A Little Taste of Italy in Iowa: La Quercia’s Artisan Prosciutto

Growing up in Appalachia, right in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I learned that great food can come from anywhere—a five star restaurant, a local diner, or your mother’s humble kitchen.

So when I first tasted La Quercia’s signature prosciutto at Picco, my brother’s Bay Area restaurant, I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that La Quercia was located in Iowa.

I thought, “Go Iowa—way to show Italy how it’s done!"

Meatless Monday: Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Wow, have we had some weather! Snow, snow, wind, and more snow!

To quote Shakespeare, "Blow, blow, thou winter wind; Thou art not so unkind."

Or put simply, we ain't goin' nowhere today. We're scraping the bottom of the cupboard, but thankfully we're equipped for Meatless Monday. Planning to make Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash, a riff on this dish posted last week.

Maple Tofu Vegan Whip Topping

Maple Tofu Vegan Whip Topping
Adapted from "Vegan World Fusion Cuisine"
Prep time: about five minutes 
Print Recipe  

Ingredients
12.3 oz. Sliken tofu
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch cardamom powder
pinch cinnamon powder

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

My Mother's Vegan Pie Crust

My Mother's Vegan Pie Crust
Makes 1 pie crust
Prep time: about forty minutes
Print Recipe  

Ingredients
1/2 cup organic, non-hydrogenated all vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups all purpose white pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons ice water

Directions
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball (only add as much water as needed). Shape into balls. Wrap in plastic, and put in the freezer for thirty minutes or fridge for four hours or overnight.

Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. The dough keeps for up to three days in the fridge or six months in the freezer.

Domestic Divas Holiday Dessert Round-Up!

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?

I'm busy today wrapping presents and making butternut squash ravioli (whew!). Usually, I like to share a round-up of holiday recipes from the year. This time around, I decided to share dessert recipes. Every holiday meal should end with something sweet, don't you think?

Here are a few of my favorite dessert recipes. Enjoy!

Bacon Brownies with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

Blackberry Clafoutis

Blood Orange Tart

Mango-Coconut Biscotti 

Rosemary and Olive Oil Cake

Strawberries with Ginger-Honey Yogurt

Toasted Cinnamon Ice Cream

Triple Ginger Cookies

Vanilla Ricotta with Berries and Balsamic Syrup

Xmas In Your Mouth Vegan Gingersnaps