Proud Italian Cook

LEMON SORBETTO BLENDED WITH MASCARPONE CHEESE

June 23, 2008 by Marie 48 Comments

Wandering through the food blogosphere we come across so many fantastic recipes, I’m always inspired by the talent of all my fellow food bloggers. I must have a list a mile long of recipes I’ve bookmarked to try!

Sometimes I come across a concept that is so simple, and I think to myself, what a brilliant idea! I knew back in April when I saw this over at Taste With The Eyes, that it was something I was going to make, lemon with mascarpone a match made in heaven and I could not wait to make it!

What attracted me to this was how simple it was to make but yet the end result was so dreamy and decadent. In fact Lori Lynn’s own words were ” it’s embarrassingly simple”.

All you do is take 1 pint of your favorite sorbet, put it on your counter and let it defrost a little, take out your food processor, and put in the sorbet along with 6oz. of mascarpone cheese. Give it a whirl until all combined and smooth. Spoon it into a pretty glass, and refreeze it. Garnish it with whatever your heart desires, I just used some lemon peel.

The best thing about this is there was no ice cream machine needed, and no one would ever know the difference!!

Slightly defrost before you serve it because that’s when the true flavors come out, then sit down and enjoy every creamy spoonful!

My Hubby loved this so much that now he wants me to try blending an orange sorbet with the mascarpone, sort of like an upscale dreamsicle.

I think the possibilities are endless, don’t you?

Thanks Lori Lynn, for letting us all in on “your little secret”.

WARNING!!! This could become very addicting!!

48 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Summer Tagged: lemon and mascarpone sorbet, lemon sorbet, sorbet, sorbetto desserts, summer dessert

Food and a Fundraiser!

June 16, 2008 by Marie 40 Comments

This was a busy weekend for me with not much time for blogging I was helping out in a fundraiser for my daughter and daughter in law.
The food that I’m showing is great for a crowd, especially the potatoes which are simply Idaho’s or Russets, cut in planks with the skin on, tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, granulated garlic, paprika, and generous amounts of grated romano cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven till crispy.

In August, my daughter, daughter in law, and niece ,will be walking 60 miles in the Chicago Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day. Each walker makes the commitment to raise $2,200.00, all proceeds go to benefit the ongoing research to fight this disease, and find a cure.

It’s not an easy task to come up with the money so they encourage the walkers to do some fundraising. We held a 2 day garage sale with things donated by friends, family and neighbors to help them meet their goal. They also held a big poker party that same night with some of the proceeds going towards their team. My daughter in law works in a big office and she came up with the idea ( after clearing it with human resources) that whoever donates $2.00 for the Cause, gets to wear jeans to work, I thought that was a great idea, who doesn’t want to wear jeans instead of a shirt and tie!

Walking 60 miles is no easy feat, you have to stick to their training schedule and build up your miles, otherwise you could really hurt yourself.

As of today they are all up to about 13 mile walks, but when the actual 3-Day starts, the first day they walk 22 miles, the second day is 20, and the last day is 18.

They did it once before and let me tell you my daughter had to tape her feet to finish, she had blisters like you’ve never seen before! It’s grueling! but so is this disease!!

Last time they walked we attended the opening ceremony where thousands were gathered to start this journey together, many walked all 60 miles holding pictures of loved ones, poster size pictures of mothers and sisters, aunts, cousins, friends they lost to this disease. They wore Tshirts with names on them, they held big banners with names of loved ones as they walked. It is truly an emotional event!

Along the route they walk, people drive by in cars and beep their horns, come out of their homes and offer water or just to say “Thank You”, its that encouragement that keeps them going.

We met them along the way with band aids and Advils, new socks or a change of shoes, but mostly to encourage them to finish. My Granddaughter held up a big sign as her Mom walked by that said…My Mommy Rocks!! I Love You Mommy!! My daughter burst out in tears!!

The opening ceremony is very emotional, but the closing ceremony is even more touching!!

Friends and family form a line, now mind you, there are thousands of people, this was held in Chicago on the lake front at the time and as the walkers walk in together ,they are hand and hand, arm and arm, they all take off one shoe and raise it high above their heads in honor of the survivors, all are crying, there’s not a dry eye anywhere!!!

Here are some of the survivors, many of them walked all 60 miles also, some even being pushed by family and friends in their wheel chairs, believe me it is a sight to see!

As most of you are aware of, their is a fellow food blogger who is fighting this very battle right now, her name is Bri, the name of her blog is Figs with Bri, and through the kindness of fellow bloggers and others, there is a fundraiser going on for her right now to help her seek other treatments, there is a goal to be met and although it is well on the way, it hasn’t been met yet, so any donation big or small would be so appreciated.

Please take the time to read about this courageous young women if you haven’t already done so, just click on the link above to get to know her and learn about the fundraiser going on.

Hopefully Bri will be walking among these survivors one day!!!

I just want to say “Thank You” Vanessa, Christa, and Julie, we are soooo proud of you girls for doing this!!

40 Comments Filed Under: Chicago Tagged: Bri Brownlow, cancer survivors, Chicago breast cancer 3day, fundraisers, italian roasted potatoes

AFFOGATO!!

June 10, 2008 by Marie 58 Comments

Affogato in Italian means “drowned”, and in this case it’s cold vanilla gelato being drowned by pouring freshly brewed espresso all over it. Add a splash of Amaretto, and you have a wonderful ending to a great summer BBQ.

It’s like having your coffee and dessert all at the same time!

Simply brew up some of your favorite espresso, I happen to like these two, and would normally use either one.

But I just so happen to have one last bag of this coffee that I have been holding on to since our trip to Italy, I decided to finally open it up and use it, I just loved the look of the bag, and the fact that I bought it in Florence.

My espresso pot is a cherished gift that I got from a very special Aunt, a family heirloom that she gave to me because she knows how much I love coffee. I love it, and I thought it would be perfect to feature it in this post.

I don’t know how old it is, but I do know it makes a perfect espresso. When I first received it from her I kept it all packed up and stored away, then I thought, why? I want to enjoy it and use it, so I pulled it out and have been using it ever since!

The recipe calls for gelato, but unfortunately once you try the real thing nothing compares.

I saw this and thought I’d give it a try, sorry Ciao Bella you’re not worth the $$$$!

A good quality vanilla ice cream would work just as well.

This is definitely an “Adult” version of an ice cream float, just scoop some good ice cream in a coffee cup, splash a liqueur of your choice, “drown” it with your hot espresso, and garnish with some whip cream. (optional)