We had an Italian feast to attend last Sunday at our dear friend’s house. My friend Ilaria and her mom are from Bari. And oh man, can they COOK! If you follow me on Twitter, you may see me sometimes tweeting a photo
If you follow me on Twitter, you may see me sometimes tweeting a photo like this:
This is their pizza dough rising. I can’t tell you how many pizza they make. One after the other they come out of the oven. One more delicious then the next. Pizza night at Ilaria’s is definitely one of my favorite nights of the week.
Back to the Italian Feast. Last Sunday we were all invited over for a proper Italian lunch. A proper Italian lunch consists of many courses. There are snacks before the antipasti (appetizers). It usually consists of good olives and cheese. There is always plenty of homemade bread.
Ilaria made this delicious mozzarella appetizer.
We then moved on to enjoy two different homemade pasta as the first course. There was lasagne and there were the crespelle (crepes filled with salmon and besciamella topped with asparagus). I snapped this before it was baked. It looked good enough to eat even like this!
Great friends and good conversation. The kids played outside happily while we kept eating and drinking wine. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my Sunday afternoon.
Sandra serving the pork roast, her son-in-law Daniele, and our friend Eric on the right.
Our Sicilian friends Carmello and Anna feeding their precious baby Emma.
They usually ask me to bake something to bring over. I baked Jenna’s Meyer Lemon Orange Bread and also a quick chocolate cake for the kids. The bread was a hit! It was moist and bursting with flavor from the Meyer lemons. I can’t wait to make another one before Meyer lemon season is over.
Meyer Lemon Bread with Blood Orange Glaze
from: Eat, Live, Run
makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
for bread—
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice (from about 3 meyer lemons)
1 tsp meyer lemon zest
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
for glaze—
1/2 blood orange, juiced
enough powdered sugar to make a thick glaze
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and continue beating until smooth. With mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the butter mixture. Continue with the other half of the flour and milk and beat until smooth
Transfer to a greased loaf pan and bake for one hour and ten minutes, or until deeply golden brown (mine baked in about 55 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool completely before drizzling with glaze.
Glaze:
In a small bowl, combine the blood orange juice with powdered sugar. Drizzle over top.
Thanks for stopping by! hope you’re week is filled with peace and delicious food! xo
Lora, your posts are always so lovely. What a wonderful family and group of friends you have. I must try that bread, I love all things lemon.
This looks awesome Lora! I love the sound of the combination of the lemons and blood oranges!
Beautiful photos, gorgeous looking food! If I can't live with you do you think I could move in with Ilaria's family?
Paula-they'd be thrilled:)Just come ready to gain a few pounds/kilos;)
The loaf is gorgeoud! That pink glaze makes me so giddy!!
This looks delicious! NOM NOM NOM ;D
this bread sounds so yummy and looks so beautiful!
what a wonderful day surrounded by great friends and food! anne
Lemon bread coming out if oven in a couple min. Yum
Hi Cindy-Hope you liked it:)
Wow, what a glorious day of food! 🙂 And the bread sounds delicious and refreshingly citrus-y!
Oh, yeah, this is a fabulous lemon bread….so moist and beautiful. Loving the pink glaze…and all the great food photos 🙂
Thank you Lizzy!I really liked the naturally pink glaze.
That bread looks so moist and delicious! Nom nom nom!
This looks so beautiful and tasty. Love the lemon and blood orange combo. Yum!
I made meyer lemon bread last month, only I made blood orange jam to go along with it. The flavor combo is amazing. Beautiful dinner Lora. Hope all is well.
-Gina-
I would love to try your jam! I bet it was amazing, Gina:)
The bread looks great and I LOVE your twitter photos!
Wow, the colour of that glaze is simply stunning. What a gorgeous bread.
That Pinterest is so hard to put down,lol! Your Meyer lemon bread is lovely with the pink glaze, I'll bet it was a huge hit, everything looks scrumptious, yum!
Beautiful! And yes, Pintrest is addictive! Thankfully, it is blocked at work. If not, I would waste my day away! Thank you for sharing with me. It brightened my Saturday and inspired me to get back into the kitchen and make something delicious. I hope you have a blessed Sunday!
What a delicious feast! And a gorgeous bread! So tender and fluffy! I am addicted to Pinterest too. xoxo
I am in love with this Blood Orange Glaze! Beautiful!
One of my fondest memories is an Easter dinner shared with an Italian family years ago. This took me back. Beautiful baking Lora, and an even more beautiful story.
What a feast… The bread definitely holds its own among the delicious dishes.
Ohhhh panzerotti – I could die for them! I've made them once and so need to make them again! What a tremendous lunch! Wowee! I miss Italy and real Italian cooking! And this cake – lemon, orange, really it is all fabulous in baking. I've made similar and now I need to make – and eat – one again!
Not only does this bread look look terrific, I wish I was there for that feast!!
pinterest is addictive – agreed! and this bread looks faaabulous!!
I saw this bread the other day on a site (probably pinterest 😉 ) and knew it had to be yours. Your photography is so distinct. What a fun pink glaze on top with the blood oranges. I have never had one but I really want to taste one now so I can imagine what the glaze would be like.
This bread looks delicious. Love your site.