Blog - The Basic Art of Italian Cooking

Infiorata: The Flower Festival in Genzano | Colorful Sicilian Cassata

By maria June 15, 2011Holidays, Italian Culture, Italy, La Dolce Vita (Dessert Recipes), Recipes, Travel1 Comment

How To Host Do It Yourself Wine Tastings at Home | Perfect to Pair with Grilled Porcini Mushrooms

By maria June 14, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Entertaining, How To's, Recipes, slow food, the Mediterranean diet, Uncategorized, WineNo Comments

copyright art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc My favorite way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon is eating al fresco at home, so that I can have a leisurely, meal with a great…

What To Give As a Business Gift | One Sweet Answer

By maria June 14, 2011Life Hacks1 Comment

Gifts are one of the most perplexing things to choose. But Business gifts are a more difficult choice, especially when you may be giving a gift that represents your company…

Summer's Fashionable Produce | How To Incorporate Color in Cuisine

By maria June 9, 2011Cooking TIps, Gardening, How To's, RecipesNo Comments

Editor: Lisa Zatulovsky copyright 2011, Art of Living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati Saturated hues and bold color blocking are a dominant fashion trend for summer 2011. Fashion is celebrating the vibrancy that the…

The Soul of a 5 lb Can of Tomatoes | Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

By maria June 4, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Country Living, Pasta, Recipes2 Comments

Neapolitan Ice Cream and Napoli the Ballet | The Fisherman and his Bride

By maria June 1, 2011Art, Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Italian Culture, ItalyNo Comments

Editor: Lisa Zatulovsky copyright 2011 Art of LIving, PrimaMedia,Inc Vivacious Tarantellas, jubilant music and cheerful dancing amidst picturesque scenes of Naples make up the carefree ballet “Napoli”, also known as…

A Roman Holiday | Fresh Tomatoes and Tramezzini

By maria May 30, 2011Movie & Recipe Pairings, RecipesNo Comments

Editor: Karissa Martin copyright 2011 Art of Living, PrimaMedia, Inc./Maria Liberati The official start to the unofficial beginning of summer is finally here..."as tasty as summer's first peach" m yfavorite…

Florentine Torta Di Farro ( Farro Pound Cake) | La Gioconda and Victor Hugo

By maria May 28, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Events & Appearances, Recipes1 Comment

Lavender & Fusilli Pasta | Tastes of Summer

By maria May 17, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Pasta, Recipes, Summer Recipes, VegetarianNo Comments

copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati Editor: Caroline Walsh Lavender, my favorite summer ingredient, has quite a literary and culinary past (and present) Hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram; The marigold,…

Ratatuia | How To Make Authentic Italian Ratatouille

By maria May 11, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), How To's, Italian Culture, RecipesNo Comments

copyright 2011 Art of Living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria LIberati Shopping at a farmer’s market has developed into something of a pastime, a form of meditation and relaxation..maybe it reminds of home and table…

Simplicity as an Art Form | Spaghetti Alle Erbette (Spaghetti with Herbs)

By maria May 8, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Holidays, Pasta, RecipesNo Comments

The most beautiful things are the simplest, call me frugal or thrifty or anything in between..but my favorite things are those that are the simplest.. or maybe I am just infatuated…

Colorful Spring Flowers and Sigmund Freud | Torte all’Ananas (Pineapple Torte)

By maria May 6, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), La Dolce Vita (Dessert Recipes), RecipesNo Comments

A Night of Opera | Spaghetti Norma

By maria April 27, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Italian Culture, Pasta, RecipesNo Comments

Pasquetta to the Rescue | How To Halt That After-Easter Letdown

By maria April 25, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Country Living, Holidays, How To's, Italian CultureNo Comments

If you are having some type of letdown after Easter, consider celebrating ‘Pasquetta’ or Little Easter as they do in Italy. Always celebrated on Easter Monday and it’s also like…

The Pan Makes the Pizza | Chef's Guide to Finding the Perfect Pan

By maria April 22, 2011Cooking TIps, How To's, Life HacksNo Comments

There is an old saying “Pants make the man” and accordingly one of the secrets to making a great pizza is using high quality pizza pans because “the pan makes…

Make a Statement with Fair Trade | Premcrest Fair Trade Wholesale

By maria April 22, 2011Life Hacks, Sponsored PostsNo Comments

You can do more with your choice of food than just satisfy your hunger. You can also help farmers in developing countries by looking for products that are designated as…

Traditional Italian Easter Bread | How To Make Pane di Pasqua all’Uova

By maria April 21, 2011Baking, Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Country Living, Holidays, How To's, RecipesNo Comments

Easter Egg Bread (Pane di Pasqua all’Uova) copyright 2011 art of living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati While most children were awakened on Easter morning with thoughts of seeing an Easter basket filled…

Where is Mantua and How to Make Sbrisolana

By maria April 16, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Italian Culture, Italy, Spring Recipes3 Comments

ACheapSeat.com | Your Ticket To an Affordable Concert

By maria April 7, 2011Life Hacks, Sponsored PostsNo Comments

What a better way to enjoy a weekend that a concert, a great way to see BonJovi when they are back in the US and not in Italy is to…

Raffaello and Recipes from LeMarche | Lattarol Al Caffe (Coffee Cake)

By maria April 7, 2011Art, Coffee, Italian Culture, RecipesNo Comments

“When one is painting one does not think” Raffaelo April 6th was the birthday of the Renaissance artist and architect –known by one name only Raffaello. …..he so intensely concentrated…

Cipolle Ripene (Stuffed Onions) | How To Make Traditional Tuscan Fare

By maria April 5, 2011How To's, Italy, RecipesNo Comments

Minestra Bolognese | How To Warm Up On Chilly Spring Nights

By maria April 2, 2011How To's, Recipes, Soups, Spring RecipesNo Comments

Hard to believe it is Spring and still a chill in the air. One way to combat those chilly Spring nights is with a hot bowl of soup for dinner.…

Why Your Restaurant Should Accept Credit Cards

By maria April 2, 2011Life HacksNo Comments

Weekends some times find me catching up with friends and what better way to catch up than-over food-. So last night we went to one of our little local ,but…

Van Gogh's Colorful Cooking | Spaghetti with Herbed Tomatoes

By maria March 29, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Pasta, RecipesNo Comments

Bianco da Mangiare and the First Tastes of Spring | A Gentle Kiss of Lemon, Vanilla, Cinnamon

By maria March 24, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), La Dolce Vita (Dessert Recipes), RecipesNo Comments

copyright 2011 art of living,PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati My eyes open, awakened by that inspiring aroma of freshly ground coffee beans..my night stand full of books, 2 notebooks-one for dreams and one…

A Recipe From DaVinci's Cookbook | Charlotte Alla Milanese

By maria March 19, 2011Facts, Food Facts, History of Foods, RecipesNo Comments

From the elegant city of Milan comes this elegant, yet simple dessert..Charlotte Alla Milanese.... it’s a great way to make use of day old crusty bread and an elegantly simple…

Saint Patrick Was Not Irish and Other Historical Facts | Filet of Sole with Cabbage & Potatoes

By maria March 17, 2011Holidays, Italian Culture, Recipes1 Comment

Happy" top o' the mornin to ya"...for Saint Patrick's Day. Today the Irish claim him as their own, but did you know that even the Italians claim him as one…

Ricotta Maccheroni Romana | A Meal Fit for an Emperor

By maria March 15, 2011Italian Culture, Italy, Pasta, RecipesNo Comments

Lasagna Con Beschamel e Spinaci (Lasagne with Beschamel & Spinach) | Celebrating Gratitude and A Sunday Dinner

By maria March 12, 2011Caro Diario. (Dear diary...), Pasta, RecipesNo Comments

A Chef's Guide to Selecting Restaurant Equipment

By maria March 9, 2011Cooking TIps, Life HacksNo Comments

If you have a restaurant or are planning to open one, spend some dedicated time selecting cooking equipment. When I consult with novices looking to open a restaurant I always…