Week Night Menu: Pasta Pomodoro, and Stuffed Garlic Bread

It’s been awhile since my last menu, admittedly because I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had a chance to cook! So here is my most recent delish dish, to be completed with a Ceasar salad. If you’re new to the menu series in the food blog, the goal is to give one complete menu, that can be fixed during a week night. If you do the prep work the night before, putting the meal together shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes! Pasta Pomodoro is a perfect summer dish because it is made with fresh ingredients and is intended to be … Continue reading →

National Pasta Month: Answers to the Noodle Quiz & Topping Your Noodles

Did you take the quiz the other day? If you didn’t, you have to go back and read the quiz first because it’s not fair to read the answers first. But, if you took the quiz and are checking back to see how you did, here are the answers: #1. Chinese people made the earliest pasta. #2. Noodle comes from the word ‘nudel’ which is a German word. #3. You should use 4-6 quarts to boil one pound of dry noodles. #4. Noodles have eggs in them which make the different from other pastas. #5. Kugel is a dessert made … Continue reading →

National Pasta Month–My Noodle Quiz and Marinara from Scratch

As many of you know, the bloggers were on a break for a little while. They came back right about the time I left for vacation so if you’ll allow me, I am playing catch up. You can still enjoy pasta in April–I promise! Use Your Noodle to Test Your Noodle Knowledge Did you know that March is National Pasta Month? Indeed, pasta lovers everywhere are celebrating the joys of pasta and its various dishes. In honor of the National Pasta Month, I will share some of our favorite pasta dishes but I thought I would kick off the festivities … Continue reading →

5 Reasons We Love Calzones (& the Recipe We Use)

Calzones are often referred to as a stuffed pizza. Think of it as a cousin of the popover. It is basically pizza dough, filled with cheese, meats and vegetables. Marinara sauce is generally served as dipping sauce. In fact, if you insist on putting sauce in your calzone. . .it’s no longer a calzone. So why do we love the calzone so much? Let me give you a few reasons why this is the ideal food to feed to a busy family! #1. This is super easy to make. We most often make our own pizza dough but if you … Continue reading →

Thinking of Italian? Think Bruschetta!

I admittedly love almost all Italian food. It’s delicious. It’s comforting. It’s succulent and yet usually surprisingly easy to prepare. This recipe is no exception. All you have to do is a little slicing, a little dicing, and a little baking. The result—an amazing appetizer, light lunch, or finger food to nibble on or serve at your next get together. Try baking the baguette ahead of time. Then all you’ll have to do is assemble and enjoy. For this recipe you’ll need: 1 baguette (you’ll use half) 3 TB olive oil for brushing bread 5 seeded and chopped Roma tomatoes … Continue reading →

Antipasto Salad

Salads are often thought of as diet food. The truth is, a good salad that’s filled with delicious ingredients, makes a wonderful meal. I particularly enjoy hearty salads that leave me feeling satisfied and full. Antipasto salad offers a variety of flavors and textures, along with a colorful blend of ingredients that is pleasing to both the taste buds and to the eye. This salad can be made quickly and stored, covered, in the refrigerator over night to chill. The key is to add the dressing just prior to serving. Antipasto salad makes a great first course. It can stand … Continue reading →

Stuffed Shells

I love any combination that includes pasta and cheese. This recipe combines pasta shells with three types of cheese – cottage, mozzarella, and Parmesan – yum! For this recipe, you will need one large (16 ounce) package of jumbo pasta shells, a large container of large curd cottage cheese (you will need 4 cups), 12 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, and one 26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce. Cook the shells according to the back of the package. Once they are done, place them in cold water to stop them … Continue reading →

Easy Dinner Idea- Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti is a simple dinner that can be made mostly ahead of time and keeps well in the refrigerator. This easy to prepare recipe will be pleasing to both parent and child and will even leave some for leftovers! You will need: 1 lb. Ground Turkey or Ground Beef 3/4 C Bread Crumbs 2 TBS. Ketchup 1 Lg. Egg 2 Jars Pasta Sauce 1 Can Chopped Tomatoes 1 Sm. Can Tomato Paste 1 C Water 5 TBS Olive Oil 1 Box of your Favorite Pasta Directions: Place pasta sauce, tomato paste, water and chopped tomatoes into a crock pot. In … Continue reading →

Pasta With Lemon and Parmesan

Who says pasta has to be loaded with a thick and creamy sauce, oozing with tomato-sauce capable of staining your shirt in half a second? My opinion is that the simpler the pasta, the better. And there are few things simpler or better on pasta than lemon. If you’ve never tried lemon on your pasta, I urge you to give this recipe a try. It doesn’t get simpler than this, and the flavor is simply lovely. Serve this as a main vegetarian dish or serve it along side chicken, beef, or even fish. Any way you serve this, there’s sure … Continue reading →

Two Great Italian Appetizers

Antipasto Squares For this recipe, you will need two cans of crescent dinner rolls, 1/4 pound of thinly sliced boiled ham, 1/4 pound of thinly sliced provolone cheese, 1/4 pound of thinly sliced Swiss cheese, 1/4 pound of thinly sliced of Genoa salami, 1/4 pound of thinly sliced pepperoni, a 12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, eggs, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll one package of the crescent rolls and lay it on at 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Layer the ham, provolone cheese, Swiss cheese, salami, pepperoni, and red peppers. In … Continue reading →