Cooking Method: Boiling

Baked Ziti

My daughter Grace made this classic Baked Ziti recipe. Unfortunately, I got the photo and recipe, but not the dinner invitation! Her version is vegetarian, but you could add ground beef or sausage if you want. It's kind of a freeform lasagna. It's inexpensive to make, family-friendly and doesn't require all the layering that lasagna does. I can also be made ahead to be ready to pop in the oven later in the day. It looks SO good, maybe she'll bring me some leftovers!

By Leslie Blythe

Pizza Spaghetti

This Pizza Spaghetti is my new favorite casserole. If you have kids, this is a must-try. You can add your favorite toppings to the "noodle crust" to make it your own. The next day I reheated it in a cast-iron skillet for lunch. It's so good, I want to make it again, but I probably should wait at least a week!

By Leslie Blythe

Milanese-Style Savoy Cabbage

My husband Eric seems to be obsessed wtih Savoy cabbage lately. He has made several versions. This Milanese-Style Savoy cabbage is loosely based on a recipe from Academia Barilla. Savoy cabbage has a mild flavor, and works really well sliced thinly in soups and stir-fries.

By Leslie Blythe

Spanish Fideo with Chicken

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to one of our favorite Spanish restaurants to have a glass of wine, socially distanced outside. We were looking at the actual menu and my husband was curious about the Pasta Espanola con Pollo or Spanish Fideo with Chicken. I decided that I would make it at home. Fideo is a short, thin, vermicelli-like noodle used in paella-like Spanish and Mexican dishes. It was so good, that I will make it again. It was a taste of Spain in a dish!

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Pappardelle

Recently, I lent/gave my pasta maker (you don't necessarily need one to make this pasta) to my daughter Grace. She has been making a lot of pasta lately. My friend Melanie dropped off some homemade marinara sauce that she made from some homegrown tomatoes. So I called Grace and ordered some of her pasta to go with this luscious sauce. As per Melanie's instructions, we made vodka sauce by adding ½ cup of vodka to the marinara - simmer until the alcohol is cooked off then add some cream. It was SO delicious! I can't get any fresher than this! 

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Japanese Potato Salad

Japanese Potato Salad is unique in that it is half mashed and half chunky, which gives it a creamier texture. It has grated carrots, cucumbers, scallions and diced ham. To emulate Kewpie mayonnaise, you add a little bit of sugar. The Yukon Gold potatoes I used where particularly gold in color!

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Orzo with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I made this Orzo with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe and opened a jar of hot Peppadew peppers that were way past the sell-by date, so I used pepperoncini instead. The peppers add a little heat to this dish, though you can leave them out if you prefer.

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Ramen Noodle Frittata

One of my favorite lunches is Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles, which is a recipe my husband invented. Here is another way to use ramen noodles and the first thing you do is throw the flavor dust packet in the trash! Your family will love this Ramen Noodle Frittata. It's very versatile. You can use different vegetables or ground meat in it. The funny thing is that it calls for Oyster sauce and I grabbed hoisin sauce instead, which worked just fine. Then I looked up the difference between the two -

Hoisin sauce is made primarily with soybeans with other ingredients like garlic, sugar and various spices. Oyster sauce does contain the seafood after which it is named. ... Hoisin sauce contains various spices and is sweeter. While oyster sauce contains sugar as well, it is not as sweet as hoisin sauce.

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Cheesy Scalloped Zucchini

I know many of you have planted zucchini in your gardens. This Cheesy Scalloped Zucchini is one way you might get your kids to eat some vegetables! It can be made ahead and baked before serving.

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Deviled Eggs with Cornichon Tapenade

My friend Nick made these outstanding Deviled Eggs with Cornichon Tapenade from David Lebovitz's Drinking French. The tapenade, which is a Provençal name for a dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, and anchovies, gives these eggs incredible flavor. If you close your eyes, maybe you could envision yourself on the French riviera! It's worth a try anyway!

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