Italy Archives - Mummy Lauretta

Creamy Red Pesto Gnocchi (Vegan)

12/01/2019 21 Comments

This recipe came about from looking for a new and quick pasta sauce recipe to try during Veganuary and experimenting with different ingredients. The first time I made it, I put toasted pine nuts on to garnish and it tasted great. Blending them in and adding the cream cheese has made this pesto even more delicious. It’s super quick and easy to make. You can have a meal on the table in ten minutes tops, which is so good for when you’re tired and don’t want to stand in the kitchen for hours on an evening.

Our Favourite Italian Recipe – Ragu or Carbonara? {Dolce Vita Bloggers}

12/09/2018 7 Comments

We get through so much pasta on a weekly basis in our house. Pesto is our favourite for a quick family meal on a school night but when we have people round for dinner we always do one of the same two recipes. One is a Classic Ragu Bolognese from The Chiappa Sister’s book “Simply Italian” and the other is a Courgette Carbonara from Jamie Oliver’s book “Jamie at Home”. I’ve made these over and over again over the past few years and we never get tired of them so why not have a go and let me know which one you prefer?

Snapshots & Scenes from August 18

05/09/2018 1 Comment

Oh August, the boys have loved you so much! What a wonderful time they had in Italy. 25 days in total and I got to share seven there with them. I was not ready to come back home at all! I’m always a bit sad at the beginning of September because it means that summer is coming to an end but there are lots of lovely things to remember. We spent a lot of time apart this month but I’m happy the boys have had such a great experience and their Italian has definitely improved.

The Best Spaghetti & Meatballs with Spice-N-Tice

02/06/2018 7 Comments

I’m really passionate about home cooking and making nutritious meals from scratch but being a super busy working Mum, I’m also a massive fan of a shortcut if it’s done with good quality ingredients and no artificial stuff. I want to know where things come from and I want my boys to learn about good food. I want them to be enthusiastic about food and learn that real cooking doesn’t have to take all day and that anyone can do it. You may know by now that I love comfort food and I think spaghetti and meatballs along with lasagna are Italy’s ultimate comfort foods. This recipe is a family favourite that I have reinvented using Spice N Tice’s Italian Meatball Marinara Seasoning Kit.

Five Italian Words {Dolce Vita Bloggers}

11/05/2018 10 Comments

When you’ve been learning and speaking a language for a long time there are certain words and phrases that stick out and embed themselves in your everyday life. Italian is such a beautiful language, it just sounds so lovely and flows off the tongue so well, two of the reasons I wanted to learn it. For this blog post I’ve picked five Italian words/phrases that stand out for me.

Extra Greens Pesto

28/04/2018 21 Comments

We love pasta with pesto in this house. It’s our staple, our go-to meal when we want something quick and easy to prepare, my super quick work lunch. The boys love it with tortellini or gnocchi, Matteo loves it with spaghetti. When I started cutting out gluten and dairy about two years ago I worried that I would’t be able to eat pesto anymore and if the dairy free alternatives would be tasteless. Thankfully there are a few that are really nice, of which Sacla is my favourite and on my shopping list every week.

The Siblings Project {April 18}

15/04/2018 4 Comments

What an amazing month these two have had. My two little travellers! This month they’ve spent sixteen days away from home visiting Matteo’s parents in Italy and his Sister in Germany. They’ve had a wonderful time and their Italian has come on loads. It’s been tough on us being away from them for so long but knowing that they were happy and safe meant we were less worried about them. Also knowing that they have always each other makes it easier.

Our Dream Family Holiday Destination for 2018

07/03/2018 4 Comments

The last few years we have holidayed on the east coast of Italy in the Marche and Abruzzo regions. We tried both self-catering and full-board accommodation. Going away with family means that you want to travel to a place that meets everyone’s needs. Somewhere that is great for kids but makes the adults happy too. Somewhere that caters for those that want to be active, but also for those that just want to totally relax and forget about their busy life back home for a short while. Matteo loves the beach and the sea air, whilst I am more than happy by the pool. The boys love both, as long as they are active they’re content. This includes playing football on the sand and going in their boat on the sea as well as jumping in the pool and riding on Daddy’s back.

A Love Letter to Italy {Dolce Vita Bloggers}

07/02/2018 16 Comments

Dear Italy,

I fell in love with you a long time ago, your food, your language, your cobbled streets, your rolling hills. I hated history at school yet I fell in love with yours. I never thought I wanted a foreign man, even after I had spent five months emersed in Italian culture, but you sent me one anyway. You changed my life for the better.

Urbino – My Favourite Italian City {Dolce Vita Bloggers}

10/01/2018 16 Comments

I wrote a little bit in my first #dolcevitabloggers post about my time doing Erasmus in Urbino. I travelled to quite a few places in Italy during the five months that I spent there but I would still say now that it remains my favourite city. I just loved the cobbled streets, the architecture and the amazing surrounding scenery of the Marche hills.