Little Kitchen Giveaway- NOW CLOSED

It's Monday... let's spice it up a little, shall we?  I have a really great giveaway from Taste Florence.

Taste Florence brings travelers to the city’s tastiest foods, educating them as they experience the best Italy has to offer.  Read all about the tour here. This is my kinda tour.  I don't mind learning about history as long as there is food involved.  And you are in one of the most amazing historical cities in the world so you can feel like you got your dose of history as well.

One lucky reader will receive two free tickets to "The Original Taste the Best Tour."  This is a 158 euro value (which in case you are not in the know about the dollar right now,  that comes out to over $200 U.S.).

Maybe winning these tickets will be just the nudge you need to finally book that trip to Italy! You have two years to use the tickets and if all else fails and you can't get there, this would be a great gift for a friend or family member traveling to Italy.

How to enter:
Simply leave a comment below that you want to be entered.  You can either leave contact info in your comment or check back to see if you won.  Entries who do not leave contact info, have one week to check back and see if they won.  If they do not respond, another winner will be chosen.

Extra entries:  

*Follow KitchenLittle on Twitter*

*Post about this giveaway on Facebook or your blog*

{Leave a separate comment saying if you are following on twitter or posted about this}

Good Luck!

{The Details}

One reader will win two tickets to "The Original Taste the Best Tour" in Florence, Italy. 

You have two years to use the tickets. 

Value: 158 euro

This is an international giveaway so you don't have to be in the U.S. to win!

Contest open until Friday, July 29.  Winner will be picked through random.org and announced on Monday, August 1.

Travel & Cook: Morning with the Chef at Villa San Michele

  I spent a month in Italy this summer and now it's time to share.  I will be posting my favorite  cooking experiences that will rock your world (and recipes, too).

Today, I have another jewel to share with you from the hills of Fiesole.

Imagine...

You are finally in Italy and you've got yourself a jam packed schedule.  You have already tried to squeeze too many museums and sights into your day or two in Florence, but you realize how cooking in Italy might be an even more moving experience than seeing the David.  So you get yourself into an easy to find shuttle off of the busy Piazza della Repubblica and you are whisked into Fiesole, a 15 minute drive into the hills above Florence.  You wind your way up and suddenly you get dropped off here...

I suggest arriving a little early because it is going to take you awhile to adjust to being in this magical place.

While you are having a coffee on the terrace, the executive chef of 30 years greets you and takes you down to your kitchen for the day.  Along with an assistant chef, you get settled into your personal work station.

You find out you are making a traditional Italian meal with a few secrets, and you are soon busy pulling out silver trays from your personal kitchen with all of your ingredients perfectly portioned.

There's a traditional panzanella salad...

where you even learn a fancy way of plating.

There's gnocchi...

with a fresh tomato sauce.

And then, are you sitting down for this?  You will learn the secrets behind the restaurant's tiramisu.  Traditional, with a twist.


At this point, I had enjoyed myself immensely and thought it was a wonderful experience.   There was only one odd thing... after we made the panzanella, we took a couple of bites of our own creation and then the chef discarded the rest.  Same with the gnocchi.  We made quite a few and we only cooked a couple to taste.  Then, the chef gathered up the rest of our gnocchi and whisked it away to the kitchen.  I briefly thought... surely we are not making gnocchi for them to serve their dinner guests tonight.  Surely we are not a part of their assembly line (not that I would be too sad about that).  But then, when we finished the tiramisu and they whisked it away, I realized we would actually be eating a sit down version of this meal together on the patio.

  And let me tell you, I could live on this patio.

So now, it's time to walk around and soak up this amazing property.  Villa San Michele was a monastery that dates back to the 15th century.  The villa's facade is attributed to Michaelangelo and is still intact.  The rest of the property has kept its amazing Tuscan charm while being transformed into a dreamy getaway overlooking Florence.  While you are waiting on lunch to be served, you've got a couple of options.

You could relax in the gardens overlooking Florence.

You could go smell the lemon trees. Is that weird? I couldn't stop myself. And you don't see lemons like this everyday.

Or you could head up to the pool area for the absolute best views.

Now let's not forget about lunch. Time to head back through the flower adorned paths to the dining room.

Time to sit down on the patio with our new best friends from our morning of cooking and enjoy our lunch... mostly prepared by us, but fancied up by the great chefs at the restaurant.

First, is the fancily plated panzanella salad.

Next, gnocchi with a fresh tomato and basil sauce.

And then, you eat your own creation of this special tiramisu recipe.

And in case you have any room left at all, help yourself to a few cookies and an espresso. 

So there it is.  A Morning with the Chef cooking class that has left you full and happy from all the wonderful sights and sounds you have taken in.  A huge perk to this class is that it will fit into any schedule.  You arrive around 9:45 am and arrive back in Florence by 2:00 pm.

The cooking school is worth the splurge.  Eating dinner on this terrace is also worth the splurge.  But if you are looking for luxury, you can stay at the hotel with very easy access to Florence during the day.  I was lucky enough to peak into a few rooms just to give you an idea of what it would be like to stay here.  Each suite is like a little bungalow tucked into these gardens bursting with lemon trees and hydrangeas.

 It might just be the most quiet and relaxing place I've ever found myself.  What a perfect little retreat after a long day of touring.  The only problem I could find with staying here is you might miss seeing Florence altogether.  Trust me, it's hard to leave.

Put this on your list for your next trip to Italy, but in case you won't be finding yourself in Fiesole any time soon, I will be bringing you the recipes.

Travel & Cook: Cooking in Tuscany

 I spent a month in Italy this summer and now it's time to share.  I will be posting my favorite  cooking experiences that will rock your world (and recipes, too).

Close your eyes. Um, I mean finish reading this post and then close your eyes. I would like you to take a small break from your day... you deserve it... and let's talk about where you need to find yourself next summer.

Go ahead and pour yourself a nice glass of chianti and then let's chat. Feel free to have a couple of glasses because at the end of this post, we are booking a trip to Italy.

Are you ready?

Imagine yourself walking along the Arno river in Florence.  You walk yourself to an-easy-to-find corner and you find a charming older gentleman named Aldo who is waiting for you.

You hop in his van with possibly a few other delightful vacationers and you head to the hills of Tuscany.

You arrive at a beautiful villa and get dropped off right in front of your kitchen for the day.

You meet a wonderful Italian chef who gives you an apron, offers you espresso and a cookie and lets you get settled in.

You get introduced to the menu of the day, which is sure to be chock full of Italian favorites and seasonal delights.

Next, you jump in and start cooking, while listening to Andre Bocelli.

Along with the chef and other classmates, you spend several hours learning about different methods of Italian cooking and having a completely hands on experience.

There are nibbles along the way and and glass or two of vino to keep you going.

Just a few hours later, you sit down with your new best friends and eat a 5 course meal complete with lovely wines that came from just outside in the villa's vineyard.

You might be eating vegetable risotto with a homemade vegetable stock and shaved parmesan...

or a baked pork with grapes and rosemary...

perhaps fresh sheets of tagliatelle pasta with a porcini mushroom sauce...

and if you're lucky... real lucky... you might make individual servings of tiramisu that will knock your socks off.

So who's ready to book that trip?

Okay, so I know that 's a big commitment and maybe you need to think it over or at least find a few lucky friends, family members or strangers to join you.  But when you are ready, I want you to have all the information at your fingertips. 

This cooking school is called Cooking in Tuscany.  This is just the tip of the iceberg of what they can actually offer you.  They have week long cooking schools, market tours, wine tours, night classes, day classes and so much more.  They also rent villas near the school, and throughout the Tuscan hills outside of Florence.  If you need more info, email me... or you could cut me out altogether and check out the website... but I sure love a good email... and I have a lot more to say.

Don't worry... if you don't see Italy in your immediate future, I am bringing it to you.  I can't just leave you hanging with all the pics, can I?  I know it's hard to believe since it has been so darn long, but this is a cooking blog and I will be sharing these recipes starting now. Well, not now... maybe tomorrow?  Does that work for you?

Seen you soon... ciao.