It still is a very hot summer and at the beach kids constantly need to re-energize themselves to be able to keep at their blissfully refreshing water games. Here is an easy to make, delicious, chewy/crunchy delicacy they will devour!
From Celery Charles & Pals.
What you need for two cabañas:
2 slices of (whole or rye) bread, toasted
1 small ripe (not mushy) banana cut into thick slices
1 teaspoonful of pine nuts or shaved almonds*
1 tablespoon of low-fat ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon of liquid honey.
* In case of allergies, substitute the nuts with crunchy, dark chocolate chips.
What to do:
Spread the ricotta on one side of both toasted slices of bread.
On one slice put the banana and nuts on top of the ricotta, drizzle with honey and cover with the other slice.
Halve into two triangles (cabañas) for easier handling.
Your kids will go nuts for this delicious chewy/crunchy treat!
Tip: Tightly wrapped in aluminum foil the cabañas can be kept refreshingly cold in a cooler.
This has been and still is a particularly hot summer and it is very important that we all make sure we keep our bodies hydrated. Iced tea is one of the most common and refreshing summer drinks; here is a caffeine and sugar free version that children can and will enjoy too, and adults who avoid sugar and don’t want to overindulge on caffeine will appreciate.
Ingredientsfor 1/2 a gallon of water:
four to six herbal tea bags (depending on how dark you like your tea. You choose the herbal tea flavors you prefer; here I used peach and raspberry)
any summer fresh fruits you have available; the best for flavor are the juicier ones like peaches, watermelon, pineapple, mango; also great are halved cherries, raspberries and sliced strawberries; in my opinion bananas are a must. All should be ripe, not mushy
a handful of fresh mint leaves.
What to do:
While the tea kettle brings the water to a boil put the herbal tea bags, diced fruits and mint leaves in a heat resistant glass container. I use a large flower vase.
Pour the hot water into the glass container and stir the ingredients together.
Let the tea rest while the hot water ‘cooks’ the ingredients mixing their many flavors.
When the tea is lukewarm filter it into a capped glass container to be stored in the refrigerator.
Add fresh mint leaves to the refrigerated iced tea for added flavor.
Btw, make sure to put aside the filtered ‘cooked’ fruits you made your tea with; some of them, like peaches and bananas are true delicacies .
One of the great treats we would get at our nonna’s for merenda was sciroppo di lamponi fatto in casa, home made raspberry syrup. It is a delicious drink, and can also be used to flavor cakes, cookies, on top of fruits. It is fabulous on dark chocolate ice cream!
Ingredients:
10 and 1/2 ounces of raspberries
1 ripe lemon, not mushy
17-18 ounces of white sugar
What to do:
Gently wash, dry the raspberries and put them in a kitchen sieve covered with about nine ounces of sugar.
Cover with a kitchen towel and leave overnight.
Filter the mixture and put it into a saucepan adding to it the remaining sugar and the juice of a lemon.
Gently boil the whole mix for about five minutes then let it cool off, pour in a glass bottle, plug and refrigerate it.
If the syrup is too dense it can be diluted with some cold water before serving.
BTW:
The Italian version of The Scary Monster is also available on Amazon, for all Italian bubbling little children scared of the monster under their bed at night.
The roundcheeked expressions and little body language of my cutest and most trusted critic so far while thoroughly critiquing The Scary Monsterare precious! That is what makes me going with passion! Thank you Benji!
Today I feel like celebrating The Scary Monster on Amazon and its critical acclaim sharing with you a deliciously easy summer dessert; don’t we also need some sweetness to finish in bellezza (literally in beauty) our pick nicks, pot locks, and all kind of happy gatherings with family and friends?
Fluffy Pineapple Cake.
What you need for 8-10 people:
One can of crushed pineapples, including their juice
1 box of Angel Cake mix
2 tbs of pine nuts*
*In case of allergies, substitute the pine nuts with dark chocolate chips.
From Celery Charles & Pals.
What to do:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a bowl, pour the Angel Cake mix, the crushed pineapples with their juice, and mix very well.
Add the pine nuts and mix again.
Pour everything in a baking pan and bake until the top is tanned (About 40 minutes)
Extract from the oven and let cool down.
The cake will be ready to eat when it comes out of the pan easily.
You might find that the fluffy cake is delicious with a garnish of strawberry spread, or simply with fresh berries.
Yet again, another super simple and fast recipe for a great summer treat. Add a refreshing salad on the side for a complete meal.
Ingredientsfor 4 eggs:
4 eggs
3 and 1/2 ounces of ricotta cheese
1 and 1/2-2 ounces of baby spinach leaves
nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
a few pine nuts or raisins
What to do:
Hard boil the eggs (12-15 minutes), shell them, cut them in half longitudinally and remove the yolks.
Wash the spinach and sear them in boiling water, drain them well and mix in a blender with the ricotta, the yolks, the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend to obtain your preferred thickness and put the mix into the eggs whites. Garnish with nuts, like a couple of pine nuts or, in case of allergies, with raisins.
A refreshing summer dish, fast and simple to prepare is tomatoes with tonnatasauce, a delicious tuna sauce. It is perfect for picnics and boating excursions, a dish that can be both a snack, an appetizer or a full meal.
Ingredients for a meal for four people:
From “Celery Charles & Pals”
4 Red Beefsteak or Heirloom tomatoes
14 ounces canned Tuna in oil
5/6 ounces of mayonnaise
10-15 capers, depending on size
4 anchovy fillets in oil
What to do:
Salsa Tonnata:
Drain the tuna, in a bowl mince it with a fork while mixing it with the mayo.
Drain and rinse the anchovies to take some of the salt away, then add them to the mix with the capers. (You can add or subtract capers and anchovies to achieve you desired taste.)
Blend everything together to obtain your tonnata sauce* (you decide how smooth or thick you prefer it).
Wash, half the tomatoes. Remove the seeds and putt them aside in a bowl. Lay the washed tomatoes on a serving plate; mix your tonnata with the seeds previously put aside and fill the tomatoes with the blend. Garnish with a thin layer of mayo and a fresh basil leaf or a couple of capers. This dish can be enjoyed right away or it can be refrigerated for a bit before serving.
For a snack or appetizer just choose smaller tomatoes, like cherry or grape tomatoes.
*Tonnata can be used in a myriad of ways, adding it on vegetables, pasta, hard boiled eggs, meats (vitello tonnato), toasted bread, using it as a dip, and any other way that comes to mind.
There are soups that can be enjoyed the year around, since they are delicious whether cold, at room temperature, warm or hot. This is one of them, fast and easy to make, perfect for a cooler summer night.
Broccoli Bruno, from Celery Charles and Pals.
Ingredients for 3-4 cups:
2 broccoli heads, chopped
1 cup cannellini beans, drained
2 minced medium garlic cloves
1 shallot, also minced
2 1/2-3 cups of vegetable stock
1 tbsp of virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly grounded pepper
2 tbsp of grated pecorino cheese
What to do:
Add the shallot and garlic to the oil warmed over medium heat.
When garlic is tanned, add broccoli and cook for about 1 minute.
Pour in the vegetable stock and pepper. Add the cannellini beans.
Cook until broccoli is tender.
Let cool down a bit, then pour everything into a blender.
Blend to the desired texture (kids will like a smoother soup better)
Here is the recipe for the zucchini ripieni my whole family loves. Also a great idea for a dish to bring to pot lucks! You will be invited again!
What is needed for 6 people:
6 medium zucchinis
7-8 ounces of ground veal, beef, or turkey
3,5 ounces of prosciutto cotto, baked ham, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp of chopped Italian parsley
bread crumbs
1 or 2 eggs depending on size
2/3 of a cup of tomato sauce
grated Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil, best if first cold pressed
What to do:
Half the zucchinis along their longitude and extract the pulp with a tea-spoon, making sure not to break the shells and leaving 1/8 of an inch thickness.
Quickly parboil the emptied shell in salted boiling water, then drain them.
In a pan, brown the chopped parsley, onion and garlic with the raw, grated zucchinis’ filling.
Add the chopped meat and ham and cook for about 10 minutes.
Pour in a bowl and add some bread crumbs, the beaten egg/s and salt.
Knead all together to reach a soft mixture. If too dense, add a bit of milk.
Fill the zucchinis with the mixture and lay them on a baking tray greased with olive oil.
Spread the tomato sauce and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the zucchinis.
Put in a pre-heated oven for about 50-60 minutes, depending on the zucchinis’ size, at 350 degrees.
To know when to take the zucchinis out of the oven, insert a tooth pick into the mixture, if it comes out clean your meal is ready. Let it cool a bit and enjoy! Your kids will ask for more!
For added zest, substitute diced Tuscan or spicy salami (even more pizzazz!) to the baked ham.DELIZIOSO! Needless to say, this meal would be a winner on any table to celebrate the
The days spent playing outside were the happiest for the children; they were constantly on the move, challenging their energy to the fullest, which meant they needed to be fed nutritious meals to be able to continue to enjoy their often wild, carefree activities. Bruises were a badge of honor! I am obviously not speaking for their apprehensive grown ups.
At their nonna’s, tanned, strong, bruised, well fed happy children.
During the summer one of the favorite meals was pasta salad. Of course, what is more Italian than pasta? And what better way to feed fresh vegetables to young children than mixing them with pasta?! Pasta salad is commonly one of summer favorite dishes, and there are myriads of recipes for it. Below is an effort free recipe of the delicious pasta salad we and our kids grew up with and still enjoy; it is a treat that the whole family loves! I know I am repeating myself, but this too is an undisputed winner for any kind of summer entertaining; a great dish to show off at your next picnic or pot luck.
Ingredients:
about 3/4 cup of pasta corta (short pasta) per person: penne, penne rigate, farfalle, conchiglie or tri-color rotini (for a more colorful dish)
fresh mozzarella bocconcini or ciliegine, drained and cut in small cubes
cherry tomatoes, diced
peppers (yellow and red, for color, also diced)
a couple of chopped heads of Belgian endive
1/2 finely chopped, small red onion
a handful of pitted olives
fresh basil leaves (torn by hand)
extra virgin olive oil (best if first cold pressed)
grated Parmigiano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
Cook the pasta al dente, according to the directions on the package.
drain it and gently rinse it with cold water to cool it.
Pour it in a large salad bowl.
Place all the other ingredients over the pasta and gently mix them with it.
Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cover and put in the refrigerator for a couple of ours.
Add some more olive oil, freshly grounded pepper, the torn basil leaves and sprinkle with the Parmigiano before serving.
For a heftier dish and bit more pizzaz, add small cubes of Italian salame or well drained canned tuna fish to the salad. OH, MY!
Put your chef hat on!
All the above ingredients are for our original, basic version of this mouthwatering dish; have fun experimenting! Try with other veggies: cooled down steamed broccoli, canned hearts of palm (drained and thinly sliced), a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves or arugula salad, canned baby peas (drained), canned corn (best if whole kernel, drained) to create your very own specialty! Buon appetito!
