FREE GIVEAWAY!

So guess what?  How many of you have already started your Christmas shopping?  Or perhaps you are about to get married and need some extra cash and/or stuff?  Well, lucky for you, there aren't a ton of readers on this website, because that means you have a greater opportunity to win a free GIVEAWAY for $35 to any of CSN's stores.  They have 200+ online stores selling products of all shapes and sizes, like leather messenger bags and a wide variety of just about anything you can think of.  So if you are poor like me, $35 is a lot of money, especially if its going towards one purchase.  

Maybe I'm a weirdo but I kind of liked this one:

And this would be perfect for Italy..I dont know why I love the hard luggage so much.....am I the only one?  They have other stuff too.  

CSN stores also sells furniture, cookware, bed and bath, home improvement, rugs, toys, etc.  

So what do you have to do to win?  Just write a comment and let me know and I will put your name in for a drawing....and I will let you know soon!

(Ps this really is Shayna, I haven't been taken over by some random company trying to sell their stuff on my site.)

Merry Christmas! 

Going to Italy!

So, I've decided May it is!  WAHOOO!!!! May, because according to our security guard at work, who served his mission there, May is the most beautiful time to go to Italy...and if not in May, he said, then September.  So I was thinking, it may as well be May, because then everyone is off of school, PLUS, I am sure I won't have a job by then, so its perfect.

I am looking for people that would like to come with me!!  Any takers???  I am going to try to get $4,000 saved up, and hoping that is enough to cover it.  I would like to go anywhere from 3-4 weeks and want to hit the major cities, like Naples and Pompeii, Capri, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Verona, Genova, Tuscany, Bologna, Turin.......I'm thinking something like 2 or 3 days in each city.

(from Pompeii...those are real bodies that were casted after the major eruption of Mt. Vesuvius....crazy, and terribly sad but I am wanting to see it so bad!)

And this is Napoli...where my dad was born and my grandma was raised, she left it as a war bride in 1945, and I think she only went back once, when she was very old!

But seriously, let me know if you want to come!!  I'm researching more on costs right now....so hopefully they wont be too bad :)  

Carrot Zuccinni Muffins

 Heat oven to 400ºF. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with nonstick cooking spray. Combine 1 3/4 cups oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and nutmeg. Add carrots, zucchini, milk, oil and egg whites, mixing just until moistened. Fill muffin cups almost full. Combine remaining ingredients, sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm Makes 12 muffins

Penne Pasta with Cream Sauce

Oh THIS one I just learned today! It is so delicious. My friend Sara came over and taught me how it goes, it is way easy! So here ya go:

Chop one whole garlic..not one clove, but the whole garlic. (I dont know what that whole thing is called)

Penne Pasta--about a box

Ripe cherry tomatoes cut into halves or thirds--you will need a whole container (not the costco sized one, but the size you find in regular grocery stores)

Extra virgin olive oil

Two Zuccinni's/or one really big one

Heavy Cream

About two huge handfulls of Mozzarella Cheese

Italian seasoning

basil

oregeno

salt

Sautee the garlic with some olive oil in the bottom of a big pot. Pour in the whipping cream--about half the carton. Mix in the cheese. You can't stop stirring this mixture, and add more of either one depending on how thick you want it to be. Sprinkle in some Italian seasoning to taste, as well as salt.

Sautee the chopped zuccini (which can be peeled) in olive oil and the rest of the garlic. (probably about a teaspoon or less) until the zuccinni is softened all the way through.

Put the zuccinni and the chopped tomatoes into the sauce mixture. Add basil (about a tablespoon) and oregeno and more italian seasoning to taste. Play with it until you like it, it turns out different each time.

In the meantime, boil your pasta until it is Al Dente (somewhat soft but firm at the same time). When the pasta is done, and the sauce is done (its simmered for awhile and is at the consistency you like), dump the pasta into the sauce. Mix it up. Add flavorings to taste.

This tastes great with a salad or breadsticks or garlic bread or all of the above. Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesian

Yum! Who doesn't LOVE a good Eggplant Parmesian?? Well, if you THINK you don't like it, try this recipe. If you like cheese, you are bound to love this!

What You Need:

2 Eggplants

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (preferrably..or you can go get 2 bags of the shredded Western Family Italian cheeses. I like this way too a lot!)

Parmesan Cheese

Spaghetti Sauce (2 jars)

Can of diced tomatoes

3 eggs

water

flour

Making the Spaghetti Sauce:

OK so maybe this isn't so traditional, but I spice up the sauce a bit.

Add a can of diced tomatoes. Also add oregeno, parsley, garlic powder, italian seasoning to taste. My secret is to add a good amount of CHEESE to the sauce. That is the best part! I usually use the colby jack/cheddar mix. Or cheddar works fine.

Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Put salt on each piece, top and bottom.

Let it sit for half an hour. This helps suck moisture out of the eggplant to give it the right consistency. (may want to put eggplant in a colander)

Wash eggplant with water and dry it.

Dip in flour, top and bottom.

Dip in egg second. (2-3 eggs will be needed.)

Add touch of water to eggs.

Put in a pan with olive oil and fry each piece top and bottom til egg cooks.

Transfer eggplant to cooling rack. Cool off.

Get casserole dish.

Coat dish bottom with spaghetti sauce.

Lay down eggplant layer.

Sprinkle cheese! (Mozz)

More sauce on top

Continue layering, putting sauce and cheese on each layer.

All sauce should be gone.

Top with lots of cheese and parmesian.

Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes at 350-400.

BENE!!

Mmm FOOD!

I grew up in a family that LOVES food. That is probably why you can see me nonchalantly brushing by the pantry every couple of hours. I decided to create a blog of some of our favorite recipes, some of which I have modified. One good thing about it is that some of these recipes are authentic Italian--my grandmother immigrated here from Naples with my 6 week old father in 1946. So here's hoping this will be fun for whoever wants some good home cookin!