Double Tomato Brushcetta

Flavorful and appetizing

The Good: Delicious and easy to make.

The Bad: Tomato seeds are slimy and messy.

The Ugly: Not good for tomato allergies.

Suggestions before starting:

If you are unclear about mincing garlic or what a clove is visit Garlic, Yes Please! for further instructions.  Remember when cutting bread to use a serrated knife.  Allow the blade to cut the bread by using long strokes rather than applying large amounts of pressure.  When spreading the cheese be careful not to leave any on the pan b/c it is extremely difficult to wash off the pan.  Be cautious when using the broiler setting.  Stay close by otherwise you will have burnt bread instantly.

Tiramisu

Delicate, with a hint of chocolaty coffee, Tiramisu is an incredible Italian dessert.

The Good:  Although this is traditionally an Italian dish, it goes well after any meal.  Its refreshing and easy to make.

The Bad:  Sometimes it can be hard to find Mascarpone cheese and lady fingers.

The Ugly: This unfortunately is not a dish that you can eat immediately after preparing.  It has a long cooling period, including a one hour cooling period after step one.

Suggestions before starting:

The recipe calls for a 7x11 pan.  We used a 9 x 13 and it was still delicious.

If you are unable to find lady fingers I have found recipes that use vanilla wafers.  Please remember this will change the consistency because lady fingers are very delicate, whereas, vanilla wafers are heavier.

Italian Cavatini-Family Favorite

Scrumptiously easy and easily scrumptious!

The Good: Delicious, easy to make for groups, low cost and freezes well.
The Bad: Unfortunately the sauce is not homemade.
The Ugly: If you are not good at multi-tasking it may be difficult for you to cook the sausage and the mushrooms at the same time.

Suggestions before starting:
Feel free to add or subtract ingredients to this recipe.  It is also great with onions and peppers.  Just remember if sauteing all the vegetables together be sure to cut them the same size so they saute evenly.
Our family traditionally uses Prego for the sauce.  My favorite is the Mushroom Prego.
It has become increasingly hard to find Tri-Noodles.  Any noodle will work but I still like to mix at least shells and rotini (50/50).
If it is too difficult to cook the sausage at the same time as the mushrooms, precook the mushrooms before even starting the water.
To save time warm the sauce up in the microwave before putting in casserole dish.