Meatballs

Wednesday was spaghetti night, or "pa-sketti" as my younger sister used to call it. Midweek was always a busy time for my family. My Dad would get home from work, we'd eat together and then be off to "Wens-dee prayer-meetin.'" Since my dad's drive home was a good forty minutes and our drive to church was at least thirty, it didn't leave a whole lot of time in between for eating. Supper had to be ready when my dad got home, easy to get on the table and quick to eat. And so my mom instituted spaghetti night. 

And while we don't attend a church with a midweek service anymore, we do still have those rushed evenings before Brad runs out to a meeting or those Sundays where we come home tired and hungry for something easy to get into our bellies. And for those meals, I rely on my mom's wisdom -- make it easy and make it ahead!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Some days just call for soup. And soup has been calling my name during this unnaturally chilly beginning of June. I like this one because it's pretty quick. You use leftover rotisserie chicken (or a chicken breast that you've cooked in the crock pot) sauté some veggies, add broth and pasta and you're done twenty minutes later. Stews need lots of time and their hearty nature is generally more appropriate in winter. But this soup takes thirty to forty minutes, start to finish, and its light and clean broth makes a delicious supper for spring as well as winter. 

Lasagna

Simple. Homemade. Good Food. 

The kind of meal that you make for yourselves and for company. 

The kind of meal you take to sick friends or friends with newborns. 

The kind that you make in a big pan so that you can have leftovers later in the week. 

It's a simple recipe -- doctor your favorite sauce, boil some noodles and whip up a cheese filling. But sometimes simple is best. 

How-To: Homemade Noodles

Homemade noodles can take a soup from good to amazing. There's something about the texture of a homemade noodle that leaps past the cookie-cutter sameness of store-bought and gives a soup individuality. Store-bought noodles tend to be a little bland and they slip right off your spoon before you are able to get them to your mouth. Homemade noodles are different. Toothsome. Hearty. They put the love in your soup.

Baked Ziti

Ziti is one of my favorite company meals. It can be made ahead, it's satisfying and almost everyone likes it, especially children. And this recipe is so good. It's not a dump-everything-in-and-bake kinda dish, but the few extra steps reward you with tender noodles, punctuated by cheesy goodness and a bright, tomato sauce. 

Spaghetti Pie

I love lasagna, but sometimes it's too much work. There's all those slippery noodles to deal with, layer upon layer to build and a cheesy filling to mix up. Sometimes I want something slightly simpler, but just as tasty.

Macaroni & Cheese: Two Versions

Almost nothing speaks to the nostalgic heart more than macaroni and cheese. Homemade and hot from the oven with a bite of cheddar and perhaps a blush of heat. A rich and creamy sauce folded over and under and into every crevice of every tender noodle. Love dripping with every spoonful.

Joei's Pasta Salad

Hot, summer days come with their own special fare. Many Americans spend these lazy, dog days grilling stacks of hamburgers, hot dogs or even steak, if they feel like splurging. Tables are laden with large tubs of juicy watermelon slices, piles of sweet corn-on-the-cob and various condiments. Anything cold, easy, or grilled makes the menu to ease the pain of cooking in the sweltering heat. Often a flag cake or other sweet treat graces the end of the table, a promise of something heavenly to top off already-bulging stomachs.

Penne in a Garlic-Cream Sauce

You can look in my fridge at any point in time and find cream. If cream is missing from my fridge, then you can find me making a quick trip to ShopRite to pick some up. Cream is about as essential to my fridge as milk is to anyone else's.

If I was on a desert island and could bring along one ingredient, I'd bring cream. Yes, I would.