What Day Is Today...

Well of course it is Wednesday but more importantly it is "Prince Spaghetti Day".  This iconic phrase was coined by the Prince Spaghetti Company and ran for 13 years.  The very famous opening scene was an Italian woman leaning out of a window on Powers Court in the North End of Boston yelling for her son Anthony to come home and eat spaghetti.  So join Anthony and run home tonight for a big bowl of delicious spaghetti and celebrate Wednesday as Prince Spaghetti Day!  Enjoy...


Prince Anthony's Spaghetti 
1 lb. Spaghetti Pasta
1 Pint Grape Tomatoes
Salt/Pepper
Olive Oil
10 Cloves Garlic (peeled)
1 Handful Fresh Basil (torn into bit size pieces)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spread tomatoes on baking sheet
Season with salt/pepper
Coat with olive oil
Place garlic cloves on top of tomatoes (this will ensure garlic will not burn during roasting)
Roast for 20 minutes
Meanwhile cook and drain pasta
Season pasta with salt/pepper
Remove tomatoes and garlic from oven
Cool for 5 minutes
Give the tomatoes and garlic a rough chop
Toss pasta with roasted tomatoes and garlic
Add basil and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
Toss and serve warm with Parmesan cheese

Meatless Monday...

Well it is official I have taken the pledge go go meatless on Mondays.  Meatless Monday is a great idea!  I do not eat much meat  not because I do not like it just because it is better for my over all health.  I am only eating meat every 6 weeks and I found it very easy to eat other items in place of meat. Some may find this idea daunting and crazy but it is very easy.  There is no reason to feel deprived of meat when you can eat a stuffed portabella with a veggie side accompanied by a nice glass of red wine. So why not take the pledge with me, http://www.meatlessmonday.com,

and see how easy it is to cut meat out at least once a week. I will help you  along the way with recipes from my cookbook Forkful of Simplicity.

Happy Meatless Monday!  

Bellissimo Bellas

4 Poratabella Mushrooms (cleaned with gills removed) 

Salt/pepper

4 Large Red Roasted Peppers 

4 Thick Slices of Wet Mozzarella 

Dried Basil

1/4 Cup Organic Chicken Soup 

1/3 Cup Red Wine 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

Place mushrooms in a deep glass dish 

Season the inside of each mushroom with salt/pepper 

Place the red pepper inside of mushroom and top with wet mozzarella 

Season mozzarella with a shake or two of dried basil 

Pour soup and wine around mushrooms

Cover with tin foil 

Bake for 30 minutes 

Cool and Enjoy...

Crumbled Asparagus

1 Bunch of Asparagus
Salt / Pepper
Bread Crumbs (plain or seasoned Italian)
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Rinse and remove tough ends of asparagus
Arrange asparagus, single layer, on an oven proof dish
Season with salt / pepper
Cover asparagus with bread crumbs
Sprinkle with cheese
Drizzle with olive oil
Bake for 20 minutes


***Cook the mushrooms for 10 minutes then add the asparagus to the oven for the remaining 20 minutes and dinner will be hot and ready at the same time***

No Meat Today...

For all of us not consuming meat today...here is a very easy and delicious recipe from Forkful of Simplicity.  Make it tonight and enjoy it with your family!

Greek Pizza

1 Thin Pillsbury Pizza Crust
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1 Medium Red Onion (sliced)
1 Red Pepper (sliced)
Black Pepper (freshly ground)
Olive Oil
1 Container of Regular Humus
Pam Spray
Crumbled Feta Cheese
A Handful Basil (julienned)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
On a large non-stick cookie sheet toss tomatoes, onion and red pepper with olive oil
Season with black pepper
Place in oven for 15 minutes
Remove from oven and cool
Turn oven up to 400 degrees
Place pizza crust on Pam sprayed non-stick cookie sheet
Bake for 8 minutes
Remove from oven and cool 3 minutes
Spread humus onto pizza crust
Top evenly with tomatoes, onion and red peppers
Top with Feta Cheese and basil
Slice into squares
ENJOY...

Creepy Ingredients...

Creepy is one of my favorite words - look at your creepy cousin, creepy people, stop being a creep, the creeper, you get my point.  The only time I do not use creepy is when I describe the ingredients of my recipes.

I say this because yesterday I stumbled upon an article listing the 8 creepy mystery ingredients in fast food.  I know you cannot believe you read on the Internet but this article mentioned duck feathers, sand, wood (cellulose), silly putty and other unmentionables as mystery ingredients of their food.  My mysterious and secretive list of ingredients include homemade bread crumbs and chicken soup. Fresh and wholesome is what I would like to be know for not saturated fat and soil fertilizer.

Just because I choose to make my own soup, salad dressing, stocks, bread crumbs, etc. does not mean everyone has to do that same.  Just because I choose to eat vegetables, fruits, and whole grains does not mean everyone has to eat these foods along with me.  Just because I choose to cook my meals at home from the best ingredients I can find and take my vitamins - I am often referred to as the vitamin queen - does not mean that everyone has to follow my lead.   Just because I choose to eat fresh as opposed to fast food does not mean you have to make the same choice but try making the swap once and while.  It is just as easy to to prepare something from Forkful of Simplicity Cookbook as it is to grab something not so healthy.

So I challenge you to freshen it up with a recipe selection from Forkful of Simplicity, there is no meat goop paste in any of my recipes - I promise.  For a fraction of the cost of a fast food burger and about 40 minutes of your time (this includes going to the supermarket to gather the ingredients if you do not have them  already) you can indulge in this delicious, easy, easy pasta dinner!  Enjoy...

Nana's Favorite Pasta and Garlic (Aglio e Olio)
Pasta (your choice) - I prefer Spaghetti
Fresh Garlic, chopped fine (depending on your taste 5-6 cloves per pound of pasta)
Salt / Pepper
1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Cook pasta according to directions
While pasta water is boiling heat olive oil over medium heat
Season oil with salt and pepper
Add garlic to oil and cook
Once garlic is hot and sizzling (about 3-4 minutes)
Remove from heat immediately taking care not to burn the garlic
Drain pasta
Toss pasta with olive oil and garlic
Top with grated cheese
Serve alongside a tossed salad

Simple Salad
Romaine Lettuce (cleaned and chopped)
Salt/Pepper
1 Medium Tomato (diced)
1/2 Cucumber (diced)

Place lettuce in a bowl
Season with salt/pepper
Add tomato and cucumber
Toss with desired amount of simple dressing

Simple Dressing

1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
Salt/Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon of Dried Basil

In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together
Use as desired
Store unused portion, covered, in refrigerator for a few days

Accidental Pesto...

WOW what an accident!  I am always looking for new and different recipes for anything - fish,chicken, pasta, rice, vegetables, potatoes, sandwiches, you name it.  Sometimes recipes come from a piece of this recipe and a piece of that that recipe.  Sometime they are born from the ingredients in my fridge that day and sometimes they are created from a mistake I made in the kitchen.  At this point you can probably guess how accidental pesto came about.

I set out to make oven roasted asparagus to put over pasta.  I chop up my asparagus and onion, season it and into the oven it goes.  Well much to my dismay 20 minutes later my asparagus was not getting crisp it frankly was not doing much of anything but lying there among the onion.  So I taste it - just OK and a bit flat - what went wrong?  I over crowded the pan and I cut the asparagus too small so they steamed instead of roasted.   The onion caramelized nicely - not what I intended either.  I have some slightly soggy asparagus and brown caramel colored onions so now what???  Not the dish I was hoping for but in reality it was.  I go to the pantry and I search the contents.  Diced tomatoes - no good, extra virgin olive oil - maybe, chicken stock - nope not a good match, walnuts - well now we might have something.  I grab the walnuts and head two steps back to the kitchen to create something amazing.

I toss the walnuts into the food processor, I add the asparagus to the walnuts and I whir it up.   A beautiful pesto is well on its way. I taste it and I am wowed by the flavors.  I add some salt and pepper and a tad of extra virgin olive oil .  Taste again decide a little goat cheese will take this pesto to the next level and Viola!

I know I did not create something new in the culinary world but with a few simple ingredients and a simple concept a beautiful and delicious dish now finds a new home in my recipe box and in yours!  ENJOY...

Accidental Asparagus Pesto

1 Bunch Asparagus (cut into small bite size pieces)
1 Large Onion (diced)
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
1 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Flakes
1 Cup Walnuts
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 oz. Smooth Goat Cheese
Pasta (your choice; I prefer Penne)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spread asparagus and onion evenly on a baking sheet
Season with salt/pepper and red pepper flakes
Coat with olive oil and toss well
Place in oven to cook 30 minutes till asparagus is very soft
Cool for 15 minutes
In two batches place 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 asparagus/onion mixture in
Food processor and blend till smooth
Transfer to a bowl and repeat
Once second batch is blended add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and
Goat cheese to mixture and blend again till Incorporated
Add this mixture to the previous blended mixture in the bowl and
Stir well to incorporate
Cook pasta according to directions
Drain pasta well and spoon desired amount of pesto onto pasta and
Toss till coated evenly
Store unused pesto, covered in the fridge for 2 days or freeze for 6 months

Take II - Left over pesto is a nice addition to grilled fish or chicken