You can eat Italian and still stick to your diet. Just follow these guidelines. Step 1: Skip the garlic Choose plain breadsticks or bread over the garlic variety, which is saturated with butter. If you're dipping your bread, watch the olive oil! It's healthier than butter, b ...more
Greek yogurt has always been in my regular snack rotation. Packed with more protein than plain yogurt, it fills me up and stabilizes my energy with its low levels of carbohydrates and sugar. I have always tended to go the sweeter route, adding berries, honey, and coconut flak ...more
When you look at an Italian flag, what do you see? Green, white, and red? Well, I see a Caprese salad. And no, I do not need to have my vision checked. It simply means that I have the eyes of a chef. This classic combination of mozzarella, tomato, and basil has been dubbed th ...more
As a kid, my mother would always bring the noodles onto the table in a colander, then bring the pot of sauce she cooked separately. So I grew up with the idea that pasta and sauce were two separate entities that you combined table-side, and continued to eat pasta that way well ...more
The headline above may have some spice addicts shaking their heads, but, believe it or not, there are people out there who either don't like or can't handle a ton of spice. And even heat lovers sometimes add more spice to a recipe than intended—so check out these handy method ...more
I love my cast-iron skillet, but I never seasoned it properly. Instead, I took that sucker out of its packaging, wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove any factory dust, and started cooking with it ASAP. And you know what? It works just fine. Here's the thing: if you have ...more
I may be in the minority when I say this, but I love leftovers. Whenever I'm cooking for less people than the recipe calls for, I cook the full yield anyway. And when I go to a restaurant, I order whatever I want—regardless of how much I can actually eat in one sitting. For t ...more
Enough with zoodles (zucchini noodles), spaghetti squash, and carrot 'pasta' spirals. A well-prepared dish of zoodles with sauce is beautiful and tasty, but let's get real, it doesn't fill you up. If you use it as a meal replacement, then you'll be hungry about 30 minutes late ...more
If you love sitting poolside with a slice of watermelon, then I've got a real treat for you. Picture yourself cooling off with a slice of juicy watermelon topped with fresh ingredients like soft cheeses, herbs, and fresh summer fruits. Watermelon pizza is a wondrous thing—a c ...more
When you're trying to cut some calories or just eat more veggies, it's important to enjoy what you're eating. If all you're doing is telling yourself "no" and focusing on what you can't eat, you are pretty much destined to fail at your diet. Don't Miss: Cut 500 Calories Each ...more
We here at Food Hacks are all about saving you, our wonderful readers, time and trouble in the kitchen. So when I saw that Barilla had come out with their Pronto line of "One Pan, No Boil, No Drain" pasta, I had to give it a try. While no-boil lasagna noodles have been around ...more
Cooking spray is something of a gross necessity. The slimy, oddly-scented grease is perfect for keeping casserole dishes crust-free, but the oil splatter does a number on clean kitchen counters, and the lecithin ingredient can ruin nonstick cookware if not careful. Despite th ...more
In this video, we learn how to make timpano. First, you will need meatballs, sausages, chicken, cheese, peas, pasta, and vegetables. You can prepare the dough yourself or you can purchase it from the grocery store if you don't have time. Place the dough into a large spring for ...more
In this tutorial, Betty shows you how to make her sister's famous lasagna. This meaty, cheesy pasta is very filling and the perfect dish to make for large gatherings or family dinners. Follow along and make this easy recipe that is full of flavor. Delicious! You Will Need: *6 ...more
This is a great method to use squash as an alternative to pasta. Take spaghetti squash and slice it in half. Scoop out the inside and discard. You now season the two sides with butter and want ever other seasonings you like. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish pl ...more
Ingredients 1 small onion (4 ounces), cut in 1-inch pieces 4 garlic cloves ¾ teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, with juices 2 sprigs fresh basil (10-12 large leaves) 3 tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth ½ teas ...more
This video shows various ways to create marinara spaghetti sauce. Making marinara sauce takes around thirty minutes if created from scratch. marinara sauce generally contains onion, carrots, sugar, white wine, parsley and bay leaves. The dish is started by heating olive oil in ...more
Thomas DeLuca of Wholesale Italian Food shares his family's recipe for marinara sauce. To begin, add extra virgin olive oil to a heated pan, enough to cover the bottom. Chop 6-8 cloves of fresh garlic and add to the heated oil. Next, add a large can of San Manzano whole tomato ...more
Here we prepare chicken broccoli alfredo. We cook it on spaghetti squash or green filled pasta. The chicken is cooking in the frying pan with olive oil, pepper and salted along with Italian seasoning. The spaghetti squash will be cooked in a frying pan too with the insides sco ...more
In this video David from "The One Pot Chef" demonstrates how to make Pasta Bake. It is a very easy recipe and can be made in very little time. For this, first take some pasta. It can be macaroni or penne or any other form. Add a can of tomato soup in it and some frozen vegetab ...more
This video shows us how to make a traditional, true carbonara. First, the video points out that people often use bacon in their caronara, but you should really use guanciale, which is a cured pig's cheek. Put the pig's cheek in a nice and hot pan and get it crispy. The next st ...more
You can now cook that delicious smoked chicken lasagna you've always longed for with this easy step by step tutorial. Place your raw boneless chicken in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Pour an ample amount of virgin oil into the bowl to let the ing ...more
You can't go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs unless you are feeding a vegetarian! This awesome recipe will surely keep people wanting more. This hearty, delicious dish will win over your toughest critics! Step 1: Saute onions Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high ...more
For a warm and hearty meal, try this simple lasagna recipe. You Will Need * 1 lb. ground beef * 2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese * 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese * 15 oz. ricotta cheese * 1/4 c. parsley, chopped * 1 egg, lightly beaten * 26 oz. spaghetti sauce * 12 lasagna n ...more
For a delicious and simple pasta dish, try this recipe for a meal that's sure to please even the toughest critics. You Will Need * 1 lb. penne pasta * 4 tbsp. butter * 1 chopped onion * 2/3 c. vodka * 2/3 c. tomato puree * 1 c. heavy cream * 1/2 tsp. salt * 1/4 tsp. black pepp ...more
Getting the minimum five daily servings of fruits and vegetables is not as daunting as you might think. This Howcast video guide offers several tips on getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet. You Will Need * Fruits * Vegetables * Imagination * A willingness to expe ...more
You don't need a stove to whip up pasta, soup, vegetables, meat, or even dessert—all you need is a rice cooker! Watch this video to learn how to use a rice cooker to cook foods other than rice. You Will Need * A rice cooker * A willingness to experiment * Ingredients for your ...more
In this episode of Paula's Best Dishes, with guest Cheryl Day, celebrity chef Paula Deen shares her recipe for Lots O'Meat Lasagna. If you and your family love a meaty pasta, this is definitely going to be a winning recipe in your house. And if you want to be just like Paula D ...more
All day I dream of eggs: scrambled, poached, over easy, hard-boiled, fried, baked, raw... Okay, the last one is a joke (unless you're Gaston, which means that you eat five dozen of them and you're roughly the size of a barge). But eggs are freaking good in just about any cooki ...more
My husband's and my daily schedules are constantly changing. Frankly, it's complete chaos sometimes, so I can't plan to have elaborate dinners on the table at six o'clock every day. And by the time we actually get to eating in the evening, we've become so hungry that our moods ...more
It's hard to argue with the notion that wine and pasta are a winning combination. I mean, millions of Italians can't be wrong. But this classic combo can be taken one step further to become the ultimate comfort food dish—by turning that wine into an actual pasta sauce. Best o ...more
"You can even eat the dishes," claims the song "The Candy Man Can" from 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The idea of edible cups, even back then, grabbed my attention—any kid would much prefer to eat her dish instead of clean it afterward, of course! Don't Miss: ...more
One of the common complaints about dry pasta is that it lacks depth of flavor. This is why, once cooked, it often pairs best with bold and complexly flavored sauces. But there is a new (or not-so-new, as you'll soon see) trend towards toasting pasta that adds a wonderfully nu ...more
The thought of peeling tomatoes for pasta sauces and soups has long been an overwhelming idea for us, one we often steer clear from when reading recipes or searching out new dishes to create. Even the methods that are supposed to speed up the peeling process (like roasting, po ...more
One of our favorite kitchen items, hands down, is a good old-fashioned wooden spoon. It's practical, versatile, and can last for decades if cared for properly. There are specific ways to nurture wooden utensils in order to keep them from cracking and to help them maintain thei ...more
Butter is one of the most versatile ingredients in the world: its variety of uses range from brightening a morning piece of toast to finishing a beautiful rib-eye steak with decadent flair. When warm butter is mixed with herbs, spices, and other supplementary ingredients, the ...more
Tofu has been a staple food in Asia for over 2,000 years, but due to the health craze of recent years, it's enjoyed a surge of popularity in the Western world. Derived from the milk of soy beans and typically coagulated by calcium or magnesium salts, tofu can be found in consi ...more
Most cooks know they should stir pasta a few times while it's cooking, for obvious reasons: as the noodles cook, they release a glue-like starch that makes them stick to one another. Stirring prevents them from clumping together in an unwieldy, inedible mass. Now Mark Bittman ...more
Instant ramen and just-add-water noodles are lifesavers because they are convenient and fast, but they are also usually chock-full of processed ingredients and unrecognizable pieces of dehydrated meat and vegetables. These DIY cups o' noodles are still portable and fast for B ...more
Minor mishaps occur all the time in the kitchen, whether you cut your finger while dicing an onion, scorched your hand in a grease fire, or burned the roof of your mouth because you were to eager to taste-test your killer pasta sauce. While the old standbys of ibuprofen, band ...more
One of my favorite things is finding an easy way to make what is normally a complex dish. Case in point: pasta sauce. Usually its depth of flavor is the result of fresh herbs, shallots, tomatoes, seasonings, olive oil, and a touch of dairy being cooked and added in stages. Lon ...more
Everything you thought you knew about cooking pasta is wrong. When I took cooking classes in Italy, they taught me to bring a large volume of salted water to a rolling boil, add a drop of olive oil so that the noodles wouldn't stick together, and wait several minutes until it ...more
Baking soda is a powdery miracle. Not only is it the secret ingredient to making mashed potatoes fluffy, it can help you make authentic-tasting soft pretzels at home and caramelize onions in half the time. It's actually got lots of surprising uses you might not know about, and ...more
"Does bottled barbecue sauce even taste that bad?" a friend of mine asked. Well, truthfully, no. But it also doesn't taste that good, especially if you've had truly great barbecue or even your crazy uncle's homemade sauce at a holiday cookout. Just like pasta sauce and salsa, ...more
Fresh salsa is so tasty. Who can resist the robust mix of spices, the mouth-watering heat of jalapeños, and the juiciness of fresh tomatoes? Alas, I don't always make my own and have to get the pre-made stuff. However, there are ways to fix jarred, canned, and bottled salsas ...more
Even as someone with super pale skin that burns instead of tanning, I don't use sunscreen nearly as often as I should. Or, uh...ever. My skin cancer prevention routine mostly involves hiding from the sun as much as humanly possible. If you're like me and hate the greasy feelin ...more