, than have a dessert on most nights.
April 8, 2015
For a long time in my life, I was on the fence about one bowl meals (I know, it’s a strange thing to be on the fence about.)
I think I struggled with the semantics of it.
In my world a bowl is what you eat out of, it’s not the meal itself.
A strawberry breakfast bowl, is a strawberry smoothie served in a bowl.
Same goes for a veggie bowl. Why do you call it like that when it’s clearly a salad served in a bowl?
I love eating out of bowls, but that didn’t make the food I eat a “bowl”.
April 3, 2015
Oh my, it’s already Friday.
My life has been taken over with...with what? I don’t know really, I’ve been just so busy. The week flew past in a flurry of activity.
Work, training, appointments, and late night baseball games.
No, I will not tell you which team I am cheering for.
Mostly because when it comes to supporting teams people tend to say the meanest things ever. Like “I thought you were a great person until I found out you were a Yankees fan.” or “How can you root for the Red Sox? You had a stroke or something?”
Which are some of the lamest things you can say.
Same reason I don’t talk about politics or religion on this blog.
For starters, it’s not the right place to tackle these topics.
Plus, I’ve been told to never talk about religion or politics on a first date. And this blog feels like a first date. I’m already nervous that you’ll make fun of me to your friends about the piece of spinach stuck in my teeth — what if I say something stupid about politics or the God you pray to?
No way, not touching it. I have others things to talk about. Like food, health, food again, fitness, and food once again. Ha!
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