Italian Wedding Soup

I can’t lie. It’s been pretty dreary in my world over the past few weeks. Between the rain and the cold and the dark, I really need my hearty soups to keep me from curling up in bed and pulling the covers over my head. This soup is a satisfying meal on its own, butContinue reading “Italian Wedding Soup”

Pantry Carbonara

Carbonara can seem fancy because there is a technique to getting those eggs to form a perfect sauce rather than become a scrambled mess atop your noodles. But my husband — with his Italian roots — reminds me that it’s really a simple supper, meant to be an easy weeknight meal using what every householdContinue reading “Pantry Carbonara”

Herby Orzo

I’ve made my share of risotto and herby pasta over the years, but this winter I fell in love with a new earth-y, broth-y, rice-like pasta dish that has the potential to taste even better as the first fresh herbs of spring shoot up and I’m looking for ways to eat them. I can’t say enough aboutContinue reading “Herby Orzo”

Stromboli Sandwiches

Mid-winter days are when a hearty bowl of soup or tray of comforting lasagna is what my body craves. While I’m trying to hit the Vitamin C and the leafy greens hard, I also think there’s something to be said for a filling meal to stave off the dark and chill. We eat our shareContinue reading “Stromboli Sandwiches”

Broccoli and Burrata Arancini

Score another one for the kids! My son picked an arancini recipe out of a cookbook this summer when it was his turn to make dinner. Turns out, we all love Italian rice balls. Who knew? But really, what could be better than transforming cheese sticks into dinner! I used that basic recipe as aContinue reading “Broccoli and Burrata Arancini”

Garden Ratatouille

I did not grow up eating ratatouille, but it’s one of those dishes I’ve been making for as long as I’ve been raising my own veggies. It’s a great way to toss your garden into a cast iron pot and call it dinner. Once you’ve chopped all your ingredients, you’re pretty close to done. But, ahhh, thatContinue reading “Garden Ratatouille”

Minestrone

  When it’s cold out, there’s nothing that feeds the body and soul so well as a good hearty soup. And I’m not sure any soup fits the bill so well as Minestrone, an ancient Italian soup that includes pasta and beans, onions and tomatoes and whatever you’ve managed to put up from your summerContinue reading “Minestrone”

Pizzelle

I had never seen nor heard of these light-as-air cookies before meeting my Italian-American mother-in-law. Now my family makes them at least once a year, typically around Christmastime or sometimes to celebrate the first snowfall. Their thin circle shapes and dusting of powdered sugar make them resemble delicate snowflakes. But as beautiful as they are, it’s their sweetContinue reading “Pizzelle”

Chicken Piccata

  This lovely dish was our Christmas dinner last year. It was flavorful, but not heavy, fancy but not fussy, with the added advantage of offering a simple chicken tender and pasta option for the pickiest eaters at our table. Serves 6 Ingredients 2 large lemons 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1/4 inchContinue reading “Chicken Piccata”