One Italian Girl

09/02/2026

Since it’s national coconut day, i’m re-sharing a recipe that featured some coconut in it. It was a delicious Key lime martini. 

Tonight’s weekend libation…Key Lime Martinis courtesy of my daughter Nina! We found a recipe but changed it…swapped Couintreau for Triple sec, Truvia for simple syrup, and doubled up on the lime. The result…FABTASTIC! Tastes like key lime pie, but in a glass. With liquor.
CHEERS!

08/29/2026

A tough week for Roger and I ended with a lovely date night… At home. Chicken marsala, air fryer zucchini, and tomato and cucumber salad with homemade croutons. Thank you to my lovely neighbor Marlena for the produce.

08/28/2026

It’s been a week! I was happy to be able to put together a quick charcuterie/dinner that slapped. And a nice strong lemon martini to go with it. 

08/27/2026

Look who made the Briggs Farm Blues Festival highlight reel! I whipped up some Chicken Teriyaki and fried rice.
And if you’re a blues fan, this festival is not to be missed!

08/25/2026

Apparently, it is “national coconut week “. So in honor of that, I am re-sharing this wonderful recipe for air fryer coconut shrimp. This is great as an appetizer or on top of a salad for an entrée. Much healthier than the fried version.
Enjoy!

08/24/2026

I took my mom to see The Gipsy Kings last night at my favorite venue, Wolf trap. They have a nice little picnic area which called for a little tailgate dinner. My lovely neighbor Marlena brought me over some bounty from her garden, including some beautiful tomatoes that were still warm from the sun. I used them to make some smoked turkey and provolone subs with the tomato, roasted red peppers, arugula, and some sub oil. Much better than trying to find something close to the venue and we both really enjoyed! 
And by the way, here’s a picture of The Mama who got me started on my cooking journey. And by the way, my dad was also quite the cook. He made an apple pie that no one can ever top. 

08/23/2026

Yesterday….boating day with accompanying snacks! On the menu-teriyaki chicken skewers (recipe is in the comments) and portable charcuterie! It was a beautiful day out on Lake Raystown.

08/21/2026

🍍🍹 THE BEACH COMA HAS ENTERED THE PARKING LOT. 🍹🍍
Because no pre-concert pizza party is complete without a signature drink… and apparently I decided to make enough for the entire zip code. 😂
My Beach Coma is a dangerously delicious mix of:
🍍 Pineapple juice
🥥 Malibu Coconut Rum
🥃 Captain Morgan
All mixed together in one big ol’ plastic jug because apparently we’re not here to measure—we’re here to have a good time. 😎

08/18/2026

Did you know that it’s national eggplant day? I’d love some eggplant Parmesan. It all starts with thinly sliced and peeled eggplant. I’d like to wait it down with some paper towels and layers and something heavy on the top and salted. This draws the bitterness out. Then I dip it in, egg, and Panko breadcrumbs mixed with a lot of Parmesan cheese. A quick pan fry in batches and then into a pan layered with homemade sauce, the eggplant, more sauce, Parmesan cheese. It’s truly a labor of love but worth every minute of it!
Are you a fan of the eggplant?


08/16/2026

It’s been a really fun long weekend and now it’s time to return to reality after some winetasting in upstate New York. But I needed something fairly healthy for dinner tonight and I needed to do some meal prep at the same time because next week is going to be really busy. So I made a staple at my house… Oven fried chicken. I also made some roasted broccoli mixed with a little bit of pasta in some olive oil and garlic. Just top that pasta with some fresh Parmesan cheese and call it dinner! 

OVEN “FRIED” CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:
THE MIX:
• 2 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Almond flour
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Laxmi Red chili powder (use more or less depending on your desired level of spice)
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

• 2 cups of liquid egg whites
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
• preheat oven to 400°. Placed a nonstick pan with the olive oil in to heat along with the oven.
• Put all of the mix ingredients into a gallon size, Ziploc bag, and shake really well
• Whip the egg whites in a large bowl and then add the Dijon mustard in
• Place the chicken breasts into the egg white mixture and let sit for five minutes
• Take the chicken out, piece by piece and press into the panko mixture so that each piece is well covered
• Remove the pan from the oven when the oven is preheated. Place each piece of chicken in the pan and then flip over so that each side is slightly coated with a little bit of the oil.
• Press some of the remaining crumbs onto each piece of chicken so that each piece is coated evenly
• Put in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken.