Well, we are home and back to reality! Oh we missed our house, our garden and of course our friends, but honestly we didn't want to leave the beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany! On the airplane I kept scheming how we could move to Italy, grow grapes and raise a dozen bambinis :) A girl can dream can't she? It sure was a magical trip and such a joy to be with my whole family, which is so rare! I am so grateful to my parents for making it such a wonderful and memorable experience for all of us and I am counting down the days until we return!

I still have a handful of recipes to share from our travels so I appologize if y'all are fed up with all of my Italian dishes. I promise to have some non-Italian recipes next week :)  The following recipe was given to me by my sweet sister Haley. She made this for the get together we had for our Italian friends and it was a hit! I love this dish because it is so easy to eat! All of the goodies stay tucked away in the endive resulting in a non-messy, convenient finger food. Also, it is orange season so grab some valencias and get cookin'! 

Endive with Oranges, Goat Cheese, Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Reduction

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 TBSP honey, divided
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 TBSP orange juice
• 16 endive leaves (about 2 heads)
• 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
• several orange slices cut into small bites (make sure you remove all seeds)
• 1 TBSP chopped chives
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine walnuts and 1 tablespoon honey; spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.

Combine 1 tablespoon honey, vinegar, and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 5 minutes). It should be a much thicker syrup.

Fill each endive leaf with orange pieces. Top with crumbled cheese and candied walnuts; arrange on a plate. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over leaves, and sprinkle evenly with chives and pepper.

Enjoy!