BENVENUTI!
Welcome! With the ever increasing popularity of my award-winning book Beyond the Pasta, it is time to explore the central theme of my book ~ good, simply-prepared food shared with those you love. What could be more Italian?
In 2012 I’ll be focusing on my mantra: “Bring your family to the table and change a life, one meal at a time!” Through the use of recipes, videos and TV cooking segments (NBC’s Today Show and WSFA-12′s Alabama Live!), photos, and stories, you’ll start to see the relevance and benefit of collectively sitting around a table to share a meal, a story and, most importantly, a part of yourself with your “family” ~ whoever sits close to your heart.
I hope you’ll be inspired to incorporate some of the ideas you’ll find on this website ~ whether that is jumping in to cook a meal, finding time in your busy day to enjoy a moment with a friend over a simple snack, or simply taking an extra minute at the grocery to choose fresh and healthier ingredients for yourself and your family.
There is a lot to see and do here at Beyond the Pasta and I know you’ll enjoy discovering all the Italian treasures within:
~Take a moment to check out “The Italian Pantry” where you’ll find videos of Nonna in her kitchen, see what new recipes I’m cooking, enjoy photos of Italy, and check out the “Top 10 Stock” items to keep on hand so every meal can be quick, easy, and truly Italian. No worries Mother Hubbard, “The Italian Pantry” is stocked full!
~Join the discussion on my popular blog, see when I’ll be in your area signing books, contact me to come visit your next book club meeting – we can cook and chat about the book, watch my videos, and keep up-to-date with all of the latest press about my book, Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family.
~ And, speaking of my book: It’s on sale! I had such a life changing experience while living in Italy that I am thrilled to be able to share it with you all. To learn more, check out: “About the Book”
~ To purchase a copy, or two, of my book: “Order the Book”
~ Available on e-reader devices: Kindle, nook, and iBook!
~ And now, the new Beyond the Pasta APP for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. Named “New & Noteworthy” by Apple, visit the iTunes APP store for more DETAILS.
Arrivederci ciao~ and bring your family to the table!
Mark
Blog posts:
Haul in the Net~
[Subscribers, please click HERE to view this video from your e-mail.] Bourbon Shrimp Scampi This recipe is a quick one. It is so quick, in fact, that I prepare the whole dish from scratch in the 6-minute cooking segment video! Still think you don’t have time to cook? I will admit that I am a snob when it comes to …
Grilling Lettuce ~ light it up!
[Subscribers, please click HERE to view the video from your e-mail!] Technically, it is Spring; however, with all the warm weather we are having down here in the South ~ it sure feels like Summer! And with warm weather comes the natural desire to keep the kitchen cool and break out the Weber on the patio. I was reminded while …
Il Pranzo di Domenica ~ Sunday lunch
Rome Day 3 Ciao~ I must admit, for all of my determination to do a post every day while in Rome, I have been outdone by the lack of internet access and TIME. Trying to write a post after spending all day, and night, out enjoying Roman life has certainly hindered my good intentions. BUT, I am now back in …
Saturday ~ let’s go to the Market!
Saturday is market day in Rome and most tourists have heard about the famous market in Campo dei Fiori. It is nice, but one of the oldest in Rome is the market in Testaccio—a working class neighborhood down from the Aventine Hill and across the Tiber from Trastevere. The Testaccio market is housed in a building as opposed to being …
Roma ~ piove, piove, piove!
Ciao da Roma~ I have landed in Rome and have every good intention of keeping you all up to date with my daily travels and “eatings” while in the Eternal City. Let’s hope I can live up to my own expectations! It is raining (piove) in Rome and according to the driver who picked me up at the airport ~ …
Dust a Bunny ~ Yogurt Cake
[Subscriber's, please click HERE to view the video from your e-mail.] It doesn’t take years of training or a drawer full of special tools to decorate a cake for Easter. Using Nonna’s simple yogurt cake recipe—packed with fresh fruit and, by using Greek yogurt, packed with extra flavor—you can turn an “any time” cake into an Easter-themed cake in a …
Cluck, Cluck ~ A Chick Dish?
[Subscribers, please click HERE to view the video from your e-mail.] Chicken Salad ~ 1 foundation, 2 recipes Chicken salad might be the foundation to every ladies’ luncheon and yet, often, it is a soup of mayonnaise lacking any noticeable amount of its namesake ~ chicken! When I was at the WSFA-12′s studio waiting to do my segment, a PR …
Berry, Berry, Quite Contrary~
[Subscribers, please click HERE to view the cooking video from your e-mail.] If you are a “foodie” like me, you tend to get a lot of homemade foods at the holidays—in particular, jams or preserves. Mine are stacked high, filling a pantry shelf, waiting for me to work through them. Before I lived with Nonna and her family in Viterbo, …
Cooking Family-Style Italian~
Welcome to Nonna’s! [Subscribers, please click HERE to view the cooking video from your e-mail.] In this cooking segment on WSFA-12′s “Alabama Live!,” I show host Judd Davis how to prepare 2 quick & easy Italian recipes: “Chicken with Tomato & Olives” and “Roasted Potatoes with Fennel Seed”—yes, “surprise, surprise,” not all Italian food is centered around pasta! The chicken …
Cauliflower ~ 1 video, 3 recipes!
(Subscribers, please click HERE to view the cooking segment video from your e-mail.) Cauliflower—not the most inspiring of vegetables. With its creamy white color and “brain-like” looking texture, it is often relegated to your grandmother’s crudites party platter with an equally appetizing side of ranch dressing. Hmm, will someone pass the whittled-down carrots nubs? While living in Italy with Nonna, …
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