Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

The thing I love the most about blogging is that through it my life became richer. Getting to know bloggers from around the globe who share their life and their passion has taught me so much and helped me grow in so many ways. There is a vast difference between reading about a country, a culture or a cuisine in a book  and between sharing the memories and experiences of a talented passionate person who blogs about those topics from the heart.

One such person is my friend Manuela. Manu and I started our blogs a few months apart, I have known her for over five years and I can honestly say I am truly thankful for crossing roads with her.

Manu grew up in Italy, her love for  the authentic Italian cuisine shines through every post that she writes. She shares her recipes and her memories on her blog Manu’s menu. It is my go to blog for anything and everything Italian. Her recipes are always beautifully written, photographed and above all, they are always authentic.

She has written an ebook (The cool side of summer) and asked me to review it. To be honest I was honored when she did because I knew the book was going to be a real treat and it truly was.

The book contains 25 recipes: Icecream, semifreddo, granita, popsicles, frozen yogurt,you name it, it’s there.All beautifully photographed and written in great details. Manuela also kindly provides tips on how to make the recipes with or without an icecream machine (Yours truly doesn’t have an icecream machine so those tips were really helpful). She also caters to everyone’s needs, there are eggless recipes,dairy free recipes and even low fat ones.

It was so hard to pick just one recipe to make for this review, there were so many that I wanted to try, so I gave the kids the choice and they went for mint granita (after compiling a list of all the other recipes they want to try next).

If I want to sum the result up I would say that this granita is a blast of refreshment! On a hot day this recipe is a true life savor, it is a refreshing treat that is easy to make, served in a pretty glass it is great when you are entertaining guests. When the kids come home from school on the verge of melting from the blasting 40+  C weather, this is the perfect treat to cool them down

Give this recipe a try and if you love it as much as we did you can buy the book here. (This is not an affiliate link)

Mint granita

1 and 2/3 cup cold water

2/3 cup mint syrup (If you can’t find mint syrup, you can make your own )

 

Mix the cold water and the mint syrup and pour into a wide tray

Place it the freezer and scrape every 2 hours with a fork

 

Repeat until it gets to a light consistency with small ice particles