Lasagna Soup

Have you seen a Lasagna Soup Recipe circulating social media in the last month? I have but not this recipe. I thought, how difficult would it be to change up my all time Lasagna into a soup! As it turns out, not difficult at all. The perfect answer to a quick dinner especially if lasagna is what you’re craving.

 

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Pumpkin Recipes

 

It’s Pumpkin Season!

 


Braised Short Ribs     Cheesecake     Quick Bread     Pasta Sauce     Cupcakes


No Bake Pie                                                                              Pound Cake


French Toast                                Panettone                                     Sandies


Creamy Soup                                                                    Deep Dish Dessert


Mini Pumpkins         Popcorn Balls         Torte            Spice Cake          Cookies


 


Sourdough Focaccia

Family often sends me recipes to try and this is one. Just the idea of sourdough without the mess of a sourdough starter is a major plus. I had to try this. Although, I must say I found the Platinum Instant Sourdough Yeast a bit pricey and not too available. Was it worth it? Actually, the answer is an easy YES. The flavor is amazing. Use your favorite infused olive oil and dot the top with tomatoes, rosemary or whatever. This recipe was found in Bake From Scratch. The magazine does have a website if you wish to check it out. I did make one major change to the recipe, no mixer. The dough is sticky but can be handled easily with a handheld dough hook and a little kneading. Just made sense to me. Enjoy!

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Hunter’s Chicken

My favorite way to prepare chicken thighs. Chicken breasts can be substituted as well as cut up whole chicken pieces. But with skinless and boneless thighs the chicken is exceedingly moist, and skinless provides a healthier option. Layer this over pasta and it’s a complete meal. If short on time this can be cooked up in 30 minutes especially when using chicken breasts alone. If you are interested in a hearty meal with a veggie base this is the meal for you!

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Citrus Ricotta Cookies

It’s not unusual for a guy friend of mine to bring along a new recipe when he comes to visit. Anything with ricotta and citrus seems to catch his eye and this recipe has both. (I need to give acknowledgement  to Beads and Basil for this recipe she shared in a monthly values magazine.) When I look at a recipe for the first time I not only anticipate the taste, just how good is this going to be, but also the complexity. Sometimes complexity doesn’t equal a better product. Cookies, I usually bake on a whim. So, the recipe must have a simple list of ingredients (mostly already in my pantry) and must be limited in prep time. This original recipe calls for overnight or at least 8 hours. As you might have guessed this is too long for me, and I found a way to cut the time to 4 hours without changing the outcome in my opinion. The prep is simple and the bulk of time is in the freezing. Hope you enjoy this citrusy taste treat. We did!

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Pasta Calabrese

Pasta fully loaded … with vegetables that is! And for the meat lover … you won’t miss it! Sometimes the simplest of dishes is best. If your garden is full of summer vegetables your shopping list for this amazing dish just got shorter.

Calabria is the toe of the Italian boot. This Southern Italian region is known for simple dishes. We love pasta so much that many of our pasta dishes become comfort foods. Pasta Calabrese is one.

 

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Summer Vegetables with Pasta

Rustic pasta with vegetables, herbs and broken pieces of long ziti. Purely vegetarian with a light taste. Great to serve on a hot summer’s day. Enjoy the last of summer veggies with this simple satisfying dish.

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Eggplant Rollup

Appetizer or dinner this eggplant treatment is not usual, and fun to do! Definitely Italian in flavor making it so delicious. Cheesy basil stuffed tender rolls of eggplant are so good. Add a plain red sauce or not. It’s Perfect!

Apparently I’m into eggplant. I have quite a few recipes with this ingredient. If you’d told me when I was younger this would be one of my favorite vegetables I’m not sure I would have agreed. Here are a few other eggplant recipes you might enjoy.

 

Roasted Eggplant Dip

Orzo with Eggplant

Eggplant Appetizer

Eggplant Parmesan

Ratatouille

Tangy Roasted Vegetables

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Calabrian Macaroni

The perfect Pasta Sunday meal for 5-6, the size of my usual gang. What do I know about Calabria? Not a whole lot! Lucia gave me unsolicited cautionary advice about the men but too late. Ha. I must say being friends with my guy is much easier than the romance. Oops! His love for Italian food and cooking is hard to resist. Yep, his family is from this region. So, what makes this pasta dish Calabrian … The Calabrian peppers and the long macaroni … all of it!

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Romas

Right from my garden! When thinking of a juicy tomato this one is probably not brought to mind. These are my favorite tomato just for that reason. I love the low moisture sweet meatiness of a Roma. Great for bruschetta but when your plants are this prolific you can only eat so much bruschetta. The sweetness of this tomato is great for sauces, no added sugar needed. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a pasta Sunday. It’s time! Be on the look out for my Calabrian Macaroni. Most ingredients are already in my garden. See you Sunday!