Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Parmesan Truffle Cream Sauce

All of my Italian ancestors are probably so proud of me right now: I've finally made homemade pasta- gnocchi, specifically (by myself!--as opposed to helping my grandma)! AND I made the up the sauce recipe all by myself, just using the knowledge I've gained from the last couple years and tasting along the way. I feel all authentic and skilled 'n' stuff. And you wanna know a secret? This recipe is SO. EASY!

Plus I got ridiculously giddy over the fact that when cooking the gnocchi, you know it's done when it floats to the top. How cool is that?! I told everyone. And giggled. Yepp.

The inspiration for this recipe came from a dish I tried at this great restaurant in the city, Jane. As soon as I saw they had toasted ricotta gnocchi in a white truffle cream sauce, I obviously had to order it. And it was PHENOMENAL...for like...3 bites. Then it was overwhelming. And like REALLY rich and filling. So, it took me awhile to finish it. It made me not super into the idea of ordering it again.

BUT, then I got some daRosario truffle oil to try. And I knew I needed to make my own, new, and improved (in my humble opinion) gnocchi with a truffle sauce.

Now let's break down what we have here:

A super simple,super easy recipe for luscious and pillowy, melt in your mouth, ricotta gnocchi. 

That you then toast, which brings in such a delicious, buttery, toasted flavor.

A rich (but not TOO rich) sauce made with...wait for it...FAT FREE EVAPORATED MILK (not cream-so it's not going to be quite as detrimental to some of our pre-wedding semi-diet-y type things), freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and, of course, truffle oil. To taste. So it can be as flavorful or as subtle as you want! 

(and ya know...you can also just make the gnocchi and just put whatever sauce you like on em. It's cool. Whatever floats your boat.)

I'm like....super excited about this one you guys. You're gonna LOVE THIS!

Brown Butter Pasta

I've made this pasta like....almost every week. Real talk.

I mean really....we all know by this point how much I love browned butter, right? And I have a deep passion for pasta. Especially when it has copious amounts of Parmesan cheese.

Source

AND there's nothing not to like about a dinner that's done in like...10 minutes (or less?). Yeah. You get it now, right?

I don't even know what else to tell you. This pasta is nummy. It tastes like browned butter and Pecorino Romano cheese (because of this I suggest actually getting a nice hunk of Pecorino Romano and freshly grating the good stuff) and just nutty cheesy wonderful goodness. And I also recommend using like...LOTS of cheese. That's me though.

Ya know what? Sometimes you just need an easy dinner.

And sometimes I just need a short and sweet blog post.

MANGIA!

3 Cheese White Pizza with Truffle Oil-daRosario Review

Some things about me, just don't make sense. Like...I hate mushrooms. Always have. But...gosh darn it I am OBSESSED with all things truffle (although I don't think I could just straight up eat a whole truffle mushroom...) My first taste of the friggin' indescribable goodness of truffle was back when I was a cater waiter, I tried a truffle oil french fry. And I died. BECAUSE OMG. And since then my love has only grown. But, I had never had my own truffle oil to use. Because...well....it's pricey. The foodie heavens all aligned, though, and led to me meeting a delightful man while I was working one of my day jobs, and this man happens to work with daRosario. And when he heard about my blog, he offered me some of their truffle oil to try. And guys...let's dish.

Turns out, all other brands of truffle flavored anything are synthetic. daRosario Organics is the only company that makes 100% USDA Organic truffle and porcini oils, and guarantee all of their ingredients are real (which means real truffles, no artificial flavors, no "aroma" no "essence" and no "extracts".) Their products include (in addition to the truffle oils) white and black truffle mayonnaise, white truffle honey, and white and black truffle butters (all of which are organic and real). The flavor speaks for itself-seriously, it's the only brand I'll use from now on.

When I got my truffle oil, so many thoughts of ways I could play with it zoomed through my mind. But I could not stop thinking about some ricotta pizzas with truffle oil I've had-so I decided to make my own version! Using the Neapolitan style pizza crust I'd learned to make (but you could def. make this pizza using any pizza crust you prefer), and a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmigiana romano cheeses...just...OH MY GAWD. I am IN LOVE with this pizza. I've made it twice already. Even Michael liked it! Seriously, just the perfect combination of flavors. You're gonna feel like a gourmet chef when you make this, and like a goddess (or god...I'm fairly certain some of you readers are dudes also) when you take your first bite. TRUFFLE PIZZA NIRVANA.

Vimbly and 180 Neapolitan Pizza Making Class Review

Oh my goooodness you guys, I had the opportunity to do one of the coolest things I've done in my lifetime.

Thanks to this super cool meetup group I'm a part of, Food Bloggers in NYC (created by my girl Mallory, of total noms), me and a small group of other food bloggers were given the opportunity to take part in a Neapolitan Pizza class at 180 Neapolitan Eatery. We booked the class through Vimbly (SUCH a cool and easy way to book fun things to do in NYC, plus Phoebe, one of their interns, came along on the class and she was such a sweetie and so much fun, and she made sure we were taken care of!)

The class was held in this adorable, authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. Our instructors were Nicole (a girl who's been raised on this stuff and trained in the best restaurants in the city) and Chef Chris Nirschel (Food Network's "culinary bad boy"...yes we all teased him about his nickname. He was super cool, and funny, and down to earth considering he's pretttyyyy famous lol). And there were 8 of us food bloggers (plus Phoebe) sitting down to learn from the masters all about the magical ways of Neapolitan pizza.

After some wine (for the wine drinkers) and chit chat, we got to learn all the secrets. We were taught step by step how to take some 00 flour, water, and yeast to make the dough. Once it was kneaded and such, all perfect, we put our little dough balls in to-go containers to be able to use our dough to try out pizza at home! Then we were given some dough that had already been given time to rest and we were taught what to do with that...and some people attempted the air toss (which we learned is unnecessary but sort of fun I suppose? I'm a play-it-safe-er, no tossing for me! Lol)

Fun tip learned: traditional sauce for the pizza is just some San Marzano tomatoes blended with basil. No cooking. Tastes so fresh and perfect! I've already done it at home and am in love with it. 

Roasted Garlic, Chicken, and Herb White Pizza

I'm generally not an adventurous pizza eater (Ok fine, I'm not an adventurous eater, period.) But like...I'm that lame person where, in a group setting, people are like, "Ok we want pineapple and banana peppers on this pizza, and artichokes and capers on this one...Kayle what do you want?

"....just plain cheese please." I always choke out in the most timid voice.

(The exception to this rule is when I hear about ricotta and truffle oil pizzas, I'M ALL OVER THAT. But even when I eat margherita or grandma style pizzas, they're still the same basic ingredients as a plain, old, boring, not adventurous pizza.)

And when I'm making pizza at home, I'm no different. There's always a thin crust, tomato sauce (or at least tomatoes) mozzarella/Parmesan cheese, and some basil. That's it. But this pizza, YOU GUYS this pizza is something totally different and so amazing and so delicious.

Look at me, growing up.

Anyway, I really don't know what's not to like about this pizza.

I used my favorite, whole wheat, pizza crust (you can use whatever crust recipe-or storebought crust dough-you prefer). We have a white sauce that essentially just tastes like garlicky goodness (and that I cut some calories on by using fat free evaporated milk). Then theres the goodness of chicken, cheese, and red onions. But really, you can def. play around with toppings-as with any pizza. You can omit and add whatever your little heart desires. That's the fun!

Mozzarella Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts

We're due for another chicken recipe, yeah?

Yeah, I think so too. 

AND they're baked, so hey, none of that fried business, hooray!

AND they're stuffed with pesto and mozzarella (YUM).

Speaking of pesto...I have a bunch of cubes of frozen leftover pesto thaaaat...I'm somewhat uninspired about. Anyone have any recipe suggestions? (Although now that I say this I'm thinkin' pizzaaa)

I'm super sorry for this super short post guys I juuust....can't think of a thing to say and stuff. This is becoming a frequent problem. While you're helping me out with recipe suggestions, let me know if there's anything you wanna know about me or that you'd like me to share? Hm?

Yepp...phoning it in. Food blogger style.

One Pan Chicken Alfredo

Uuuuuuugh I hate doing dishes. HATE IT! I feel like I live under the constant weight of dishes, such is the life of a person who cooks and bakes a lot. What's ironic is I used to love doing dishes! As a kid it was like this treat that I adored-my mom didn't let me do them often (I didn't do a good enough job, I guess?) so it was so fun to me. Then when I would go over for dinner at my best friend's house, her dad would tell me I had to wash the dishes (something about me eating their food so needing to wash the dishes...ironically when Alex was at my house she'd say "I'm the guest! Guests don't wash dishes" and I'd look at her like...hmm...something here seems off). After a few times of that...it got old. Gone were the fun days of dishes. And now I do them daily. *sigh*

So...it's sort of nice when I make something that doesn't require a bunch of dishes, because that means less for me to wash later! Hooray!

Enter this one pan chicken alfredo. It's creamy, garlicky, and I healthified it a bit. Instead of heavy cream I used fat free evaporated milk, which I think doesn't compromise the flavor at all, so win! It's def. a nice, easy, tasty dinner. Without the regret you get when you've dirtied a ton of dishes. 

Honestly, it's not my most favorite. Partly because chicken alfredo isn't my most favorite. And it's not creamy enough for Michael. So, while we did like it, it probably won't make frequent appearances here in the apartment. But it'll ocassionally pop up. Like a friend that you kind of like and enjoy seeing occasionally, just not all the time, ya know?

Garlic Herb Ciabatta Grilled Cheese-Great Midwest Flavored Cheeses Review

Let's talk cheese. If you don't like cheese,or are dairy free/lactose intolerant...I'm so so sorry but this post is not for you. You see, I was contacted by the amazing people at Great Midwest cheeses to try their 12 varieties of flavored artisan Cheddars and Monterey jacks, review them for you, give you a chance to win them (scroll past the recipe for that), and to tell you all about this SUPER AMAZING recipe contest they've got going on!

So first, the cheese. Great Midwest is available at select retailers, club stores and cheese shops nationwide (find where to buy near you here). They're all natural, handcrafted in small batches and made in Wisconsin, using only pure, certified hormone free milk! The flavors range from sweet (ooh la la Blueberry Cobbler Cheddar) to savory (such as my personal favorite, Garlic & Dill Cheddar) to spicy (hoo! Most of all the Habanero Jack!)-and Michael and I tried them all. You know...for the sake of professionalism. The one big factor that struck both of us about all the cheeses-their smooth and silky texture, it is divine! Plus, they melt extremely well (part of why they make such phenomenal grilled cheeses!) All of the cheeses did an amazing job at representing their flavors-they were very true to them, but not overbearing. Plus-they're so versatile. Depending on which flavor, they can be used for snacks, on crackers, shredded over salads, added to casseroles, omelets, mac n cheese, even used in baking!

Now, this August and September, Great Midwest is hosting a recipe contest-inviting home chefs (or fellow food bloggers ;P) to submit their favorite grilled cheese recipe, using Great Midwest cheese(s), for a chance to win one of eight prizes including a vacation, Panini presses and cookbooks! You can enter through Facebook or their website, and you can check those out for more details on how the recipes will be judged as well as for any rules or restrictions. Essentially, though, key areas for the judging are: the use of Great Midwest cheeses, taste, and creativity/originality of the recipe (this is a big component so you're encouraged to go crazy and have some off the wall ideas!).  They're also offering bonus points to entrants that share their participation on Facebook, anyone that posts anything on the Great Midwest Facebook page – whether it be a photo of their sandwich, their recipe, them in the kitchen cooking, etc. – will get bonus points on their entry. It's SUPER cool and I strongly encourage everyone to give it a shot and enter!

Since we're talkin' original grilled cheese recipes...obviously I had to make my own! So I did! Using that amazing ciabatta bread with the shredded Morel & Leek Jack, I then layered in some slices of the Garlic & Dill Cheddar (hands down my favorite cheese in the bunch, but are you really surprised?). And what did we get?

BEST GRILLED CHEESE EVER (in my humble opinion).

This ciabatta makes the most gorgeous golden brown, perfectly buttery and crisp bread for the grilled cheese, and it's simply stunning to see how beautifully the cheddar in the middle melted down (and how it really mellowed out the flavor). It is cheesy and buttery and garlic-y and herb-y and just like heaven dancing on your tastebuds. I cannot get enough of it. I didn't even used to like grilled cheese that much and now? I'VE EATEN THIS GRILLED CHEESE EVERY DAY SINCE I FIRST MADE IT-until I ran out of bread! And I miss it! Because oh em geeee. Fantastic. Just...so good. There aren't enough words to express my happiness over one lil cheesy sandwich.

Thank you Great Midwest.

Thank you.

Ciabatta Bread with Morel & Leek Jack Cheese (Great Midwest Cheese Review)

Soo...ever since I went to the Summer Fancy Food Show I've been practically swimming in free stuff. Now, I realize this isn't very PC of a food blogger thing for me to say. But it's true! And I am NOT complaining, I'm working with some really cool companies and getting to try some seriously tasty products. The partnership I might be most excited about it with Great Midwest flavored cheeses. You might notice on my sidebar and footer, there are 2 new lovely ads, courtesy of them. On Monday there will be an in depth review (and giveaway!) and news about a super cool grilled cheese contest they're holding! 

Anyway, part of what the Great Midwest people wanted from me was to develop an original grilled cheese recipe. Now um...that was a little tough for me to think of at first. Like...how original can grilled cheese be? So I decided I'd start with the bread. I adapted a ciabatta recipe I'd been wanting to try (GREAT CHOICE, more on that later) and grated in cheese-one of Great Midwest's flavored cheese, Morel & Leek Jack. The Morel & Leek Jack cheese has a nice, subtle, smoky herb flavor that I thought would be nice in the bread. (Click here to find where you can buy it.)

And it was. Part of the beauty of the Great Midwest cheeses is how smooth, and silky they are and how wonderfully they melt. Just look at what it did when baked into this ciabatta:

Ohhh yesss.

But let's rewind. I was kind of intimidated when I read the instructions for the ciabatta (not about the adding the cheese part, I figured just added the cheese in before you start kneading and it'd work out-and it did), plus you have to make sure not to forget to make the biga (which is sort of like a starter?) the night before. But when I went into the kitchen it actually was much easier than I'd thought and I produced 4 loaves of the best ciabatta I've ever tasted (and maybe my favorite bread recipe I've ever made?)

The outside of the loaves is a gorgeous golden brown, just crisp enough without being hard or tough, and the inside of the bread is so wonderfully soft (Michael couldn't stop exclaiming over how soft they were). The cheese gives you wonderful little bites of salty, smoky flavor. 

You can eat this bread plain, with butter, smeared with your favorite spread (roasted garlic, cream cheese, etc.), toasted, it makes great sandwiches, I bet it would be awesome in a savory bread pudding...really the possibilities go on and on!

And you know what? It makes a BEAUTIFUL grilled cheese. But more on that on Monday...

Mozzarella and Pesto Grilled Cheese

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I've never made grilled cheese.

Well...if I have...I haven't made grilled cheese since I was like 11, anyway.

Anyway, I've never been a huge fan of it.

I know-I like bread, I like cheese, why don't I like grilled cheese??

Probably because I've only ever had it with wonder bread and those little packaged slices of American cheese. And uh...to me...that's not uber appetizing. But lately I've been dreaming of slices of good, homemade bread, grilled with brie (mmm so buttery), or...well...this sandwich. So one day I made myself some pesto. And English muffin bread. And then I bought some mozzarella. And made this. 

SO. GOOD.

I think I have officially hopped aboard the grilled cheese bandwagon, guys.

It's like me. It's like "Oh hey I'm an All American girl next door comforting thing, grilled cheese!" But then also "Oh I'm also kinda Italian and maybe a little fancier and a little bit of a surprise, not as predictable as you thought, huh?"....I'm actually not sure if that's the best description of me...it's definitely a good one for this sammy though. Comfort and sophisticated, all at the same time. Mmmm mmm good.

Basil Pesto

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I'm totally into pesto-I mean, what's not to like? It's Italian, there's basil, Parmesan, and garlic: these are all things I like! But, I've always held off from making it for myself because I was lazy and didn't want to go looking for pine nuts. And then, the wonderful, talented Joan over at Chocolate Chocolate and More posted her recipe for a super simple, super awesome looking pesto: and it uses walnuts or pecans instead of pine nuts! Huzzah! Pecans I have! Pecans I can use!

So I went to buy some basil. I'll tell you what, I have such garden envy. I want a garden with herbs (particularly basil) and maybe some veggies. I would love to just be able to walk outside and pick some leaves of basil or oregano, or grab a tomato for Michael's sandwiches, etc. etc. Buying produce and herbs is a pain, because everything goes bad so quickly! So yeah I'm totally into the idea of having a garden but...not working on it. I don't wanna weed and till and plant and water, I pretty much just wanna reap the benefits...

does that make me a bad person?

Whatever. I don't care.

I care about this pesto and how creamy and delicious it is and how many ways you can use it. Use it on pasta, spread it on bread, etc.! It's so incredibly easy to make too. Like. Crazy easy. Pretty much just throw in your food processor and go! The hardest part, for me, was grating the Parmesan cheese. And that wasn't even hard. So yeah.

PESTO!

(hehe sounds like "presto"...like a magic word...I crack myself up)

Sicilian "Enchiladas"- #SundaySupper

EEe! It's my first #SundaySupper post! Yay! So excited to be a part of this amazing group. This week is celebrating the holidays that are coming up-Easter and Passover, and is hosted by one of my bloggy buds, Carla from Chocolate Moosey.

But enough oohing and ahing, let's talk about a little something my family calls "scapelli"/"scapellis" (I have no idea if that's how it's spelled, I've never seen it written, we just say it. I'm told it apparently translates to "hot hands"...maybe in Sicilian or some local dialect? I'm unsure.). My grandma (dad's mom) has been making them, usually about once a year (and almost always for Easter), for as long as I can remember. She learned how to make them from my grandpa Blogna's mom, my great-grandma Helen. So they're some kind of Italian dish, but no one has ever heard of them, and I have had 0 luck finding anything about scapellis on the interwebs. I now am assuming they are some sort of family recipe, that is pretty much exclusive to my family (and possibly any relatives I have back in Italy). Now, let me explain what scapellis are, and if they sound familiar OMG tell me because I'll freak out.

Now...my knowledge is sort of fuzzy. I've never watched my grandma make the whole thing start to finish, and the woman has been insanely stubborn about writing it all down for me. Scapellis are a sort of crepe-like thing (made from flour, eggs, and water), made in a skillet greased with um...saltback, porkback? Something like that. And then they soak in hot chicken broth (wedding soup is usually being made at the same time, so I'm pretty sure she uses the same chicken stock). Now here comes the "hot hands" part. You take out the hot, soaked, scapellis and sprinkle Romano cheese inside, then you roll them up and transfer them to a dish, where they will all be soaked in hot chicken broth again. And you sprinkle more Romano cheese on top of all of that. It's served in a shallow bowl with some of the broth and lots of Romano. It sounds really strange, and simple, and like not that big of a deal.

BUT OH MY LORD IT TASTES AMAZING. We cannot get enough of them. My brother and grandpa hold contests to see who can eat more, but we all gorge ourselves. They're even one of the things my mom misses about that family, so we usually try to sneak her some home. Just....so full of flavor and goodness, yet they're somehow indescribable. It's like...there's no way you can understand their appeal until you try for yourself.

And I like...never get to eat them. I'm rarely home and am lucky if I'm there for a time when they're made. And, like I said, my grandma is being a real pain about getting me that recipe.

Then, when I made homemade tortillas and enchiladas for Michael's birthday, inspiration struck! I could make my own version of scapellis in the meantime! In sort of a scapelli-enchilada hybrid kind of way. Pretty much what I did was use my homemade flour tortillas to try to simulate the flavors of scapellis (and add in some shredded chicken to make it a bit more entree-worthy). And it was a success! These definitely are not exactly the same as my family favorite, but they will definitely keep me happy until I can try making the real thing. And they're just awesome in their own right, as they are. :)

Give em a try. You'll see. 

UPDATE: I FOUND THEM (probably, slightly different but pretty much)!!! THEY'RE SPELLED SCRIPPELLE and they're actually from a different side of my grandpa's family than I realized, they're from his family that are from Abruzzo, not Sicily! MYSTERY SOLVED!

Pigu

Sometimes I make a recipe that doesn't 100% work out for me, but it's because I did something wrong so, I still wanna share it with you guys, you know? I'm hoping you'll all have better luck. I'm thinking what went wrong for me here was my lack of a a pasta maker thingy to make the dough extra thin: and what's sad is I actually technically have one of those. It's my mom's, my grandma gave it to her as a wedding present and she's never used it, thusly it is mine (as many of my mom's wedding presents have become). I just don't like...have the space to use it right now. Anywhozzle, due to my assumed too thick dough I ended up not making nearly enough of these pigu, and had oodles of filling leftover (although I was able to finagle a use for the filling, waste not want not and all that).

My problems aside, let's talk about pigu.

Pigu is like an Italian dumpling sorta kinda thing? I dunno exactly how to describe it to you, but, it's traditionally made at Easter time. And it's Lent so, yeah. If you like pasta and you like Romano cheese, then you'll love these. These go perfectly with soup, too, just saying.

(Oh and you know what I'm doing right now? Cleaning. Why am I cleaning-aside from normal reasons? Because Hayley is arriving tonight, and it's going to be so. much. FUN!)

"The" Meatballs

YOU GUYS!

I recently made the best meatballs (I think) that I've ever had! Certainly the best I've ever made!

Now, I'm not gonna call these "the best" in the title because...everyone has different preferences. Michael's favorite are his mom's. Some people like pork. Some, like me, prefer all beef meatballs. 

So, like I was saying-to me-these meatballs are the best. Michael REALLY liked them too (he didn't even bring up his mom's, which is a good sign). They have just the right amount of flavor and tenderness, and can be used pretty much any way you prefer to use meatballs. I'm currently obsessed with the idea of using these to make a meatball sub.

Truth be told? 

I liked these so much I ate them plain, with just a little bit of sauce. Because they are that good.

Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Sooooooo good.

This recipe is courtesy of a random clipping of a recipe I had in my old recipe box from my pre-food bloggy (AKA food obsession) phase. I have almost thrown this recipe out a million times but something always stopped me. THANK GOD! I love love love love this. It's a new favorite. I'm 99% sure you'll love it too.

The onions and garlic add a really delicious flavor to the rich and creamy cheese sauce, I adore penne and the addition of chicken makes this a nice easy casserole kind of meal! And don't get me started on the buttery, delicious, soft crumb topping! It's a perfect combination of flavors. Michael loved it. I love it. You'll love it. Your family...will....wait for it..

love it.

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Rigatoni-Guest Post with Jen of Juanita's Cocina

Hey everyone! So, I'm back in the old Ohio-super super busy, I'm sure (I'm totally writing this post before I leave), and I have my first guest post for you today! I chose two of my absolute favorite foodie friends, and first I have the wonderful and hilarious Jen of Juanita's Cocina! Jen is a super amazing, super talented wife/mother/"at-home-cook, wanna-be chef, and aspiring foodie".  She is so nice you guys, it's like, impossible to not immediately become her friend. PLUS-she can legitimately say y'all (she lives in Texas). She always has some of the most entertaining stories you will read (forreals, never fails to amuse me), and delicious food! Go become her friend! Tweet her, FB her, Pin her, you guys know the dealio. And obviously you should start obsessively stalking her blog. That's just manners, people.

Even the post she wrote for me, right here, when you scroll down-cracks me up. I love that girl! Jen is so silly--apparently she's never been to Ohio, so she thinks it's a vacation ;). Little does she know I'll be spending all my time running around just trying to squeeze as much time with as many friends/family members as possible (also, Ohio is so boring, never vacation there. It's a nice place to live...not vacation, unless you have people to visit like me! :D) 

Also...I want to eat some of that rigatoni...I'm legit. planning on making it! Michael agrees :).



 

Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo

Remember how I'm like a dumb little kid and I need to be tricked into eating vegetables?

This is one such recipe.

You take zucchini and use them to take the place of some of the fettuccine noodles, and then smother them in the super flavorful (but not super fatty!) sauce. And it's amazing. I love this entire concept so much I've even used zucchini noodles in other kinds of pasta (but not oil pasta, because olive oil alone isn't enough of a mask for the icky green stuff for the 6 year old that is myself). It's so great because this recipe takes a dish that is so fatty and calorie-laden that many of us feel like we just can't eat it-but it gives us a delicious alternative that I, personally, think is just as good. What makes me so sad, though, is the fact that this is one of the first recipes I ever bookmarked. And it took me like 2 years to make it. I could've been eating this for 2 years and I wasn't! It's a travesty! An outrage! An abomination! YOU MUST LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES AND MAKE SOME OF THIS ASAP! I mean it! Also-you definitely might want to double (or triple) the amount, depending on how many people you're serving and if you want leftovers. Because when it says serves 2-it means serves 2. A little friendly advice. But anyway, what are you doing hanging around here reading the silliness that comes out of my fingers on this keyboard onto this blog? YOU SHOULD BE MAKING SOME OF THIS FETTUCCINE ALFREDO!

GO ON!

:)

Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo

From Eating Well "Fettuccine Alfredo"

Serves 2

(can easily double this recipe if you want leftovers)

Mini, Baked, Meatballs

I did it!!! I made it through Lent without cheating on a single meatless Friday! Woohoo! A small accomplishment, but exciting, nevertheless. As a reward for being so good, I have extra meaty little treats, just for you! Mini, baked, meatballs!

I hate to be annoying and barely write anything for y'all to read, but I am simply exhausted! Lots of exciting stuff going on in this cooking actress' life :).

Don't you fret-I will continue to supply you with tasty foods!

Mini, Baked, Meatballs

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Lasagna: A Guest Post for I'm Cookin' In My Kitchen

I have some very exciting stuff for you today! I have written my first ever guest post over at one of my best blogging friends, Jenn's, blog- I'm Cookin' In My Kitchen. It's a fairly new blog-but full of lots of delicious recipes, fun and oftentimes inspiring writing from Jenn, and the occasional adorable photo of her cat, Buddy. :)

She requested I share a favorite Italian recipe, perhaps a family one? And so, if you would like the recipe to that delicious lasagna you see up there (that Michael and I absolutely gobble up whenever I make it) head on over and check it out!

AND to celebrate our combined first guest post ever, Jenn is hosting a great giveaway! Click to see what she's giving, and how to enter!CLOSED

Lasagna

Family recipe from my Grandma Friedrich (maiden name Moore)

Makes 1 large lasagna pan (or one 9 x 13 pan and one 11 x 7 pan)

Ingredients:

·         About 1 pound lasagna noodles (you may need less, I usually do. I also use Ready Bake lasagna noodles to make my life easier—I end up using 15 noodles in all, when doing so. To make this healthier you can use whole wheat.)

·         32 oz. Container of ricotta cheese (you may use less or more, depending on your preference of how much ricotta you want. I always use 32 oz. I also love ricotta.)

·         Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Provolone cheese. The original recipe calls for 1 package, each, of sliced cheese. I prefer to use shredded, and usually use about 3 bags of “Italian” shredded cheese (which contain a mix of mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone). (You can also use different cheeses, or more or less, to taste.)

·         About 1 large can/jar of your favorite pasta sauce (homemade or store bought. I use meat, you can use meatless or whatever you like. The amount you use depends on preference. I use less than called for, as I don't love a lot of sauce.)

·         1 pound ground beef, browned in a skillet (Optional-you can also use whatever add-ins you choose.)

Preparation:

·         Cook lasagna noodles and drain (if not using oven ready noodles). Brown the ground beef in a pan—season to taste.

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

·         Spray pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray.

·         Put a very thin layer of sauce on bottom of pan(s) (helps keep bottom layer of noodles moist). Then lay lasagna noodle layer. Layer (in whatever order you prefer. I usually layer noodles-sauce-ricotta-beef-cheeses-noodles-etc.) the meat, ricotta, other cheeses, sauce, and noodles. Repeat until the pan is nearly full. (9 x 13 pans have 3 layers, 11 x 7 pans have 2 layers—could perhaps hold 3.) The top of the lasagna should have the cheeses.

·         Sprinkle dried basil on top of layered lasagna (optional).

·         Cover with foil (with the underside coated in non-stick spray) and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake more 10-15 minutes-or until bubbly and beginning to brown.

·         Let sit 5 minutes before cutting.

·         Make Ahead Directions: Take the layered, uncooked, lasagna pan(s) and cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil. Refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 2 months. When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap and replace the foil. Bake refrigerated lasagna the same as you would bake fresh. Bake frozen lasagna 1 hour and 30 minutes, making sure to remove the foil before the final 10-15 minutes of baking.

Chicken Parmesan Bake

It has come to my realization that it's been a little while since I shared an entree. Apologies. Since I'm still trying to get through all the recipes with photos I took with my old camera, this little beauty is what I decided to tell you all about. As most of us know, Chicken Parmesan can be very unhealthy (fried, globs of mozzarella...etc). This recipe presents a healthier solution-and in a fun, casserole kind of way! The croutons here mimic the crunchiness of the fried chicken, and using both Parmesan and shredded mozzarella brings down the calorie count. The first night I made this Michael and I were just so enamored with it, it was delicious! Word of advice though-it definitely loses something when it's leftover. It was very hard to finish. I probably wouldn't make this again unless I had a whole group of people to feed. If you have children, though, you should be good-it really is ridiculously tasty fresh! Enough jibber jabber, now, on to the recipe: