Zuppa Toscana

A restaurant copycat recipe. When looking for recipes online, there are few that pop up constantly with rave reviews. Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana was one that piqued my curiosity. Living in Australia, we don’t have the restaurant chain Olive Garden. While I’ve been to the USA many times, I’ve never eaten here. Nor have I…

Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon

Yet another delicious risotto! In case you haven’t figured it out, I tend to cook a fair amount of Italian meals. Having an Italian husband means I have to know how to make some of the basics of Italian cooking. Making a risotto is one of them. This pumpkin risotto with bacon is truly delicious…

Roast Beetroot Risotto

Gloriously pink. I’m sure most families with girls have to suffer through the pink phase. I do mean suffer as literally everything is pink… clothes, shoes, ice cream, drawings and toys. With two girls our home was overrun with pink. That’s when I saw a photo of beetroot risotto online and knew I had to…

Italian Biscotti

Biscotti… but not as you know it. Amazing how you discover a new recipe. I credit this recipe to a work colleague who recently brought baking to work. She had made a big batch of biscuits with her mum. They are recreating her grandma’s old handwritten recipes with the aim to make a printed cookbook…

Bacon & Asparagus Risotto

This bacon & asparagus risotto is easy to make and really full of flavour. This is a great risotto to make during the spring months when asparagus is plentiful. With added wine, it will keep any mum happy while cooking!

Penne alla Vodka

Love this dish – so simple to make yet packed with flavour, especially with the added vodka. As the alcohol in the vodka evaporates, it makes this meal suitable for the whole family.

Spinach & Ricotta Rotolo

Rotolo is a lesser known Italian pasta dish with this version being similar to the popular cannelloni. The filling is rolled up in pasta sheets, cut and placed into the pasta sauce then baked in the oven to get delicious crunchy bits.

Tomato & Fennel Pasta Sauce with Meatballs

Pasta sauce in the slow cooker. I had half a bulb of fennel in the fridge to use up. My husband likes to eat this as a salad with a little olive oil and salt & pepper. However, I just don’t understand the attraction with this type of salad personally as to me it’s a…