Braised Fennel & Greens with White Beans & Shaved Romano

This Italian-inspired recipe is comfort food at its best:Sweet and fragrant fennel sauteed with bitter, pungent greens, and then cooked with creamy white beans and served with sharp and tanged Pecorino Romano sings to my spirit and my soul. Braised Fennel & Greens with White Beans & Shaved Romano 1 Tbs. olive oil1 small fennel…

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Classic Eggplant Parmesan – BUT Better!

There’s nothing like a Classic Eggplant Parmesan, crusted with breadcrumbs and baked with marinara and Italian cheese. BUT, this recipe is better.Yes, it’s BETTER!Why is it better?Well, the eggplant is salted and sweated* – HUGE difference.The cheese is a blend of several different varieties.The sauce is special.And, it’s baked with LOVE.THAT’S the difference. Always add…

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Classic Meat Lasagna

Now I have plenty of versions of creative lasagnas all over the place on the blog.SO many.You know I pride myself on innovation and crafting flavor amalgamations that are not only unusual and typically unheard of, but also astonishingly delicious.It sort of blows my mind that it has never occurred to me to bake a…

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Italian Grinder Pacha Lasagna Layer Bake

The most popular theory for why grinders received their name is because of the Italian bread the fillings rest upon. Sandwich makers needed thick and durable bread to hold these submarine sandwiches’ fillings. However, these sandwiches gained a reputation for having to put extra jaw work into consuming them because of their thick bread and…

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Pizza Tonnato

When a great friend of mine in Germany shared that she had cooked an amazing dinner: a tuna pizza with egg and Parmesan, I had an image in my mind of a rustic pizza crust, topped with delectable European oil packed tuna (so much better than what we typically find here, stateside), a soft boiled…

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Crispy Tomato Torte

Crispix: It’s a light and crispy (who would’ve guessed), hexagonal cereal from Kellogg’s that has rice on one side and corn on the other. The two sides are fused via some sort of black magic to create a 3D piece that looks a bit like a mind-blowing magic-eye piece of art. What do you see among…

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Italian Ribollita Soup

Ribollita is a famous Tuscan bread soup, a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, lacinato kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, beans, chard, celery, potatoes, and onion. “This vegetarian Italian classic is about as comforting as it gets,…

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Mediterranean Tahini Chicken

The Mediterranean diet is a diet inspired by the eating habits of Spain, Italy, and Greece in the 1960s and is said to be one of the healthiest ways of eating on earth. Loaded with lots of veggies and plenty of healthy fat, following the Mediterranean way of eating nourishes the body and the soul – after…

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Spaghetti Meatloaf

As I described this dish of deliciousness to friends and family, they seemed to respond similarly: “Don’t you already have a dish just like that?”Well, sort of – but not really.The recipe to which they are all referring to is the famous New York Spaghetti Pie.I’ve NEVER EVER met a soul of the face of…

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Strawberry Rose Rhubarb Panna Cotta

Just as spring began to emerge this year, I said to Valerie, “I really want to make rhubarb rose panna cotta.” Of course, she smiled and said, “okay.” What else would she say? Any excuse for us to get into the kitchen and whip up a sweet or a savory storm leaves us both grinning….

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