Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs

Growing up I remember Wednesday was the night to go to my friend April's house. Why Wednesday? Because at her house, Wednesday was always spaghetti night. They always had a great spread of garlic bread, salad and really good spaghetti. In fact, every time I make spaghetti, memories of spaghetti night at April's house come to mind. Although it's not Wednesday, this post is dedicated to April for the times I was lucky enough to enjoy spaghetti night with her family. I recently made this Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs that definitely hit the spot and makes for a nice one dish dinner!Spaghetti and meatballs can certainly be a production to make in the ki

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12 'Round the World Ground Beef Recipes...

Ground beef is often buried deep in my freezer somewhere. It's not a particular ingredient I work with often but it does come in handy when I make burgers, meat sauce or even meatballs. Sometimes coming up with other dishes using ground beef can be a challenge though. For those times you may need some recipe inspiration using ground beef, here are 12 'Round the World Ground Beef Recipes to try and venture out into other ethnic cuisines...Swedish MeatballsForget going to IKEA for your meatball fix... Lamb & Beef KoubidehPersian fare is so flavorful and fun to eat on a stick!... Beef & Cheese EmpanadasTake a tasty trip to Latin America with thes

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NO-KNEAD OLIVE BREAD

A PICKLE A SCHMICKLE: IT’S ALL A MATTER OF TASTEExcept the vine, there is no plant which bears a fruit of as great importance as the olive.- PlinyIt must have been our Eastern European Jewish culture, but we were an olive and pickle-loving family. Our refrigerator was always overflowing with glass jars chock full of briny things of every type and kind: olives green and black, thick, crunchy slices of green tomatoes, chilly, crispy sour kraut, spicy hot peppers and tiny cocktail onions. And the pickles! Half-sour, dill, tiny sweet gherkins and those crinkle-cut hamburger slices, just sweet enough with that sour afterbite. Chips, slices, wedges, spears,

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Homemade Cannoli

When you're throwing an Italian inspired party, it can be quite a task to come up with a dessert only fitting for the menu. For the recent Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Showdown party I threw, my menu was Italian inspired and well, pizza heavy. For dessert, I wanted something light but some of the dessert ideas I came across seemed too heavy. I also wanted my guests to have fun and I know my friends like to be interactive in the kitchen. So I did some thinking and remembered how much I enjoyed fresh cannoli in the North End neighborhood of Boston. Homemade Cannoli was the perfect dessert for my party menu and to take it a step further, I set up a cannoli ba

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10 Sweet Lemon Recipes to Pucker Up To...

Now that it's spring, you'll find lots of great seasonal produce available... so take advantage! Lemons are definitely in season so you may find them on sale at your local grocery store. Grab a few lemons and aside from making lemonade, try one of these 10 Sweet Lemon Recipes to Pucker Up To... Strawberry Lemon SconesStrawberry and lemon make these scones a sweet way to start the day... Creamy Lemon Blueberry CupsBlueberries and lemon are another great fruit pair, as seen in these sweet little bites... Lemon Mini Bundt CakeHave your lemon bundt cake & eat it too with this mini version... Tartest Lemon TartsThis tart using the entire lemon - zest,

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TramOrama

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: TramOramaView more webinars from Dennis Labadarios.This year 120 years of use of tram are completed at Europe. Look some pictures and informations of this ecological means of transport on Paris, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Graz, Linz, Konstanz, Dresden, Innsburg, Prague, Freiburg im Breisgau and Athens.

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Zesty Italian Chicken Wings

Pizza and wings - a likely combination right? My recent Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Showdown party was the perfect opportunity to use the same combination for my menu... but regular buffalo or hot wings wasn't going to do. I wanted something a little different but still flavorful. That's when I came across a delicious recipe for Zesty Italian Chicken Wings. It was perfect since the rest of my menu items were Italian inspired and these wings definitely packed in a punch of flavor!...You've probably heard the term brining during the Thanksgiving season. Commonly seen when preparing turkey, it's a process where meat is soaked in a brine (read: salty water) b

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Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red and Yellow Peppers and Goat Cheese –Finally a new blog post!!!

So I really don’t want to even look and see when the last time I posted a recipe was. I am very, very ashamed. I really have no excuse besides being totally rushed off of my feet all the time and totally uninspired come dinner time. Usually it’s just a meal thrown together and always an old stand by. Something tried and true (and already blogged more than likely). I happened to see this recipe though the other day and printed it out immediately. So glad I did! It is really a delicious and simple meal. Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red and Yellow Peppers and Goat Cheese – From The New York TimesWhen making this easy pasta, be sure to cut the swe

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Wretches and Jabberers Review "Disabled Doesn't Meant Dumb" - Is It OK For Higher Functioning Persons with Autism to Mock Intellectually Disabled?

"Disabled Doesn't Mean Dumb" is the title of an Associated Press (John Curran) review of "Wretches and Jabberers" published online in the Washington Times. W and J is said to be a documentary by Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette, 2 non verbal persons with autism who have been able to communicate via augmentative technologies including equipment which converts typed messages into voice communication.  The two were presumed to lack intelligence because of their inability, prior to the introduction of the augmentative technology, to communicate. Now they are sought after as speakers and field questions about autism including autism and intelligen

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Italian Chopped Salad

When you're serving up several varieties of pizza like I did at my recent Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Showdown party, you definitely want to balance the meal with some vegetable dishes. With that in mind, I prepared this Italian Chopped Salad that went perfectly with the pizza and other Italian inspired fare on the menu. Loaded with fresh mozzarella, sliced pepperoni, diced roasted red bell peppers and chickpeas, it's a great Italian salad that's easy to put together and a hit at the table!I personally love chopped salad and when I thought about a salad to add to my party menu, I thought an Italian version would be perfect - and it was!  This was a b

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Spinach & Artichoke Cheeseball

One of the most requested dips I make at family get togethers is my Spinach & Artichoke dip. It's warm, cheesy and addictive, especially with warm slices of bread or toasted crostini. But rather than bringing the same dip served the same way, I wanted to switch things up a bit. This time around I made a Spinach & Artichoke Cheeseball that was definitely a bit hit at my Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Showdown party. It's all the deliciousness of a spinach and artichoke dip all rolled up in a ball - literally!As one might assume, this Spinach & Artichoke Cheeseball has both spinach and artichoke. To hold it together, a mixture of cream cheese, mozz

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Foodbuzz 24x24: Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza Showdown!

It's been confirmed, we love Chicago. We really, really do and what solidified it for us was being away from this wonderful city for nearly a year. Just before our son was born, we said goodbye to Chicago's downtown highrise living and headed up north to the suburbs, just on the border of Illinois and Wisconsin. While living there, we missed the energy of the city, the diversity and most of all, the food! Fast forward to 10 months later, we returned back to Chicago and have settled in again. This city is truly home for us and we're so happy to be back. To celebrate, we've invited our foodie friends over for a special night with one of Chicago's famous

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