Pasta W/Vodka Sauce & Spicy Sausage

It is funny sometimes how things stick with you. Years ago, (why do so many of my posts start with that…?) I was watching Giada DeLaurentiis make a pasta dish on one of her very first cooking shows, Everyday Italian. They featured the finished product first and it was wonderfully creamy and…

Simple Artichoke Dip

Ah.  Classic artichoke dip.  How I love thee… There are some things in this world that you just need to know how to make.  Bread, poached eggs, really good chocolate chip cookies, and if I may be so bold as to add to the list-artichoke dip.  Its classic.  Its simple.  Its familiar…

Weeknight Pasta Puttanesca

Its no secret the our family loves food with a tang to it.  We are just ‘tangy’ people, I guess. It isn’t as though you couldn’t tell by the kinds of recipes I post here.  They are a direct reflection of what is on my table every day.  Hence, the evidence is…

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

As Thanksgiving, the holiday of food, approaches, everyone is looking for interesting/original/uncomplicated items to add to the menu.  But wouldn’t it be nice if the new recipe you tried was so easy and so delicious, that you just ended up making it all the time?  I think that would be a beautiful…

Caesar Salad

Caesar salad and I have a kind of love, hate relationship. Up until just a few years ago, I was more of a french or bleu cheese dressing type of gal.  I thought caesar salads were quite boring actually.  At least with a house salad you get tomatoes, maybe some cheese, a…

Parmesan Tilapia

Yeah, tilapia! You all know how much I love tilapia.  Next to salmon and shrimp, it is one of my most favorite kinds of fish or seafood.  It has a clean, mild flavor that is just…good.  The whole family does a collective cheer if it shows up on the menu.  In the…

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

So, I am told there is some kind of big deal football game coming up.  Did you hear about this? I actually had to google it to find out when it was happening!  My husband and I don’t really follow sports, unless you count the Olympics.  I do, of course, love the…

Creamy Penne W/Shrimp & New Holiday Traditions

Several years ago, when Evelyn was around three, she was sitting with me and watching Giada make this pasta on her Food Network show.  This was not unusual.  She is six now and still watches cooking shows with me; commenting on dishes like a seasoned chef.  But this particular time, she turned…

Roasted Tomato Pasta & The day my freezer ate my tomatoes…

Who has two thumbs and is super excited about today’s post????  THIS gal! (Read the following really fast but monotone and with very little inflection in your voice.  That is how I hear these next words in my head as I type…) Disclaimer:  I was in Barnes & Noble today-don’t you just love that place?- and…

Chicken Tetrazzini

If you follow me on Facebook you may have noticed that I have been freezing meals and food for busy days that are post new baby.  I plan on doing a more detailed post of hints, tips, and all the freezer recipes that are quickly maxing out my chest freezer.  But for…

Parmesan Dip & Butternut Squash Crostini

Well, it is done.  A fast and furious hour and a half long cocktail party that I have been pondering the menu for for the last year, came and went.  As Selma from Night Court once said, “I laughed.  I cried.  It became a part of me.” OK.  So I didn’t cry.  But…

Garlic Herb Bread

First of all, sorry these pics are a little…off.  When I was ready to photograph this the sun went down and dark storm clouds descended on our house, thus eliminating any natural light.  It is a glaring reminder to me that winter is coming and that I will need to start doing…

Roast Broccoli: A Nutritional Powerhouse

I am going to be honest here.  All that stuff about people not liking broccoli and kids shrinking away from it in horror-I pretty much think that is all a load of bunk. Most children I know love the stuff.  Most adults I know do too.  But how are you preparing it?  Raw…

Pesto & Filling The Freezer

When posting recipes for you, I try to mention if that particular dish is good as leftovers, freezes well, can be made ahead, or doubles easily.  These are tips that I always look for and kind of take a mental note about when I am looking through recipes.  This information makes my…

Egg Ribbon Soup & Sniffles

As much as I wish our family could really enjoy the weather right now (it is past 80 degrees here in central IL), it is proving rather difficult.  My kids have been sick since last Tuesday, and now I am afflicted.  I am quite certain that this is just a spring cold;…