Garlic bread is simple and delicious comfort food. No matter how you make it, garlic with bread and oil or butter is going to be amazing. But, there is a way to fancy it up a bit if you are so inclined. Where we grew up there was an Italian market where we always ordered…
Category: Side Dish
French Onion Soup with Truffle-Salted Croutons and Gruyere CheeseS
French onion soup is one of the only soups Kyle will enjoy so it’s a natural go to on a fall or winter day. There are many ways to make this soup and I tried to lighten it up by using half the amount of butter normally used. Substituting with a tablespoon of olive oil…
Fettuccine con Pesto
In continuing my theme of using ingredients from the garden, my friend Alex and I recently made pesto sauce. It’s a great time of year to make pesto and it is extremely easy to make. You can switch up ingredients depending what you have on hand making it a very versatile recipe. My favorite kind…
Potato Salad Two Ways
I love the summertime for all the fresh produce readily accessible. Fairfield county has numerous farmers markets and many of my family members have their own gardens. This weekend we went to Kyle’s parents house and his mom sent me home with a large shopping bag full of red potatoes, onions, cucumbers, kale and string beans…
Eggplant Balls
Italians are very familiar with meatballs, it’s part of our vocab from the time we can form words. “Eggplant balls” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. They could really use a new name. But ever since I saw Giada make these I couldn’t get them off my mind. They are crunchy on the outside, tender…
Italian Pasta Salad for your next BBQ
It’s easy to get bored of the same old pasta salad with celery and mayo. Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious and I make it all the time but when you start spending your summer weekends at one or two BBQs, you want something new. This is a very simple recipe that relies on fresh…
Grilled Vegetable Quinoa
I love grilled vegetables, especially in the summer. You can eat them as a side, add them to a pasta dish, put them in a fajita, mix them with rice, or in this case make a very healthy and inexpensive light summer meal with quinoa. Quinoa is new to me but I have fallen in…
Asian-Inspired Scallops with Bok Choy and Soba Noodles
Tonight I was inspired by a dish Kyle ordered while we were on vacation in Newport, RI. I don’t love scallops but Fluke restaurant served the best scallops I ever had. They were simply amazing. So I decided to give them another shot with a very simple preparation. Since they are so simple I wanted…
Baked Potato with a Twist
Sometimes a plain old baked potato is good, but that’s what it is, plain and old… I was inspired by a photo on pinterest to put a fun twist on the classic side dish. Easy, inexpensive and satisfying! INGREDIENTS: Potato 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 tbsp butter, melted Drizzle of olive oil 3 tbsp…
Pasta with Broccoli
Easy. Low cost. Delicious (IF you love broccoli). Pasta with broccoli has a long history with our family. Growing up, my mom made it often as a side to a meat focused dinner. We typically use the farfalle or “bowtie” pasta as we called it as kids. This meal can be made so many different…
Eggs in a Basket
How perfect and balanced is this recipe? You get your potato, eggs, meat and cheese all in one nicely packed basket. All the flavors work so well together and they are pretty easy to make! I concocted these baskets for Easter brunch (yes the Jewtalian hosted a brunch on Easter) so I wasn’t as on…
Tri Colore Matzo Balls
A staple dish for Jews round the world is matzo ball soup. When I was in Venice I managed to find a Jewish quarter with a little deli that made some of the best matzo ball soup I’ve ever had! It’s comforting and oddly delicious. My family makes it every year for different holidays but…
Scarola e Fagioli
One of my favorite Italian sides is escarole and beans! It’s healthy, delicious and easy to make in just minutes! It can be used as a side or a main dish since it provides protein and nutrients from the vegetable. Add some chicken broth and top with parmesan cheese and you have yourself a hearty…
Balsamic Chicken with Tomato and Spinach Penne
Sometimes I get home late, am very tired and have little in my fridge. On my drive home last night I thought about what was in the fridge knowing the pickings were scarce. I got to scheming and had a plan. I called Kyle to put a pot of water on the stove and after…
“Mom!”s Monday Meatloaf
In our house, at a time when we were all grown up but still living with my parents, Monday Meatloaf became somewhat of a tradition. If you’ve seen the movie Wedding Crashers then I’m sure you remember the scene when Owen Wilson visits Will Ferrell and they are talking in his mother’s living room. You…
Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
I have always wanted to make homemade pasta. Having lived in Italy and knowing what fresh pasta tastes like, I know it’s worth whatever effort it takes to make it. Growing up I heard stories of how my great-grandmother, Filomena Bonini, made homemade pasta weekly, rolled it by hand with a long broom stick, and…
Stuff Your Own…Stuffed Pepper!
I had an urgent craving for stuffed peppers this past weekend and thought they would be nice for Sunday family dinner. I have never made them before but they seemed simple enough and I thought they have such potential to be delicious. Keeping things on the healthy side, I used a short brown rice instead…
Eggplant Rollatini
Fried eggplant is so delicious and when you pair it with sauce and cheese it just doesn’t get any better. I made eggplant rollatini for the first time, for my non meat-eating friend, on New Years Eve 2012 and it wasn’t as difficult to make as I thought it would be. Ingredients: Eggplant (3…
Italian Latkes?
This Jew decided to make Italian inspired latkes from a recipe by Giada on Christmas Eve which coincidentally was also Hanukkah. I brought these as an appetizer to my aunt’s house. Giada’s recipe sounded too good to ignore! And while I have tried using zucchini and other vegetables for a healthier alternative to all…
Healthy, Hearty, Potato, Leek & Spinach Soup
When it gets cold, who doesn’t love a big bowl of hot soup? Well, Kyle. He detests soup which is so upsetting to this cook because I would make it almost every night in the winter if he would eat it! Soup is easy to make, hearty and can be very healthy. There are really…
Chicken Fried Rice
Jews love Chinese food, I’m not sure why but my family has been ordering Chinese delivery since I can remember. Often times however I find it too greasy and I feel sick as soon as I’m done eating it. Cooking any kind of Asian cuisine at home can be scary but I’ve found a way…
Mac n’ Cheese
What’s better than hot, cheesy mac n’ cheese with a nice crunch on top? Try this recipe and know it’s just as delicious leftover!! It’s up to you what cheeses to use- there are so many options! In my experience, Trader Joe’s has a huge selection for the best prices. Photo Courtesy of Snap Photography…
Mushroom Truffle Risotto
We slightly modified a recipe from Tyler Florence for Mushroom Truffle Risotto that was absolutely delicious! Photos courtesy of Snap Photography Ingredients 8 cups chicken broth, low sodium 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, diced, divided 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped 2…
Grandma Edie’s Stuffed Artichokes
Grandma Edie (our Jewish grandmother) made the best Italian stuffed artichokes around! We grew up making these as kids, taking turns stuffing each leaf and it’s been a fun and tasty tradition! This is one of the few recipes I just won’t vary and these artichokes are worth every minute of preparation. Photos courtesy of…
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