52 weeks of Presto Pasta Nights!

Head on over to Once Upon A Feast and join in the 1 year birthday celebration of Presto Pasta Nights. Hats off to Ruth and all the beautiful work she has done coordinating and presenting this delectable collection of pasta recipes. What a great community of pasta lovers she has fostered. Thanks, Ruth, and continued [...]

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Orange-almond cake

 
This is a recipe modified from Martha Stewart’s cookbook The New Classics. The only alteration I made was to coat the pan with margarine instead of butter. It has a candied orange topping, which I found to be a little too bitter for my taste, despite the candy-ing. The actual cake was delicious, and infused [...]

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Honey Garlic Meatballs

Here is another outstanding Norene Gilletz recipe, and I strongly doubt there could be any recipes that are not fabulous in this marvelous cookbook, Healthy Helpings. An easy sauce to make, the honey garlic complements the meatballs in the most scrumptious way. Quite possibly an addicting meatball recipe, and it received all thumbs up in my household. Thank [...]

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Roasted brussel sprouts

 
This is a simple and easy side dish. There are really no measurements; rather, just add seasonings gently and to your liking. Enjoy!
Roasted brussel sprouts
1-2 dozen brussel sprouts, tough end cut off
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the brussel sprouts [...]

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Chicken & corn soup

In Norene Gilletz’ Healthy Helpings is a wonderful little recipe for a quick and easy chinese soup that I only slightly tweaked. It’s big on flavor and dairy-free, too. I highly recommend her cookbook – she’s a practical and inventive cook with wonderful tips and ideas for being creative in the kitchen, in addition to offering [...]

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Pasta Presto Night Roundup #51, and counting . . .

The 51st edition of Pasta Presto Night Roundup is now showing at Once Upon A Feast, and wowza, it’s a good one. Some really scrumptious looking recipes there. So much pasta, so little time! Thanks for including me, Ruth, and another great job!
(Don’t miss next week’s edition – it’s the one year anniversary of the [...]

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Blueberry pecan biscotti

I have fallen in love with biscotti this winter, and they’re so easy to make. After my family “inhaled” my original batch of cherry-walnut biscotti, and then gave rave reviews with my pistachio-apricot biscotti, I thought it was high time to try a new and inviting combo of flavors. The basic recipe stays the same (see the basic [...]

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5 minute no-knead bread

 
Today, I finally made the bread that ate the Internet. Not only was it the first time I made this bread, it was actually the first time I made any bread. With yeast. Oh, sure, I had all the reasons and excuses why yeasted breads were just not for me to make. But this bread [...]

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Harvest couscous

I happened upon this package of Harvest Grain Blends at the Trader Joe’s near me. It looked like such an interesting blend of grains – Israeli couscous, red and green orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. I had to buy it and make something with it. What I came up with was what I [...]

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Italian roasted veggie soup

 
I just love roasted vegetables. Roasting develops each vegetable’s essence, and softens and mellows it. What better combination than to add roasted vegetables to a soup? Today, I made an Italian-influenced soup with some of my favorite roasted vegetables, but you could substitute for your own personal favorites. It’s so much fun to experiment in [...]

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