Read Your Recipe!
Creamy is in quotes because technically, “creamy” implies cream. There is no cream to be found here. I adapted this from a Cooking Light recipe – the title included the term “Carbonara”. Typically, pasta carbonara includes eggs, and that is the secret to this “creamy” sauce. Most definitely quick enough for a week night but tasty (and pretty) enough to entertain with. This meal came together in under 25 minutes – no lie!
For some reason the “Asian-Style” dinner doesn’t come easily to me – I’ll still refer to recipes to find that elusive balance of sweet/savory/spicy. There are certain ingredients such as “fish sauce” and “hoisin sauce” that, because I don’t remember their unique flavor, I get nervous to use. That being said, I know I’ve posted similar recipes to this before but if you’re like me, a new take is always appreciated.
This post is dedicated to Jenna.. who’s fried ravioli obsession led to many memorable heist jobs from our college cafeteria – my girl straight up brought tupperware.
I love a pasta dish that’s simple but tasty. Forget the anchovy paste and fancy fresh herbs – this is a week night dinner that LITERALLY comes together in the time it takes your pasta to cook – what, 11 minutes?
A meat-free Monday option – and a truly bowl-licking experience. I love love those sesame noodles from many Asian restaurants (and Trader Joe’s), the only problem being the high calorie count. This bowl of noodles and veggies clocks in around 400 calories and almost 20 grams of protein – a perfect dinner amount.
If you don’t have kids, then go to Europe. You get married and you say to your husband or wife, let’s make sure to take at least one trip to Europe before we have kids. And then you get pregnant. And then maybe you go to Europe in twenty or so years – at least that’s our new plan.
Today’s recipe for fusilli with tuna, mushrooms and rosemary gives us a lot to talk about.
Let’s start with the pasta: What comes to mind when you read fusilli? Fusilli Jerry, right? From Seinfeld? Anyone?
Ever heard of “goulash”? I think every family has a “goulash” and I’d be willing to bet each one is very different. We definitely had goulash, and it was a week night favorite of mine.
So whether this is Polish, Irish, or German in origin, it’s pretty dang good. This was one of my very favorite comfort foods growing up, and for whatever reason I didn’t start making it until recently. It’s mind-numbingly easy and just requires the occasional stir.
In taking my married name I felt as if I shed a bit of my Italian heritage (DiLullo moved to the middle name spot). However, I take Mario Batali to heart when he says “There are two types of people in the world. Italians and people who want to be Italian”.
Garlicky is just a fantastic word.
In attempting to be budget and environmentally friendly, I try to go meatless every other night. Beans and cheese become the stars. Sometimes I will look at my husband’s plate after we’re done eating and there will be all these beans around the edge. I say, “you should really eat those, good protein”. And he usually whines something like “but you gave me so many!”. What?
Butternut Squash is the sort of thing many people like, but don’t attempt to make at home. I included a bunch of pictures of the preparation involved, because it’s really not difficult. This time of year these squash are plentiful and CHEAP and can usually be found locally sourced.
Last night there occurred an impromptu girls night involving myself, my 1 mo. old daughter, both grand-moms and Monica, our close family friend. The plan was to go out to an Italian restaurant and play pass the baby. I happen to know said baby likes to scream her head off between the hours of 7 and 9 pm, so I didn’t see the restaurant as a great option. I decided to save us all some cash and make us a pasta dinner while THEY played pass the screaming baby.
My mom didn’t do a lot of casseroles growing up but she DID make a mean mac and cheese and a tuna noodle casserole. I LOVed the tuna.. all the cheesy noodley goodness. Turns out casseroles aren’t so good for you; there is almost always a cream sauce and lots of cheese, not to mention starchy pasta and sometimes questionable meat. But on a cold night, it sure feels good to dig into a bowl of creamy cheesy deliciousness.
Apparently I like eggplant lasagna, huh? I made this lasagna in gargantuan proportions for a catering job last fall and a certain friend happened to be in attendance. Since then she has been hinting at me making this for her; it hasn’t happened yet BUT now she can make it herself, because here’s the recipe! It truly is delicious…it’s one I plan on making frequently in the future.
So I’m on a mini escape to the shore for a few days, but I couldn’t leave my husband without dinner. When I mentioned this to a friend, she said “I hope he knows how spoiled he is”. So to explain, it’s not that I make things like this for dinner all the time, it’s that if I’m not there to make SOMETHING for him, he just won’t eat or he will eat a couple of Cliff bars from Wawa. So the reason I’m leaving him with dinner is that I want him around and I’m concerned about his diet/health when I’m not around. Bottom line, don’t give me too much credit for making his dinners ahead. Selfishness is at it’s base.
I wanted a great pasta salad that was more than just the standard mayo or Italian dressing version. I do love pesto! I came across an America’s Test Kitchen recipe that discussed pesto pasta salad. It said that often the salad turns a yucky color (which we know pesto will do if kept much longer than a half hour, even in the fridge) and also that the oil often separates out and it gets greasy.