Fennel and orange salad

An Italian friend shared with me this gorgeous salad of fennel, orange, radish and watercress.  The salad is so refreshing and delicious. I love the anise-like flavor from fennel. Aged balsamic vinegar and good extra virgin olive oil make such a huge difference. Happy Sunday reading.

Orecchiette a gift from Italy

I cooked orecchiette with cherry tomatoes today. The pack of orecchiette was a gift from my Italian friends. These are handmade pasta and had tri-colors. Super cute, aren't they?  Orecchiette are little cute pastas shaped like ears. I was introduced to this pasta by my friend whose husband comes from Bari, in the south of Italy.


We had them for lunch today.  CP and the kids cleaned up every last bit of the pasta. I think this is another family favorite.

Spaghetti with Marmite

I found this recipe from the book call "Risotto with Nettles A Memoir with food by Anna Del Conte". What she said in the book is "This is hardly a recipe, but I want to include it because I haven't as yet found a child who doesn't like it."

It sounds very interesting. I wanted to try this recipe a long time ago but I keep forgetting. Today I read this book again so I decided to try this recipe. I cooked for G and Z after they arrived home from school. 
  "What is Marmite, mom?" G asked
  "Marmite is made from yeast extract very salty and savoury. It's like a sandwich spread. You can spread them on a bread to make a sandwich. Are you ready for Spaghetti with Marmite?" I asked
  "Yes, sure mom" G replied
I sprinkle some wasabi sprouts on top of the spaghetti. He ate it happily after with his spaghetti.
  "It's delicious mom, Are there anymore?" he asked

 The kids loved it.  Surprising but it's actually really delicious. It's so easy to make. It took me less than 15 minutes to make this spaghetti.