From Libellula's Kitchen & Land — easy italian recipe

In the early 1700s, Venetians fell in love with hot chocolate.Cafe tables lining the canals of Venice were dotted with beautiful little glasses of the velvety, rich drink.And the flavor combinations were spectacular!Some cafes specialized in citrus hot chocolate, while others swore by their addition of chili peppers and cloves..Even the Italian court’s botanist, Francesco, created his own unique recipe for jasmine hot chocolate that was so popular and so delicious that he kept the recipe a secret until his deathbed.And it’s not surprising how popular hot chocolate was, because this was the only type of chocolate they had ever...

In the early 1100s, an evil duke named Guido III ruled the small Italian town of Ivrea. Now Guido was your typical cruel ruler; mean to his servants, demanding taxes so high that his townspeople were on the brink of starvation, and handing out harsh punishments to anyone who dared to disagree with him. But one night, Guido took his cruelty one step too far. On a snowy winter's evening, Violetta, the miller’s daughter had just sat down to her wedding feast. Beautiful, brave, and spirited, Violetta was beloved by the whole town. And as such her wedding to the...

The ultimate labor of love: risotto. A dish that requires you spend your time right by its side; stirring the slowly combining broth and rice. That’s also what makes this the perfect dish to make with someone. The more hands that can stir, the merrier! The combination of peas, lemon, olive oil, and mozzarella gives the dish the flavors of a fresh spring evening. This recipe serves two. – Julia & Camillo  

Puntarelle alla Romana is a wonderfully crunchy, salty dish with just the right amount of garlic. It is one of our favorite winter salads! This salad is especially nice to serve post-Holiday season, as its crisp, refreshing flavors cut through the rich, heavy dishes we’ve been eating during the past couple of months. – Julia & Camillo