10 things I learnt in Amsterdam

Every place you go teachs you something new. Travelling is making you richer and richer.

Amsterdam taught me that:
♣ people can live in house-boat;
♣ an entire city can be built under the level of the sea;

♣ there are more than 75 species of tulips;
♣ Van Gogh was fascinated by japanese art;

♣ there is a condom-shop in the world;
♣ you can actually enter in this condom-shop with your partner and choose your condoms without being judged;

♣ riding a bike is not just a hobby, but it's a proper mean of transport;

♣ vices are not a crime;
♣ pesto is known all over the world;
♣ there is a place in the world where you'll pay beer less than still water.

(more photos on my pinterest ♥)

Baci di dama

Easter is almost here, and it means... baking!
In my opinion there's nothing better than a sweet gift for your friends: it doesn't get dusty or useless and it contains serotonin, the happiness hormone.
This year I decided to bake baci di dama, which is the italian translation for lady's kisses. They're 100% italian, from Turin to be precisely. The consistency is similar to the cookies' one, but they look completely different. Baci di dama are composed by two cookies kept together by a thin layer of chocolate. If you like hazelnut and chocolate, you will love baci di dama!

The recipe is pretty simple, even if the procedure is a little bit long, so be sure you have a couple of free hours.
This is the recipe I have, it's the basic one, but of course you can personalize it by adding what you like the most (for example I think that coffee or flavor like cinnamon and vanilla can be great with it).

Ingredients for 30 baci di dama

200 gr hazelnut

200 gr sugar

200 gr soft butter

300 gr (or less) flour

1 egg yolk

50 gr dark chocolate

50 ml double cream

Ground finely the hazelnut. 

Put the sugar, yolk, flour, hazelnut and butter in a large bowl and knead until they're completely mixed. If it's too soft, put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Prepare two baking trays, then shape little balls with the cookie dough. They shoud be same size.

Preheat the oven 180° for 10 minutes, then bake baci di dama for 20 minutes.

While baci di dama are baking, prepare chocolate: cook in a bain marie chocolate and double cream, until it's completely melted. 

When the cookies are ready, let them cool down for 10 minutes.

Then take a cookie and put some chocolate on the flatten side. Cover it with another cookie. Wait for the chocolate to cool down and solidify, then your lady's kiss is ready!