Winter holiday time is really my favorite time to cook. The weather gets a little chillier, the food gets a little heartier. One thing I don't make much during the warm months is the all day slow cooked Sunday tomato sauce with meat. Well that changes once the Fall arrives. And when I decide to cook the Sunday sauce, Italian Beef Braciole is definitely going on the menu. My family and I are big ...
Pasta
Spicy Pasta
With this simple Spicy Pasta recipe, you can wow your family with dinner in mere minutes, and tingle their tastebuds while you do it. Italians call this an arrabbiata sauce, translated to angry sauce. Many people when they make pasta with tomato sauce think that once the basic sauce is done they just have to add it to the pasta and the work is done. But there is so much creativity and ...
Classic Fettuccine Alfredo
Okay, this is my simple take on the simple Italian pasta dish fettuccine alfredo. The story goes that fettuccine alfredo was invented in the early 20th century by an Italian restaurateur by the name of Alfredo Di Lelio. Mr. Di Lelio's alfredo sauce is a mixture of butter and parmesan cheese. Certainly this was not the first invention of pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, as this was described ...
Creamy Cajun Pasta with Spicy Sausage
Hey there, Chris here. Get ready for this! Oh boy! Now, do I ever love spicy food!! Hope you do too! This dish is spicy deliciousness!! In general, pasta and cream sauce are a match made in creamy heaven. And this recipe is a new family favorite waiting to happen. The way the cream sauce coats the pasta, making every bite a decadent taste of pure goodness. And now combine that cream sauce with ...
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca perhaps has a naughty origin in Italy, but this recipe is a guaranteed hit. Each time I have made it, it is basically lick the plate worthy. Perhaps you have had this experience ... you go out to an Italian restaurant and the spaghetti sauce leaves you dying for more. How is it that they make that sauce so darned good? Tomato sauce recipes are truly a dime a dozen on the ...
Penne with Ragu alla Bolognese
Ragu alla Bolognese is a delicious chunky meat tomato sauce originating from Bologna Italy. Recently my wife and I went to Da Vinci's Ristorante in Greenville, SC for our eleventh anniversary dinner. I had the bolognese sauce on taglietelle pasta, which was absolutely delicious. A few days later I was looking in the old pantry for some dinner ideas and of course found some penne and crushed ...
Baked Cheesy Pasta with Pancetta and Spinach
This is another baked pasta dish that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your dinner table. Very rich and creamy, it's not an everyday dish. But you can pull it out every once in a while for a Sunday dinner. Everybody will be stuffed and happy. And the shape and texture of the orecchiette pasta surprisingly lends itself well to being baked in this dish. Ordinarily you want to serve pasta more on ...
Stuffed Shells With Spinach and Pancetta
Here it is, the ultimate Italian comfort food! Pasta shells stuffed with melted seasoned mozzarella and ricotta, salty gobs of pancetta, and ample fresh spinach. That's everything you get with this delicious Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Pancetta recipe. In my family, all holiday celebration meals called for the traditional main course meal and a standard Italian dish as a side meal. The Italian ...