By Ari, on January 28th, 2012%
It happened again.
I had a weird, inexplainable craving for buffalo chicken wings.
Of course, at the same time I was also wanting eggplant parmesan and chocolate cake, but in the end the buffalo chicken won out.
I think I’m just excited for the Super Bowl (read: excited for Super Bowl eating!).
This tastes exactly like you might expect. Chickeny, cheesey, spicy, pasta goodness. If you’re looking for a unique dish to highlight at your Super Bowl party next week, switch out the buffalo wings with some other flavor combination (these baked parmesan and garlic wings ought to do the trick) and make buffalo chicken lasagna, instead!
Continue reading Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
By Ari, on December 22nd, 2011%
I know what you’re thinking: how could I go away for almost two weeks and not give you any notice?!
Believe me, it wasn’t intentional. I think we’re all in agreement that the holidays are busy and stressful, but these past few weeks have been exceptionally sporadic. Fortunately, I come bearing a winner of a dish: imagine an Italian sausage sandwich, oozing with cheese and sauce… turned pasta.
Onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, spicy sausage, ricotta, and juuust a touch of cream.
 Continue reading Rotini with Spicy Sausage and Ricotta
By Ari, on October 18th, 2011%
I have to admit that even though I hungrily consumed a large bowl of this pasta for dinner last night, I may have snuck into the fridge to grab another bite or two while John was at the gym…
Thank you, eggplant caponata, for contributing to my closet eating behavior. (Perhaps I should have gone to the gym, too.)
 Continue reading Eggplant Caponata Pasta
By Ari, on October 7th, 2011%
Last week, my friend from high school, Jess, shared a butternut squash lasagna recipe with me. It took all of thirty seconds for me to turn to John and tell him I was making it the next weekend.
My biggest issue with lasagna is the massive quantity of cheese that usually accompanies it. I love cheese — adore it, can’t live without it — but let’s not pretend it’s healthy. And while we’re not pretending, who wants to substitute fat-free cheese that isn’t going to melt in their lasagna? Not this girl. Therefore, we don’t see too many lasagnas ’round these parts.
So yes, this recipe an indulgence, but it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds. And once in a while, a big slice of cheesey gooey wonderful lasagna ain’t bad. (If it helps, I substituted part-skim ricotta, which tastes just as good as the whole milk variety.)
The recipe below for the butternut squash filling is pretty basic. You could add any number of ingredients to the squash before puréeing it to enhance the flavors, though.
- Sautéed apples
- Roasted onions
- Crushed hazelnuts
- Additional herbs
… and if you use store-bought pasta, this comes together quickly. I apparently have to do things the hard way (which is usually the very tasty way), so I made a few sheets of fresh sage pasta. Do I regret it? Not at all.
I was too busy rolling out pasta and stealing bites of the squash purée to take pictures. Apologies.
Here’s the final product:
 Continue reading Butternut Squash Lasagna
By Ari, on September 25th, 2011%
Pardon me while I pat myself on the back for this one.
Roasted butternut squash and onions, crispy pancetta, fresh sage, and risotto. That, my friends, is how you welcome fall. Continue reading Butternut Squash Risotto with Onion and Pancetta
By Ari, on August 28th, 2011%
Got the hurricane blues? Us too. We were supposed to be in Massachusetts this weekend visiting friends, but instead we’re sitting inside waiting for our Super to show up and examine the leak in our ceiling (thanks, Irene). What’s worse? My husband is participating in a weight loss bet at work (yay!) and has given up carbs for the next few days (boo!).
Can you imagine a life without carbs?! I can’t. Bread, pasta, cereal, and more pasta are what I live off of. And while I used to go carb-free every once in a while when I was actively doing Weight Watchers, those days are long gone.
All I want to do is cook. Stormy, rainy days are perfect for that. Everything I want to make, however, is full of carbtastic goodies. Like this pasta. (Have you noticed that I adore homemade pasta?) I would eat this every day if I could.
Continue reading Lemon Fusilli with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Pesto
By Ari, on July 25th, 2011%
Is anyone else craving fall? These past few days have been absolutely brutal in NYC, and I want nothing more than for the temperature to drop 40 degrees and to break out my boots, sweaters, and hearty fall/winter recipes; to sleep at night with our bedroom window open; to buy our 9-month old puppy (they grow up so fast!) a new winter coat.
And my favorite part of fall: watching the leaves change colors.
Today isn’t too bad, though. While we were experiencing a heat index of between 100 and 112 this past weekend, today is a cool 79 degrees.
No matter. I can’t shake this itch; I really want it to be fall.
 Continue reading Mint Fettuccine with Lamb Ragu
By Ari, on May 12th, 2011%
I’ve had an inexplicable craving for buffalo wings for the last few weeks. It’s the craziest thing. Not wanting to give in to greasy (albeit delicious) bar food, and wanting to explore other options than baked wings, I decided to make buffalo wingless risotto.
Risotto is incredibly versatile. The “mac n’ cheese” of adults, it can adopt any flavor profile the cook desires.
Continue reading Buffalo Wingless Risotto
By Ari, on May 10th, 2011%
Whenever I experiment with recipes, I label the finished product as either (a) a triumph (to be repeated over and over again), (b) something that is tasty, but needs tweaking, or (c) something I wouldn’t even feed to my enemies. I’m happy to report that this recipe is a winner! Not shocking, though. What’s not to love about a simple shrimp scampi?
Warning: If you’re not a fan of garlic, you probably won’t like this dish. Also, why are we friends?!
Continue reading Shrimp Scampi
By Ari, on April 26th, 2011%
Remember that sun-dried tomato pesto I made yesterday? You need to make it. I’m not kidding. It’s an essential component of this pasta recipe, and you’re definitely going to want to try this.
I call this an “Ari” recipe. It is titled thusly because my fiancé would prefer not to eat it. Now before you start doubting the deliciousness of this pasta, you should know that the fiancé is not a lover of sun-dried tomatoes. (I know, right?!) He’ll eat them in small quantities, and every now and again he’ll enjoy how I prepare them, but in general, they’re just not his thing. So when I made this pasta, I went crazy over it and he was… unenthusiastic.
Dishes like this (which tend to be healthier, meat-free, and full of my favorite ingredients) are reserved for those rare occasions when the Mr.-to-be is unavailable for dinner.
How fortunate for me that he’ll be out-of-town this weekend! I might even throw a sun-dried tomato party in his absence.
Before you ask, yes – you are invited. Please bring wine.
Continue reading Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
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