"parmesan cheese" news and stories

I'd be happy if rosemary was added to everything: turkey recipes, sandwiches, desserts, cocktails, glasses of Yoo Hoo, whatever. It's really one of my favorite flavors, smells, even words. I'm playing a lot of Rosemary Clooney this holiday season.

This recipe for Rosemary Pasta in Roasted Garlic Sauce is from AllRecipes.com, and it sounds quite tasty. It's also not bad for you, judging from the nutritional info included with the recipe.

Sunday afternoon, I found myself in a building full of art. It was the first of two weekends in which artists' studios all over Philadelphia are open to the public for viewing and opportunities to meet the artists. It's a program called Philadelphia Open Studio Tour (POST). I went to check out my friend Wendy Wolf's studio. Her work is amazing, looking like organic textiles that have been translated onto paper. When I got there, we chatted for a few minutes about her work and life in general, but quickly the conversation turned to food.

She pointed me in the direction of the snacks she had made for her visitors and I was transfixed by the goodness of it all (it didn't hurt that I had also skipped lunch). The standout was the whole wheat pita with parmesan cheese chips that she had created. They were delicious and once I started to gush over them, she willingly confessed that they were something she had found in Gourmet four or five years ago and are very easy to make. So, if you need an easy gallery snack or something crunchy for a cocktail party, give these little crackers a try. The recipe is after the jump.

Recently, I mentioned to my mom that I had an eggplant in my fridge that needed to be used. She started telling me about a recipe that a friend had given her back when she was first married for broiled eggplant. She remembered it being delicious. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention when she told me about it, because if it had been that good, why was it not part of the menu rotation when I was growing up?

The original eggplant got put to other purposes, but this weekend I picked up two nice, firm, white eggplants this weekend at the farmers market, and so this recipe started niggling away at my consciousness again. I put it together tonight and nearly wept at my first bite as it was tender and sweet and crunchy and wonderful. I called my mother up as soon as my plate was clean to ask her how it was possible that she had known of this preparation for nearly 40 years and I was only eating it tonight. In some sense, I'm grateful for her recipe amnesia, if only because it contributed to a fun recipe discovery tonight. If you like eggplant, don't wait 40 years to make this dish.

Though I frequent my local Starbucks more often than I probably should, I have to admit that I've never had any of their food. I'm not a big fan of wraps, and the baked goods they offer really just don't appeal to me. That said, with the addition of salads to their regular menu, I may have to bite the bullet and try them for lunch one day soon.

According to one source, they will be releasing two salads nationally next week: a tomato mozzarella salad containing fresh mozzarella cheese, grape tomatoes and basil, as well as a Southwestern variety containing roasted corn and black bean salad topped with grilled chicken. Apparently in the Chicago area they will be selling three different salads: a pipette pasta salad topped with white chicken, salami, smoked mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh grape tomatoes; white chicken in a Thai curry dressing on a bed of couscous; and a penne pasta salad topped with albacore tuna, sun-dried tomato pesto, Parmesan cheese, peas and sweet peppers. (Not sure why they are offering those just in Chicago - test market perhaps?)

In addition to the salads, you can also expect to see them pushing yogurt parfaits, a fruit and cheese plate, and a vegetable snack plate soon.

Source

I'm a big fan of pasta. I like the flexibility and options you have with it. I used to make this dish I liked to call "Rigatoni Sassone" (it's great when a food you love rhymes with your name). It was basically rigatoni mixed with various vegetables and then tossed with parmesan and cheddar cheese, served with rosemary and olive oil bread. It was cheap and easy, but I haven't had it in a while.

I thought of that after seeing this recipe on AOL Food (from allrecipes.com). I'm not a fan of vodka, though I guess it won't make that much of an impact, right?