Italian Pumpkin Strata

    Hi all!  Well, the countdown's begun.  Only 5 more days until Thanksgiving!!  How are you doing with all of your preparations?  Here, at my house, things are moving along pretty well......I guess.  I'm finishing up my Thanksgiving dinner menu, so that I can go to the supermarket early Monday morning. The turkey is in the garage refrigerator, thawing.  At least, I hope it's thawing.  That fridge always acts a little strange when the weather gets really cold.  Nothing could be more frustrating than to go to retrieve the main part of the Thanksgiving meal, only to find a solid turkeysicle sitting there!  You can bet I'll be checking that bird daily to make sure that doesn't happen!


    This will most likely be my last post until after Turkey Day, so let me wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!  I know things aren't always easy these days, but I, for one, have so many things to be thankful for....a wonderful husband and six children that I love very much, a warm and comfortable home, a loving, supportive mother (you're never too old to need your mom!), five great brothers and sisters and their families (who I really miss), as well as my husband's family, some good friends (you know who you are), and, well, I could go on for awhile, but I guess you probably stopped by to check out the recipe, so I'll sum up my thoughts by saying.....God has provided for me, been faithful to me, and blessed me above and beyond what I really deserve!  And, I'm so thankful!

     Now, onto the recipe....

Rigatoni alla Toscanini

    As I've mentioned before, Italians are pretty frugal.  If at all possible, nothing goes to waste.  Well, I recently found myself with some fresh ricotta in the fridge, left over from a recent trip to an Italian market.  I'd already used some of it to bake an orange ricotta cheesecake but still had a little bit left.
    After looking over my shelves of cookbooks, I decided to pull out one that the hubby had brought home for me quite awhile back and see what I could find.  The cookbook is called La Cucina di Andrea's. It has recipes from a well-known Northern Italian restaurant in New Orleans.  I pretty quickly found a pasta dish that happened to use the same amount of ricotta that I had left, so.....that would be dinner.  The recipe actually used penne, but rigatoni was in my cupboard so that's what I used.  A little side note.....apparently this dish was named after the famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini.  This is some rich, delicious tasting pasta, whoever it's named after.

Rustic Lentil Soup

    Today was a rather dreary day weather-wise.  It was overcast and rainy....the perfect kind of day to cook up a big pot of soup or stew.  I would say that this recipe falls somewhere between the two.  It's hearty and definitely warms the tummy.
    In Italy lentils hold a special significance, especially on New Year's Eve/Day, where they're a required part of the menu.  They symbolize wealth (their shape being reminiscent of tiny coins) and are eaten in hopes that the new year will be a prosperous one.  That has never been a part of our family tradition....I just enjoy them because they're really good and are a great source of protein, iron, and fiber. Try making this on a cold day and see if it doesn't warm you right up.

Italian Sausage, Broccoli, and Provolone Quiche

     Quiche may not be in vogue anymore and I know it's not an "Italian thing", but I still think it's a great option  for a mid-week supper or a brunch on the weekend.  This has an Italian twist (are you surprised?) with the addition of sharp provolone (an aged Italian cheese), roasted red peppers, and Italian sausage.  I've also added a toasted breadcrumb topping for a little crunch.  A Little warning ....this is not light on the calories but quite yummy.

Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers and Radicchio Salad

         Tonight's dinner uses some typical Italian ingredients that can be found pretty easily in your local grocery store.  It can be put together within an hour and is very tasty.  I started with a stuffed pepper recipe in Ciao Italia Pronto by Mary Ann Esposito and then made changes and additions according to what I like.  Here's my version of the recipe. Actually, I make different substitutions each time I make this, according to what I have on hand and what my taste buds are wanting.  So try this out and then change things up if you want to.