Cook. Craft. Enjoy.

PPN: Riccioli Carbonara

Sadly it's been over a month since I last participated in Ruth's wonderful blogging event, Presto Pasta Night.  Sometimes I feel like time is just sand slipping through my fingers that I can't seem to get a hold of.  Other times I sit down to write and can't find the words to express exactly what I want to convey.  I am determined, though, to move mountains and create the destiny I want.  That includes this blog.  While I don't have the readership of larger blogs, I know I get a good 1,500 hits a week which means there are still people out there reading.  Ultimately, however, I'm doing this for me - another creative outlet for my soul.

PPN is proof that pasta is one of those things that has endless possibilities.  Looking through my "pasta" tag, I have 88 entries (89 now with this post!).   There's beef, pork, chicken, and seafood.  Meatless.  Cold salads.  The one thing I have noticed is I make a lot of Carbonara.  And this week's PPN submission is yet another variation.  This time using a pasta I found at Wegman's called Riccioli.

PPN: Everything Lo Mein

Hmm... seems like every post lately has been for Presto Pasta Night.  While in itself not a bad thing, it means I'm not holding up to my end of the bargin to myself to keep this blog active.  I'll have to remedy that in the days to come, but for now, here's my entry to this weeks PPN.

First, let me apologize for this photo.  It screams BROWN and that wasn't my intention.  I have a white plate that I like to use for plating but for some reason I just grabbed our regular bowls.  New plating dishes need to be in my future.  Really.

Presto Pasta Night # 255

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Presto Pasta Night edition 255!  We've got some great dishes in store for you so pull up a chair and take a gander at the delectable dishes that abound!

PPN: Sausage, Mushroom and Broccoli Rigatoni

Pasta, pasta, pasta!  Yes, it's that time of week again, my post for this week's Presto Pasta Night.  This week I'm hosting (yeah!) so you still have a few hours to get in your entry if you're interested. 

I came back from Texas with a renewed energy toward cooking healthy (thanks, Frances!) and although our 'fridge was bare, I managed to come up with this gem.  Quick, healthy, and delicious.  Just how I like it.

Presto Pasta Night!

I'm posting this a little early, but next week I'll be the host of Presto Pasta Night!  I really hope you'll be able to join in - I really can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!  All you need to do is send your entry to desertmemories (at) hotmail (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday March 17th.  Then check back for the roundup March 18th right here!

I'm posting this early because my son who goes to college in Texas is having surgery tomorrow and I'll be there with him until Tuesday.  So... I'll be away from my computer until Wednesday - so don't get concerned if you send me an entry and I don't reply until then.  I'll let everyone know how things are when I get back!

PPN: Another Easy Dinner

As keeping with normalcy around here, things have been crazy most days.  I have my mind and spirit going in all different directions and I keep hoping that they'll all settle in where I want them to be but I think I'm coming to the realization that they may just be where they're supposed to be at this point - not necessarily where I want them to be.  Ah well, keep moving forward if nothing else, right?

This was a dish that I came up with a couple weeks ago.  And truth be told, this recipe was almost one of desparation.  I try to grocery shop on Sunday for what we're going to eat during the week - and then not go back to the store until the following Sunday unless it's an emergency.  Usually by Friday we're out of milk and our vegetables take the turn toward the frozen kind, but it seems to be working to keep our food bill down.

PPN: Thai Pork and Noodles

Yeah!  Happy, happy blog-event-birthday to Presto Pasta Night!  It's hard to believe it's been 5 years since Ruth came up with this marvelous idea.  A lot has happened in those 5 years - some good, some bad, but I'm so thrilled to be able to join in on the celebration!

My very first PPN post was Pad Thai - a dish that I absolutely love.  That was the first (and unfortunately last - sigh -) time that I made it, but in celebration of this week's round up, I decided to make something Thai-esque, Thai Pork and Noodles.

PPN: Chicken Stew with Pierogies

Another one of my New Year's "resolutions" was to start planning our meals a week in advance - and actually stick to it.  So far I'm proud to say 3 weeks of planning and we've been right on our plans.  Makes weekend grocery shopping so much easier to have a list, plus I'm not running to the store every day to get that "one more thing" that costs me $50.

When making up last week's menu I decided I wanted to use at least 2 recipes from cookbooks.  The first one of the week I made on Sunday and was very disappointed with the way it came out.  It was a Rachael Ray recipe, Tilapia Club Stacks.  Basically it did nothing for anyone here - and while the idea was unique (stacked pieces of pan fried tilapia with bacon, lettuce (tossed with a light dressing) and tomato), the taste and presentation left much to be desired.  Check that one off to not make again.

For the second recipe I chose, it's also a Rachael Ray recipe (from the same book actually) and gives me an entry into this week's Presto Pasta Night.  (Hey, pierogies are an awesome form of pasta!)  Upon first glance, it, too, doesn't look like much. 

Garlic Knots

Saturday we had a pretty big snow - maybe 6 or 7 inches - so when everyone decided we were staying in for the day I was happy to comply.  Our menu for Saturday was spaghetti and sausage (Adrienne's favorite form of pasta) and originally I had though I would make garlic bread with it but after some careful thought I figured why not make some garlic knots.

Presto Pasta Night # 247

Wow!  I am so excited to be hosting my very first PPN.  We had some great looking dishes this week and I can't wait to share them with you.