• lessons

    Searching for the Perfect Homemade Pasta Recipe: Part 1

    by  • November 17, 2010 • Cooking with Kids, Eating Locally, Homecooking, Gardening, lessons, Raising Healthy Kids, Techniques and Tips, Thoughts, Thoughts • 1 Comment

    If there was just one carb to darken my doorway for the rest of eternity, it would be pasta. My kids request it nightly. I like it. My husband likes it. And there are endless ways to flavor and dress it. As far as versatile ingredients go, pasta is right up there. Typically, we...

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    Reviving Salt and Pepper Chicken (and 5 Food Photography Tips for the Non-Photographer)

    by  • November 4, 2010 • Budget Eating, Chicken, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Life, lessons, New Blog Advice, Photos, protein, Recipes, Thoughts • 3 Comments

    If you are a longtime reader of Sarah’s Cucina Bella, you might remember my recipes for Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts. It was a long post with adorable pictures of the kids, and a bad picture of the chicken. On Tuesday, I had the chance to reshoot this recipe with the help...

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    The Joy of Turkey Sandwiches (and 5 Ways to Jazz Yours Up)

    by  • September 21, 2010 • A Little Help, lessons, lunch, Mama's baby, Thoughts • 6 Comments

    I’m sitting at my desk eating a turkey sandwich on 7-grain bread with a smear of roasted red pepper hummus and a slice of Swiss cheese. It’s divine. I didn’t bother to cut it in half, though I am a devoted sandwich-cutter (as yesterday’s turkey sandwich, above, shows). The house is quiet, still even....

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    Ramps, and a Delicious Ramp Pesto

    by  • May 11, 2010 • Eating Locally, Homecooking, Gardening, Farm Fresh, Feeding Kids, Healthy Cooking, lessons, pasta, quick and easy, Recipes, sandwich • 5 Comments

    Meet ramps … In the bowl pictured above are some chopped ramps, a wild onion that grows in the Eastern part of the United States and Canada. Also known as a wild leek, it has a bold flavor with notes of onion and garlic. And until this past weekend, I had never had one,...

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    Thoughts on Cooking from Magazines

    by  • April 1, 2010 • lessons • 7 Comments

    Months ago, I started doing something new every week. Every weekend, I would sit down and decide what dishes would appear here for the next week. Taking the time to plan this into my week helped me to spend less time fretting over what to make and more time on the recipe development and...

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    Tips for a Flawless Risotto

    by  • August 16, 2007 • lessons • 0 Comments

    Finally! Finally I have perfected my risotto technique. After making it twice this week with creamy, perfect results, I am feeling pretty good about the little rice dish. Unfortunately I have also learned that I am not that fond of it – I like cleaner flavors then you get with a risotto. C’est la...

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