A Day Cooking with Mamma Agata in Ravello, Italy

Spending the day with Mamma Agata and her family.

When we started planning our trip to Italy my
husband and I began to research all the
different places we could go, restaurants we
could eat at and things we could do.
The possibilities were endless.

During my research I came across this website
that described a cooking class with Mamma Agata.
On the website they claimed that you
would spend the day cooking in Mamma Agata's private home,
which is situated 1,000 feet above sea level, overlooking
the Amalfi Coast. Her property includes a garden
full of lemon trees, fruit trees, vegetables, spices
and flowers. She would teach you to cook traditional
dishes like antipasti, pastas, seasonal vegetable dishes
as well as meat dishes.

This sounded too good to be true but sign me up is exactly
what I thought.

A few days into our trip we took the famous, scenic
drive along the Amalfi Coast. Now, those of you that
know me well are thinking I can't believe Sharon was
able to make the winding, narrow, challenging drive
to Ravello. I was only able to endure the drive because
my husband drove very carefully ( so I didn't have to
ride in a bus)and because I took a little dramamine. :)

The drive along the Amalfi Coast is AMAZING!!
We stopped several times to take a pictures because it
was just so beautiful. I have included some of the
photos we took along the way.







After about two and half hours of driving and praying
the whole way that this "cooking class" was going to
be worth it we finally arrived.

And I knew from the moment Chiara opened the door
to her home that this was going to be the
opportunity of a life time!



Chiara welcomed us with open arms. She brought
us to the terrace where we looked out over the
Amalfi Coast. Just like the website described but
so much better in person - breathtaking!!
We were served coffe and Mamma's famous lemon cake.






Once the rest of the guests arrived ( one of the guest
being a famous movie star - Sela Ward and her family)
we began our day of cooking with Mamma Agata and her family.
Chiara ( Mamma's daughter) and her husband Gennaro showed
us how limoncello is made. This would be served later in
the day.




Then we moved into the kitchen where the magic began.
Tips and secrets were shared as Mamma and Chiara
demonstrated how several different southern Italian dishes
are made. During the class we learned how to make Mamma
Agata's Coccoli, Eggplant Rolls, Eggplant Parmigina,
Pasta with Sausage and Peppers, Pasta of the Farmer
and Lemon Chicken.










Of course the food and wine were amazing but the
personal stories Chaira shared and passion for what
they do makes this experience so unique.
From the moment you arrive at Mamma Agata's the
family makes you feel like you are special
and that they are so excited
you came to spend the day with them.

I have attached the link to Mamma Agata's
Cooking School because if you are ever
it Italy you should definately visit
Mamma Agata.
The experience is everything
they claim on their website and so much more!!http://www.mammaagata.com/cooking-class.aspx

Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Cherries and Dark Chocolate Chips

It is time to pull out the ice cream maker
since the weather is going to be in the
high 90's all weekend.
Picnics and fireworks I enjoy but sweating
all day, no thanks.
I think I will avoid the heat for a little
while, stay inside and make some homemade
Cherry and Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.


Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Cherries and Dark Chocolate Chips

Ingredients
1 - 1 1/2 cup pitted, sweet cherries
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt

2 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 cup pitted, diced sweet cherries
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chocolate covered dried cherries, chopped
1 -2 Tbsp of cherry liqueur or rum (optional)


* You may want to consider buying a cherry pitter - it is an awesome kitchen tool.
Thanks to Tyleen I have one and I love it!


To make the ice cream:

Place the pitted cherries, milk, one cup of the cream, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan. You want to heat the mixture until it starts to steam a little but you do not want to bring it to a boil. After the mixture steams lower the heat to low and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and pour the mixture into a bowl to cool. You can place the bowl in the refrigerator for a little while to speed up this process. Next you will pour the mixture into a blender and carefully purée.

Place the mixture back into a large bowl. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of cream and agave nectar. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator until completely cold. *Don't forget you also need to chill your ice cream maker ring.

Rigt before you are ready to put the mixture into your ice cream maker you will stir in the fresh, chopped cherries, the chocolate covered cherries, the dark chocolate chips and the rum. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and
let it turn for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Check your ice cream maker to see how the mixture is coming along. Remember the ice cream will still be pretty soft at this point. Gently empty the ice cream from your ice cream maker into an airtight container and place in the freezer until you are ready to serve.

A few notes:
You do not have to add alcohol to your ice cream if you don't want. It does help with the flavor and it makes takes the icy bits out of the ice cream.

If your ice cream is not powerful you can add the cherry bits and chocolate chips after it is finished churning. Just fold the chopped ingredients into the ice cream gently and then freeze.




It looks so good!

Eating My Way Through Italy

Before we left for Italy I told my husband
that my plan was to eat Pizza and Gelato
every day! I am not sure he believed me
and to be honest with you I wasn't being
serious it just sounded like the right
thing to say since we were going to Italy.

I did not realize how true that statement
would turn out to be. Of the ten days we
spent in Italy I am pretty sure that I had
pizza at least eight times! The pizza was
just so good and it made a
perfect lunch.

Here are some of the yummy
pizzas we ate while we traveled from
Sorrento to Rome.

I believe this was pizza number 1.

This pizza was topped with sausage, ham, artichokes, tomato and rocket. We learned that rocket is a form of arugula. There was no red sauce but somehow the pizza turned out creamy and very good!

This pizza was excellent. The crust was very buttery! The pizza was topped with cheese, rocket and tomato.


Pizza at Il Buffalito
This restaurant is known for their homemade buffalo mozarella.
The cheese was so good it just melted in your mouth.


Pizza after a day on Capri
This time we tried a classic mushroom and olive pizza.



Pizza while at the beach in Sorrento
It is amazing ~ even at the beach the pizza is great!




Pizza at Campo De Fiori Market in Rome
YUM! This pizza was outstanding. Not sure why the boiled egg is a part of the pizza but all the other ingredients were outstanding.


Yup, more pizza
Simple yet very good!



See, I told you, I ate pizza almost every day and I don't regret it!
I enjoyed trying all the different varieties of pizza there are in Italy.
Each pizza had its own unique flavor. I will get to all the other food
we ate very soon!

Chicken with Lemon and Olives

I have been looking for a recipe
for chicken and olives for a while.
The recipes I have tried in the past
have been really salty and just ok.

I came across this recipe in my
Cooking Light magazine.
I am not sure what it was that
made me believe this recipe
would be better than the others
we've tried but I am happy
to say it was.

My husband made this dish
while I went running.
He did an excellent job!
Dinner looked wonderful
and tasted great.


Chicken with Lemon and Olives
recipe from Cooking Light

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 chicken leg quarters
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons black pepper
16 pimiento stuffed green olives, sliced
1 lemon , thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine first 7 ingredients, marinate
at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour marinade into a 13 X 9 inch baking
dish. Heat a large skillet over medium
high heat. Add chicken, cook 3 minutes
on each side or until browned. Arrange
chicken in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Top with olives and lemon slices.
Bake at 400 degrees for
40 minutes.

Remove chicken from baking dish and keep warm.
Strainsauce over a saucepan reserving solids.
Bring sauce to a boil. cook 3 minutes or until
slightly thick. Stir in olives and garlic,
serve with chicken and lemons.
Top with parsley.



Serve with green pea rice


This recipe is a keeper!

Summertime Pizza - Goat Cheese and Peaches

I have been trying to cook light because
the weather is sooooo hot right now.
The other night, for dinner, we made
two different thin crust pizzas on the grill .

I made one of the pizzas with
Goat Cheese and Peaches.

Goat Cheese and Peach Pizza
Here is how I made our pizza:
Roll the pizza crust out nice and thin.
Brush olive oil all over the crust.
Cook some bacon or proscuitto in a pan.
Heat some goat cheese in the microwave
for just a few seconds so that it is
soft enough to spread out on the pizza crust.
Slice peaches and place them on the pizza.
Cut the bacon or proscuitto into small pieces
and sprinkle it over the pizza.
Add a pinch of thyme over the peaches and cheese.

Now the pizza is ready for the grill.



Seriously Good!

Chicken Wings with Lemon and Thyme

It's time for a batch of chicken wings.
We have tried making our own version of spicy
chicken wings. I also have a good recipe for
balsamic chicken wings. This time we are
going with a recipe by Emeril for
Lemon and Thyme Oven Roasted Wings.

Lemon and Thyme Chicken Wings
Ingredients
4 pounds chicken wings or chicken legs
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
4 tablespoons butter, melted



Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

Line large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In large mixing bowl, combine wings and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Crush the thyme between your finger while adding it to the mixture. Mix again and add cayenne and butter. Mix thoroughly, then transfer wings to baking sheet and arrange in one layer. Roast in oven for 10 minutes, rotate pan and cook 10 minutes longer until wings are nicely browned and cooked through. Serve alone or with your favorite dipping sauce.

*When I made our wings I made the marinade first and poured about half of it into a bowl with the chicken wings. I covered the bowl and the wings sit for about 20 - 30 minutes in the refrigerator. The butter became a little thick but I wanted the flavors to have a chance to combine and get all over the wings. I placed the wings on a baking sheet and added the rest of the marinade. Then I put them into the oven to cook.

We thought the wings turned out great! We did not feel that there was any reason to serve them with a dipping sauce because they had so much flavor on their own.

Amazing Peach Crisp

This is an AMAZING Peach Crisp!
It is one of those desserts that you
just can't stop eating.
I know that some of you don't believe me
because there is no chocolate in this
recipe but please trust me.
The only thing that keeps me from
eating the whole pan is that I know
what it is made of and it's not low
in calories.

The recipe is from Pioneer Women.
I read her blog often because she
takes step by step photos of the food
she makes and I love that.




Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce


What you need:
6-8 Whole Fresh Peaches
1 cup Flour
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
½ whole Lemon
7 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup -
2 for the peaches and 5 tbs for the sauce.
1-½ cup Whipping Cream
3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed. * I actually did this step in my food processor and used the pulse button to do all the work - just don't over do it.**

Peel peaches and slice. Place them into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Then cut the lemon in half and squeeze juice from lemon into the bowl with the peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well.

Pour peach mixture into a 9 inch pan and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.

Maple Cream Sauce:

Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp when you are ready to serve the dessert.( The peach crisp will be warm and the sauce will be cold).


Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!








You have to try this recipe!!!