This is the first posting of recipes from my beloved late Aunt Millie's collection. She typically made these at Christmas, but they can be made at other holidays or just for fun.
There are many recipes and many names for cookies that you roll and cut into different shapes, depending upon the season and your preference. This recipe makes very rich tasty cookies that can be made thin or thick to your liking. The frosting recipe that follows dries hard and shiny, and looks great. With Valentine's Day just around the corner and St. Patrick's Day on the horizon, I thought it best to post this, but promise that my next post will be devoted to Italian Easter bread.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, brought to room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (not imitation)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon salt
About 4 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour
Cream butter and sugar together until light. Add eggs and blend until thoroughly mixed. Add vanilla, then the milk with the dissolved soda. In a separate bowl sift about 3 cups of flour with the cream of tartar and salt and add to the first mixture (bowl with butter, sugar, etc.). Add enough more flour to make a dough that may be easily rolled. I find it easiest at this point to use hands to mix the dough. You may chill the dough if desired, but if mixed properly, this step is not mandatory. If you do chill the dough, wrap it tightly in clear plastic wrap and put in an airtight plastic bag. You can store this in the refrigerator for a day or so if you want to make it ahead of time.
Roll dough in small amounts on a lightly-floured surface to desired thickness (if you make them too thick, they will lose their shape when baking). Use cookie cutters of your choice -- of course, for Valentine's Day there are all sizes of heart cutters, and for St. Patrick's Day the traditional shamrock. One idea is to use large heart cutters for Valentine's Day and then after frosting, with more icing write the name of your Valentine on the cookie. Place cut-out shapes on cookie sheets (I use parchment paper to line the sheets) and bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness. Mine usually take 8 minutes so set your timer to 8 and then go from there.
To decorate prior to baking, you can use colored sugar sprinkles as follows. Spread each cookie very lightly with egg white diluted with a little water and whipped to break up the white. Using a large spatula, lift each piece over a bowl or paper, and sprinkle with the different colors of sugar. Place on cookie sheet and proceed as above.
If you opt for a more traditional frosted cookie, the following spreads very smoothly and dries to a nice gloss. You can divide the frosting into several bowls, leave one white, and add your chosen food coloring to the others.
Frosting Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups of confectioners sugar
Food Coloring (optional)
Colored sugar and other decorating sprinkles (optional)
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add vanilla, then gradually beat in sugar until frosting stands in firm peaks. If desired, divide and add colors.
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. If given as gifts, do likewise, and put wax or parchment paper in between the layers. Enjoy and have fun being creative with the decorating!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Sesame Seed Cookies
This is the last of the four traditional cookies made for Christmas and other special events throughout the year, such as weddings, graduations, etc. The other three have already been posted: Italian White; Fig; and Chocolate Spice Balls. This recipe makes a lot of cookies. I have never counted them, but they fill the top of a large dining room table. You may want to try making half a recipe to see if that is enough to meet your needs.
Ingredients:
5 lb. flour
2 lb. sugar
1 lb. Crisco
2 lb. lard
6 tblsp. baking powder
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
12 large eggs
Sesame seeds (a couple pounds)
Cut Crisco and lard into dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat eggs and vanilla together, then add to the dry ingredients mixture. Mix with your hands to make a nice dough. Add a little milk if needed to make the dough go together.
To form cookies, pinch off a piece of dough and roll into a rope the width of a finger, about 1" wide. Roll the rope into the sesame seeds (see "how to prepare the sesame seeds" below). Cut into 2" pieces on the slant. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until the bottoms are a nice tan color.
Preparing the sesame seeds: In a small bowl or pan pour some milk -- maybe one or two cups. Place the sesame seeds into the milk and add a little sugar -- about 1 tblsp. or so. When ready to roll cookies into the sesame seeds, drain some of the seeds through a small-holed sieve. Dump the damp seeds onto the table and roll each rope of dough into the seeds until thorougly covered. Drain and dump more seeds onto the table as needed.
Aunt Mil stressed that these cookies, when cool, must not be stored in plastic bags because the seeds will fall off. She used to store them in single layers in a large roasting pan with tin foil or wax paper in between each layer, but you can also store them in single layers in air tight plastic containers or tins. Aunt Mil only used a plastic baggie when making up boxes of cookies for gift-giving, because if the sesame seed cookies are left uncovered amid other cookies, they get soggy. However, they are usually eaten so quickly that bagging them is not really necessary.
Ingredients:
5 lb. flour
2 lb. sugar
1 lb. Crisco
2 lb. lard
6 tblsp. baking powder
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
12 large eggs
Sesame seeds (a couple pounds)
Cut Crisco and lard into dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat eggs and vanilla together, then add to the dry ingredients mixture. Mix with your hands to make a nice dough. Add a little milk if needed to make the dough go together.
To form cookies, pinch off a piece of dough and roll into a rope the width of a finger, about 1" wide. Roll the rope into the sesame seeds (see "how to prepare the sesame seeds" below). Cut into 2" pieces on the slant. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until the bottoms are a nice tan color.
Preparing the sesame seeds: In a small bowl or pan pour some milk -- maybe one or two cups. Place the sesame seeds into the milk and add a little sugar -- about 1 tblsp. or so. When ready to roll cookies into the sesame seeds, drain some of the seeds through a small-holed sieve. Dump the damp seeds onto the table and roll each rope of dough into the seeds until thorougly covered. Drain and dump more seeds onto the table as needed.
Aunt Mil stressed that these cookies, when cool, must not be stored in plastic bags because the seeds will fall off. She used to store them in single layers in a large roasting pan with tin foil or wax paper in between each layer, but you can also store them in single layers in air tight plastic containers or tins. Aunt Mil only used a plastic baggie when making up boxes of cookies for gift-giving, because if the sesame seed cookies are left uncovered amid other cookies, they get soggy. However, they are usually eaten so quickly that bagging them is not really necessary.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Chocolate Spice Balls
As with the Italian white knot cookies, there are many different recipes for Italian Chocolate Spice Balls. This one is by far the best that I have ever tasted, and has the "Angelo" seal of approval. Angelo is my brother's grandson. At the tender age of about 20 months, his Papa (my brother) gave him one of these cookies to eat. He stunned everyone when he commented "Um,mmm mmm, mmm mmm, mmm mmm!!!" So take it from Angelo -- these are the best.
Ingredients:
5 lb. flour
2 lb. sugar
1 lb. Crisco
3 Tblsp. cinnamon
1 Tblsp. allspice
4 Tblsp. baking powder
2 c. grape jelly
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
4 c. brewed coffee
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dissolve the grape jelly, Crisco, sugar and cocoa in hot coffee over a medium heat and then set aside to cool. Combine flour, cinnamon, allspice and baking powder, then add the nuts. Add the cooled coffee mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with your hands until a dough forms. It is imperative that you wait for the coffee mixture to be completely cooled or you will have a very sticky mess and will not be able to proceed. (I tried once to add flour until I could roll the dough into balls and was able to proceed, but the cookies did not come out rounded -- they came out like flat pancakes. I think that any heat from the coffee mixture changes the composition of the flour mixture so that the final product is adversely affected.) Form into balls the size of a walnut and bake on greased cookie sheets for 8 minutes. Overbaking makes them very dry, so watch carefully. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
Make frosting with powdered sugar and water -- not too thin or thick. Take a cookie in one hand; dip the other hand in frosting and "paint" a glaze all over the cookie. Place in a single layer on wax or parchment paper and allow to dry completely (overnight) before storing in air-tight containers. You will have to turn the cookies after a few hours or so in order for the glaze on the bottom to dry. Make sure that the frosting is totally dry before storing these cookies or they will get soggy when stored.
A lot of work, but well worth the effort!
We have one more of my favorite Italian Christmas Cookie recipes to go (sesame seed cookies) which I will post next month, and then on to Italian Easter Cookies and Bread!
Ingredients:
5 lb. flour
2 lb. sugar
1 lb. Crisco
3 Tblsp. cinnamon
1 Tblsp. allspice
4 Tblsp. baking powder
2 c. grape jelly
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
4 c. brewed coffee
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dissolve the grape jelly, Crisco, sugar and cocoa in hot coffee over a medium heat and then set aside to cool. Combine flour, cinnamon, allspice and baking powder, then add the nuts. Add the cooled coffee mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with your hands until a dough forms. It is imperative that you wait for the coffee mixture to be completely cooled or you will have a very sticky mess and will not be able to proceed. (I tried once to add flour until I could roll the dough into balls and was able to proceed, but the cookies did not come out rounded -- they came out like flat pancakes. I think that any heat from the coffee mixture changes the composition of the flour mixture so that the final product is adversely affected.) Form into balls the size of a walnut and bake on greased cookie sheets for 8 minutes. Overbaking makes them very dry, so watch carefully. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting.
Make frosting with powdered sugar and water -- not too thin or thick. Take a cookie in one hand; dip the other hand in frosting and "paint" a glaze all over the cookie. Place in a single layer on wax or parchment paper and allow to dry completely (overnight) before storing in air-tight containers. You will have to turn the cookies after a few hours or so in order for the glaze on the bottom to dry. Make sure that the frosting is totally dry before storing these cookies or they will get soggy when stored.
A lot of work, but well worth the effort!
We have one more of my favorite Italian Christmas Cookie recipes to go (sesame seed cookies) which I will post next month, and then on to Italian Easter Cookies and Bread!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Fig Cookies (AKA Cuccidati)
With December upon us, it seems the time to post the recipe for fig cookies, which are customary in Italian families for Christmas as well as any other holiday or special occasion. Although they take a lot of time, they are well worth it. The first thing to do is make the filling.
Grind 2 lb. figs, 1 lb. dates, 1 lb. raisins (I use golden raisins), 2 oranges with the skin. Add to this mixture 1 c. chopped walnuts and a syrup make of 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water (make the syrup in a pan on top of the stove, then cool before adding to the mixture -- add 2 shots of whiskey to the cooled mixture before adding it all to the ground mixture). This mixture should be made several days ahead to allow the flavors to blend. Keep it covered in the refrigerator utnil the day you make the cookies, then bring it to room temperature before using it.
To make the dough: Ingredients are as follows.
12 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Crisco
1/2 cup butter
2 Tblsp. pure vanilla extract
12 tsp. baking powder
6 eggs at room temperature
about 1 cup milk
Beat eggs and vanilla together. In a separate bowl cut the Crisco and butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg/vanilla mixture and then add milk as needed to make a nice dough.
Roll out a small amount of dough at a time on a lightly floured surface, making a small rectangle. Place about a finger width of filling along the edge of the dough nearest to you, and then roll it away from you once. Cut the row away from the rest of the dough with a sharp knife. Roll the filled dough several times back and forth to make sure that the seam underneath is sealed. Cut cookies from the log you have just made, about 1 or 1 1/2" wide. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
For frosting: Mix together 1 lb. or so of powdered sugar with 1 Tblsp. melted butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and enough milk to make it frosting consistency -- not thick like frosting for a cake, but not as thin as a glaze. When frosting, use your fingers to "paint" the top of the cookie, then trim with multi-colored sprinkles or chopped nuts.
These cookies taste best when the dough is rolled fairly thin. You can sometimes purchase the filling already ground at a real Italian deli, but then you are not as sure as to the quality of the ingredients or the taste. If you have dough leftover, you can make white cookies shaped like those described in November's post.
Fig cookies look beautiful on a platter of mixed Christmas cookies. They are like little colorful logs and taste so good. One of the most meaningful compliments that I ever received was from an Italian woman who had eaten many a fig cookie in her life. She told me that these were the best that she had ever tasted!
As always, if you have any questions please either leave a comment or send an email to roserrr@aol.com and I will do my best to help. Merry Christmas to all from Cookie Rose!
Grind 2 lb. figs, 1 lb. dates, 1 lb. raisins (I use golden raisins), 2 oranges with the skin. Add to this mixture 1 c. chopped walnuts and a syrup make of 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water (make the syrup in a pan on top of the stove, then cool before adding to the mixture -- add 2 shots of whiskey to the cooled mixture before adding it all to the ground mixture). This mixture should be made several days ahead to allow the flavors to blend. Keep it covered in the refrigerator utnil the day you make the cookies, then bring it to room temperature before using it.
To make the dough: Ingredients are as follows.
12 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Crisco
1/2 cup butter
2 Tblsp. pure vanilla extract
12 tsp. baking powder
6 eggs at room temperature
about 1 cup milk
Beat eggs and vanilla together. In a separate bowl cut the Crisco and butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg/vanilla mixture and then add milk as needed to make a nice dough.
Roll out a small amount of dough at a time on a lightly floured surface, making a small rectangle. Place about a finger width of filling along the edge of the dough nearest to you, and then roll it away from you once. Cut the row away from the rest of the dough with a sharp knife. Roll the filled dough several times back and forth to make sure that the seam underneath is sealed. Cut cookies from the log you have just made, about 1 or 1 1/2" wide. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
For frosting: Mix together 1 lb. or so of powdered sugar with 1 Tblsp. melted butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and enough milk to make it frosting consistency -- not thick like frosting for a cake, but not as thin as a glaze. When frosting, use your fingers to "paint" the top of the cookie, then trim with multi-colored sprinkles or chopped nuts.
These cookies taste best when the dough is rolled fairly thin. You can sometimes purchase the filling already ground at a real Italian deli, but then you are not as sure as to the quality of the ingredients or the taste. If you have dough leftover, you can make white cookies shaped like those described in November's post.
Fig cookies look beautiful on a platter of mixed Christmas cookies. They are like little colorful logs and taste so good. One of the most meaningful compliments that I ever received was from an Italian woman who had eaten many a fig cookie in her life. She told me that these were the best that she had ever tasted!
As always, if you have any questions please either leave a comment or send an email to roserrr@aol.com and I will do my best to help. Merry Christmas to all from Cookie Rose!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Italian Christmas Cookies -- White Cookies
Italian Christmas cookies are part of my history and heritage. As far back as I can remember my mother and aunt would start baking in November in preparation for holiday feasts and gift giving. There were wondrous aromas coming from the kitchen, and numerous old potato chip tins now full of little sweet cookies awaiting the time when they were to be enjoyed by all -- white cookies, fig cookies, chocolate cookies, seed cookies, "dead man's bones"..... . Of course, all of the children would sneak a few now and then, so that by holiday time, the tins weren't quite as full!
Recipes are easy to post, and I will start with the White Cookies. The technique takes some practice, and I would be happy to help in any way that I can. Just comment or send me an email at rroberts107@gmail.com with your specific problem or question.
There is some controversy as to the "correct" size for these cookies. Some like them large; some like them small. You will need to experiment to see what size suits you, and will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. They will taste the same no matter what size you make them. Not all Italian white cookies (often called Knot Cookies) are the same. Some are made with liquid vegetable oil and are much more like little cakes. Some are flavored with orange. This recipe, in my opinion, is the best and has been loved and enjoyed in my family for many generations by babies, adults and dogs.
The full recipe makes from 90 to 125 or so cookies, depending upon whether you make them small or large. I would suggest that you cut the recipe in half your first time. The amount of dough that the full recipe produces can be somewhat overwhelming.
Ingredients for a full recipe: 5 lb. flour; 2 lb. sugar; 1 lb. Crisco; 4 Tblsp.butter melted in 1 cup milk (let it cool); 3 heaping Tblsp. baking powder; 12 eggs brought to room temperature; 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract. For the frosting you will need butter, 1-2 lb. Brand Name powdered sugar (Domino or Jack Frost), a little milk, and more pure vanilla extract (see below for exact amounts).
I strongly recommend that you use only the best ingredients for the best results. For example, use Crisco, not a generic vegetable shortening; use butter, not margarine; use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Place dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder) into a very large bowl. Blend them together. Cut Crisco into dry ingredients as when making pie crust until the Crisco in broken down into little pea-like balls. Make a well in the middle of this mixture. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and vanilla together with a whisk, pour into the well, and mix into the dry ingredients. Add the cooled butter and milk mixture and mix until a dough forms. To form cookies, grab a piece of dough about the size of a ping pong ball and roll it into a 5" or so rope about the thickness of your finger. Twist into a knot. Place on cookie sheet (on a large cookie sheet I put three across and either four or five down, depending upon how big I am making them that day). Bake 13 minutes or until they are tan colored on the bottom. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, melt 2 Tblsp. butter and place in a medium bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar, then a little milk, and keep alternating until you have frosting that is not too thick or thin. You don't want it to be like frosting you would frost a cake with, but you don't want it to be so thin that it's like a glaze -- somewhere in between. When cookies have completely cooled, take one cookie at a time in one hand, dip the other hand in the frosting, and "paint" a thin layer of frosting all over the cookie (not the bottom). Lay frosted cookies flat on wax paper or tin foil and allow to fully dry overnight before placing in air tight storage containers. If you have to layer them for storage, place wax paper or parchment paper in between layers. It is very important to fully dry these cookies after frosting them before storing them, or they will be soggy and will not taste right.
So there you have it. I was lucky in that I watched these cookies being made for years before I tried my hand at them myself, and once I did start making them, I had my Aunt Mil to critique my method. One of the best compliments that I have ever received in my life is when she told me that I finally "had the knack"!
Most importantly, relax, have fun with this, and remember --- "chi mangia bene, mangia Italiana" (he/she who eats well, eats Italian). If you want another Italian Christmas Cookie recipe before I am able to post it, please Comment or send me an email at rroberts107@gmail.com and I would be happy to oblige.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Recipes are easy to post, and I will start with the White Cookies. The technique takes some practice, and I would be happy to help in any way that I can. Just comment or send me an email at rroberts107@gmail.com with your specific problem or question.
There is some controversy as to the "correct" size for these cookies. Some like them large; some like them small. You will need to experiment to see what size suits you, and will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. They will taste the same no matter what size you make them. Not all Italian white cookies (often called Knot Cookies) are the same. Some are made with liquid vegetable oil and are much more like little cakes. Some are flavored with orange. This recipe, in my opinion, is the best and has been loved and enjoyed in my family for many generations by babies, adults and dogs.
The full recipe makes from 90 to 125 or so cookies, depending upon whether you make them small or large. I would suggest that you cut the recipe in half your first time. The amount of dough that the full recipe produces can be somewhat overwhelming.
Ingredients for a full recipe: 5 lb. flour; 2 lb. sugar; 1 lb. Crisco; 4 Tblsp.butter melted in 1 cup milk (let it cool); 3 heaping Tblsp. baking powder; 12 eggs brought to room temperature; 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract. For the frosting you will need butter, 1-2 lb. Brand Name powdered sugar (Domino or Jack Frost), a little milk, and more pure vanilla extract (see below for exact amounts).
I strongly recommend that you use only the best ingredients for the best results. For example, use Crisco, not a generic vegetable shortening; use butter, not margarine; use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Place dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder) into a very large bowl. Blend them together. Cut Crisco into dry ingredients as when making pie crust until the Crisco in broken down into little pea-like balls. Make a well in the middle of this mixture. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and vanilla together with a whisk, pour into the well, and mix into the dry ingredients. Add the cooled butter and milk mixture and mix until a dough forms. To form cookies, grab a piece of dough about the size of a ping pong ball and roll it into a 5" or so rope about the thickness of your finger. Twist into a knot. Place on cookie sheet (on a large cookie sheet I put three across and either four or five down, depending upon how big I am making them that day). Bake 13 minutes or until they are tan colored on the bottom. Cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, melt 2 Tblsp. butter and place in a medium bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar, then a little milk, and keep alternating until you have frosting that is not too thick or thin. You don't want it to be like frosting you would frost a cake with, but you don't want it to be so thin that it's like a glaze -- somewhere in between. When cookies have completely cooled, take one cookie at a time in one hand, dip the other hand in the frosting, and "paint" a thin layer of frosting all over the cookie (not the bottom). Lay frosted cookies flat on wax paper or tin foil and allow to fully dry overnight before placing in air tight storage containers. If you have to layer them for storage, place wax paper or parchment paper in between layers. It is very important to fully dry these cookies after frosting them before storing them, or they will be soggy and will not taste right.
So there you have it. I was lucky in that I watched these cookies being made for years before I tried my hand at them myself, and once I did start making them, I had my Aunt Mil to critique my method. One of the best compliments that I have ever received in my life is when she told me that I finally "had the knack"!
Most importantly, relax, have fun with this, and remember --- "chi mangia bene, mangia Italiana" (he/she who eats well, eats Italian). If you want another Italian Christmas Cookie recipe before I am able to post it, please Comment or send me an email at rroberts107@gmail.com and I would be happy to oblige.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Hello from Cookie Rose!
Hello to all cookie lovers of the world. Let me start by telling you how Cookie Rose came about. A friend's 4 year old daughter, also named Rose, dubbed me this name to differentiate me from other women in her life named Rose. Little Rose associated me with cookies because of the Italian Christmas cookies I delivered to her house last Christmas.
The Italian Christmas cookies are made from family recipes handed down for generations. I am now of the "older generation" in my family, and am keeping the tradition going along with some cousins who also make these cookies. The favorites are fig, sesame seed, white knot and chocolate spice balls. Baking these cookies has become for me a way to relax and find pleasure in the act of creating something beautiful that brings joy to others.
My last and favorite aunt died July 2008 and as a momento her daughter Barbara copied some of her recipes for all in the family who might be interested. In the spirit of, but not as energetic as "Julie and Julia," I intend to periodically make and then publish a recipe on this blog, and would welcome comments.
In addition to sharing recipes, another reason for creating this blog is for you to share your own special family recipes and food-related traditions.
And finally, although this may sound contradictory, fitness and a balanced diet has been my focus for most of this year and will continue to be for the rest of my life. Therefore, any comments or balanced recipes are welcome.
In keeping with my heritage, I would like to close with a saying that I heard or read somewhere: "Chi mangia bene, mangia Italiana." It means "He/she who eats well, eats Italian."
Rose
The Italian Christmas cookies are made from family recipes handed down for generations. I am now of the "older generation" in my family, and am keeping the tradition going along with some cousins who also make these cookies. The favorites are fig, sesame seed, white knot and chocolate spice balls. Baking these cookies has become for me a way to relax and find pleasure in the act of creating something beautiful that brings joy to others.
My last and favorite aunt died July 2008 and as a momento her daughter Barbara copied some of her recipes for all in the family who might be interested. In the spirit of, but not as energetic as "Julie and Julia," I intend to periodically make and then publish a recipe on this blog, and would welcome comments.
In addition to sharing recipes, another reason for creating this blog is for you to share your own special family recipes and food-related traditions.
And finally, although this may sound contradictory, fitness and a balanced diet has been my focus for most of this year and will continue to be for the rest of my life. Therefore, any comments or balanced recipes are welcome.
In keeping with my heritage, I would like to close with a saying that I heard or read somewhere: "Chi mangia bene, mangia Italiana." It means "He/she who eats well, eats Italian."
Rose
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