Buon giorno and Good Day!
Greetings to all my wonderful cookbook fans and friends. Last weekend was very busy for me with 5 book signings in one weekend; all of them in Southern Illinois. The radio interview with Ross Gentile, who does a jazz radio station known as WSIE FM, from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, was great fun and several people came out to see me the next day at the well known John Viviano & Sons on "The Hill."
I sold about 100 books in total and talked to hundreds of pasta loving, bread dipping, and garlic consuming Americans. It almost seemed I was on the campaign trail for *Rosalie Serving Italian.* One thing we all established was that It can be fun to cook a meal at home while saving a substantial amount of money, not to mention all the weight one can loose by not favoring the fast food mills.
This brings me to my thought for this week, PERFECT VALENTINE'S DINNER. As I have stated many times before, without exception almost every special day that comes along, most people go out to dinner to celebrate. Have you ever gone out for dinner on Valentine's Day? I must say that, yes, many times over the years my husband Bill has taken me to a special place to celebrate the Love Bug. I also remember that the wait was usually 1 to 2 to 3 hours, and although the food was good, the evening was expensive and very long.
So, my friend, how about preparing your Valentine a wonderful Italian dinner right at your own kitchen table. Where's the Romance, you say? Simply said, Creation! That's right! Put a pretty tablecloth on the table and get out the china that you got for your wedding, you know, the set that is still up in the lighted china cabinet. Go the Dollar Tree and get some candles, heart confetti, and pretty napkins with flower rings and set that table as pretty as a picture.
For the menu, how about a 45-minute meal like Rosalie's Pasta con Broccoli on page 186. Serve it with an Italian Salad, page 46, and wonderful Italian Breaded Pork Chops on page 183. All of these dishes are very fast and extremely easy to prepare. The total time would only be 45 minutes. Get a loaf of Italian bread at the grocery and make up some Raspberry Lemonade for a meal that will long be remembered.
Dipped Chocolate Strawberries could easily be the dessert. Just take ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips and place in a heat-proof bowl. Place the bowl inside a skillet; fill skillet with ½-inch water. Place skillet over low heat, stirring chocolate until it is smooth and melted. Remove skillet from heat, leaving bowl of chocolate in hot water. Holding each berry from the stem end, dip in chocolate, then place on a wax-paper-lined tray. And there you have a PERFECT VALENTINE DINNER right at home! Enjoy your evening and avoid the crowds, plus the high cost of a less-than-tasty dinner. And all because your DINNER will be the best!
Click on the Upcoming Events at
www.rosalieservingitalian.com for a cooking class or book signing near you.Happy Valentine's Day!
Rosalie
No comments:
Post a Comment