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.

A Belated Holiday Wish and ....... Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers

    First of all, before we talk about this recipe, let me say that I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday time with friends and family.  We were able to visit my family out of state, as we usually do over the Christmas/New Year holiday, and we had a great time, as we always do (even though we were recovering from some sickness).  If it seemed that I was MIA, well...I sort of was. The flu hit our household and so, needless to say, I wasn't the cooking and baking fiend that I usually am around the holidays.  We got through it, although I'm still not feeling 100 percent. Unfortunately, some of the wonderful things I had wanted to share with you all during December didn't make it onto the blog or even onto our table for that matter.  But, sometimes that's just the way it goes.  Now we're into a new year with new resolutions and plans and, I for one, am hoping for and expecting blessings in the coming months.  I know that I have much to be thankful for and want to wish you all many wonderful things in the upcoming year.  Now, on to the recipe.

Panforte di Siena

    Well, Christmas is almost upon us!  I can hardly believe it!!  In just shy of two weeks it will be here!!!  Every year I tell myself  I'm going to get all my baking, etc. done early, but......somehow that never seems to happen.  We usually take our vacation toward the end of October and, when we get back, it's time to start thinking about the holidays.  Well, we have several birthdays in October and November, then there's Thanksgiving, and then Christmas is....well....HERE!  (And this year we didn't get back until two days before Thanksgiving!!)

    O.K., now that I've vented a little about my lack of time to prepare for  this WONDERFUL HOLIDAY, let me say that  I LOVE CHRISTMAS!! 

Veal Meatball and Broccoli Rabe Soup

    I can already hear some of you saying, "Veal meatball and what soup?"  I'm glad you asked.  Broccoli Rabe is a leafy green vegetable that is slightly bitter and very popular in Southern Italy.  It is also known as Rapini or just Rabe.  Although you'd assume it's a relative of broccoli, it's actually closely related to turnips.  It's a very healthy vegetable, loaded with vitamins A and C and lots of potassium. I really enjoy the little bit of bitterness and also the fact that you can do so many things with it.  It's great in soups, pastas, just as a side, sauteed with olive oil and garlic (really, what isn't good sauteed with olive oil and garlic??), or even made into a pesto.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Swirl Cookie Pie

    O.k.....so what's a girl to do with that last little bit of cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving??  That was my question.  Well, how about swirl it into a cookie dough, add white chocolate chips and slivered almonds, and bake it in a pie dish?  Sounded good to me.

    I had copied down a recipe that originally came from Cassie over at Bake Your Day.  It was for a cookie pie with white chocolate chips and sprinkles and it looked yummy!  I decided to use the basic recipe, but leave out the sprinkles and add cranberry sauce and almonds.  The result....DELICIOUS!!  Try it out and see what you think.  But....don't wait until next Thanksgiving.  

Oven-Roasted Potatoes Sprinkled with Rosemary and Garlic

    I've been thinking it would be nice to share a simple side dish with you......a dish that no one would say is too complicated or has too many ingredients or different techniques.  And.....who doesn't love potatoes, right??  They are another one of those veggies that can be prepared in an infinite number of ways and I love variety!  My kids adore roasted potatoes, so any time I make them, in whatever variation, they're happy.

Double Dark Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti

    Biscotti have become quite popular in coffee shops these days.  They're the perfect little treat to have with your coffee or tea, mid-morning or late afternoon.  Actually, the Italian word for any cookie is "biscotto" with the plural being "biscotti".  Literally the word means "twice cooked/baked".  In the United States, when we think of biscotti, that's what we are thinking about....the cookies that are first baked in a loaf, then sliced and baked again to make them a little crunchy.  But true biscotti, like the ones made in Italy, are made with no fat besides the eggs, which makes them even crunchier.  Italians like to dip them in sweet wine.  I've never been much of a cookie dunker, but a glass of cold milk would be my beverage of choice!