What's for Dinner?

A Taste of All We're Cooking, Buying and Eating Lately

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Entries Tagged as 'Italian'

Wayne’s Pizza

November 29th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Chicago, Italian, appetizers, cheese, food, fun, junkfood, mozzarella, mushrooms, pizza, restaurants, sauces, sides, spinach

About six months ago, I found out my cholesterol was slightly high. That was the wake-up call that I needed to lose the last fifteen pounds of pregnancy weight. Coming off Thanksgiving weekend (okay, week if I’m being honest), I’m back to eating big salads and righting myself again. But the week sure was fun [...]

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I! Have Made! Pasta! (Spinach Gnudi)

October 8th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Dad, Italian, cheese, florentine, food, leftovers, pasta, quick, spinach, vegetarian

I’ve already admitted to the whole universe, here on this blog, that I’m not the greatest Italian in the world because I don’t ALWAYS make my own sauce (that’s because that world that I live in? It’s the REAL one. Join me, there are babies here… Messy, but worth it!) Anyway, now I’ll tell you [...]

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Pizza Stone and Pizza on the Grill

September 23rd, 2009 · 6 Comments · BBQ, Italian, basil, breads, cheese, food, grill, mozzarella, mushrooms, pizza, quick, sauces, sausage, value

Lookie my new toys!

I’ve been messing with this all summer. I bought a pizza peel (the big paddle), and a large rectangular pizza stone on Amazon.com. I went by the ones with a high rating. I have been buying the whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s, and I’ve had a lot of success with [...]

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Turkey Marinara Burger

July 4th, 2009 · 2 Comments · BBQ, Italian, basil, burgers, cheese, food, mozzarella, quick, sandwiches, turkey

What better time to post a run of burgers than the week of July 4th? Most of these are “alternative burgers,” since I thought perhaps this might be the only time of the year when we all might be a little burnt out on the regular kind. In the last week, I’ve seen a thick, [...]

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Beyond Easy Vodka Cream Sauce

May 11th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Italian, food, mushrooms, pasta, quick, sauces, turkey, vegetarian

I’m committed to making things easily, with as few steps as possible. But honestly, I felt guilty about posting this. And then I realized it was two steps beyond simply opening a jar, which I do all the time. With one little rationalization, I went from feeling a little dirty to being one fancy lady!

Last [...]

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Portillo's Chocolate Cake

April 29th, 2009 · 16 Comments · Chicago, Italian, chocolate, desserts, food, pregnancy, quick, restaurants, soul food, value

I’m somewhat back “on the wagon” right about now, watching my calories and portion sizes. Of course, this doesn’t apply to weekends, or holidays, or that time of the month. In fact, with all my trangressions, I’m really surprised that I’ve lost any of the fifty pounds that I gained while pregnant at all. Twenty [...]

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Artichoke Cream Pasta

April 17th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Dad, Italian, artichoke, bacon, cheese, cookbooks, florentine, food, pancetta, pasta, quick, vegetables, vegetarian

Chris recently brought a regular sale to my notice through Amazon.com. You can get subscriptions to lots of magazines, many times, for $6-$10 for the whole year (or sometimes two years.) I treated myself recently to a dirt-cheap subscription to Cooking Light. I really like it. I’ve read many foodie periodicals over the years, starting [...]

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Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

February 9th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Italian, cheese, eggplant, fancy, food, mozzarella, pasta, potatoes, sauces, sausage, turkey, vegetables, vegetarian

I’m not doing a low-carb throwback to 2001 here, but a good veggie lasagna can be made without the noodles. It’s kind of fun, and you can have big pieces of vegetables without grinding them into the sauce or the filling… I just use them instead of the noodles.
I cut the vegetables lengthwise and grill [...]

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Gorgonzola Pappardelle

January 14th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Italian, cheese, food, gorgonzola, pasta, quick, sauces, vegetarian

The weather outside at the moment is what my husband calls, “ass cold.” So I’ve been looking for warm dishes that “stick” a little bit. This gorgonzola pasta is a nice option, and easy to make.

I just started with a tablespoon or so of light butter, then added a tablespoon or two of flour, until [...]

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Open-Faced Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dill and Wine Sauce

December 17th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Christmas, French, Italian, breads, cheese, chicken, dill, fancy, food, fun, ham, leftovers, pork, prosciutto, quick, sauces, soul food, vegetables

Okay, if my efforts hit the mark, that sounds fancy – but it only took me about twenty minutes to make this dish.
I started with some pre-pounded chicken breasts (the Perdue Fit & Easy). I browned them (and cooked them through, because really, they’re so thin) in a pan with a little olive oil, and [...]

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