Chicken Piccata

Simple but tasty … Add wine when company is expected for a more sophisticated taste. This thinly sliced chicken, chicken piccata, is just so perfect … It becomes about the lemony buttery sauce. Enjoy a little twist with the bella mushrooms. We love it!!

Or try my Chicken Involtini for a truly smashing presentation. If you have chicken you may have all ingredients needed for this recipe because this dish has a list of optional stuffings … from sausage to prosciutto or pancetta to mild white cheeses to herbs, rosemary, sage, parsley, or basil, to pine nuts or capers, to vegetables, spinach or roasted red bell peppers even bread crumbs.

These are amazing dishes anytime!

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Summer Minestrone

With a vegetable garden this is so easy to put together. A bit of a pantry recipe, versatile, whatever you have on hand. Even add a bit of meat, Italian sausage my suggestion, for the meat lovers. My secret to a well melded minestrone is to simmer for over an hour even if it’s cooked through in 30 minutes.

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No Cook Tomato Pasta Topping

Great Summertime Pasta Dish! Place this sauce over your warm pasta and dig in. It’s perfect for those summer tomatoes and basil. Light and delicious!

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One Pan Pasta

William Sonoma make over to fit my available ingredients and to serve the pasta and tomatoes al dente without high alcohol content for the kiddos. Vegetarian perfect with amazing flavor.

Add Anchovies if you like. And for my idea of a true puttanesca sauce add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes when adding the garlic.

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Easy Baked Ziti

How about this for a Holiday Meal. So easy and So delicious. Another dinner prepped by my oldest! This recipe uses the canned tomatoes we had shipped from Italy. Check out how we found this delicious tomato sauce. Not to worry, Sclafani Crushed Tomato Sauce is also available on Amazon. It’s worth a try!

This is one of those meals that preps quickly then bakes ’til bubbly. If your family and friends are into pasta they’ll love this.

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Cheese and Peas Pasta

Yep, I love pasta! When I see a pasta dish that looks this good I’ve got to try it! This pasta dish was inspired by the Pasta Queen as seen in the Fall Recipe Issue of William Sonoma California catalog. I made the recipe as is the first time around but found it a little bland … lacking depth. (Admittedly, I just recovered my taste & sense of smell after a bout of covid.) I’ll stick with my additions. Give this a try if you love pasta and of course peas.

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Tex Mex Vegetarian Lasagna

Today is Pasta Sunday, and I decided to do a changeup! You know how some vegetarian lasagna recipes are just missing something (like meat!). Well, with this recipe you don’t even go there! This recipe has all the ingredients it needs to be perfectly delicious. My guest was surprised to find the sauce has V-8 … mainly because he doesn’t like V-8, or is it Worcestershire? Actually, I use both in cooking and normally don’t mention it to him. No Worcestershire in this recipe!

Lots of good ingredients. And a very surprising vegetarian lasagna!

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Cooking Secrets from Stresa

Beautiful Day in Stresa Italy with my oldest!

And look what I brought back. Wine has just arrived too!

You too can have these items from Italy. Information to follow but first I’m going to tell you how easy it is to prepare an easy feast on a hot day with my selection of goodies above.

-Add the Bruschetta spices (above) to bread for sandwiches, sprinkle on roasted or mashed potatoes, on meat or fish and of course, on your pasta sauce. This combination of spices is wonderfully fresh. Place a jar on your table for sprinkling on just about everything. To preserve properly add a handful of black peppercorns to the mix.

-The dried mushrooms can be whirled in your food processor until they form a powder to be used as a condiment on just about anything you are cooking.

-The balsamic vinegar here (one is 10 years old and the other 30 years). Use your 10 year balsamic for this recipe below.

Balsamic Pate

1 T cream
8 Ounces cream cheese-room temperature (start with 4 ounces and add to taste)
2 T balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t Spices (above) optional

Mix and let set for an hour or so.
Serve on toasted bread or crackers.

-What can I say about the Truffle Sauce. 2 T of truffle sauce to a bit of cream in a skillet. Heat through. Add freshly cooked drained pasta to the skillet and sauté. So delicious! Or simply add a bit of truffle sauce to freshly cooked eggs for an extra special breakfast.

All these recipes and products are thanks to this little shop in Stresa Italy. Amazing products and super amazing Italian wines. All is shipped at a reasonable price.

La Cambusa – enoteca Wine shop Stresa

We miss you!


Salami Peas and Pasta

Sunday’s Pasta Meal

When you have the flu and someone brings a care basket with salami, cheese & pasta you wait until you’re better and you fix this! (Thanks Will for all the goodies!)

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Spaghetti Soup

When you’ve a house full of hungry guests (and creating more meals than expected) … here’s a way to put together a quick soup they’ll love. If you just made Italian gravy so much the better but a jar sauce with a few other ingredients will do in a pinch. Some sauce ideas, here, if you need.

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