About Anita

Cheese Dip Velveeta or Not

It’s really about Cheese Dip … not the meal I turned it into! Cheese Dip just sounded a perfect addition to Super Bowl Sunday. To use Velveeta or not? I went with the tradition but after tasting a slice I realized this isn’t the Velveeta of my youth. Now What? All this Velvetta! Here’s what I did.

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Baked Potato Soup

Easy delicious recipe! Really does taste like a baked potato with all the fixin’s. This recipe is inspired by the New York Times recipe with a few prep changes to help assure a smoother soup and no curdle. It’s a perfect super bowl addition. Leave those potatoes a bit chunky for the guys who need something to sink their teeth into.

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Super Bowl Perfect Soups and Beans

These are great options for Super Bowl Sunday. New Recipes to come soon!

Barbecued Brisket Soup

Portuguese Chili Beans

Cheeseburger Soup

Portuguese Beans with Linguica

Beef Corn Chowder

Rustic Bread White Bean and Greens Soup

 


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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White Turkey Chili

A great chili variation! But don’t take my word for it … Give it a try! This is a quick pantry recipe when you want something healthy & hearty but don’t have a lot of time to cook. If you’re a purest (cooking all the beans from scratch) it’s a tasty recipe worth the effort.

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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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Chocolate Malted Milk Scones

The perfect scone for the chocolate lover.

Just the right amount of chocolate taste with a hint of malted. A great way to start your morning with that cup of coffee. This recipe is only slightly revised and one of many put out by King Arthur Baking. I’ve enjoyed many of their products and tried several of their recipes. I do recommend trying their catalog for interesting baking ideas.

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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

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