Category Archives: Cooking

Ravioli or Agnolotti: Either Way They Make Sense

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Loretta Giacoletto

A two-hour morning project ready for the freezer–ravioli, or to be more precise, agnolotti. Instead of using two pieces of dough, these filled pastas are made with one piece of dough folded over like little pillows in the style of … Continue reading →

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Don’t Get Me Started

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Loretta Giacoletto

Oops too late. Last Sunday when I went downstairs to get some ravioli from our upright freezer, I discovered the dial was turned to off (must’ve been those damn faeries). Bummer! Everything inside the freezer had defrosted. I’m talking soups, … Continue reading →

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Pure Gold in the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

A good friend and colleague of Offspring #4 stopped by yesterday with a promised gift of hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, otherwise known as quarin in the Piemontese dialect of Italian-Americans in our Illinois town and barbison or quarin in Colleretto and the … Continue reading →

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Priorities and Then Some, as in Chicken Stock

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

Life has been more than hectic these past two months, what with Hubby D’s open-heart surgery and his subsequent ahead-of-schedule recovery. Our from-the-heart thanks goes to the amazing cardiothoracic team of physicians, nurses, and staff at Washington University School of … Continue reading →

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Antipasto, Family Recipe

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

Every region of Italy has its own version of antipasto, depending on local products that are readily available, and if the desired end result is a quick first course to a meal or if it’s preserving a huge batch to … Continue reading →

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What’s for Dinner?

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Loretta Giacoletto

How about bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin served alongside prune and walnut filled ravioli? That’s right–prune, p-r-u-n-e. And no screwing up of faces please. Don’t knock what you’ve never tasted. Trust me. Two or three of these Italian agnolotti will give you a … Continue reading →

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See One, Do One, Teach One

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Loretta Giacoletto

See one, do one, teach one. I first heard this surgical term during my years as an administrative coordinator at one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country. It’s an adage that works just as well with any number … Continue reading →

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A Shout-out to Young Chefs

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Loretta Giacoletto

An okay cook would best describe my culinary skill level, one earned through no particular effort on my part, but rather a process of elimination, one born out of necessity eons ago—as in feeding five active offspring. Plus an equally … Continue reading →

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Farewell, My Not-So-Secret Garden

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Loretta Giacoletto

Eons ago when we moved into our current residence, one section of the backyard had a brick fireplace surrounded by a large American elm, two dogwoods, and a redbud that set off a burst of spectacular blooms every spring. After … Continue reading →

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Repurposing with a Purpose

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Loretta Giacoletto

Yikes! Realizing I think like my mother once did is bad enough, but every now and then I take on the role of her mother, at least when it comes to Grandma D in the kitchen. For one thing Grandma’s … Continue reading →

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