September 14, 2024

WEEKLY MENU 09.15.24

A different pasta day presents itself during the Weekly Menu 09.15.24~

Some type of pasta probably would have been on the Weekly Menu 09.15.24 regardless, but National Linguine Day is on Sunday, which dictates dinner now. It’s nice not to have to make a decision. Pasta comes in hundreds of different shapes, and so many different sauces that picking one combo is tough!

I’ve made no bones that potatoes are my favorite food out there, bar none. (I’d be hard pressed to classify my top ten spud dishes.) It almost seems like a no-brainer that gnocchi would be in my list of pasta faves, but it’s just not so!

My top Five Favorites are:

Bucatini
Radiatore
Cavatappi
Pappardelle
Spaghetti

How about you?

Honestly? Pretty much every other shape is number six to me. They all have different uses, but they taste pretty similar, and I don’t have any bad memories of any of them. When we were growing up, DOLD was in the road construction business, so we called rigatoni sewer pipes. We always went to Carmen’s Italian Restaurant here in Erieland, and they knew what we wanted. The first time I ordered sewer pipes out of town, you would have thought I was speaking a different language.

If you want a complete listing (with pictures!) of all sorts of pasta shapes, check out sharethepasta.org‘s Pasta Dictionary. It’s a veritable gold mine!

There are a lot of beloved pasta/sauce combos in this house, and, as you might expect, everyone has their own favorite except Bert, who isn’t a huge fan of pasta because it’s so filling. He soldiers through, although sometimes minor grumbling can be heard.

Family Favorites~

D absolutely adores Chicken Fra Diavolo, which makes sense, because it was created for him when his father was out of town on business. We have had it with various pastas, but always go back to rigatoni – it just makes for a perfect combo.

CHICKEN FRA DIAVOLO

Baby Boy is a sausage lover – he’ll be forever known as the Sausage ‘Achine around here, so his favorites include a couple of classic sauces and two different pasta shapes. Fettucine goes with ragu, and orecchiette (little ears!) makes it’s way on board in a One Pan Favorite.

ONE PAN SAUSAGE ORECHIETTE

SAUSAGE RAGU

Everyone likes the super decadent Alfredo Sauce. Fettucine is standard, but we’ll go with pappardelle for a special occasion – if we can find it.

Garlic Alfredo Sauce on Chicken and Fettucine Noodles

FETTUCINE ALFREDO

My favorite? I’m a purist at heart. Spaghetti and Meatballs makes me very, very happy. Smother the whole thing in a nice thick layer of parmesan and mozzarella, and I’m ecstatic.

Baked spaghetti and meatballs with cheese and pasta sauce

MEATBALL PARMESAN

Of course soup night isn’t exempt either. Lasagna is a once a year dinner (if that) around here because it’s kind of a pain to make – but this soup provides a close approximation on taste and is fast and easy. You do have to break up the lasagna noodles a little bit so you don’t get hit on the chin when eating, but the chunks are very comforting.

Bowl of soup on chopping block with cheese

LASAGNA SOUP

Don’t forget about ravioli – these make a perfect bowl of comfort for lunch or dinner.

RAVIOLI IN BROTH

I bet you’re wondering what made the cut for the Weekly Menu 09.15.24, aren’t you? Drum Roll Please!

Weekly Menu 09.15.24

To celebrate the big day, we’re going full-on Italian night. Baked Fontina kicks off our night, followed by a Caesar Salad and not one but two sauces on top of our linguine. Garlic Alfredo is crazy easy, but it’s also pretty heavy. A nice red sauce will round out our dinner plates. I’m making a super easy slow-roasted tomato sauce (more on that later), but my standard Marinara Sauce would work, too.

There was some whining when I suggested biscotti for dessert (I’m looking at you, D,) so we’re having No-Churn Gelato instead. It’s a new to us recipe, but we’ve always had great luck with no-churn desserts before. This one looks delish!

I walk a tightrope around here with side dishes—as I’ve mentioned, Bert isn’t a huge fan of pasta, and couscous doesn’t fly. I’d be okay with potatoes every night, but I think I’d have a little mutiny on my hands if I did that. Rice every night isn’t on tap, either. So, I was pretty excited when I found a recipe for baked stuffing. It starts with Stove Top, but our store-brand stuffing is really good as a substitute and much less expensive, too.

Taco Tuesday is Baked Chimichangas. They’re better for us than fried and easier, too! Mexican Corn Chowder straddles the line between summer and fall. We’ll have “Toast Soldiers” with that. Mom’s standard toasted cheese is one piece of bread, one piece of sliced cheese broiled to bubbling and sliced into strips.