Many personal finance gurus will tell you to head to your local food market with only certain items in mind and shop only by price.  Moreover, the penny pinching crowd would argue that the purpose of buying, and in turn consuming, food is to be as efficient and cost effective as possible.   As you probably guessed, I don’t subscribe to buying […]

Like any controversial figure, the mighty anchovy is a highly misunderstood food type and is deserving of an introduction and, if you will, defense!  In the US, unfortunately, preserved anchovies have a bad reputation and are seen as a bad smelling (and overly salty) fish.  The reputation, however, is undeserved and the tiny dynamo of a fish should be consumed […]

Rice and Peas (Risi e Bisi)  is basically a variant of risotto and while a good risotto is creamy in texture, a good bowl of risi e bisi is looser in composition. As you would guess, the humble pea is the star of the rice-based dish and the fresher the pea, the better the dish (here’s my guide to buying fresh […]

(photo: completed pesto sauce in a bowl made from the famous ceramic factories in Bagnara Calabra) Chitarra is similar to spaghetti, but with squared edges. It was once cut on guitar strings, hence its unique name.  Here’s a great link to a “guitar pasta maker“ (photo: Chitarra with pesto and a glass of Pinot Noir from Chile <light years ahead […]

Pasta al Ceppo is literally translated as pasta on a stick and knitting needles were once used to shape the pasta.  The pasta has a nice texture and works well with hearty sauces.   The Scordo Pasta Challenge continues!

Here’s a quick and simple Scordo Pasta Challenge entry this morning as it’s hot and sticky in the Northeast!   Cannolicchi is a pasta from the Abruzzo region which is traditionally served with seafood sauces.  Cannolicchi has a distinctive shape including coiled ridges which separate after the cooking process!  I prepared the Rustichella Cannolicchi with broccoli and crumbled Creminelli sausage.  

  As much as I like to cook and make elaborate meals I often battle with an internal urge to be a lazy cook.  That is to say, like most working adults, I try to balance cooking great, from scratch, meals with the amount of time I spend in the kitchen.  When I’m feeling tired and do not want to […]

When it comes to consuming food, a golden rule we aim to follow is centered on eating “whole foods”; namely, minimally processed from scratch food items.  For example, buying whole bean coffee (and roasting it yourself if possible) and grinding it before each use is better than buying a mega container of preground, and unforgiving, Folgers or Maxwell House and, […]

(photo: while rice balls have nothing to do with personal finance, they are indeed delicious and contribute to a great quality of life!  Thanks A. Williams for sharing her Crispy coated Pesto Sausage Arancini with Mozzarella, served with Basil Pesto photo!) Welcome to the 52nd Best of Money Carnival! If you’re not familiar with the concept of a “blog carnival”, it’s simply a […]

  (photo: left to right eggplant/feta/parsley, cheese and tomato sauce, red onion and mushroom lavash pizza) I love stumbling onto new food items. In fact, I encourage folks to pick up a few random items at their local market and try new recipes from time to time.  One such recent food stumble included a package of Lavash bread at a […]