The launch of my book and the new website/blog!

The book is at the printers and things are on track (I hope someone is knocking on wood at the moment!) for its Sept 1 release. Also coming soon will be a “new look” and “features” on the Mark Leslie/Beyond the Pasta blog. The one that I am most exited to share with you will be the “Italian Pantry.”

In the “Italian Pantry” you’ll find recipes, my “Top 10 Items to Stock,” video of Nonna, printable shopping lists for the book’s recipes, and a lot more!

In anticipation of the “Italian Pantry” feature, upcoming blog posts will feature some of my favorite ingredients, the brands that I like to use…the ones that I can readily find here in the Deep South in a town where selection can be limited, as I know it is in other parts of the country, and there will be some recipes that use those ingredients, too.

Some of the foods and brands that I’ll be posting about will be:

-Strained Tomatoes (Pomi brand)

-Roman Beans (Goya brand)

-Dried Pasta (DeCecco and Cipriani brands)

-Boxed Chicken Stock (Kitchen Basics brand)

-Olive Oil (Colavita brand)

*Plus others

Okay, I am off to put the finishing touches on the new site, get some recipes ready, line up some additional book events, and I really need to bake a dessert for an interviewer that is coming over to the house to have coffee. I think I’ll use one of the recipes from the book, “Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa,” which is a cake made with yogurt, apple and pear. Yum! Want the recipe? Well, you know where you’ll be able to find it September 1 ~ on page 187 of Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family.

Ciao e a presto~

Mark

-photo by Kris Kendrick of KBK Creative