This is a recipe for a delicious soup consisting of mostly pantry ingredients. I stumbled across a recipe for Pasta Fagioli a few years ago, but I made changes according to what we had and my family’s tastes. Using the marinara sauce gives it more of a long-simmered, rich taste. This recipe specifies Italian turkey sausage, but I have also used … [Read more…]
Meatless Monday – Ravioli, Mushrooms, and Spinach in Rosé Sauce
like to keep a package of fresh pasta in the refrigerator when I know that we will be busy the upcoming week, because it provides a quick meal option when we are running around all day and need to get food on the table quickly. The sauce takes about 10 minutes to make, so plan that accordingly when you start your ravioli. Ravioli, Mushrooms, … [Read more…]
Caldo De Yum! , or Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Alphabet Noodle Soup
We needed soup, because everyone in our house was sick. I didn’t have any chicken, but I did have sweet Italian turkey sausage, so I decided to make a soup that complemented the sausage. I thought of tomato, automatically, but we didn’t want it too strongly tomato-ey. So, this soup is mostly chicken stock based, with some tomato paste to flavor … [Read more…]
Thanksgiving and Holiday Season : Macaroni Pie /Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Thanksgiving season is upon us. We have just about 3 weeks to plan and shop. What constitutes the perfect Thanksgiving dinner varies according to region and each particular family. To me, my childhood Thanksgiving dinner is the epitome of comfort food, so I may add to it, but there are certain items that must be on my table or it is not … [Read more…]
Throwback Thursday : Fall Lentil Vegetable Stew
It appears that this time last year was the same kind of chilly, rainy Fall weather that we are having today. I made a lentil stew then that had carrots and spinach, and nicely spiced with curry, cumin, and allspice. This is a wonderfully homey, satisfying stew that can be made with things that most people have on hand. Thus, I have tagged it … [Read more…]
(End of ) Summer Mint Macaroni Salad
If you have a little backyard garden going this summer, this macaroni salad could be a good way to use some of your home-grown produce. We have a ton of mint that I wanted to make use of, as well as pepper and tomatoes growing outside. This salad makes use of fresh mint and lemon juice, extra virgin olive, apple cider vinegar, horseradish sauce, … [Read more…]
Chicken Mushroom Alfredo
This is a simple weeknight dish to put together. Instead of first cooking, then removing the chicken, I left the chicken in as I added all the ingredients, making this a one-pot meal. I lightened the standard Alfredo sauce up a bit by using only 1 tablespoon of butter, and using 1 – 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Plus, I really do like … [Read more…]
Bolognese Sauce
This is my version of a Bolognese Sauce. My husband is not a fan of super tangy marinara sauce, so this is a better pasta sauce for him. The addition of carrots sweetens and mellows out the flavor of the tomato sauce. Bolognese sauce usually includes celery with the carrots, but I don’t like celery, so I substitute parsley. Regarding the … [Read more…]
Basic Beef Meatballs
I asked my son what he thought we should have for dinner, and he said ‘meatballs!’. He likes them with marinara sauce, but my daughter likes them plain. I find that the addition of mayonnaise and ketchup keeps the meatballs moist. You don’t discern the mayo and ketchup flavor in the finished meatballs, just that there is flavor in the … [Read more…]
Reshta/Rashta – Stewed Lentils and Noodles with Tangy Caramelized Onions
Reshta/Rashta – Stewed Lentils and Noodles with Tangy Caramelized Onions “The day is cold, and dark, and dreary It rains, and the wind is never weary”…. Maybe not quite as bad as that, but this is the view of my deck from my kitchen window: …and that is why it is the perfect day for this dish. Whenever the weather is cold and/or rainy, I … [Read more…]