Photo of Spaghetti all' Amatriciana in a bowl
Scenes from My Pantry

Spaghetti all’ Amatriciana

During a trip to Chicago my son and his friends discovered Ceres’ Table, a restaurant featuring Italian inspired seasonal plates. This is where he first experienced the dish Spaghetti all’amatriciana a simple pasta dish of tomatoes, garlic, guanciale (pork jowl), olive oil, grated Pecorino Romano, salt and fresh ground black pepper. He was inspired by

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Food + Drink

Mushroom Barley Soup

Hello Fall! Hello soup and stew weather! It’s possible to enjoy a hearty soup with all the richness, soulfulness, and goodness without meat. This soup is a classic and beautiful in its simplicity. Perfect for the cooler days ahead. Mushroom Barley Soup Serves 4

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Food + Drink

Keeping It Simple: Cucumber Ricotta Sandwiches

We Americans complicate our food. We are busy and stressed.  We stare into our pantries endlessly. We overwhelm ourselves in the kitchen with good intentions, and then throw in the towel, and head to a restaurant or worse, we make our way through a drive thru to pick up a tasteless bag of sodium, fat,

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Food + Drink

Weeknight Wonders: Szechuan Green Beans and Tofu Stir Fry

We have embraced our empty nest status and continue to focus on creating a less hurried lifestyle (still a struggle) and rising to the challenges of cooking for two. Until recently, I was not sure what I felt about tofu.  Tofu is essentially mashed soybean curd.  Does that sound appetizing to me?  No, it does

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Food + Drink

Keeping it Simple: Potato and Kale Soup

  Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated~Confucius   There is nothing complicated here.  Only a few fresh ingredients needed.  Take a moment and savor the simplicity. Potato and Kale Soup Serves 6 Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 strips applewood bacon, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced

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Food + Drink

Spicy Ramen Stir Fry with Broccoli, Tofu, and Mandarin Oranges

My post-parenting years begin soon.  We are moving from a child focused life, back to our own lives.  As parents of two amazing sons, who are fiercely independent, intelligent, humorous, kind and inspiring, this would be the time in our lives we pat ourselves on the back for a job well-done.  If only it were

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