Pizza Pockets - Great For the Lunch Box or After School Snack!

Makes 6   Ingredients: 1cup of Supreme Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 1 package of Italian Corner Pizza Sauce 1 package of Geppeto's Pizza Dough Portioned into six   Preheat oven to 375°    Defrost and portion the pizza dough into six even balls. Pound the dough out and roll into six small disks. Spoon desired amount of sauce onto each disk spreading evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Fold the dough over the filling in half. Pinch the edges with you fingers and brush the tops of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese.    Place the pockets on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.   Pockets can be baked ahead and refridgerated for lunches or frozen.         Recipe by Lindsay Armstrong Mitchell

Warm & Hearty Tortellini with Spinach and Fortuna's Sausage

 

  Rhode Island has a great Italian community that is passionate about food. Federal Hill in Providence has restaurants and specialty stores up and down the street and on the back streets. The best pasta that one can buy comes from the Constantino Family at Venda Ravioli.    My freezer will always have the basic staples of cheese ravioli, tortellini, cavatelli, and lobster ravioli (for the short notice dinner party!) Pasta dinners are great easy meal options that offers amazing flavor and variety to the dinner table. 

  Below I have one of my staple tortellini dishes that I make during the colder nights of fall and winter. The Fortuna's Sausage from Westerly, Rhode Island has such great flavors in it that you will not have to add any spice to the dish. If you want to add heat use the hot sausage instead or mix the different flavors together. 

Makes 6

Ingredients:

1 package of Venda Tri Color Tortellini

1 rope of Fortuna's Tuscano Sausage

1 package of Fresh Whole Spinach (cut)

2 cups of crushed Tomatoes

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the Venda Tortellini. Once the tortellini are floating to the top strain and set aside.

 Cut the Sausage out of the casing and set aside. Rinse the Spinach and cut or tear into one in ch pieces.

 In a large skillet warm the olive oil. Once the pan is warm add the Tuscano Sausage and brown. Once the sausage is cooked all the way through you can add the tomatoes and spinach. Once spinach has wilted add the tortellini and toss to incorporate all the ingredients.

 Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve!

 Tortellini can be substituted for ravioli.  

Warm and Cozy Butternut Squash Carbonara

Photo Credit: Closet Cooking

  Last week Fall finally came to New England the cool crisp air pushing out the end of summer. Autumn in New England is amazing the tree come ablaze with color, trees are full of apples, and the nights are crisp and cool just waiting for a fire to bring warmth. This is also the time of year were kitchen come alive with the smells of spices mingling savory flavors of squashes, roasts, and pies baking!
  Last year a good friend of mine had told me all about a great butternut squash carbonara she had at a local restaurant Bacaro. The two of us had tried our hardest to dissect the contents and preparation of the tantalizing gift from heaven. After a year of searching I have found this recipe on the blog Cooking Closet, it truly is amazing and super easy to whip together. Since discovering it I have made it a few times and each time it has gotten rave reviews!

Butternut Squash Carbonara

(makes 2 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pasta (I prefer Orecchiette)
6 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
2 cups squash (cut into small pieces)
1 clove garlic (chopped) (I used 3)
1 tablespoon sage (chopped)
pepper to taste (fresh ground)

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (or asiago)

Directions:
1. Start cooking the pasta.
2. Fry the bacon in a pan.
3. Drain most of the fat from the pan but reserve some to cook the squash.
4. Add the squash, garlic, sage and pepper and toss to coat in the bacon grease.
5. Mix the egg yolk, heavy cream, cinnamon and parmigiano reggiano in a bowl.
6. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
7. Add the pasta to the pan and toss.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the sizzling to stop.
9. Add the egg mixture and toss to coat.
10. Add a bit of the pasta water and toss to mix and coat.
11. Garnish with more sage & serve