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...

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...

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!

Ingredients:

Serves: 8  Read more...

• 2 packages gravy mix (Knorrs Turkey Gravy 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.

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...

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...

Would you believe that sauerkraut may be considered the next Chicken Soup for its health benefits? It is packed with vitamins and minerals and because of the phytochemicals that are created during fermentation, it can help boost the immune system. A healthy immune system helps us fight off the common cold, skin problems and even weight gain.

Boy, am I happy to hear that, as I love sauerkraut, even eating it right out of the can or jar!  Read more...

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Who doesn’t enjoy “dressing-up”, receiving tons of candy, and getting the living daylights scared out of you? I’m happy to see the excitement and fun of Halloween has grown more and more popular each year.

A special treat I enjoyed making for kids and adults alike are English Muffin Pizzas. It is a quick, easy and healthy food that is sure to please trick or treaters before they go running out the door. I won’t post the recipe here, but have a look at my “Marinara Sauce Recipe” and “Homemade Pizza Recipe” for reference and also be sure to watch me prepare the pizzas in the video below.  Read more...

My Mom and Dad always planted a vegetable garden in their backyard where they happily grew produce, which we enjoyed for months. They would grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and basil. Mom was ingenious in planning meals around their crop of vegetables.

Mom and Dad would always have an abundance of zucchini and Mom came up with some delicious ways to prepare zucchini. One I especially enjoyed was her version of Zucchini Crustless Quiche. It is a simple dish to prepare and can be served as an entree or a side dish served warm, or at room temperature. This is an inexpensive and delicious dish to prepare especially when zucchini is in season during the late summer months.  Read more...