It is amazing to see how many versions of Pasta e Fagioli are printed in cookbooks or on the Internet. I searched many recipes for this delicious Italian traditional dish, but could not find one that was similar to the recipe my Mother made and taught me.
Pasta e Fagioli is Italian for pasta and beans. It can be considered a soup or a stew. It all depends on how much liquid you use. My recipe is more like a stew or as Rachel Ray has coined the expression “stoup”. It’s meatless, quick, hearty, and inexpensive to prepare. How many of you remember Dean Martin singing Amore and the famous lyrics “when the stars make you drool just like pasta fazool”? I guarantee this dish will make you drool! Enjoy. Read more...
My Mother made lentil soup often and a pot of lentil soup cooking on the stove still reminds me of those cold, snowy days growing up in New York City and the warmth and delicious aromas of our kitchen linger with me today. Mom’s recipe for lentil soup was a meatless dish and with her knack of adding a pinch of this and a pinch of that made this a very flavorful dish. Read more...
Winter has hit most of the nation with quite a punch and nothing can warm the tummy better than a hearty bowl of hot soup. My version of a quick vegetable soup came to me one cold day when it was snowing and sleeting outside. It was getting late and I wanted the family to have some hot soup when they came in from the cold at the end of the day. Read more...
Even though I won’t admit to my age, since we all know age is irrelevant, right? I will, however, say I am a senior citizen who is always eager to embrace the latest in technology and my introduction to the Nintendo Wii was very impressive. I found it fun and even beneficial for all ages.
I received the Nintendo Wii for my birthday and within a few minutes for setting up the equipment; I was bowling, golfing, playing baseball, tennis and also boxing. My husband, George, quickly became interested and before long we were competing in all the activities that came with my first Wii game; Wii Sports. In no time at all, I was addicted and George is right behind. Read more...
Christmas memories and traditions during the holiday have always meant a lot to me. My family had instilled in me many traditions for Christmas. Naturally, our Italian Catholic heritage plays a big part in these traditions.
We would decorate our Christmas tree on Christmas Eve after all the children were asleep, which meant the tree went up and was decorated very late, practically into the wee small hours of the morning. When the children would awake on Christmas morn they would view with bewilderment a beautiful lighted and decorated evergreen with gift wrapped presents under the tree. Gee, how come they never wondered how Santa had time to do that? Read more...
The holidays will be here before we know it and this year I will give gifts that are used in the kitchen. It seems more and more people are cooking meals at home rather than going out to eat. This can be difficult for a cook who is not equipped with the right essentials.
Since I have been cooking for umpteen years, I have found some equipment that I cannot do without. Hopefully, this list will give you some ideas for those on your gift list. You can find many of these items in discount stores, or on sale, and even better on line. Searching the web gives you more opportunity to compare prices and many vendors offer free shipping. Read more...
When cooking a large meal, such as Thanksgiving dinner, I try to find as many shortcuts as possible. One that works well and is just as delicious as starting from scratch, is turkey gravy made with a packaged dry seasoning mix.
I use turkey gravy mix and add chicken broth, dry white wine or dry vermouth, and finish it off with butter to enhance the flavors and give the gravy a homemade touch. Quick and easy is the way to go!
What’s Thanksgiving dinner without a serving of cranberries? There are numerous ways to prepare cranberries, fresh, frozen or canned and I have prepared many a cranberry dish but my all time favorite is my Cranberry Gelatin Mold with a simple cream cheese topping.
In fact, my daughter Allison, who was not fond of cooking, did take this recipe with her when she was on her own and entertaining or needed to bring a dish to a dinner. This was one she would fix and received raves. It was a joy for me to see her prepare this recipe. It can be made days in advance and unmolded just before serving. Enjoy! Read more...
I will always have fond memories of celebrating Thanksgiving with my parents and our relatives. My Dad was born in Italy and came to America at the age of 13. He lived with relatives who also emigrated from Italy before the Great Depression. My Mother was first generation American and she also had relatives from Italy. However, since Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday, it was extremely important to my parents and relatives because they wanted to be everything AMERICAN. Read more...
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and do you find yourself going through magazines and television food shows searching for new and different recipes to make for Thanksgiving dinner? Each year I find myself doing just that but in the end I still find myself cooking our traditional favorites.
One recipe which my Mom made every year, and my sister followed the tradition, is her Italian sausage and bread stuffing. Mom always cooked from scratch and I knew my sister made this stuffing every Thanksgiving so when I asked her for the recipe she was happy to pass it on, but her first statement was “I can give you the ingredients and the procedure but the amounts I leave up to you”. Read more...
It is amazing to see how many versions of Pasta e Fagioli are printed in cookbooks or on the Internet. I searched many recipes for this delicious Italian traditional dish, but could not find one that was similar to the recipe my Mother made and taught me.
My Mother made lentil soup often and a pot of lentil soup cooking on the stove still reminds me of those cold, snowy days growing up in New York City and the warmth and delicious aromas of our kitchen linger with me today. Mom’s recipe for lentil soup was a meatless dish and with her knack of adding a pinch of this and a pinch of that made this a very flavorful dish. 
Winter has hit most of the nation with quite a punch and nothing can warm the tummy better than a hearty bowl of hot soup. My version of a quick vegetable soup came to me one cold day when it was snowing and sleeting outside. It was getting late and I wanted the family to have some hot soup when they came in from the cold at the end of the day. 
Christmas memories and traditions during the holiday have always meant a lot to me. My family had instilled in me many traditions for Christmas. Naturally, our Italian Catholic heritage plays a big part in these traditions.
When cooking a large meal, such as Thanksgiving dinner, I try to find as many shortcuts as possible. One that works well and is just as delicious as starting from scratch, is turkey gravy made with a packaged dry seasoning mix.
What’s Thanksgiving dinner without a serving of cranberries? There are numerous ways to prepare cranberries, fresh, frozen or canned and I have prepared many a cranberry dish but my all time favorite is my Cranberry Gelatin Mold with a simple cream cheese topping.
I will always have fond memories of celebrating Thanksgiving with my parents and our relatives. My Dad was born in Italy and came to America at the age of 13. He lived with relatives who also emigrated from Italy before the Great Depression. My Mother was first generation American and she also had relatives from Italy. However, since Thanksgiving is strictly an American holiday, it was extremely important to my parents and relatives because they wanted to be everything AMERICAN. 
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and do you find yourself going through magazines and television food shows searching for new and different recipes to make for Thanksgiving dinner? Each year I find myself doing just that but in the end I still find myself cooking our traditional favorites.