Farfalle Caprese with Pancetta

I am going to soak in every last ounce of summer before it is gone in 2 weeks, and that includes any summery ingredients before I turn to pumpkins, squash and turkey! Take advantage of the late summer tomatoes before they are no longer (I have a few last cherry tomatoes growing on our tomato plant…

Giada’s Lemon Spaghetti with Arugula

I love Giada de Laurentiis’ pasta recipes and this is another amazing dish, and even better is that it is a tasty meatless recipe. The weather has heated back up again for the end of August and this is a light and delicious dinner that is full of flavour. It is fast and easy to…

Farfalle with Broccoli

This is a great and easy recipe from Giada de Laurentiis (one of my favourites).  It’s from her Everyday Pasta book, which is terrific as are all her others (yes I have them all!). Best of all the kids gobbled it up for our “Meatless Monday” dinner this past week. So, I bought anchovy paste…

Summer Penne with Zucchini, Mushrooms, Onion, Tomato and Basil

I was craving penne tossed with fresh summer veggies and this was awesome! A fresh and tasty combination of good quality penne with yellow and green zucchini, cremini mushrooms, red onion, grape tomatoes, fresh basil and grated Parmesan. Substitute pasta as needed (gluten free, whole wheat, etc.). Ingredients: 1 lb Penne pasta 227g package of…

Tomato and Asparagus Spaghetti with Sundried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

A delicious and light pasta recipe full of grape tomatoes and asparagus, with sliced sundried tomatoes and pine nuts, then topped with fresh Parmesan cheese. Ingredients: 1/2 lb of good quality spaghetti (I am a big fan of De Cecco) 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon of minced garlic 1 pint of…

Tortellini Pasta Salad

A fabulous pasta salad recipe that everyone will love! I clipped the recipe from Chatelaine magazine in 2011 and have been making my version ever since! Ingredients: One 700g or 750g package of tri-colour cheese tortellini (I buy the 3 x 750g pack of Olivieri they sell Costco) 6 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise (I like…

Baked Penne with Grilled Chicken, Mushrooms, Sundried Tomatoes and Three Cheeses

An easy, quick, delicious and hearty family meal! Thumbs up from the hubby and the kids! Ingredients: 1/2 lb penne pasta (half a box), cooked to al dente 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size slices/chunks 284ml can of sliced mushrooms Kosher (coarse) salt and freshly ground pepper…

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

I had some leftover butternut squash cubed and ready in the freezer, so I thought I would give this recipe a try. I adapted it and the results were really good. According to the kids they still like mac & cheese in the box better (figures!) but they didn’t know there was any squash in…

Penne with Steak & Arugula

This is a new recipe of mine! A delicious pasta combination of thinly sliced sirloin steak and peppery arugula, tossed with grape tomatoes, pine nuts, lemon and Parmesan. We really enjoyed it – lots of yummy bits and bites and flavours. The recipe serves 4, double the recipe if needed. Ingredients: 1 small sirloin steak…

Slow-Cooker Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is one of my favourite comfort foods. When the weather gets cold I just love a big bowl of spaghetti with hearty meat sauce. I tend to make it in the slow cooker because the cooking gets done while I am out and about, and the low-slow cooking makes the sauce so delicious….