Orange Cornmeal Cake

    Today......something sweet!  This cake is delicious and refreshing........a perfect spring or summer dessert!  And, it contains two Italian ingredients you might not expect......olive oil and white wine!  That's right....a little unusual, maybe, but they give this cake a subtle and delicious flavor.  The cornmeal adds a little bit of texture. 
   
    Now, it's pretty well know around here that I have a real sweet tooth, and chocolate is at the very top of my list of indulgences.  That being said, I found this to be a very nice light, not too sweet dessert, totally acceptable to this "chocolate lover".

One Little Tree.....Two recipes

    When I was a little girl I spent a lot of time with my Italian grandparents (my dad's parents).  They had a small house but a yard and garden area that seemed to go on forever....at least that's what it seemed like at the time.  They grew all sorts of vegetables and had several fruit trees like cherry, pear, fig, and mulberry.  My grandmother would sell flowers that she had grown.  I remember sitting outside with her, waiting for people to come and buy the plants.  They had a long, narrow hallway at one side of the house that I always thought of as a sun porch because it was lined with windows and was filled with african violets and various other plants.  My grandmother had the greenest thumb I've ever seen.  She even had a miniature orange tree in the dining room!