Pollo al Rhum {Chicken with Rum}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Gluten Free, Main Course, Poultry | 33 comments

I am crazy for chicken thighs lately! Perhaps I purchased way too many of them at my bulk store. I’ll never tell, but this Pollo al Rhum {Italian for Chicken with Rum} is one amazing recipe & makes me happy I had them on hand. If you’re tired of the same old, same old chicken, you should try this out. Also equally fab is last week’s Galletti alle Olive. You should buy the thighs in bulk & try that one as well – just a thought!

In this penny-pinching season chicken thighs are a blessing. (Yes, only chicken thighs – not thunder thighs – but I’m not going to mention those again!)

Galletti alle Olive {Chicken with Olives}

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Poultry | 29 comments

Galletti alle Olive (oh-lee-vay) simply translates to {Chicken with Olives}. But of course it sounds so much more fab in Italian, no? I had forgotten how much I love low & slow cooked foods. Man, this is truly a dish that will knock your socks off (well, of course, not right now because we’re not wearing any because it’s smoking hot still here on the East Coast, but figuratively – oh yeah!)

Pepper Encrusted Steaks

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Beef, Main Course | 14 comments

Were you beginning to wonder if I eat beef? I have no idea why I have not posted a beef recipe on bell’alimento. Seriously, we ARE beef eaters! Really we are LOL! We eat beef at least once a week and yet I have neglected to post any recipes. Well we’re going to rectify that right now. Going to start off the beef category right with this recipe!

There’s something so satisfying about a big, fat, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth steak! & This is one of those! No wimpy steaks allowed here; you really need a super nice cut of meat. We went with the Ribeye. A thick 2″ one at that. We only cooked 2 of these babies for our entire family & it was plenty (thank goodness because lets just say they were ‘spensive!)

Crab Linguine

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Pasta, Seafood | 29 comments

Have I mentioned how much I love seafood? Well I do & any chance I get to add some to a dish I do – especially a pasta dish! I can’t go a week without having some type of pasta. Okay, more specifically, I really can’t go more than a day or so without some type of pasta. Thank goodness there are endless ways to prepare pasta & I’ll do my best to bring as many of them to your table as possible. Wouldn’t want to leave you out now!

Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Fish, Main Course | 20 comments

After a week of sweets posts I thought I would balance things out with some healthier choices. (Don’t worry, I’ll be back to my sweets & high carbs soon enough. LOL) Summer is in full gear (at least in this part of the world) & I’m not a big fan of heating up the kitchen. So the natural alternative is the grill! Plus by grilling, you have the added benefit of NOT having extra pots & pans to clean! HOORAY! I love to cook but the dishes part, not so much. I must say the grill master or keeper of the tongs in our house is hubs, because, well, he really doesn’t like me to mess with the grill. LOL! I stick to my indoor grill.

Thai Inspired Tilapia

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Fish, Main Course | 18 comments

I know this recipe is a bit of a departure for me. But fear not I’ll have two more Italian recipes coming up later this week! And you’ll just have to come back to find out which two *wink wink*

Until then, I’m really over the moon happy how this Thai inspired Tilapia turned out! This recipe came to be, because I had the crazy craving for coconut & lime and have been curious about the Thai flavors. I thought why not? So I gave it a go.

I can’t believe how rich & simply spectacular this sauce is! I know it’s a lot of ingredients, way more than I’m used to. Luckily, I had most of them (with the exception of the coconut milk & red curry paste) already in my pantry. (Once again, I really need to write that post about the importance of a well stocked pantry & should add to that spice cabinet.) It really came in handy for this recipe.

Tagliatelle con Porcini Ragu – Mushroom Ragu

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

Well, you probably know me well enough by know to know that a sauce recipe would be coming right after a homemade pasta recipe didn’t you?

As I’m sure you’ve heard, I recently got an Imperial Pasta Maker & I couldn’t be happier. It’s an amazing machine & I’m going to be whipping up lots of  fresh pastas over the next  few months. If you’d like, here’s the basic recipe for Homemade Pasta.

This sauce goes perfect with any type of pastas you might be using (homemade or boxed – really I won’t tell, I use them too. If you look in my pantry right now you’d see a load of Barilla boxes) If there’s one thing that I always have on hand it’s pasta! Really! But I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you!  We might be out of everything else but we’ll have pasta LOL.

Homemade Pasta ~ Pasta fatto in casa

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Pasta, Pork, Poultry, Reviews, Seafood, Sides, Vegetables | 40 comments

I recently got a brand new Imperial Pasta Maker! Yes, it’s an old school hand crank version but for me there isn’t any other way to make it. It’s a machine that will be around for you to pass on to the next pasta maker in your family. There is NOTHING like homemade pasta. You should really try it if you have not.

There is nothing wrong with dried boxed pasta (I use them all the time) but there is just something special about fresh homemade pasta. It’s much easier than you would think. It is time consuming but not difficult. If you wanted to speed up the process you could even mix the dough in your mixer or food processor. The recipe posted will make enough for 4 regular portions. I usually make at least two of this recipe to feed my family of 5 but we’re big pasta eaters. If you were making this as a prima, or first course, I think one batch would be fine.

Scallops Francaise

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Appetizer, Main Course, Seafood | 42 comments

Summer time to me means lots of fresh seafood! I’m lucky enough to live fairly close to the coast & fresh seafood is abundant right now. (Well at least in my part of the world it is & if it’s not in your part of the world, fear not, there is always frozen to fall back on in a pinch.)  It’s the perfect time to experiment with flavor combinations.

Scallops are delectable. So buttery & delicious & completely versatile. They take on flavors beautifully. You can use this recipe as an appetizer or fill up the plate & use it as your entree. Either way it’s simply scrumptious. The secret ingredient here is the Panko!

Johnsonville Brat Throwdown!

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Pasta, Pork, Poultry, Reviews, Vegetables | 20 comments

Are you ready for a Throwdown? Why YES I am! My foodie friend Kristy at The Wicked Noodle invited me to join in a “friendly” Johnsonville Brat Throwdown. There was only one rule…we were challenged to come up with a recipe using Johnsonville Brats! Well, never one to shy away from a challenge (I have been known to be banned from board games because of my competitive nature) I threw on my Johnsonville <3′s bell’alimento apron & I jumped right in!

Orange you glad you made this Roasted Chicken!

Posted by Paula in All Recipes, Main Course, Poultry | 32 comments

We love roasted chicken in our house. It’s fairly inexpensive & oh so very versatile. So naturally I’m continually looking for new and exciting ways to make it. This recipe qualifies.

I think I’ve mentioned in other posts about my HUGE rosemary bush (It is, and I’m not kidding you, as large as my Suburban). I’ll have to post a photo of it one of these days. So, since I have this much rosemary at my disposal, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate it into my recipes.

This chicken is bursting with flavor. It’s tender & falls off the bone. No need for a knife here. I truly believe that my method of pushing the herb butter underneath the skin of the chicken breast is the secret to juicy & tender meat. I realize it’s not fun & can be slightly gross, but it works. Be very careful when using your pairing knife to cut the tissue away from the breast. You don’t want to tear the skin (this is what makes it so juicy). It’s also very important to let your chicken rest after cooking before cutting into it. You don’t want all of the juices flowing out & drying up your chicken. It will be tempting I know. The smell is intoxicating but resist.

Asian Turkey Burger w/Wasabi Mayo

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

If I could make a scratch & sniff photo to place on my blog I would do it for these burgers. The smell is a circus for the senses. This is my first foray using ground turkey. Normally I’m usually only a turkey eater on Thanksgiving (naturally) & for the occasional turkey sammie (with guacamole – yum).

I’m happy to report that I am now a fan of ground turkey. I also am on a bit of a ginger kick these days. It seemed like the perfect companion for the turkey – with garlic, of course. If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know that I really can’t do anything without throwing some garlic in (goes against my nature not to). Turkey needs a lot of seasoning to taste good. These are powerful flavors & do the trick. The soy sauce makes these burgers very juicy. I finished off the burger with a wasabi mayo! Which you can tailor to your level of heat. If you don’t like wasabi I have used horseradish sauce & it’s delish as well. Remember to be careful when mixing your meat mixture. Don’t over mix or it will be tough. Mix just enough to blend all of the ingredients together.