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Happy World Nutella Day!

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Happy World Nutella Day!  I kicked off the day with Nutella spread on a slice of fresh baked bread still warm from the bakery.  It was de.li.cious!

In honor of the delicious day, I thought I would share a recipe I found while on Pinterest.  The recipe comes from Shockingly Delicious.  It’s simple, and a perfect treat to help you warm up from the cold weather. Whip up this Nutella Hot Chocolate, stay warm and enjoy the day!

Nutella Hot Chocolate    

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 – 2 Tablespoons Nutella

Instructions:

  • Heat milk until steaming (heat in microwave or in pan on top of stove).
  • Once steaming hot, pour into mug.
  • Mix Nutella into steaming milk until it dissolves and combines.  

If you are as crazy about the chocolate hazelnut spread as I am, or if you need a few recipes to inspire your celebration today, you should check out the great ebook, The Unofficial Guide to Nutella, written by the World Nutella Day’s sponsors. 

 

La Dolce Vita Series: Chocolate Festival

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 I’ve mentioned several times before how much I love chocolate, so you can imagine how excited I was when I happened upon a chocolate festival in Trastevere last week.  It’s an understatement to say I was like a kid in a candy store.  I was ‘ooohing’ and ‘ahhhing’ as I walked along and visited each booth.  I wanted to sample one of everything.  Of course I couldn’t, but I loved seeing all the different chocolate items.  I bought several different kinds of truffles to sample, and they were so delicious!  My favorite was a truffle filled with Nutella (a chocolate and hazelnut cream).
 
 
I have included photos of the chocolate goodies from the festival below.  I took so many photos of all the yummy chocolate items, it was hard for me to decide which ones to share, so I’ve included a few extra.  Hope you enjoy! J
 

A combination of two of my favorite things … chocolate and shoes.  So much goodness, what is a girl to do?! J

The Local Bar (aka Coffee Shop)

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Italy is known for its coffee.  The recognition and reputation is indeed due because most of the coffee I’ve had here really is great.  At around €1 for a cup, it’s also quite affordable.  Not to mention, I sometimes luck up and receive a little something extra with my morning coffee, which is a perfect start to the day. (You can read about the little something extra here.)  The only thing I find lacking with the coffee in Italy is the culture.

The coffee culture in the U.S. is to sit down, take your time, sip your coffee, relax, visit with friends and take a little break.  Sometimes you are even encouraged to bring your computer and do a little work while you drink your coffee with the availability of free Wi-Fi.  This has always been my experience with Starbucks and the other coffee shops I’ve visited.  This is not the case with bars in Italy (bars = name for coffee shops).


The norm in Italy is for you to drink your coffee and eat your cornetto (morning pastry) while standing at the bar.  Seats are rare, and if they are available, in many cases you will be charged extra (almost double) for service while seated.  In a country that concerns itself with a slower paced lifestyle, spending time with family and friends and savoring multiple course meals over the span of several hours, the coffee culture is surprisingly fast paced and rushed.  Normally, you’re in and out and have had your breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up in a matter of a few short minutes.


That is why I was delighted to find a bar that encouraged you to sit down, relax and stay awhile.  The first time we visited Bar Fuoco, the owner actually gave us our cornetti served on a saucer (as opposed to handing it to us in a napkin), and asked us to have a seat, then told us he would bring out our cappuccini.  This was so completely foreign to me, and I was actually shocked.  To my surprise, he actually brought the coffee out to us.  I observed him doing this with everyone.  He was bringing out coffee and pastries to customers, cleaning off tables and greeting everyone.  Again, completely foreign when compared to the ‘normal’ coffee culture in Rome.


Did I mention the price?  The price is more than right.  It is only €1,30 for both cappuccino and cornetto.  (At most bars we usually pay €2,00 for the same thing.)  The quality has been consistently good, too.  My chocolate croissant (my favorite) is always fresh and filled with creamy, delicious Nutella.

If you’re looking for a bar with a down home feel, great prices and good service, Bar Fuoco is the place to go.  It’s also convenient to reach since it’s located close to Rome’s Termini Station.


Bar Fuoco Caffe Gima
Via Milazzo, 15
Open 7 days a week

 

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Waiting a Lifetime for Cannoli

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The other week, a friend and I were walking along in Trastevere.  We passed a pastry shop with cannoli displayed in the window (along with other sweet treats).  What else could we do but stop and drool over the yummy desserts?  While we were stopped, my friend confessed that not only had he never tasted cannoli, but he only learned what they were a few days before from a tourist asking about them.  What?!  This news stopped me in my tracks.  How could this be possible?  He has lived in Rome for almost 10 years now, and although cannoli are Sicilian pastries, not Roman, I still could hardly believe the news he had just delivered to my ears.

For those of you like my friend, and are also not familiar, let me explain a little about the yummy cannoli.  Cannoli (cannolo = singular), means ‘little tube’.  They have a crunchy tube-like shell made of fried pastry dough, and are filled with a mixture of creamy, sweet ricotta.  They are usually dusted with confectioner’s or powdered sugar.  You can find them in a variety of ways with different toppings at the ends.  The most common are with crushed pistachios, small chocolate chips or chocolate shavings, candied fruit or cherries.I made it my mission to find an authentic Sicilian pastry shop.  Turns out, there was one located right in the heart of Trastevere.  Mission accomplished!  The secret to authentic cannoli is that they are filled with ricotta once you place your order.  They are fresh, and not prefilled sitting on display.  Needless to say, he enjoyed it immensely, and I can now rest easy knowing he has had a proper cannoli experience.

The Sicilian pastry shop I found in Trastevere is Ciuri Ciuri.  Each regular size cannolo is €2,30.  As you can see above, the cannoli are not prefilled.  When you order, you can choose between regular ricotta filling, chocolate cream or pistachio cream.  We had one with regular ricotta and one with chocolate cream, both topped with chopped pistachio.  Both delicious!  So delicious, my friend has already asked when we can return to get another cannolo.  Apparently my cannoli mission was not only accomplished, but it was a success. 🙂


Ciuri Ciuri
Piazza San Cosimato, 49/B
Open:  Every day from 9.30 AM – Midnight
Telephone:  06 9521 6082
There are three other locations throughout Rome, and you can check their website for other locations and opening times.