I had a wonderful dinner with family!

I attended afternoon tea at the Peninsula Chicago in honor of my niece.

The setting was gorgeous, the minute you walk in you feel the elegance!
It was especially beautiful because of all the Christmas decorations they had up, the tree was stunning in warm colors of reds and golds.

Live music filled the air as we sipped on our teas and

ate our goodies. The service was wonderful and they were happy to replenish our plates!
A great experience and a fun thing to do if you're in Chicago with your girlfriends.

I learned how to make Bietole from a master, my daughter -in -laws nana.
This woman is well into her 80's and shes a spitfire in the kitchen, she puts us all to shame!
Bietole is basically swiss chard that is sauteed with lots of garlic and oil.

The sauteed chard is then placed on a pasta dough with enormous amounts of Pecorino romano, more garlic and olive oil then rolled up jelly roll style and baked. It's so simple with just a few ingredients but the taste is out of this world!

Then to top off the week I spent a day at my house making ravioli with my cousin and sister-in-law for a party we're having this weekend, the music was blasting, there was flour everywhere! We were even going to crack open a bottle of wine but opted for coffee instead since it was only 9:00 in the morning!

We ended up making 200 total, a combination of both meat and cheese.
I highly recommend a day of pasta making with family or friends, it's a great way to spend a day!
Buon Appetito!

With the cold weather upon us nothing warms me up better than a bowl of steamy hot soup. A huge pot of soup simmering on the stove to me, is the perfect comfort food! Not only is it economical to make, but when you throw in some dark leafy greens such as swiss chard, you up the nutritional and health benefits too. So it's not only something that taste's good, it's good for you, I call that a win win situation!

Swiss chard is packed with nutrients, one of them being vitamin C. Lab studies suggest that regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C help maintain normal connective tissue, prevent iron deficiency, and helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents by boosting immunity, and with the H1N1 virus lurking all around us, I would say immunity boosting foods are a good thing!

Here's the Ingredients:

2 cans of rinsed and drained cannellini beans or you could use dried.

2 onions chopped

2 carrots diced

1 large bunch of swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped.

6-8 cups of homemade stock or a good store bought brand.

Precooked broken spaghetti

Olive oil, fresh finely minced basil, 1-2 crushed garlic cloves, grated parmesan, salt and pepper.

In a heavy soup pot, saute onion, carrot, garlic and chard, then add everything else and simmer for about an hour. If your like me and you save your cheese rinds in the freezer, please add one to your soup, it makes a world of difference to the flavor of your broth, otherwise just add your grated parmesan to your individual bowls.

In a bowl add the cooked spaghetti, and then ladle your soup over the top along with plenty of grated cheese, and if you want, a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Grab a spoon and go curl up on a couch with a good book, or in my case any foodie magazine will do. Enjoy!!

Buon Appetito!

CECI STUFATI ( stewed chickpeas)

Beans and greens,what a perfect marriage!! And if you like chickpeas and a little heat, I'm certain you will like this. I actually used dried beans this time and I have to say I liked it better. It's easy if you prepare them in advance. The other night before I went to bed, I put them in a pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches, and let them soak overnight. When morning came I drained them, and when I was ready to cook them, I covered them with enough water to cover 1 inch. Let water come to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hrs.

In another pot, saute some garlic and onions in olive oil, along with red chile flakes. Cook for about 5 mins. then add drained beans and about a cup of water, salt and pepper. Cook about another half hour till all the flavors blend, then add some roughly chopped Swiss chard. Cook till wilted. Taste for more salt or pepper, and give it an extra drizzle of olive oil.

This is simple food, with great flavor!!!

Buon Appetito!