History of Italian Cuisine
ost people will recognize pasta and pizza – two of the most popular dishes that form part of the Italian cuisine. However, Italian cuisine has a lot more to offer than just these two well known dishes. Most importantly, Italian cuisine also has a rich and tempting history – just like the different dishes that form part of its offerings.
All over the land of Italy, all the Italians always maintain a distinctive cooking habit or style that shines in their eating habits, their styles of preparing a meal and the way they select local ingredients. Right from the pre-Roman era till date the Italian food history has gone through a considerable change.
In the ancient times, the preparation of food was very important. One of the ancient and surviving cookbooks is known as the Apicus. The Apicus dates right back to 1st century BC.
It was after the downfall of the Romans that the spread of the Italian cuisine began. Individual states started to uphold their separate traditions and identities. Every region started its own special and unique method of cooking, from the very basic preparation of the meatballs to characteristic varieties of cheeses and also the wine produced in any locale. Read more
3 Easy To Prepare Pork Chop Dinner Recipes
s a busy mother and grandmother, I don’t have a lot of time to spend in my kitchen preparing dinner every night. What I like about these 3 pork chop recipes is that they are easy to prepare and made with ingredients you most likely have on hand.
All of these recipes take less than 60 minutes from preparation to serving time. You can make the recipe the day before and refrigerate it for the following day. Just reheat in your microwave for 4 to 5 minutes and dinner is on the table in a flash. Read more
How To Make Homemade Italian Lasagna
y husband comes from an Italian family, so he grew up eating authentic Italian food. Shortly after we got married, my mother-in-law invited me over to her home so that I could learn to make their family lasagna recipe. We spent the afternoon making homemade garlic bread, salads and of course, the lasagna.
Here is the recipe that she passed down to me, and now I am passing it down to my daughter.
Italian Lasagna Recipe
Sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 lb. lean ground beef
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup water Read more
Baked Spaghetti Family Dinner Recipe
When it came to family dinners in our home, Spaghetti was at the top of the list with our children. Now that our children are all grown, my husband and I enjoy a more grown-up version of this favorite American dish.
I do not recommend freezing any left-overs, however, it will keep for up to 3 days in your refrigerator.
The following recipe will yield 6 servings.
Baked Spaghetti Dinner Recipe
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 (28 ounces) can tomatoes with liquid, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 lb. lean ground beef, browned and drained
12 ounces spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup tap water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Read more
Mia Cucina Pazzo – Rigatoni with Sausage Cream Sauce
enjoy Italian food to much. If I’m not cooking and eating Italian food, I’m writing about it. Over the years I have created and recreated some great dishes in ’’My Crazy Kitchen” and through trial and error have developed some pretty good dishes.
Pasta has always been a family favorite. It’s economical, very easy to make and seems to get everybody’s attention. Nothing brings a family together like a great pasta dish. Over the years I’ve been asked on many occasions what my favorite pasta dish was besides the traditional spaghetti and meatballs.
Unfortunately I have cravings for any pasta recipe that contains butter, cream and parmesan cheese. I know it’s not very healthy but it’s so good. Pasta recipes like Fettuccine Alfredo or Spaghetti Carbonara are definitely top on my list. Read more
How To Make A Peaches and Cream Dessert Cake
If you like cheese cakes and peaches, I think you will enjoy this dessert cake recipe.
The cake is very rich and sweet, and made in the 2 layer technique. The first layer is like that of a traditional cake and the second layer is more like a cheese cake. If desired, you can completely omit the cinnamon sugar topping.
Layer 1 Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (3 ounce) box vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup cold milk
1 (15 ounce) can of sliced peaches
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a deep 10″ round cake pan. Read more
Crock Pot – Old Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe
During the fall and winter months, I enjoy making hearty soups and stews in my crock pot for my family. I love the fact that I can spend a few minutes in the morning preparing it, put it into the slow cooker and walk away…a few hours later, our dinner is hot and ready to enjoy.
The following recipe was given to me by my 83 year old great aunt about 25 years ago. To this day, I still enjoy making it for my family. If you don’t like okra, you can certainly omit it from the recipe. At times, I have actually substituted the okra with some fresh green beans or green peas, and the stew was just as delicious. Read more
Grandma’s Banana Spice Cake With Sea-Foam Frosting Recipe
ack in the early 1980’s my grandmother spent a Saturday afternoon teaching me how to make her banana spice cake. I am not sure why they call it sea-foam frosting, but I can tell you…it does taste delicious!
What I really enjoy about this recipe is the right combination of sweet buttermilk, ripe bananas, along with the spices. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute with regular milk.
Banana Spice Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Read more
Fireplace Popcorn Popper
If it’s raining or snowing outside or even if you simply want to relax by the fireplace then the ideal thing to fall back on would be the fireplace popcorn popper. All you would need to do is gather your kith and kin and within minutes, you would be able to munch on a bowl full of warm, crispy, and crunchy popcorn.
Amongst other fireplace popcorn poppers, the old-fashioned popcorn popper are a great place to start roasting those kernels of corn. The metal popper comes with a non-stick finish that makes it very easy to clean and the star shaped vents on top of it allow the steam to shoot through it thereby maintaining the crispiness of the popcorn.
For ease of use in the fireplace, it comes with an extra long handle with a wooden hold that makes it easy to use it without the risk of being burnt. The other advantage is that the old-fashioned popper can also be used to roast chestnuts. Read more
How To Make A Mississippi Mud Dessert Cake
hen it comes to making chocolate cakes, I often times get bored with the classic ones. I look for recipes that have a twist or some added goodies to them.
This one is really easy to make and I love the rich chocolate flavor along with the miniature marshmallow topping. You can frost the cake with your favorite frosting, although we prefer ours with chocolate. There have been times that I have forgone the frosting and just dusted it with confectioner’s sugar.
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered cocoa
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups miniature marshmallows
chocolate frosting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Read more
Stats