It’s interesting to me how reading a recipe can inspire an entire meal. When I read this recipe, two things sprang to mind. First, I cannot wait for my beefsteak tomatoes to be ready to harvest. Secondly, I miss my little Italian restaurant that served spaghetti in a marinara sauce as part of your meal no matter what you ordered. While this is made with Angel Hair Pasta, it reminded me of that long gone place.
Category: Italian Pasta
Spinach-Ricotta Manicotti
Sometimes my mind works in very strange ways. Take Rome and the Vatican for example. We eat a lot of Italian inspired suppers during Lent because meatless pastas are so darn easy, their seafood dishes are swimming in awesomeness and everything is super delicious. So, is the Vatican in the heart of Rome for the food, or is Italian meatless dishes so doggone good because of all those Catholic Cooks in Italy? I know, it’s a silly thought. The Vatican’s location has nothing to do with the food, but just maybe all those Catholics puttering about in the kitchen has something to do with the food. Just saying . . .
National Ravioli Day, Lent and Cheese Ravioli
Did you know that Radio Flyer established the last Wednesday in March as National Little Red Wagon Day? A day to make memories, to celebrate the power of imagination and for adults to be more child-like. After all, who doesn’t feel like a kid in a Little Red Wagon? The Radio Flyer Wagon has been around since 1917. A vintage Radio Flyer can run you as much as $60.00; while a new one can be had for under $20.00. So if your kids or grand kids has one, tell them it’s an investment and to treat that wagon well.
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One-Pot Italian Sausage Creamy Spaghetti
We all love those one-pot wonders, right? When I cooked up this one-pot Italian Sausage Spaghetti, in my mind I was thinking okay, so it’s another spaghetti dinner. Sure, we love spaghetti, but don’t hold the presses for another pot of pasta, if you know what I mean. I liked the idea of everything cooking in my big pot. I liked the idea of warming some bread, tossing a simple salad and sitting down to an effortless supper with my guys.
Beautiful Florence and Spaghetti Carbonara
Hubby, Kiddo and I have been talking about our next family vacation. We want to return to Florence (on the Oregon Coast). There is something about the rugged Oregon coast, with its wild beauty that is unparalleled. Oregon’s beaches are clean and open to all. Unlike some of the western beach towns, Florence is not one of the more popular destinations for tourists, and that has allowed the town to retain some of its simple beauty. The town is situated between miles of sand dunes and the Siuslaw River. One of my favorite spots is the Siuslaw bridge across the mouth of the river. Oregon has some of the most spectacular bridges in the country, and Florence is no exception. Thinking of Florence brings to mind another Florence – in Italy. And that makes me yearn for Northern Italian dishes with their rich sauces.
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No Muss, No Fuss Rigatoni with Meatballs
Of all the types of pasta on the planet – at lease of those we’ve actually tried from the 350 or so in existence – Hubby’s favorite pasta has to be a toss-up between Penne and Rigatoni. If I had to pick between the two, I like Rigatoni for the ridges that seems to help whatever sauce used to cling to the pasta better.
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It seems that lately I’ve been in an Italy frame. This light yet delicious Tortellini Supper is the perfect end to a long work week. So light – so flavorful. It invites the diner to kick of their shoes, breath deep and say “oh yeah, it’s time to unwind”. I simply adore “browned butter” for that nutty flavor. There is something about browning the butter that brings a whole new level of flavor to everything.
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One-Pot Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
Kiddo made supper over the weekend. Whenever I print out recipes for him to follow, I don’t include photos. Most of the time, he doesn’t need pictures. Kiddo knows his way around the kitchen well enough not to require visual aids. This time around, it was a mistake. Not that the finished dish in any way suffered, but he would have been spared the need to be creative.
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Conchiglie (Shell) Pasta Kissed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Red Wine
This spicy Pasta dish has been one of those recipes that has been on and off my menu planner for weeks now. Most of the ingredients are those that are always on hand. You would think it would have been a snap to make. Convenience made it just the opposite. Since I didn’t need to shop for anything, it was easy to push this meal out when life does what it does and things got in the way.
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Chicken and Italian Cheese Stuffed Lasagna Roll-Ups
Have you ever had a Lasagna Roll-Up? These things are awesome! Great for supper time, pretty as an appetizer or to serve up something different at your next pot luck. I’ve made Lasagna Roll-Ups using just an Italian Cheese filler, with Italian Sausage, a traditional meat filling and with today’s share, cooked chicken. Any cooked chicken will do, from last night’s left over roasted chicken to a rotisserie chicken from your local deli.
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Diabetic Friendly Beefy Stuffed Shells – now We’re Talking!
Aren’t these stuffed pasta shells pretty? These delicious shells are bursting with beefy goodness rather than swimming in a pool of pasta sauce. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good cheesy stuffed shell the same as the next guy. I also love to change things up a bit and that’s just what these shells do.
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Cacio e Pepe, a Dish as old as Rome Itself
Cacio e Pepe is a pasta dish of Roman Cuisine. Cacio e Pepe means cheese and pepper in several central Italian dialects. Just as the name suggests, the main ingredients are pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese over an egg-noodle pasta. Cacio e Pepe is one of the most ancient dishes of the Roman Empire. For centuries, this simple dish was a stable among Roman shepherds. Dried pasta, aged cheese and black pepper are easy-to-carry ingredients that are hard to spoil in the fields. Today we have the convenience of butter to enhance the creaminess of the sauce.
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Honoring National Spaghetti Day with Spaghetti Milanaise
Today is National Spaghetti Day. According to Foodimentary, there are some very interesting facts surrounding spaghetti. Did you know that the average Italian eats more than fifty-one pounds of pasta a year and would never think to use a spoon to twirl spaghetti onto their fork? The side of their plate and an experienced wrist is all it takes. Me? I have a “pasta” spoon, sort of flat and round and looks a lot like a bouillon spoon with a long handle. My spoon is perfectly designed for twirling my sauce-saturated twines onto my pasta fork.
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Cheese-Stuffed Pasta Shells in a Meat Sauce
Today’s post is going to be simple and to the point. I love Italian Food. Northern Italian is my favorite, but anything Italian is great. While I prefer to stuff my own shells, a good quality frozen-stuffed shell can be just as delicious with a lot less effort. Skip cooking the shells, mixing the filling, letting the shells cool to the point that they can be easily handled, piping the filling into the shells – you get the picture. Using frozen shells allows you to skip over all of that and go straight to the sauce, the assemble and the bake. It lets kitchen clean up be a snap.
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Portobella Mushroom Ravioli
We all love the convenience of store-bought prepared foods – those heat and serve wonders that make life a little easier. With a little fuss; a store-bought Mushroom Stuffed Ravioli Pasta can be transformed into a flavorful; rich dish that is as attractive as it is yummy. When served with a tossed salad and warm garlic bread or Buttery-Chive Crescent Rolls the family can gather around the dinner table with lightening speed.