Recipes starting with R

We love lamb and I normally always get it at the local butcher.   A few of our friends raved about the lamb at Costco so we decided to give it a try. OMG we were very impressed by the quality and flavor of the lamb.  We will defiantly get it again!

Cindy

Jake's toy happened to be near me when I took this picture!  How cute...  Well I am getting ready for spring and we have been cleaning like crazy!  All of our cabinets (where does that stuff come from) and I was organizing our large pantry!  I made these cookies by finding the raisins and went from there.  

They were a hit!  Whew....    So yummy..  Go ahead and give them a try!

They actually remind me of oatmeal raisin cookies but better.

I hope you love my Italian Semifreddo!  It's do easy to make and your guests will think it took you all day.  I make this at the lake often and it's always a hit!  Paleo desserts are the best especially when they are Italian..  Enjoy

In Italian, "semifreddo" means half cold or half frozen.  Semifreddo is typically an ice cream that is almost the texture of a mousse.  The ingredients include part ice cream and whipped cream to create this delicate dessert.  This is made right in your freezer! I love the combination of raspberries and pistachios, but you can be creative on your choices! 

You can also find this recipe in my cookbook: .

Panna Cotta is a very easy dessert to prepare and it doesn't take long but you do need to stay with it during the 15 minutes of assembly! Make this raspberry panna cotta with hazelnut shortbread cookies. The cookies are gluten free so all of your guests can enjoy them and believe me - they are the perfect treat to complete this amazing dessert! Add a little gourmet into to your outdoor BBQ!

My disclaimer for this recipe! I am Italian and during the holidays especially I make everything BIG!  What if unexpected guests stop by!  What if family brings a friend!  What if I ran into someone at the grocery store and they are home alone for a holiday (that has really happened).  

These are some of the reasons there is always an extra dish waiting in the refrigerator on stand-by or when I make a dish - It's really BIG and LOADED with lots of good stuff.

Note!

• You can make this really big lasagna and left overs are amazing!
• You can cut ingredients in half to make an 8x10 size pan.
• You can omit the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan to make it dairy free
• You can make the meat sauce, cut the recipe in half and freeze the remaining sauce for another time.

If you are friends or family knowing that I am not a big steak fan is no secret!  I love cooking with it and serving it for my family and entertaining.  I will take a few bites but since I was a little girl steak was never a favorite.  My husband loves steak so when were making ribeyes the other night I decided to make a sauce.  I had a glass of wine in my hand and asked if I could use about 1 cup for a sauce and he said; "sure"..  So this is what I did and it was amazing!

I still only ate a few bites but the sauce was amazing!

I feel like a kid in toy store when cooking! I get so excited when using my OXO accessories!

Ribollita is a Tuscan stew that is thick and filled with dark green beans and vegetables cooked down, then boiled again. This is my paleo version of this traditional stew. I love using the combination of cabbage, kale and swiss chard but you can also use any other savory greens such as chicory.

This is my nana's recipe and we used to make this all the time. It is perfect warm or cold.  I love how my baby sister Annmarie gets so excited when we make rice pudding.  It brings back so many wonderful memories.

This is such a yummy salad! You can use white, brown or your favorite style rice! You can also substitute with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles to make this fit your diet or lifestyle if on the Paleo Diet. I make this for lunch when I have my girlfriends over and we all enjoy this dish so much! (So much better than a sandwich).

Give my Rice Salad with Tuna, Capers and Herbs. You can also add cherry tomatoes to this salad – just cut them in 1/2!

This was a "just because" new recipe!  I love ricotta and we don't indulge often but since we are entertaining tonight it seemed right!  Not to mention it's amazing!

My ricotta cheesecake bites are the perfect summer time dessert or perfect for an afternoon treat! This fresh treat can be topped with fresh fruit, sauces, chocolate. Give them a try and no-oven involved....

Enjoy!

I grew up with fresh ricotta in my Nana's kitchen! I just love the combinations in my ricotta frittata to enjoy anytime of the day.

Here is the video we shot with this recipe! go here..

Today I wanted to use my new KitchenAid®Stand Mixer and was planning on making meatballs. Then I spotted the fresh ricotta, beef and veal at D&D Market

I love to add either parmesan or romano to my meatball mixture! It is so easy grating a block of cheese with my Kitchen IQ grater.

I have been named the "queen" of frittata's. I love using up all of my leftovers and making a frittata! Growing up in an Italian family most of our meals included ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and artichokes. When you add eggs and fresh greens your world is complete! I used kale but you can include spinach or any other greens or even zucchini! YUM.

Primavera is normally a pasta dish with spring vegetables.  I was at the farmers market this morning and picked up red peppers and had frozen peas and porcini mushrooms at home.  

This side dish was perfect with my leg of lamb roast I made for our Sunday dinner!

Enjoy

I have loves peas since as long as I can remember. My nana and I would always enjoy peas with almost every meal. Our favorite would be to pour our tomato sauce.

What makes my Risotto with Peas and Pancetta special is I cook the pancetta in the same pan as the risotto!  We took this picture at NBC Connecticut and added the pancetta at the end of the segment then shared with the staff.  What a great day..

Roasting pork tenderloin increased the natural flavors and adding the greens and herbs make this meal very special.  You should prepare the pork tenderloin to marinade overnight or at least for the day to enhance the flavors.

My Roasted Artichoke and Sardines with Capers and Herbs was a staple in my Nana’s house during the week. She would just put it out on the table as a snack. It was a great way for us to sit down together and talk for a few minutes!

My nana made this with fresh artichokes – She steamed them first the cut them up but now that we have handy cans this appetizer is super fast!