Yes, this is the 3rd home-made macaroni and cheese recipe I have on this website, but I refuse to delete one because they are all delicious. Each one is different in its own way. This one adds a kick of spice to it with the addition of peppers.
Picture of my daughter with San Francisco in the background.
Ingredients:
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
3 cups milk (warmed)
5 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)
5 ounces gouda cheese (shredded)
5 ounces American cheese (diced) – get this item from the deli, not the packaged stuff that tastes like plastic.
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 bell pepper (red, yellow or orange)
1 diced jalapeño pepper with seeds
Diced ham is desired
1 lb pasta of your choice (you want a short noodle like macaroni or fusilli)
Directions:
Get some water boiling and start cooking the pasta while you make the cheese sauce.
Combine butter and flour until it is a paste, add spices.
Add warmed milk and stir with a whisk until smooth and creamy.
Add cheeses one at a time, allowing each to melt before adding the next.
Add diced peppers.
Drain cooked pasta, combine the cheese and pasta together, add diced ham is you are using.
This Italian version of potatoes au gratin is the best scalloped potato dish I have tried. I bought a mandolin and wanted to try it out and now I have found a potato dish that everyone in the house enjoys. I can’t take credit for the recipe because it is in Scott’s book of recipes, so he deserves all the credit for this dish.
Picture above is the Pantheon during our trip to Italy in 2024.
Picture above of
Ingredients:
4-5 sliced potatoes
5 TBS butter
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup flour
Pinch of oregano and nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiana cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Slice the potatoes place them in cold water so that they don’t turn brown.
Prepare your cheese by grating.
Prepare your béchamel sauce by melting butter, whisking in flour and milk until thickened. Season with oregano, nutmeg and pepper. Add some grated parmigiana and taste to see if salt is needed.
Layer the dish by beginning with placing some béchamel sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish, a layer of potato, béchamel sauce, parmigiana and mozzarella, repeat layers until the pan is full ending with béchamel sauce and cheeses.
Cover with tin foil for the first 20 minutes in the oven and finish uncovered until the potatoes are tender and the top is slightly browned; about 50-60 minutes.
This recipe was found on one of the nonna recipe sites we frequent. The batter of this eggplant recipe makes it unique and delicious, the mint is a must. If you want the vegetarian version you can omit the mortadella. Picture above from our Italy 2026 trip of the Roman Colosseum.
Ingredients:
Sauce;
Extra-virgin olive oil
Small onion, diced
28oz can crushed tomatoes
Fresh basil
Salt to taste
Eggplant batter;
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup parmigiana cheese, grated
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh mint, minced
1 tsp salt
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
12 ox mozzarella, fresh, cubed
12 slices mortadella
Combination of peanut oil and olive oil to sauté eggplants
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 fahrenheit.
Place olive oil in a pan and heat, add onion and cook until tender, add tomato, basil and salt to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes or more.
Add flour, parmigiana, garlic, salt, eggs and water in a bowl and mix.
Peel eggplant and slice lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick.
Dip sliced eggplant into batter and sauté on both sides until golden brown, set aside.
In a deep dish, coat the bottom with some tomato sauce mixture. Add a layer of eggplant, add a thin layer of sauce, add a layer of parmigiana cheese and mozzarella, add a layer of mortadella, repeat 4-7 layers depending on how much you are making.
If you are going to finish the last layer with mozzarella cheese, wrap in tin foil for the bake and remove 10 minutes before taking it out of the oven.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
What to do with all of the fresh tomatoes that are growing in your garden? Here is an excellent and easy recipe for you. I found this one on Instagram from the profile our_cookingjourney. With just a few ingredients needed, use the freshest ingredients you can find.
Grana Padano cheese (I used parmigiana as a substitute)
Directions:
Boil a pot of water and start cooking your pasta.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan, add the whole, peeled garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chopped, with a pinch of salt and fresh basil, torn. Add a touch of pasta water, cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
Remove the garlic and press it. At this point it should have a butter like consistency. Place the garlic back in the tomato mixture. Cook for a couple more minutes.
Place your cooked pasta in the sauce and mix.
Take it off the heat and add a bit more pasta water, olive oil, shredded cheese, and fresh, torn basil. Toss it all together and serve.
There is nothing like homemade pasta filled with delicious filling. Whether it is meat, cheese, or this yummy butternut squash filling, the result is a delicious meal made with love. I paired this ravioli with a brown-butter sage sauce and it was delicious! No measurements for this one, you will need to taste as you go.
Pasta dough ingredients:
Tipo 00 flour
one egg per 100 grams of flour used
Butternut squash ingredients:
Butternut squash
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg, pinch
Fresh sage, chopped (1-2 leaves)
Heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2
Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
Butter cream sauce ingredients:
3 TBS Butter
1/4 cup shallots, sliced thinly
1 sprig tarragon, stems removed
2-3 sprigs thyme, stems removed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup parmigiana cheese, grated
Directions:
First make your homemade pasta dough:
Make a mound of flour on your (clean) counter top. In the middle of the flour mound, with your hands, make a little well. Crack the egg inside the well. Using a fork or your hands, lightly beat the eggs and gradually mixing the eggs with the flour from the inside lining of the well.
Gradually work in more flour from the inside of the well until the dough becomes too thick. At this stage, begin to use your fingertips and then your hands.
Once all the flour has been used, begin to knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with the extra flour you’ve reserved. Continue to knead your dough until it is no longer sticky.
The test to ensure your dough is ready is if, when you poke a hole using your fingers, the hole bounces back at you.
If you have reached this stage, wrap your dough in plastic wrap and let it stand on your counter for at least 20 minutes.
Second make your butternut squash filling:
Peel and cube your butternut squash and place on a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the squash and salt and pepper. Roast at 400 F until tender, timing depends on the size of cubes.
Place all of your butternut squash ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend. All ingredients must be adjusted to taste.
Third continue making your pasta:
Start a large pot of boiling water and add salt.
We are lucky to have a KitchenAid with a pasta machine on it. If you have one of these or a hand crank pasta machine, the following directions apply to you. If you do not, you will need to roll out your pasta dough by hand.
Remove your dough from the plastic wrap and cut your dough into 8 pieces. Cover with a damp cloth to ensure they do not dry-out.
Make the first piece flat using your hand or a roller. If it is sticky, dust with flour.
Feed your first piece through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Once it has been passed through, adjust the setting to make the width thinner at the next level. Continue this process until you have reached the desired width of your pasta (usually at the 2nd thinnest width)
Once you have finished your first sheet, set it aside and continue these steps for each piece of dough you have cut. You will probably need to dust them with flour. Once you have created all the sheets using all your available dough, place the filling on the sheets, 2 finger widths apart, so that you can fold over and cut the ravioli shape. Once you fold over, press gently to seal. Use a fork to gently press the edges to seal a bit more.
Lastly make the butter cream sauce:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan.
Once butter has melted add the sliced shallot and sauté for 1-2 minutes for the shallot to soften, being cautious to not burn. Add the tarragon and thyme leaves.
Once the shallot has softened, reduce the heat and stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce and use a spoon to coat in the sauce.Serve it over your cooked ravioli. Sprinkle the completed dish with shredded parmigiana.
This delicious pizza is made with a 2 hour pizza dough. If you have more time, and sourdough starter, you can do the sourdough pizza dough instead. They are both delicious and both recipes are included below.
Pizza Dough (2 hour)
Ingredients:
4 1/8 cup flour – type 00 works best
1 package yeast
1 1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 TBS lard or butter
Directions:
Mix warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes. Mix salt and flour in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture then add lard or butter.
Mix and knead dough.
Let rise for 2 hours.
Divide into desired size and shape for pizza
Sourdough Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sourdough starter
10 grams or 1 3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup flour – type 00 works best
Directions:
Mix all ingredients.
Cover for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 – four times
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 8 hours at room temp.
Stretch and fold.
Divide into baseball size balls.
Store for up to 3 days in fridge.
Remove from fridge and let come to room temp before use.
Margherita Pizza
Ingredients:
Pizza dough (one of the above recipes)
Tomato sauce; mix tomato passata with fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil.
Mozzarella cheese; I prefer fresh mozzarella—either di bufala or the cow’s-milk version, fior de latte—because it’s what was used on the original Pizza Margherita in Naples, Italy. Do not use pre-shredded type or you will be disappointed.
Fresh Basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Once you have your dough shaped and ready to go, heat oven to 500 F. Make sure the rack is in the upper third of the oven.
Place your tomato sauce, cheese and basil on the uncooked pizza dough.
Cook in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until the rust is golden and the cheese is partially golden and melted.
We recently took a trip to Italy and had the pleasure of staying a couple of days in a town called Citta della Pieve, which is known for their saffron. My BF put together this delicious rice dish with what we had on hand at the cottage we were staying in. Luckily, we had bought some local saffron, which added a lot of flavor to this fusion of fried rice Italian style.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice, cooled
Saffron
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, 1/2 diced somewhat fine and the other half larger dice
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 TBS butter
Parmigiana cheese to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Burrata cheese
First, place a few stalks of saffron in the olive oil and let that infuse for a while; the longer the better the flavor will be.
Pre-cook the rice to yield two cups and let cool.
Heat saffron infused olive oil and add 1/2 of the red bell pepper (the smaller diced half). Let that cook until the bell pepper is softened and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the rice and combine well while adding more olive oil to taste and to assure the rice does not get dried out.
Create a hole in the rice and add your eggs, scramble and combine with rice.
Add the larger diced bell pepper half along with the butter and grated parmigiana.
Once you take it off the heat, add the burrata cheese.
This delicious pesto is another one from my boyfriend’s collection of recipes. He usually makes this with homemade gnocchi. You can use it with any type of pasta.
Heat olive oil in pan and add onion, cook until soft. Add bell peppers and cook for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, chili flake and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Blend in a blender or food processor until smooth while adding basil leaves.
In mixing bowl add ricotta and Pecorino and mix by hand, add oregano.
I had my bf walk me through this potato salad because he makes it often and I wanted to learn his technique. This recipe relies a lot on taste. The basic ingredients are below but the measurements will alter to your taste.
Ingredients:
5 Russet potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup dill relish
1 dill pickle, chopped
1 TBS mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp celery salt
Pepper to taste
Directions:
Boil potatoes, cool, peel, and chop.
Cook eggs, cool, peel, and chop.
Combine all ingredients, mix well, while tasting for perfection.
