Bruiser’s Birthday Cake(s)!

Posted by Paula in Cookies, Desserts | 76 comments

This past Saturday my little man, aka Bruiser (NO, that’s not really his name but YES it’s his nickname) turned 3 years old! That’s him with his piercing blue eyes, sweet smile & chubby cheeks. Ah, he just melts my heart! I know, I know just can’t help it! I Lurve him & I think he’s just fab (as are his big brother, aka Middle Man, & his big sister, Ms. Priss… who in case they’re looking at this post, will naturally be making their blog debuts shortly. Patience my pretties. Mwah!)

Orecchiette alle Cipolle {Orecchiette Pasta with Onions}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Pasta, Vegetarian | 46 comments

You might not be so familiar with this type of Pasta, but you should be! Just because if nothing else it’s incredibly cute & well it goes perfect with sauces! Orecchiette is a type of pasta that is native to the Apulia region of Italy (located in the heel of the boot). The shape of this pasta looks like a small ear. No surprise that in Italian the word for ear is Orecchio. So Orecchiette translated means little ears. Orecchiette (ore-ay-key-et-ay) alle Cipolle (chi-pole-ay) is simply little ears with Onions. Yes, not so appetizing once translated into English, as always, everything sounds so much nicer in Italian! So we’re going with the Italian name. I’ve been telling you this forevah – LOL. Ah, quanto che amo L’Italiano! : )

Pesche al Forno {Baked Peaches}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts, Vegetarian | 42 comments

Aren’t these gawgeous? It’s a simple & elegant Italian dessert called Pesche (pez-kay) al Forno (four-no). It’s Italian for Peaches in the oven or alla Americana would be baked Peaches.

This is an incredibly beautiful dish & oh so easy to pull together. If you’ve got company coming it’s perfect. You can even prepare everything ahead of time & just pop it into the oven as soon as dinner starts. The smells coming from the oven will have them squirming in their seats. Do be sure to let them cool just a bit before serving. Resist the temptation or trust me you’ll have burnt tongues on your hands.

Gnocchi Rosa {Pink Gnocchi}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Pasta, Sides, Vegetarian | 31 comments

Gnocchi Rosa (GNYO-KEY ROW-SA) is Italian for {Pink Gnocchi} It’s Gnocchi with a pale pink veil of color glistening in a creamy buttery Sage Sauce! OH MY GOODNESS! I just can’t help it. Yes, it’s good! No, it’s better than good! It’s Semplicamente Delizioso! What’s not to love right? Potatoes, Cheese, Butter, Sage & just for good measure a little Grappa thrown in! Schweet.

Zuppa all’Aglio {Garlic Soup}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Bread, Soups, Vegetarian | 42 comments

You probably have realized by now that I cook with A LOT of GARLIC! Yes, I do & I’m not ashamed of it! Have you seen my garlic bowl? It’s always on my counter and normally when someone comes to my house for the first time they truly think it’s artificial & there for decoration. NOPE, it’s real & I use it!

SAVEUR

Posted by Paula in All Recipes | 43 comments

In case you didn’t hear me screaming from behind my laptop on Thursday, and I think my neighbors certainly did…I wanted to share the FANTABULOUS news with you all! My Pollo al Rhum {Chicken with Rum} recipe was featured on SAVEUR.com

Foodieview Weekly Menu Plan – 2

Posted by Paula in All Recipes | 8 comments

I can’t tell you how excited I was with the response to my first ever Weekly Menu Plan & I’m so happy that I will be doing these on a regular basis for FoodieView.com! If you missed my first ever Weekly Menu Plan you can catch it here. So, since you loved the first one so much are you ready for the next one?

Bistecche al Rosmarino {Rosemary Steaks}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Beef, Main Course | 16 comments

Want a nice steak dinner but not the nice steak price tag? Well, you’ll need to try this out! Bistecche al Rosmarino (be-stay-kay rose-mar-e-no) is simply Italian for Rosemary Steaks.

I think you all know by now about my honking big Rosemary Bush! So, I <3 to use fresh Rosemary whenever I have a chance. I was lucky enough to pick up a package of Sirloin Tip Steaks for $4.22 (yes it was on sale! yippee!) at my grocer & it was enough to feed my family of five!

Bucatini al Prosciutto {Bucatini with Prosciutto}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Pasta, Pork | 22 comments

Okay before the pasta police come after me,  I didn’t actually use Bucatini when I made this recipe to photograph it, but that’s what is supposed to be used. I didn’t have any in my pantry & ever since my little specialty store closed, they’re extremely hard to find. So, I used Trenette pasta instead. It’s a fab pasta that has a little texture on the outside which helps this creamy-licious sauce stick to it! So if you can’t find any bucatini you can use any long type pasta you have on hand.

Pesche Gratinate {Peaches au Gratin}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Desserts, Vegetarian | 18 comments

Can I tell you how GOOD this is? My original Italian recipe called for Apricots, but I couldn’t find any the day I wanted to make this, and Peaches are still readily available, so I opted for Peaches. Equally delicious, but I do love some Apricots (so if you’ve got Apricots, use ‘em by all means). Pesche Gratinate translates to Peaches au Gratin but I’d say this was more of a Peaches N Cream recipe than a Peaches au Gratin but that’s what the recipe that was passed on to me called it – so, I’m rolling with it. It’s my blog after all! Tee hee!

Cipolle Vegetariane {Vegetarian Onions}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 22 comments

This is another Italian dish that can be made a multitude of ways. Cipolle Vegetariane is Italian for Vegetarian Onions! Yes, you read right – Vegetarian Onions! Don’t get excited, I am after all serving them with my Pepper Encrusted Steaks! But they are just as fab on their own. They smell so divine while cooking. What’s not to like: onions, mushrooms, bell pepper. Oooh! So good.

Gaucho Steak Sandwich with Chimichurri Sauce

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Beef, Sandwiches | 16 comments

I have been feeling like the Beef Category needs a little attention (yes, I realize there is only ONE lone beef recipe there) so here is another addition to the category. I think you’re going to like it. This one was inspired by a recipe contest put out by Mezzetta. The contest was to create a sandwich (either hot, cold or vegetarian) that had to contain at least two of their products. Easy enough!

Il Riso di Giovedi’ Sera {Thursday Night Rice}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course | 31 comments

I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! It was one of my most favorite things I ate while I was in Italy earlier this year. Okay … before we get started I’m going to confess that’s not really the name of the recipe but I truly can’t remember the actual name of this oh so ah-mazing dish, but trust me it’s dee-lish. So, it’s aptly named “Thursday night rice” because, gasp, I ate it on Thursday night. I’m not complicated people! LOL

Pasta e Fagioli {Pasta & Beans}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Pasta, Soups, Vegetarian | 44 comments

With fall on our heels, well okay with the idea of fall on our heels here on the East Coast, I have comfort foods on my mind. I’m excited to be able to get back into the kitchen, cook up a storm, and not suffocate from the heat! I can’t think of a better way to start off the season than with Pasta e Fagioli (fa-gee-o-lee). Simply meaning Pasta & Beans. Hello, you don’t get more budget friendly than pasta & beans, no? And talk about hearty – just add a loaf of bread & you’re set.

Nutella Challenge – Chocolate Torte with Nutella Mousse & Raspberries

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Bread, Desserts, Nutella, Seafood | 40 comments

Are you ready? I know I am! Well ready or NOT, here is the 2nd installment of the Nutella Challenge! Last month there were some ah-mazing offerings. I hope you’ve had a chance to try a few of them out. If not, here’s the link where you can find them: Nutella Challenge ~ Round 1 So without further ado, I present to you my THREE LAYERED MINI CHOCOLATE TORTE WITH NUTELLA MOUSSE & RASPBERRIES (what a name LOL such a mouthful, yikes)….are you drooling? Well you should be.