Three Words: Nonna's. Amaretti. Cookies.

[Image: By Me :)]

There is nothing like Nonna's homemade cookies: Amaretti, Nutella Crescents, Cocoa Fingers... you name it, Nonna makes it. Correction: There is nothing like Nonna's cooking. Whether it's her famous (to me anyways) penne or her veal or even her epic Christmas Eve Feast (as posted previously in my blog). Whatever she makes, it's always yummy.

I know what you're all saying, that it's the love; her love that makes her food heaven sent. While that may be true, without question, it's the simplicity of her gastronomic prowess that makes her culinary delights... delightful!

Today, let me talk to you about my Nonna's cookies, specifically her Amaretti (i.e. almond cookies for the non-paesanos). Even though I have been sworn by the Godfather himself not to indulge on all the ingredient details, I can say that the recipes my Nonna has created and make, use only the best and fewest ingredients. Why? Well, my Nonna, she's always been one for the simple things in life. Whether it's fashion, entertainment, or food, my Nonna appreciates the basics. Her humility is admirable to say the least. But, I digress. 

Her Amaretti are composed of 5 simple ingredients:
- fresh ground almonds
- sugar
- vanilla powder
- vanilla extract
- egg yolk

Whaaaaa, you say? Yeah, it's that simple. But the simplicity of those ingredients allow for those strong flavours to speak for themselves. I salivate just thinking about them (could totally eat a couple with a piping hot cup of espresso right now haha).

My dad's mom, my Nonna, is THE queen of cookies. My mom's mom, my other Nonna Cas, is THE queen of lasagna. But that's a different post ;)

Buon Appetito!
Tonia

Homemade Comfort - A Poem

Nothing compares to homemade soup. The heated, salty broth mixed with the sweetness of vegetables: carrot, potatoe, celery, cauliflower, onion, green pepper -- all paired ever so sparingly with mini pasta. The second helping tasted even better than the first.

Nothing compares to homemade soup when your mama makes it for you when you're feeling under the weather. It's like a warm embrace on a cold winter's eve: Soothing, wholesome, fulfilling. Mama always has the perfect RX.

Nothing compares to homemade soup when you haven't eaten a full meal in 2 days. The void that had developed in the pit of my stomach, angered by the pains of illness, only to finally be comforted by this delicious liquid goodness. My god, have I never been more happy to simply taste something of substance. Never had soup tasted so good, so complete.

Nothing compares to homemade food as it brings with it the comforts of home and heart: Dependable, safe, nourishing. I remember when I was a kid, it was always the comforts of homemade food that always brought a smile to my face. From my nonna making us homemade lasagna to penne to pizza and to my mom who always made the best in homemade baked goods: brownies, biscotti, banana bread -- nothing else ever compared. Even now, nothing does.

Do you have a favourite comfort food? If so, what is it? When do you most crave it?

Buon Appetito,
Tonia

#lifeofahangrygirl

Kale-ifornication

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Hello my lovely foodies!

Apologies for my delay -- caught a terrible stomach bug this weekend, no fun :(  But alas, I am back, slowly but surely, and today I want to talk with you guys about the following: kale! 

Why kale you ask? Well, it's yummy, low carb (few of the many reasons why it's good for you), and, as far as my social media feeds go, everyone is coming up kale.  As part of my New Year's resolution, I wanted to find new ways to eat the food I love while maintaining a lower carb in-take. One of the first foods that came to mind were chips. I love chips! Actually, I love potatoes, but that's a different post.  I thought to myself, how could I satisfy my chip craving with something low-carb: kale chips! 
 
So, after many hours of Pinterest surfing (yes, I got distracted with boards other than kale), this is what I came up with.

You will need/do the following:
- preheat oven at 300 degrees
- large cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- 4 cups of kale/without stems
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. himalayan pink salt

- 1 tbsp. garlic powder  - 2 tbsp. parmigianno grated cheese   

To start, I bought a bag of pre-washed kale and began to tear away the stems.

Next, I poured the extra virgin olive oil over the kale to give them a coating, that way the ingredients would hold better to the leaves.

After, I laid the kale evenly on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and sprinkled the salt, garlic powder, and cheese. I tossed the kale with the ingredients and evened out the leaves again. Lastly, with the remaining cheese, I sprinkled it atop the kale.

I placed the kale in the oven, middle rack, and let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Make sure to check in at the 10-minute mark to ensure it doesn't burn -- you don't want the kale to brown. Let cool for 15 minutes. 

  

Verdict: Not bad haha! I would probably add a bit more salt, maybe an extra pinch or 2, and add more cheese. Replacement for chips? Probably not, but all in all, it was a great experiment and I would try it again.  

Are there any snacks you've modified according to your diet?  If so, what snack was this and how did you make it?  

Buon Appetito!
Tonia

#lifeofahangrygirl     

Food: A Love, Passion, Philosophy.

[Photo Credit: Me]

Welcome Everyone!

It feels great to be writing again. Why? I love food! Morning, day, evening, night, and 2am after a film. Food is love. Love is food. Food is the way to my heart. Rick, my S.O., can attest to this. Tonia’s sad? Here’s a latte. Tonia’s hangry? Let’s grab some sushi. Any man or woman with a significant other who is easily hangried will agree that food is THE answer; THE solution.

For those of you who don’t know me and are reading my blog for the first time, I’m Tonia! Friends call me Ton-Ton, T-Rex, and Frodo(thanks to our Ad Layout course). I’m currently in my fourth and final semester of the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at Sheridan College and absolutely love it. Going back to college after my HBA at UofT was the best decision I made. True, it took me two years to figure things out, but nonetheless, I did and chose to go back to school. Funny, I had my post, post-secondary epiphany while I was cooking. Cooking (and food) have always been therapeutic for me. It’s the one thing in life I can do by feeling and it always works out. There’s no right or wrong. You can either add more or less ingredients, or start over. And that’s okay.

In addition, I owe this love of food to my grandparents. They take such great joy in watching us indulge in the meals they create and share. It’s a defining characteristic of being Italian, at least in my family anyways. I also owe a lot to my dad. He loved food. Food to him had this innate value, beyond that of nourishment. Food was an experience, one that was shared with those he loved and cared for. I can’t thank him enough for that philosophy, it’s one I strongly believe in and live by every day.

Which brings me back to the theme of my blog. We were asked by our fabulous Interactive Marketing instructor (hey Tina!) to create a blog about something we’re passionate about. Food was the first and only thing that came to mind. Since I had already created my food blog sometime ago, I figured it was only right to stay true to that calling and continue to express my undying love for food to the digital world. So, without further ado, here is my blog...again.

Buon Appetito!

Tonia

#lifeofahangrygirl

"Would you like Ketchup with that?"

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Have you ever had a craving you just couldn't ignore? I have them all the time! When I'm not craving sushi, I'm most certainly craving poutine.


Imagine.... A plate of crispy fries, sprinkled with creamy cheese curds, smothered with rich, hot gravy. But wait, that's not all -- we can't forget the ketchup. The ketchup? Oh yes! A poutine slathered in ketchup is Tonia's primo poutine choice. 


I know, I know, you're probably thinking that's not appetizing at all, but it really is! The saltiness of the fries and the cheese combined with the savoury taste of gravy pair well with the sweetness of ketchup. Yum! 


Do you have any quirky food cravings? If so, what do you crave?

Sushi for Thought

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Sushi.

Su. Shi.

Suuuuuuushi.

I love sushi. Morning, day, evening, night. I can eat sushi all day, every day, 365 days a year. 

People ask me, "Tonia, what's your favourite food?"

Without hesitation or a moment of thought, I respond "sushi."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"You're Italian."

"What does that have to do with my favourite food?"

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being Italian-- we have some of the greatest food, but there's something about sushi that just takes my hunger away.

Mind you the epic amounts of white rice literally satisfy hunger because carbs tend to make you full faster anyway; however, from a palette perspective, it's not the rice that makes sushi. The rice compliments the sweet taste of sashimi, the salty of soya sauce, the bitterness of ginger and the savory of wasabi. Rice is simply the supporting actress in this Tonia-nominated foodie delight that considers all actors of taste part of sushi's outstanding palette performance.

The joy of sushi is not just eating it, it's how you eat it -- it's an experience that requires no fork and it's meant to be shared (probably one of my favourite aspects of eating sushi). 

Once you are seated (I like to sit in one of those private rooms where there's a make-shift door that looks like a curtain), on the table in front of you lays a small plate and dipping bowl for your soya sauce and wasabi. The hostess brings you a cup of piping-hot green tea. Often times it's the brown rice green tea -- delicious! Next, you place your order -- I'm a sucker for the "Arctic Roll": salmon sashimi, kani sashimi, tempura bits, avocado, and spicy sauce all neatly tucked within rice paper.

Once the food arrives, it's time to dig in sans fork (unless of course you ask for one, but it's sushi! Try something new, use chopsticks :) ). You take your chopsticks and gently press the ends on either side of the sushi piece. You dip the sushi into the soya-wasabi sauce and eat. Repeat 25 more times. If you're my friends, multiply that by 2. This naturally takes a bit of time, but with great company (since we all know Tonia enjoys sharing her experience of food with friends and family) the time flies and it allows you to not only savour and reflect on the food you're ingesting, but also to acknowledge and appreciate the conversation around you.

The intense flavour palette with the delicate use of chopsticks and stimulating company makes sushi an experience rather than a drive-through meal.

What is your favourite food? Why? Do you enjoy eating amongst friends and family?

Brace Yourselves, Christmas is Coming!

 

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I'm Italian and with great Italian ethnicity comes great responsibility... to food.

We love food! We grow it, we cook it and we most whole-heartedly eat it in abundance. "Love" is an understatement.

Ever since I was a kid, food was the center of the Casiello-Ranieri household. Considering both of my parents are Italian, you could call it a double-dose of gastronomy.

Birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving (speaking of, my nonno thinks turkey is a snack, but that's a whole different post), and Christmas. Christmas is the epitome of my family’s gluttony. On Christmas Eve, we refrain from eating meat (a tradition for many Catholics), so my nonna makes fish. Not one fish, two fish, or three types of fish (Dr. Seuss would be proud), but over five types of fish! What types of fish you ask? Lobster tails, crab legs, halibut, grilled shrimp, breaded shrimp, coconut shrimp (did I mention my nonna really likes shrimp?), mussels, squid, scallops.... Hold on a second! We can’t forget the ricotta and spinach cannelloni. The cannelloni marks the beginning of our Christmas Eve feast, then follows the various fish accompanied by salads and vegetables. Are you full yet?

Well, I hope you have room because now it’s time for dessert! Picture this -- a lavish red Christmas tablecloth with 2 white candlesticks centered and surrounded by 12 satiated Italians. Satiated? There's no such word in Italian for full. "Abbastanza" may come close; however, nonna thinks "dessert". She enters the dining room, glass plate in hand, a pyramid of homemade chocolate eclairs grace us with their presence. The espresso is hissing as it hits boiling point on the stove top. I see my uncles eyeing one another, ravenous with sheer determination to see who will snatch an eclair first. The plate is set down and all heck breaks lose. Seconds pass and the plate is bare. It’s no wonder my nonna doesn't believe us when we say we’re "full". Than again, nothing ever compares to nonna’s cooking, so why resist? :)

When your family celebrates a holiday, does food play a major role? If so, what kind of food is served? and why?

Welcome All Foodies To My Blog!

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Food is an essential part of our lives --  it gives us sustenance and joy that takes over all our senses. Imagine a world without food; a world where you couldn't eat that grilled rib-eye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and freshly steamed vegetables or indulge in that rich, creamy, chocolate cheesecake served with a frothy cappuccino... Mmmm, are you hungry yet? Food is not only a universal necessity, it's an experience that's full of the bitter, the sweet, the salty, and the savoury; it's an experience that is delightful on its own, yet best served when shared.  

Hello, I'm Tonia and welcome to my food blog. 
Why food? Because who doesn't love food! Food truly is the way to my heart ♥. I'm a soon-to-be 25 year-old female and in my first year of the Advertising and Marketing Communications program at Sheridan College. I previously graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Art History and Philosophy (I would also consider 'Food' one of my majors, but alas, they didn't offer a designation for 'Food Glutton'). After graduation, I spent my time working and thinking about my future. Like most university grads that moment of "oh crap! What do I do now?!" swallowed me whole, leaving me helpless and lost as to what to do next. For months, I didn't know what to do. Finally, one day, I discovered cooking.



Cooking gave me a sense of freedom and control that I felt I lacked when it came to my future (and of course, often times, the thought of a jobless future felt like an impending doom - ever felt this way?). Not only did I love cooking because I loved food, but I also took great pleasure and relief in the fact that I could be creative without worrying whether or not I put too much curry in the stir-fry (oh yes, prepare yourself for the oncoming metaphors!). If I did make a mistake, all I had to do was add a little more coconut milk and no one would've noticed the mess up. At that point the mistake didn't matter because once the meal was served everyone loved my dish. This was when I experienced my food-induced epiphany: in the end, no matter how many mistakes I make to the recipe, I can always fix it and still serve a delicious meal.


Life is very much like a recipe -- it may take a little more coconut milk to even out the curry spice, but after a little tweaking, a meal is created just right. When it comes to figuring out your future, you're bound to make mistakes and not know what to do all the time. That's okay. By making mistakes you learn what works best for you. With that experience, you're better able to make decisions that ultimately make you happy. 


What are you passionate about?

For me, it's food.

Buon Appetito!
Tonia