One of the greatest things about summer is that the produce in your local store or farmer’s market is at its peak. You can enjoy the best and freshest flavors of fresh herbs, vegetables, berries, and fruits and usually, these things are much less expensive than at other times of the year. One of the …
There are eight ways to keep basil fresh after cutting it. But before you rush to cut your basil, have you ever thought about where it originally came from? Judging by its very English-sounding name, you would think basil comes from England, right? Well, you think wrong! While basil’s origins are somewhat debatable, basil is …
Basil is one of the easiest and fastest-growing herbs in many herb gardens, making it a top choice for many home gardeners. The plant is known for rapid growth, and it comes in many varieties, including cinnamon and spicy Thai basil. While basil is used in a lot of Italian and Southeast Asian dishes, …
The highlight of this recipe is the basil. The flavor of fresh basil is the essence of sunshine and warm summer days. You can probably find basil plants at your local grocery store all year round. These plants require nothing more than a sunny window and watering once or twice a week. The great thing …
Most people want to feed their families homemade, delicious meals. However, because so many families are so busy, it can be hard to find the time and energy to prepare dinner from scratch multiple times a week. At the end of the day when tempers are high, energy is low, and there are still too …
While most people choose the classic macaroni noodle for a great mac and cheese recipe, did you know that you can use other pastas just as well? But you can’t just choose any old noodle for the best mac and cheese. When choosing pasta for mac and cheese, you want something that will trap as …
Watermelon, fresh peaches, ripe tomatoes, and fresh corn on the cob–fresh produce is what makes the spring and summer months so delicious. Those fresh, crisp ears of corn may be calling out to you in the produce department of your local grocery store or farmer’s market. Corn is a favorite side dish all year round. …
With the time-honored flavors of tomatoes, basil, and Parmesan cheese, this recipe for Tomato Basil Bread is savory and delicious. If you need a bread recipe to accompany a classic Italian dinner like lasagna or spaghetti, this recipe is the perfect one. Bread machines were invented back in the 1800s, but they were generally only …
There is just something about Italian food that speaks to the soul. The combination of tangy tomatoes, delicious herbs like basil and garlic, creamy cheeses, and filling pastas appeals to almost everyone. This recipe for Stuffed Shells with Mushrooms and Italian Sausage does take some time to prepare. After all, the stuffing of the pasta shells …
Cottage Pie is a classic Irish recipe. Some people may read the recipe and think, “Hey, isn’t this the same as Shepherd’s Pie?” The recipes are quite similar. However, the biggest difference between the two casseroles is that traditional Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground lamb or mutton, and Cottage Pie is made from ground …
Made from wheat flour and water, most people associate pasta with the European nation of Italy. However, the earliest creators of pasta were actually the Chinese. Archeologists have found evidence of pasta making from the Shang Dynasty which occurred between 1700-1100 BC. And while Marco Polo claimed that he brought pasta back in 1295 from …
What could go better with tomatoes and basil than cheese and pasta? This amazing combination is something that the Italians got right. Our recipe for Creamy Basil Tomato Pasta uses both. Additionally, our recipe makes things pretty easy for you by using frozen ravioli. You can choose whether you want cheese stuffed ravioli or meat …
If you follow a vegan diet, you still can bring something delicious to a neighborhood cookout when you have our recipe for Whole Wheat Vegan Pasta Salad. People who eat specialty diets might sometimes get a sinking feeling when they are invited to community meals. Of course, everyone wants to be sociable, and nobody wants …
The herbal flavors of the gin are complemented beautifully by the bright intensity of fresh basil. This is a cocktail to try with lots of different types of gin to find what notes are best brought out with what herbs. You can even go crazy and try making a basil syrup to really intensify the …
This bread is loaded with all kinds of flavor. It has the tastes of savory pepperoni, basil, garlic, and onion. It also features two different kinds of cheese. This bread is perfect to serve alongside a pan of lasagna or a plate of spaghetti. For many yeast breads, you have to allow several hours for the …
Do you need a “knock ‘em dead” recipe to impress your fiance’s mother or your new boss? If so, this recipe for Creamy Tomato Chicken Breasts might be just what you have been looking for. The chicken cooks up tender, juicy, and delicious, but that is not all. What steals the show in this recipe …
Cooked properly, roasted pork loin is juicy and tender. The flavor is delicious, and the texture is perfect. Our recipe for Roast Pork Loin with Dijon Mustard and Thyme gives you a wonderful marinade for the meat. While there are some strongly flavored ingredients, like the garlic, mustard, and balsamic vinegar, overall, these flavors …
Homemade bread is tasty, but who has time to wait for the dough to rise and each loaf to bake for about an hour? Nevertheless, you can serve your family fresh, piping hot, and delicious homemade bread. The dough in our recipe for Quick and Easy Flatbread comes together in only five minutes. To cook …
If you ask any group of kids what they would like for dinner, there is a pretty good chance that the majority of them will respond with “pizza.” Combining the tangy, sweet flavors of tomatoes, the savory taste of Italian-style herbs, and the appeal of meat and a few kinds of veggies, pizza is a …
By the time the kids have taken their “after soccer practice showers,” you can have our recipe for Chicken Basil Spaghetti dished up and ready to eat! Basil is the star of this recipe. Its fresh flavor makes this spaghetti recipe taste new and different. Many Italian recipes use basil as a part of the …
The ravioli that most of us are familiar with from childhood came in bright red cans from the canned food aisle. These small gummy pillows were filled with meat and smothered in a metallic-tasting red sauce that probably was loaded with sodium and preservatives, not to mention artificial flavors and sugar. For many people, the taste …
Perhaps you are looking for a great bread recipe to accompany your spaghetti or lasagna, but you are uncertain about using a yeast bread recipe. After all, yeast bread needs time and attention as they go through the rising process. If you have too much to do to make homemade yeast bread, our recipe for …
A pilaf is a culinary term for a rice recipe in which the rice is sauteed in butter before the rice is boiled in water. Rice pilafs take many forms with many additional ingredients and seasonings. Some rice pilafs include vegetables like peas and carrots. Our recipe for Mushroom Rice is a rice pilaf recipe …
There are many different versions of pizza in the United States. Neapolitan-style pizza is the kind that most people consider to be a classic, basic style of pizza. New York City has its own style of pizza, with enormous, foldable slices. California pizza is known for its unusual toppings, and Detroit pizza is known for …
When you’re considering the making of our recipe for Three Cheese and Sausage Manicotti there is some good news and some bad news. First, the bad news is that this recipe is a little time and preparation-intensive. There are several steps to making the dish, and the most time-intensive part is filling the noodles. You …
One of the most useful pieces of cookware in the kitchen, a skillet can be used for many different things. One can use it for browning meat, like a baking pan in the oven, or for sautéing vegetables. Additionally, in a pinch, one can use it for cooking rice or pasta. If you only have …
Our recipe features perfectly cooked bow tie pasta smothered in a flavorful, creamy sauce. The sauce includes the flavors of garlic and red pepper flakes. While the sauce is not very hot, if spicy foods aren’t your favorite, feel free to cut the amount of the red pepper flakes in half; or if you don’t want to …
The ingredients list for this recipe is long, and you might be a bit intimidated by it. Don’t allow that list to overwhelm you! Other than chopping veggies, the whole of this recipe can be prepared in a single pot, and you are basically dumping things in, one right after the other. The only equipment …
If you’re ever thinking that there’s nothing in the fridge and you’re not sure what to do for dinner, as long as you have flour and eggs, you can have a fantastic pasta dish. What was once the only way to make pasta, and in fact, a daily method of food preparation has become a …
This recipe does take some time, but if you’re up for a more complicated recipe that involves chopping, sauteing, making a roux, and cooking rice, this recipe will be a great showcase for your cooking skills. In the French language, the word etouffee literally means “smothered.” And this makes a lot of sense when you …
Meatballs are made in a variety of different cultures and locations across the world. However, when most people think about meatballs they picture ground beef or lamb seasoned with Italian flavors like basil and oregano, topped with a tomato-based sauce and mildly flavored cheeses like Parmesan and mozzarella. Our recipe for Baked Meatballs continues in …
While the potato has gotten a lot of bad press in the past five to ten years, this root vegetable has historically done great things for certain societies. Potatoes were originally discovered and cultivated by primitive human societies in the Andes Mountains of South America around 5000 BC. The Inca people group cultivated potatoes as …
There is absolutely nothing like a fancy Italian dinner at your favorite restaurant, with the flavors of savory herbs, rich cheeses, and tangy tomatoes. However, for many people on tight budgets or for those who are just saving their pennies for a rainy day, dining out isn’t something that can happen very often. But, did …
Tortellini is an Italian style of pasta that is folded in a sort of ring shape. Some people say the tortellini pasta resembles a navel. Most versions of tortellini are filled with some sort of delicious filling. Some are filled with cheeses, while others are filled with meat or herbs and veggies. You can find …
Myth says that Marco Polo brought pasta back to Europe after his famed trip to China, but that is actually untrue. Pasta was already becoming popular in Europe hundreds of years before Marco Polo was born. In fact, dyes for creating colored pasta have been discovered in Sicily, and they date back 3000 years! Whether …
Historically, red beans and rice are served on Mondays in New Orleans and southern Louisiana. It may seem like an odd tradition, but when you consider the history of this Southern town, the tradition seems to make more sense. In centuries past, homemakers did particular types of work on certain days of the week. Everyone …
The great thing about this lasagna recipe is that it can be created up to two days before it’s needed, stored in the refrigerator, and popped into the oven whenever you are ready to eat it. This fact makes it a perfect fit for company dinners or busy weeknights when you may not have the …
This is one of those dishes that might seem to require way too much prep and cook times to justify the 10 minutes it takes to devour it all. But trust me—it’ll rank up there as the best 10 minutes you can remember from your kitchen table. There was a time when I didn’t think …
A staple of teen gatherings, pizza is a favorite meal for the whole family. Many families have a standard “pizza night” where dinner is brought home in a large square box featuring everyone’s favorite toppings. Whether they choose to go to the neighborhood pizza parlor, pop in for takeout, or pay someone to deliver the …
Interestingly, Chicken Parmesan is not necessarily a native Italian dish, although it does have roots in Italy. When numerous Italians immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they brought with them the recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana. Eggplant Parmigiana features slices of eggplant, breaded and fried, and then topped with a …
I must admit, I’m really picky about egg rolls. But if you’d grown up in a traditional Vietnamese family and your mom happened to be the queen of homemade egg rolls, you would be too. Of course, I wasn’t able to appreciate having authentic egg rolls as a staple in my diet until much later …
When many people think of bread, the first thing that comes to mind is the basic, boring, plastic-wrapped sandwich loaf. After one has visited a few specialty restaurants or a bakery, good bread takes on a whole new meaning. However, many people believe that tasty, delicious bread is something that must be baked by an …
The difference between calzone and pizza, of course, is in the crust. While a pizza utilizes the crust like a serving tray with everything piled on top, the crust on a calzone gets paraded like a prince. It’s the star of the show, the CEO of the company, the big kahuna. This does turn up …