I was recently sent a complimentary copy of The Silver Spoon for Children cookbook. This cookbook is adapted from The Silver Spoon, Italy’s best selling cookbook for over fifty years. The Silver Spoon for Children features over 40 authentic Italian favorite recipes & is broken down into “Lunches & Snacks”, “Pasta & Pizza”, “Main Courses” & “Desserts & Baking”. They’re all easy to make recipes (like 3o mins or less people) are good for you & are geared at children 8 and above. You know you want a copy, don’t you *wink wink*!

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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.

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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!

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Well unless you don’t understand or read English you probably know by now that Italian food is my favorite food eva! What you may not know is why I love Italian food so much. In a nutshell, I lived in Italy for several years while I was in middle school & high school; where naturally I was spoiled by truly AMAZING authentic Italian food & my love affair with all things Italian began. So that being said I am a complete Italian food snob. Of course this is not my fault, I have my parents to thank for that!

Naturally, there are very few places that I have found outside of Italy & my own kitchen that make Italian food that I find buono “good” let alone buonissimo “really good”. So I was ECSTATIC when I came across a little restaurant called Capri located here in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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I’ve always been a foodie and therefore, naturally I appreciate good food. Not sure why - wink wink - but people are always asking me for my restaurant suggestions, so I am starting to add restaurant reviews to the blog. Up first is Gigi’s House Bistro located in Youngsville, North Carolina, my sweet little town boasting a whopping two stoplights. Yes, I know I live in Mayberry - thank goodness for wi-fi!

No seriously, I love my little town and was so HAPPY when a little slice of European goodness came and opened up shop. Stephan, the owner, host with the most and chef, is a Frenchman who has an amazing flair for food & cooking! His food is fresh & creative.

Onto the dinner. Hubs & I started off with a lovely Sangria. It was light & refreshing and was the perfect beginning to the meal. Then it was time for the appetizer.

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This month I was fortunate enough to receive a complimentary sample of pasta sauces from GL Mezzetta . Mezzetta is a Napa Valley specialty food producer, best known for domestic and imported peppers & olives, and now for their foray into the sauce world.

I must admit, when I started my blog earlier this year, I couldn’t have imagined that people would seek me out, send me samples & ask for my opinions! How great is that? I mean who doesn’t like something gratis? And, I’m always especially tickled when they’re FULL size samples.

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Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti:
I recently received a sample of Buitoni’s new Riserva pasta line compliments of Buitoni & Foodbuzz for review. If you’ve read my blog you know I LOVE pasta. I was anxious to try the new riserva line but also a little skeptical because of my love for authentic Italian food. I’m not normally a fan of pre-packaged pastas but as a busy Mom sometimes prepackaged is a necessity & much better than the fast food alternatives. I love mushrooms and was quite excited that my sample was the wild mushroom Agnolotti!

With that said, I was ready to make my meal. I opened the package and followed the very simple instructions (add to boiling water-haha, doesn’t get any easier than that!). I let it cook for about 4 minutes and could tell they were ready to roll. I drained the pasta well, returned it to my pot & tossed them with extra virgin olive oil. I wanted to experience the pasta to the fullest without drowning it with other flavors, so I opted for a nice grade of extra virgin olive oil & garnished with fresh parmigiano reggiano (of which I just brought back from my trip to Italy).

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