A Rainy Day At The Taste Of Childhood

November rain...this first week of the month has been really wet and foggy and, even today, it has rained cats and dogs all the time!!!

Being forced at home all day long, looking from the window the soaked countryside, I've decided to enjoy myself preparing one of my favourite cakes with carrots and almonds, flavors that always remind me of my childhood.

Infact, when I came back from the nursery school at 4 pm, full of joy at the idea of seeing mum and dad, there was nothing better than tasting a slice of this orange cake with a glass of milk!!!

I love almonds and I think the combination with carrots is something delicious..a soft and tasty cake, perfect to brighten up an autumnal Sunday afternoon, spent curled up on the sofa with Jane Eyre (Oh gosh, I'm in love with this book!), Cloe and Minù.

Ingredients

125 gr of margarine

185 gr of sugar

3 eggs

The grated rind of a lemon

1 pinch of salt

200 gr of white flour 00

50 gr of cornstarch

16 gr of baking powder

80 gr of ground almonds

250 gr of grated carrots

Cream the butter until it becomes soft, add sugar, eggs, the lemon rind  and salt. Stir in the flour, the cornstarch and the sifted baking powder.

Add almonds and carrots.

Pour the dough into a cake pan and bake for 40 minutes at 180 degrees.

Dust with icing sugar.

What is the cake that reminds you of your childhood?

Love

xoxo

Martina

A few of my favourite things | Tag

I saw this nice tag on "Sailboat" yesterday evening and I thought it was amazing! The lovely Jennie said that the idea was to answer each category with the first three things that came to mind, so LET'S START!!!

1. Products/ Things: Scented candles, leather bags, scarves.

2. Foods: Carrot & coriander soup, pizza, lemon drizzle cake.

3. Places: Venice, Hampstead Heath, Cliffs of Moher.

4. Things you'd miss if you didin't have them: My family, My best friend, Cloe.

5. Things you do when you are bored: Read, browse Bloglovin, bake a cake.

6. Things you enjoy when it's sunny: The smell of suntan cream, straw hats, colorful dresses.

7. Films: Brightstar, The Holiday, Les fabuleux destin d' Amélie Poulain.

8. Songs: Fix you by Coldplay, Passenger by Lisa Hannigan, Orinoco Flow by Enya.

9. Brands: United Colors of Benetton, The Bridge, Stradivarius.

10. Outdoor things you like: Walk in the woods with Cloe, pick up blackberries and chestnuts, wander in the countryside after a snowfall.

11. Events: Christmas, The Yarndale festival, Carnival in Venice.

12. Cartoons: One hundred and one dalmatians, Cinderella, Pocahontas.

13. Buildings: Hilltop Farm, Westminister Palace in London, Notre Dame de Paris.

14. Anything in everyday life: Pancakes for breakfast, chatting with the closest friends, cuddles.

15. Traits in a person: Loyalty, Passion, Altruism.

16. Infuences: My grandfather, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Beatrix Potter.

17.Drinks: Hot chocolate, Earl Grey tea with lemon and sugar, mulled wine.

18. Experiences: Live in Venice for 6 years, a year of Italian National Civil Service, starting a blog.

19. Things to watch: "Don't tell the bride", "Location, location, location", "Bake off Italia".

20. Youtubers: Choncey Boddington, ClioMakeUp, Scared Toast.

21. Blogs: SallyTangle, Sailboat, Cider with Rosie.

22. Books: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Harry Potter, One day by David Nicholls.

I tag you!!!

Love

Martina

The A-Z Bookish Survey

Author you've read the most books from
I've read many books from J.K. Rowling and Tracy Chevalier.

Best sequel ever
I'm not fond of sequels, but my favourite one is "World without end" by Ken Follet.

Currently reading
I'm reading "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. It was amazing to visit her beautiful house in Haworth last month and I think this is the perfect book to get into the winter's spirit!

Drink of choice whilst reading
When I'm reading, my favourite drink choice is an hot chocolate , a cup of tea or  an herbal tea.

E-reader or physical books
I have no doubts: physical books! I love to keep the books that have influenced my life in my bookcase and I like the simple fact of leafing through the pages.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school
The fictional character of my dreams would have been Noah from "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks...handsome, dreamer and madly in love!!!

Glad you gave this book a chance
Being a huge fan of J.K. Rowling I was so curious about her book " The casual vacancy", but the plot didn't arouse my curiosity at the first time. Fortunately last summer I gave this book a chance and I really devoured it!

Hidden gem of a book
"Oranges are not the only fruits". I discovered this book when I was on my first year of English Literature at the university and I love it so much! Jeanette Winterson is a fabulous writer and her style is funny but intense at the same time.

Important moment in your reading life
The first year of university has been an important moment in my reading life because I've had the chance to discover many hidden authors and to approach the classics in a passionate way.

Just finished
I've just finished " The fault in our stars" by John Green, a touching and moving story about the power of true love, that has warmed my heart.

Kinds of books you won't read
I usually don't read crime and thriller books, but I've loved "The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of J.K. Rowling).

 Longest book you've ever read
The longest book I've ever read is "World without end" of 1367 pages.

Major book hangover because of
I've had the major book hangover because of "Memories of a geisha" by Arthur Golden, a wonderful story absolutely well written.

Number of bookcases you own
Two

One book you've read multiple times
"Falling angels" by Tracy Chevalier. I've read this book for the first time in italian, when I was eighteen , and for the second time last year, in english, loving it even more!!!

Preferred place to read
Curled up on the sofa, with my favourite blanket and my cat Minù sleeping at my feet.

Quote that you like from a book you've read
" On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." 
- Le Petit Prince - 

Reading regret
Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of classics, but I'm aware of the fact that I'm loosing many gems of literature, so I really want to try to go beyond this limit.

Series that you've started and need to finish
A series that I've started but I need to finish is " The Circle of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Three of your all-time favourite books
Falling Angels
The Pillars of the Earth
Le Petit Prince

Unapologetic fangirl for
" The tales of Beatrix Potter"..I'm looking forward to read them to my future children.

Very excited for this release more than others
The new book of Ken Follet : " Edge of Eternity"

Worst bookish habits
The bad habit to buy new books before I've finished to read the ones I have at home.

X marks the spot - start at the top of your shelf and pick the 27th book
"The Last Runaway" by Tracy Chevalier

Your latest book purchase
"The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton

Zzzz-snatcher book - last book that kept you up WAY too late
"The language of flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh...I've read it in two days and I've stayed up late at night to discover the end!

Martina

A few days abroad ( part 3) : Skipton and The Yarndale festival

And here I come to the last part of my trip in the stunning county of Yorkshire.

On my fourth day in England I was lucky enough to attend an event I've been waiting for months: The Yarndale festival, a creative event celebrating all things woolly and wonderful, which took place on the 27 and 28 of September in the lovely town of Skipton.

The day was sunny, even though the brisk air and, once we reached the town, we went straight to "Coopers", a delicious place that, upstairs, is home of the creative studio of one of my favorite bloggers, the lovely Lucy of "Attic 24".

On this occasion the room was open to the curious visitors like me, and it was beautiful to wander into her multicolor wools, her amazing creations and those of her nice friends.

After the visit, before heading to the fair, we enjoyed a delicious cup of hot chocolate and we bought some take-away salads to taste at lunchtime, prepared by the girls of the bar, who were all really kind and helpful.

To reach the festival, we opted for one of the free double decker buses, decorated for the weekend and, once we got in the pavillion, we have been literally swallowed up in a whirl of color, laughter and smiles, and it has been wonderful to share a so funny experience with so many passionate and creative women, coming from everywhere.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the day has been the meeting with the lovely Lucy, who greeted us with a warm hug!  After following her blog for years, it was a dream for me to be in her magical woolly world for real!

It was amazing to wander among the stalls, stock up on balls of colorful wool, fabrics and buttons, and also meeting the cutest alpacas I've ever seen and a soft white angora rabbit.

It was almost tea time when we went back to Skipton, so we decided to go in a lovely tea room for a snack!

After the break we were ready to explore the surroundings of the town, following a path that runs alongside the river and goes on in an awesome wood, which was made ​​even more impressive by the autumnal atmosphere, and the day ended in front of a delicious pizza, with tired legs but smiles on our faces!

Love 

Martina

Red Apples, Hazelnuts And Cinnamon Custard Cake

I'm mad about apples and I love to eat them in thousand ways. I often hold an organic apple in my bag to eat it directly with the peel when I'm feeling peckish, I love baked apples with cinnamon and brown sugar, I go crazy for apple juice and desserts with apples send me into raptures!
I found this recipe in a cooking magazine at the supermarket some weeks ago, and it seemed perfect to taste after a walk in the Woods with a steaming cup of lemon and ginger tea.

Ingredients
300 gr of white flour "00"
120 gr of sugar
120 gr of margarine
50 gr of hazelnuts
1 egg
1/2 sachet of baking powder
1/2 lemon
5 tiny red apples
salt

For the custard:
1 egg yolk
1 egg
80 gr of sugar
30 gr of white flour "00"
250 ml of soy milk
ground cinnamon

Chop finely the hazelnuts with sugar and add them to the flour and the baking powder.
Add the softened butter, the egg, the grated lemon rind and a pinch of salt.
Mix quickly, cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
For the custard: boil the soy milk flavored with cinnamon. Beat the egg yolk and the whole egg with sugar. Combine flour and hot soy milk, bring on the heat and cook, stirring until it thickens.
Roll out the dough to 1/2 cm thick and line a baking sheet, leaving the top edge 1 cm. Peel and cut 2 apples into small cubes, mix them with the custard and fill the base of the cake. Cut the other apple into slices and arrange them on the cake.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Love

Martina



An Enchanted Forest And A Dairy-Free Apple Cake

Hello ladies!!!
I took these pictures two Sundays ago, but the past couple of weeks have been so busy I couldn't find the time to write even a little post about them.
Finally this evening seems to be the right one and I'm enjoying my free time, curled up in bed, with a cinnamon scented candle lit , a soft woollen blanket, my laptop, and a cup of steamy hot chocolate!!!

This month, in Italy, has given us a lot of sunny days so, especially during the weekends, I've taken the chance to spent some time walking in the woods, admiring the nature in its autumnal shades, eating wild apples and picking up the yellowed leaves.

 

 

A Sunday I've decided to reach a place, not far from home, where I used to go with my father and my grandfather when I was a little girl, especially before Christmas, to pick up the moss for the nativity scene we created at home during the Advent.

The place is absolutely stunning: the lush trees, the sound of the waterfall, the crystal clear water and the soft light that filters through the foliage... it seems to be in an enchanted forest!!!

 

 

 

 

To get there you have to cross a wooden bridge, rather tatty so, when I was little, I felt like being on the set of Indiana Jones and even now, at the age of 26, the feeling hasn't changed at all !!!

It has been regenerating to be there and, once at home, I wanted to end the morning with a bang, preparing this delicious cake with red apples, hazelnuts and cinnamon custard, which was totally dairy-free and really fabulous with a cup of lemon and ginger tea (I'll give you the recipe as soon as possible)!

 

 

Love

xoxo

Martina