I'm glad to see that
Gina DePalma has a blog. I have her cookbook and it has been well loved (and well used)
This is a recipe that is similar to
My Chocolate Ginger Cookies . . . only I will admit, these are B E T T E R!
I did use dark chocolate and candied ginger ~ only the best for a valentine sweet!
Chocolate Chewy Ginger Cookies ~ By Gina DePalma
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
Freshly grated zest of one medium lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup molasses
Raw sugar for coating the cookies
6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, spices and cocoa powder well to remove any lumps and thoroughly combine them and set aside.
In the bowl beat the sugar and vegetable oil together until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg, followed by the lemon zest, vanilla and molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add in the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate until well combined, forming a firm dough. Let the dough sit for 15 minutes before shaping and baking. (At this point, the dough can be wrapped tightly and frozen, or stored in the refrigerator in a plastic, air-tight container, for up to a week)
To bake, pinch off enough dough to roll into one-inch balls with your palms. Roll the balls in the additional raw sugar to coat the surface evenly and place them on the cookie sheets, spaced about an inch apart.
Bake the cookies in batches for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are puffed, cracked, and firm at the edges. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for three to four minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight jar or container to keep them soft and chewy.
Grazie Gina De
That's a Friday Favorite for y'all~
Sandi
Have you ever cooked artichokes? They can poke you!
The first step is cutting off the pointy ends and rubbing it down with lemon to keep it from turning brown.
That leaves the yummy leaves and tender heart. Steam them until tender.
Yummy!
Last night we went to a cooking class Birmingham Bake and Cook ~ my favorite shop for all things Kitchen! Susan does a great job of keeping the place stocked with those hard to find items.
Mark made it look very easy ~ and didn't even break a sweat. Nonna would be proud!
If you haven't read the book ~ it is a must. The recipes are there, but the best part is the southern guy living the life in Italy. I can relate to so many of the stories !
The only reason I could even do this . . . is because it came in a cellophane wrapper from Piggly Wiggly. I just pretended it was chicken. 
Serve with RICE . . . and just pretend it's chicken.
Join us for the ride on Facebook and our blog Flavors.
I saw this post- it note stuck to a Vespa on a side street in Florence . . . How sweet is that?
This is as 'sweet' as I get while in Italy.
That is ~ now that I have such a precious model.
A crochet hook and ball of yarn are easy to pack and I've never had trouble getting them on an airplane.
This finished up quick and easy . . . and Hope can wear it with her little blue jeans.
Grazie Gina De
Broccolini a la Flavour
Stir constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broccolini, tossing well to combine. 
Add the water and lemon juice, cover and steam for about 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until all the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
This is the perfect flavor for Salmon . . . my 'go-to weeknight meal'.
We decided we needed to try out Dish.
Guy from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives recommended it . . . So I thought I'd better give their Fried Green Tomatoes a try.
Awesome!
We'll be going back again and again.
Is this the most beautiful BLUE post you have ever seen?
Notice she has a very serious look on her face. . . and that thumb isn't far away! 
We must be talking pizza crust!
Add your favorite fresh ingredients...
That's yummy~
The addition of just a bit of coffee, nutmeg and cinnamon only add to the spice of Sailor Jerry. This is a quick dessert that never fails to impress.
For the month of February, our Cooking Light Virtual Super Club decided to have a meal of comfort food. Something that would cozy us up on a cold winter's night. Being a good southern girl. . . I immediately thought of Mac & Cheese. Of course, I wouldn't be finding any recipes with Velveeta (the creamiest thing ever created by man!)
Add spinach and macaroni to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. 
Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs (I left this off). Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until bubbly.
Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our Winter Comfort Meal (is this REALLY all cooking light?)...
