Nicole nel Bosco delle Meraviglie // Nicole in Wonderwood (in Italian with English subs)

ENGLISH Hi! This is a video I made for a contest inspired by "Alice in Wonderland".. and.. well, in this park I really feel like "Alice"! This place remembers me a lot my childhood : every Wednesday I went with my family to a wood in Germany.. I even took there my two little rabbits and I enjoyed to create fairy tales where I was the main character =) With the family we went also in another "wonderwood" where we were in harness with all animals, above all deers. Among nature and my little friends, I felt well, I was really happy.. better than in an amusement park! The park that you'll see in this video remembers me a lot the enchanted time of my childhood spent in Germany, where I grow up, among nature, animals.. and among pizzas and ice-creams.. oh yes, I'm a daughter of a fabulous pizza and ice-cream maker :D This park does resurface my memories of that happy, smiling and light-hearted moment.. and it makes me go back in time, back to that little girl. I really hope you'll enjoy it and that you can feel at least a bit of the emotions I feel when I'm there. Let me know :) VIDEOS&PHOTOS All videos and photos were taken by me and are therefore of my propriety ALL photos, except for: - the map of France - the map of Paris with the 20 districts (but NOT the 4 photos on it. These were taken by me) - the map of Bois de Vincennes were taken by me and are therefore of my propriety. Some of them were modified. These modifications were made by me. In other words, all you see was ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33vFzTNpHOE&hl=en

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How to Make Italian Cream Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Here is a great recipe for Italian Cream Cake. This cake is easy to make and you will be rewarded with many smiles and compliments from your family and friends. An Italian Cream Cake is perfect for special occasions such as birthdays. They are also great treats at office parties, church pitch-ins, family reunions, etc.

DONNA'S ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

5 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 can of coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the sugar, shortening, butter and vanilla together. Separate eggs and set whites aside. Add egg yolks and mix in with the creamed mixture. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Add the coconut and nuts. Beat the egg whites and fold into the batter. Pour into 3 8-inch cake pans that have been well greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8-oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on slow to medium speed gradually add the powdered sugar. Stir in the vanilla extract. Fold in the chopped pecans.

To assemble cake, put 1 cake layer on a decorative cake plate. Cover the top with frosting. Repeat the process with the second layer and then the third. Use remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake. Make some decorative swirls on cake top for a pretty presentation. A small circle of whole pecans in the center adds a decorative flair.

Enjoy!

Breakfast Cereals

Italian Dessert Cannoli Recipe

Cannolis are a great Italian dessert and they were said to have been developed by Sicilians in Palermo, Italy. These fried wafers are filled with a mixture of ricotta, candied fruit, chocolate, and other ingredients, and they are very, very tasty! Sicilians are supposed to have created this great dessert recipe, and I think that they are just delicious. I hope that this recipe is fairly easy to follow. You will need some type of dowel or metal tube that you will use to form out your cannoli shells. If you have a 3 ½ inch in diameter ring or even a 3 inch ring, you will need this to form the shape of your shells, also. You will also need a deep fryer, or a pan that is deep enough for these shells to float in oil.

Ingredients for Cannoli Shells:

3 Cups of unsifted flour

1/4 Teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon of salt

3 Tablespoon of granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 Tablespoon of firm butter cut into small cubes

1/4 Cup of a good Marsala wine

1-2 egg whites, whisked slightly

First thing is to sift the flour with salt, cinnamon, and granulated sugar. You will make a well in the center of your sifted flour mixture. In the middle of the well you have made you will add the egg and butter and start mixing with a fork. You will work the egg mixture with the fork from the center out, to incorporate the moist egg with the flour mixture. You will then add your Marsala wine slowly until dough begins to come together like a playdough mixture. You will then start working the dough with your hands to form the dough into a dough ball. You will then cover and let the dough rise for about 10-15 minutes.

If you have a stainless area to work on great, if not you will need a wooden cutting board. You will need to slightly dust the area you plan to work on with a small amount of flour. You will then roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. You will then use your 3 ½ rings and cut the cannoli shell circles. You will then use a rolling pin to roll the circles into oblongs or ovals. You will then take your dowels or tubes and wrap the dough around cannoli forms. You will then whisk your egg white, and seal your dough edges by using a brush or very clean hands if you have no brush. You will then roll up ever so slightly the ends so they will have a very faint lip or ring on the edge of the cooked product.

At some point when you are ready to get your shells into the oil to start cooking them you will heat your oil to around 350 degrees. Once it is at the proper temperature you will begin to fry two, or three at a time in deep hot fat for about 1 minute, or until lightly golden. Remove with tongs to paper towels to drain, you will then let cool for about 30 seconds to one minute and then slip out cannoli form, holding shell carefully so you will not break it. Cool shells before filling. Let them hang out while you will start to make your filling.

Ingredients for the Cannoli filling:

3 lb. ricotta cheese, that has had moisture removed

2 1/2 Cup of confectioners' sugar

1/4 Cup of semi-sweet chocolate pieces or grated sweet chocolate

1/4 Cup candied cherries, finely chopped

1/2 Teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 Cup of chopped pistachio nuts

Confectioners' sugar to dust each of the finished Cannoli's maybe about 1/2 Cup

First thing you will want to do is take your ricotta and place into cheesecloth and wrap it into a ball and then you will tie a knot in the top part of the ball you have made. You will want to hold over night if possible to drain the water from the ricotta. If you have some way to hang the cheese ball in your refrigerator that would be best. You will need to have a bowl under the cheese to catch all of the moisture that will drain off of the ricotta. The shells that you have made will hole for a couple of days if you want to make these in stages. They are worth the wait, and the time taken to make these little delicacies.

First you will take the drained ricotta and get it into the bowl and work it for a minute or two to get it more pliable. You will gently start to combine the cheese, and the sugar into a mixing bowl, and fold in with a spatula until you obtain a light, airy blend of ingredients. You will start to fold in the minced candied fruit and the chocolate very gently. You will then start to spoon the cheese filling into a pastry bag, or a large Ziploc if you do not have a pastry bag. You will then twist the top into a knot to keep the filling from emerging, and fill each of the Cannoli shells, squirting the filling in from either end.

Once you have all of the shells filled you will dip the ends of the cannoli in the pistachios. You will then arrange all of the Cannolis on a platter, and sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, and they're ready. If you would like to garnish you can save some of the candied cherries and place them on the center of each Cannoli after the powdered sugar has been applied. Then serve, and enjoy.

Incredibly Delicious Italian Dessert Recipes For Dessert Lovers

In the history of desserts, famous Italian dessert recipes definitely stand out. Italian desserts range in flavor from bitter to sweet and they go nicely with a glass of wine. In Italy, the locals are just as likely to eat a piece of fruit for dessert as an indulgent, creamy confection.

If you have visited an Italian bakery, you will have seen many different varieties of cookies and biscotti. The Italians like to dunk their biscotti in red wine. A lot of Italian cookies are sweet but not excessively so and light glazes often provide most of the flavoring. Nuts or candied fruit are often added too. Biscotti might be very popular in the United States but in Italy hard, slightly sweet twice baked cookies are more popular. They are baked twice to remove as much moisture as possible, which makes the cookies dry, crumbly, and hard.

Which is the Most Famous Italian Dessert?

Tiramisu is thought to have originated in Siena. Duke Cosimo de Medici enjoyed it so much that it spread around the world with Italian immigrants. Tiramisu is a delicious combination of lady finger cookies, liquor, espresso, cocoa, mascarpone cheese, and eggs.

The best known Italian cake has to be panettone, which is from Milan. Boxes of this cake can be found in cafes and Italian bakeries during the holiday season all over the world. The fluffy panettone dough is flavored with raisins and candied fruit pieces and the cake is shaped like a dome. Italians enjoy panettone with zabaglione custard or mascarpone cheese and a glass of liqueur or dessert wine.

Perhaps you have tried Italian gelato. This is ice cream made with milk, sugar and flavoring. Sometimes it contains eggs and cream. Gelato is churned less than regular ice cream, making it less airy and more dense. Italian desserts are best eaten in moderation because a lot of them are very rich. If you find a lot of Italian desserts heavenly but a bit too rich, why not make your own and change the ingredients to tone them down a bit?

Using Jello in Italian Dessert Recipes

Gelato is a great candidate for experimentation with jello. Italian ice cream is nearly free of air, which makes it dense and super heavy. By combining gelato, boiling water, and jello powder, you can create a deliciously light dessert with a nice texture and any jello flavor you like. You can use sugar free jello to halve the calories because half the dessert is jello and the sugar free kind is also calorie free.

If you happen to own an ice cream machine, you can make gelato with kool aid and jello, which tastes great and makes a refreshing dessert on balmy summer evenings. Jello goes with a lot of ingredients, with fruit trifle being a great example.

Jello also goes nicely with fruit pieces, with custard or zabaglione or with chocolate. In fact, it is one of the most versatile dessert ingredients you can get and it is great for making Italian dessert recipes lighter. Dessert making is a creative process and you might feel like making a rich, luxurious tiramisu one day and healthier layer jello recipes the next.