Okay, you guys. I need to confess something. It’s not going to be popular with the general public, so please don’t throw mildly expired tomatoes at me. And definitely don’t tell the Italians. Judge me for 5 minutes (setting the timer helps so you won’t dwell on it) and then you have to go back …
basil
Spaghetti With Brie, Tomato, And Basil
In my crazy-young-reckless years living in Los Angeles, I was a stage manager for a play. I was also the lighting person, casting assistant, script supervisor, and anything else no one else wanted to do. I was a real go-getter, ya know. I was treated to this delicious brie recipe by one of the actors …
Herbed Basmati Rice
It’s truly a masterpiece. Make it for your peeps and you’ll come off like a smiling, apron-clad housewife. This herbed basmati rice recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks Five Star Recipes: The Best of Ten Years by Cooking Light magazine. It was submitted by a reader of the magazine who’s husband loved …
Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
When I first heard of chicken lettuce wraps, I have to admit, I was a teeny bit skeptical. Lettuce wraps were for those “healthy” people. You know the ones. I’m more of a “let’s wrap that in cake” kind of gal. But after a few trips to PF Chang’s, I was hooked. I’ll probably experiment …
Tomato Basil Tilapia
When I was growing up, eating fish meant fish sticks and tarter sauce. Yuck. Sure, I liked the fried crunchy part and it sort of hid the fish taste but I didn’t know that I liked fish until I became an adult and learned to appreciate it for another reason: toppings! To this day, I’m …
Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Tomatoes, Basil, and Orzo Pasta
Chicken nuggets, you say?! Hmph. Snobs don’t desire any dish with the word “nuggets” in the title. I should know. What if the chicken nuggets were referred to as “gourmet” or “totally awesome, dude”? I think you might have a change of heart. The truth is, I used to make this dish without chicken, as …
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Bruschetta – The Trastevere Way
I cannot utter the word bruschetta [pronounced bru-sket-ta] without reminiscing about the sights, sounds, and smells of our favorite little neighborhood in Rome, Trastevere. With its narrow cobbled streets and local large families dining in alleyways, Trastevere made me feel like a real Italian. [Note: I claim to be 100% Italian but, truthfully, I’m a …