Great Recipes - Starting Point or To the Letter?

To me, recipes are mostly jumping off points. Some gorgeous photo in a magazine, in a cookbook, on an iPad or iPhone app.... grabs me and then I'm off to try to recreate it my way. Recently I was invited to Kraft Canada's Kitchens and one of the lovely take aways was their wonderful Spring issue of What's Cooking Magazine. It has lots of great tips and glorious recipes.

The Creamy Garlic & Herb Shrimp Linguine caught my attention... with eyes popping out of my head and much drooling... shrimp and creamy sauces will do that every time. But not being one to leave well enough alone... this time because I was short ingredients. No sugar snap peas... but lots of fresh baby spinach... rigatoni instead of linguine because my Honey likes short pasta better... olive oil, champagne vingear & a dollop of Dijon because I THOUGHT I had some Kraft Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tuscan Italian Dressing, but didn't.

Quick question for you... do you follow recipes to the letter or use them as inspiration?

Here's my Creamy Garlic & Herb Shrimp Pasta

and I'm sharing it with Presto Pasta Nights. I'm hosting tomorrow's roundup so you still have time to email me your entry by midnight tonight... ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Birthday Cakes Made with Love

Everyone has their favorite birthday cake... chocolate, vanilla, ice cream... the list is endless. Usually my favorite is a grocery store bought vanilla with vanilla butter cream icing - and I know... it's not what you would expect from me. This birthday was different.... I was lucky enough to have two cakes made for me and they go from the "this is stunning and mind-blowingly delicious" above to "very uniquely decorated vanilla cake mix". When I was in Toronto last week for the Kraft My Way event, my cousin invited me for a delicious dinner a la Bobby Flay. I was so busy enjoying myself that I forgot to take pictures of the amazing 16 Spice (or you could buy a jar of his premixed spices like she did) Chicken with two sauces - Smoked Red Pepper plus a spicy Cilantro one and roasted sunflower seeds (?), and a yummy polenta that I can't find the recipes for. They are all from one of Bobby's books (perhaps my cousin will read this and leave a comment as to which one to get). And then came the real surprise... a birthday cake... because everyone needs as many celebration cakes as possible. This one is a Maple Carrot Cake with Maple Butter Icing from LCBO's Food & Drink, Spring 2011 issue. If you have the magazine, it's on page 140, if you don't... it will eventually be on the website. Back in Halifax, we went to my daughter & son-in-law's for a birthday dinner and I have to share the cake saga. In the morning, Jo (my daughter) & her sons Boaz AKA Batman (4) and Dov AKA Spiderman (2) worked very hard to bake the cake and come up with the design. B thought it should be a square with a star on top. D just wanted to eat it. After all... one needs a taste tester, don't you think. Both chefs decorated the cake with sprinkles and mummy did the writing (B said she had to use red icing for that... most important... because red is my favorite color). And then it happened... a little slip from one of the chefs, putting on the last of the sprinkles and a face plant changed the look of the cake. Personally... I think it added a special bit of love. What's your favorite birthday cake?

Sunday Morning Frittatas

I always know when I'm almost back to normal... still slept too late to get to the Farmers' Market yesterday (I really hate feeling like a salmon heading upstream for its last journey, not to mention many of my favorite things have already gone... early bird catches the ... well in this case... delicious smoked turkey and who knows what else). But enough whining... I know when I'm on the mend, because I want to cook. And there's nothing like a frittata... especially when there are still plenty of delicious ingredients hiding in my fridge to whip one up for an effortless, tasty brunch for me and my Honey. Today... last of the smoked turkey from last week's market visit, sun dried tomatoes in oil, cured black olives, a baby leek, PC artichoke Asiago tapenade, a few artichoke hearts, sautted until the leeks are soft and the rest of the ingredients are warm, evenly add six wahisked eggs, and some Borgonzola cheese sprinkled on top along with a pinch of smoked paprika. Once the frittata is somewhat set, pop it into the oven at 375 F and let it do its thing for about 15-20 minutes. And how do I really know when I'm on the mend? When I take the time to whip up some Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins, which I did while the frittata was baking. But more about them tomorrow.

Indian Food On the Brain

Perhaps it's the latest two cookbooks that have come across my desk... How to Cook Indianby Sanjeev Kapoor, who is new to me, but often called "the Rachel Ray of India" and currently touring North America, promoting his new book, and Bal Arneson (a long time favorite of mine) with a new book called Bal's Quick and Healthy Indian. Perhaps it's that I love Indian food and have, on more than one occasion, created a feast for friends and family (the photo is of a gathering before we left Toronto, the menu is still a favorite of ours). Perhaps it was the Malabar Coconut Shrimp I made at Kraft Canada, Or perhaps because there's a lovely Indian grocery shop right here in Halifax that actually has all the ingredients I could need.

I will be writing about the books very soon, but I thought I'd direct you to America's Test Kitchen's latest video that hit my inbox - Easy Chicken Tikka Masala. It had me drooling before breakfast. I always love the tips, techniques and well tested recipes from the kitchens if Cooks Illustrated, Cook's Country TV and, of course America's Test Kitchen.
What's your favorite Indian dish? Perhaps I'll include that at my next Indian feast.

Fun in the Kraft Kitchens

I'll be writing more about my awesome day yesterday at the Kraft My Way at Kraft Canada's cool headquarters. Along with 11 other food bloggers, web magazine editors and other social media savvy ladies, I spent the day doing a lot of delicious eating, learning about Kraft's philosophy, checking out some of their new products, touring their facilities, including the gorgeous "home" kitchens where every recipe is tested.

But you know me... it's all about the food and we spent the day sampling, cooking and more sampling of some seriously delicious dishes. So I'll hold off on telling you what it is I really like about Kraft Canada for another day and just give you a photo journey of my day... I apologize for not taking particularly great photos or actually remembering everyone's name, but ... enjoy the trip!
We were greeted by the very warm and very passionate Kraft Kitchen Team and treated to a lovely breakfast. The Easy Banana Bread and Peanut Butter Granola Bars, fruit & cheese kebabs were a hit by all. That's the Kraft Store in the background.

Next we were invited into one of their kitchens (photo at the top of the post). This one is where they film videos and the What's Cooking TV show episodes and conduct cooking classes. And while munching on our goodies we were introduced to the Kraft Kitchen Team and chatted with Dino Bianco, President of Kraft Canada, before being whisked around to our tour.
At Kraft, there is a serious focus on healthy living, whether you just want to eat healthier or have conditions like diabetes. Check out Living with Diabetes for great recipes including this Cream Puff dessert.
There's a whole world of wonderful tips and recipes for kids - to engage them in the kitchen early... and don't think for a minute that I won't be making these very delicious Homemade Fruity Marshmallows with the boys tomorrow!

But now it was time for the real fun... we were divided into groups of three and each group at their own menu to cook up in their own kitchen. Our group made these...

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Malabar Coconut Shrimp

Rhubarb Dump Cake
Hmmm... somehow I missed the photo.
This was just the savory end of the Potluck Lunch we all created. Some of my favorites... Baked Crab Rangoon, Mango Orange Chicken, Maple Balsamic Salmon, and that's just half of the savory side. Then there was dessert...
Not your ordinary Tiramisu... this is Lab-e-Shirin, with a hint of ground cardamom.
and this Mango Kulfi Cheesecake... Let me just say, if you didn't think so before... Kraft is more than just KD - no matter how much you like it or bland, boring dishes.
The afternoon was filled with more info, more tasting and even though I was beyond stuffed from lunch... who could resist these adorable Easter Chocolate Chip Cookies?!
That's them baking earlier in the morning.

More to come, but a question... what's your favorite way with Kraft? Please leave me a comment. And if you don't have one, I urge you to head over to check out some amazing choices.

Cooking Catch-Up

I don't want to leave you with the notion that I didn't do ANY cooking while I was sickly... I just made simple dishes I didn't have to think about... dishes (most of which, I didn't have the energy or desire to photograph) or write about. But they were delicious and I thought, now that I'm feeling more like myself, I'd share.

First recipe, a trip to the market on Wednesday to pick up pork ribs from Getaway Farm. I had a lot of recipes bookmarked, but ended up making one from my childhood - and why is it that those are the ones that we crave when under the weather... that and the "I can make this in my sleep" kind of recipe that takes little work and smells wonderful while you're waiting? As for the photo... it's an old one, probably not even for this recipe, but it's close and I didn't take any this time around.

Grandma Dolly's BBQ Ribs

I also was lucky enough to score a hanger steak which got to marinate for quite a while before I even had the energy to grill.

Marinated Hanger Steak with Dragon's Breath Blue Cheese over Romaine Hearts & Chef Craig's Awesome Vinaigrette

A stop at The Fish Shop and a chat with Peter about what was the freshest... so cod fillets it was and finally a chance to use the sweet potato panko crumbs I've been talking about since back in January I told you about the tip I got from Peter

Sweet Potato Panko Crusted Pan Fried Cod

It took a while to actually get my hands on some. Ella, who used to be a NY lawyer, bakes delicious breads for Rock Island Bistro as well as as "Spice of Life Artisan Foods" at the Saturday farmers market crowd uses left over sweet potato bread for crumbs and doesn't always have any on hand at the market. The recipe is a well used one, mostly for haddock and plain panko crumbs but even better this way.

Another find from Peter... the gorgeous scallops at the top of the page. They'd be great tossed with your favorite pasta, but we just had them as a tapas dish with crusty bread from the market - perfect for sopping up all that sauce.

Roasted Scallops with Rosemary & Thyme

Even sickies can whip up a delicious plate of Cajun Pasta that requires very little effort (i.e.... no recipe to speak of). This one used up some extra farfalle from an earlier dish (the Chicken Pollo in Sherry Cream Sauce), a couple of handfuls of cremini mushrooms, a smoked andouille sausage from Sweet Williams Sausages, sauteed in some olive oil until the mushrooms are golden, toss in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach thank goodness for greenhouse farming at Riverview Farms - all from from the market plus a glug or two of white wine and another handful of grated Parmesan cheese. And... voila!!!

I thought I'd share this one with Claire of Chez Cayenne, this week's host for Presto Pasta Night. If you have a great pasta dish, you can share it too. Just send your entry to cdmcculloch7 (at) gmail(dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com . As for supper tonight... I think, more pasta, perhaps the Lazybones Marinara in the freezer with some sauteed mushrooms.

Another Amazing Presto Pasta Night Roundup

This week Debbi Does Dinner was our wonderful host for Presto Pasta Night #205. Great job! And all those awesome dishes... thanks everyone for sharing. Without another word from me.... just dig in!

Next week Claire of Chez Cayenne will be hosting the party - #206. To join in the fun just send your entries to cdmcculloch7 (at) gmail(dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, March 24th.

Confetti Macaroni & a Trip to Kraft Kitchens

I've been invited to a Kraft Kitchen event in Toronto next week. And it's interesting that although I have Kraft peanut butter in the pantry and bags of shredded Quatro Fromagio in the fridge, the first thought that came to mind was Kraft Dinner, or KD as we North Americans fondly call it. I remember growing up in the 1950's and, on the rare occasion that my mother would succumb to our pleading and whining, she would serve the tiny macaroni with neon orange powder in the blue box.

And, I admit, I don't remember serving it again until my girls were of that age... and even today, on the odd occasion of dreary weather or feeling sickly and needing a bit of my childhood to make me feel better. It was a great standby dish when my girls were in their early teens and could make some lunch or dinner on their own if I had meetings to attend to. One time, they thought it would be funny to add some blue food coloring. I guess they forgot about the color wheel where blue plus neon yellow equals bright GREEN. A fond memory of mine especially on St Patrick's Day! But I digress...

Now that I'm heading to Toronto, I thought I'd check out their website and discovered a wonderful world where moms can find healthful and fun recipes and ideas for kids. There are great ideas to inspire young chefs like these and, for the picky eater... lots of choices to get them to eat some vegetables.

My own picky eater, Boaz, who used to eat anything, has become much more .... discerning? No.... just plain finicky, so I was excited to try the Confetti Macaroni recipe which has you add 1 cup of grated carrots and 1 cup of grated zucchini to the pasta while it's boiling and some shredded mozzarella to the cheese & milk once the vegetables and pasta are drained.

One thing I really liked about the dish is that the macaroni itself is made with whole wheat and freeze dried cauliflower. Poppa and I thought it was delicious, but I had forgotten that Boaz is anti-green at the moment and the flecks of zucchini had him turn away before even one spoonful got to his mouth. Note to Grandma.... next time carrots only!.

Since it is a quick pasta dish, I'm sharing with this week's Presto Pasta Night, hosted by Debbi Does Dinner and you still have time to send your pasta post to crabbymomofthree (at)comcast (dot) net and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

I can't wait to see what I find at the Kraft My Way Event next week.

Another Savour Food & Wine Event

I'm still savouring the incredible dishes prepared by some of the finest chefs in Nova Scotia at the recent Savour Food & Wine Show organized by the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia. This year it was superbly hosted at the Westin Nova Scotian. I'll be meeting with Executive Chef Rob Bidinost for a tour of his kitchens soon... but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

February, being a brutally "wintery" month here in Nova Scotia, needs some delicious incentives for locals, who typically hibernate. So eight years ago, began the first of a remarkable annual tradition... The Savour Food & Wine Festival - with only one event at the time. Today, it's a month long gastronomic extravaganza.
One of the things I love best about this event is how it showcases local talent...and I don't just mean the chefs, I mean that they take up Local Food Challenge in their dishes. Which means, that just about everything the chefs use is locally sourced.

February started off with the Decadence - Chocolate/Wine/Cheese Evening that was awesome, and was followed by a month of great restaurant adventures. With 28 restaurants and as many beverage providers present, giving tastes of their wares, it's no wonder I'm having a hard time figuring out where to begin. Last year was my first Savour experience and it took me a couple of weeks to 'digest' it... pardon the pun. I didn't think I could top the culinary adventure ... little did I know!

The food stations, in particular always attract me first... don't get me wrong, I love wine, but I'm not a connoisseur and usually leave the pairing to the experts. I did manage to taste quite a number of delicious options of wines, beers and spirits. Java Blend was giving samples of their home roasted coffee (I buy their coffee beans often - they are delicious) and Coca Cola was there with soft drinks and their latest - SmartWater.
Even some chefs decided to get in the action and prepare some shooters. Chef Dennis Johnston of fid resto created these carrot shooters with slow soaked tapioca (eight days) and a sweet potato crisp, while Chef Luis Clavel of Seasons by Atlantica, used some molecular gastronomy in the form of liquid nitrogen to create "Precious", a divine shooter of Local wild blueberry juice from Van Dyk"s and some of the juice "cooked" with liquid nitrogen to form "caviar" plus a little peach schnapps and a splash of gingerale.

So let's talk about the food. As you can see from the photo at the top... the show was packed and the chefs took up the challenge of feeding everyone with delicious, eye catching dishes. Frankly, I can't possibly mention them all here. You'll just have to come out next year and sample them all for yourself. Suffice to say, there was more than "something" for everyone.
From cold finger foods like the Sushi platters from Hamachi that take first prize for cold food every year to
over the top roast lamb dinner with rice from Opa Greek Taverna!
Dessert lovers were not forgotten, either. Just check out these stunning cakes from Scanway...
and this tower of chocolate dipped strawberries and Florentines.

Every year, guests are asked to vote for their favorites. Check here for the complete list. And, for your pleasure, here are some that particularly caught my fancy, in no particular order ...
The lobster stuffed scallop and another seared scallop dish from The Five Fishermen (they took first place in the Best of Show Hot food category). I'm still dreaming about it.
These Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Brioche & served with coleslaw from Chives - Canadian Bistro, had me rush home to see if the recipes were in any of Chef Craig Flinn's cookbooks). They took second prize. Is it any wonder?

I could go on forever, but like I said... you should really plan to join the fun at next year's Savour Food & Wine Show. I know I will.

A Tale of Two Peanut Butter Cookies

When the cutest four year old says "Grandma... can we make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies?"... What else could I do? I took out my copy of Norene's Healthy Kitchen ( a great book) and found just the one. Especially good, because by the time we got to my house, he forgot that WE were supposed to bake cookies. He preferred hanging out at the computer in the kitchen and chatting while I baked and he played games.

The amazing thing about Norene's recipe is the fact that it only had 3 ingredients - 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 large egg... we added the chocolate chips. Admittedly, I was sceptical... no flour? ... no baking soda? As you can see above... by the time I got the camera out, there were only 2 cookies left.... out of two dozen! I obviously needn't have worried.
That said, the cookies got me thinking about the ones my mother used to make when I was a kid and in flipping through my cookbooks, I found one that, although it has oatmeal and chocolate chips, it does come closer to mind. Perhaps it's the flour & baking soda. The book... Kitchen Sense (another awesome book) .

Peanut Butter Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies

How do you like your peanut butter cookies? Actually... I really prefer oatmeal cookies without the peanut butter. That said, I still managed to eat a half dozen in the writing of this post. Oh how one suffers for their art!

Early Bird Gets the Worm

I always thought my early trips to the Halifax Farmers Market on Saturday mornings was just because I don't really like crowds all that much. And at the market it's easy to feel like a salmon on its last trip upstream because it is a hugely popular meeting place. There's local musicians and lots of options for eating everything from omelets to freshly made Jamaican patties, Chinese egg rolls and many other ethnic delights.... not to mention seating areas scattered about to enjoy them all.

But I digress... I love wandering about, watching vendors setting up and not having to wait in lines for some of my favorite (and very regular) goodies. Jostling through the masses isn't really my idea of fun. I love chatting with the likes of Chris de Waal and family at Getaway Farms (best grass fed & grass finished beef - and my Honey's favorite); Randy Hiltz of Ran-Cher Acres who, with his wife Cheryl make the most awesome cheeses from their beautiful Saanen dairy goats; Peter Boudreau of The Fish Shop, who not only has the freshest fish & seafood, he's a wealth of knowledge. I could go on, but then I'd never get to the point of this post.... The early bird...

Feeling lazy and a little out of sorts, I missed my window yesterday and flip-flopped back and forth until my Honey couldn't take it any more and decided for me that we needed to go. Of course the mention of Getaway Farm Strip Loin Steak for dinner had a lot to do with it. We arrived at about 10:30 - prime time and packed as I expected. What I didn't expect though, was that some of my favorite vendors were sold out! Sold out of my favorite items, at least.... no smoked turkey from Sweet Williams Sausages, but I did score some smoked Andouille sausage (they call it Cajun).
And Julien's was out of crusty Good Hearth, but Nathan recommended... can't remember the name but it's a crusty blend of rye, wholewheat and ... I forget that too. They did have brioche that my Honey turned into French Toast this morning.
As for the strip loins... it's a good thing Chris happens to be back at the market today and is bringing some with our names on them... Hooray!

Almost Time for Presto Pasta Night #204

UPDATE: PPN 204 is up... it's wonderful and many thank to all... especially Sarah who, even though sick, put it all together. Get better soon.

It's Friday so it must be time for Presto Pasta Nights. It's still early, but keep checking Sarah's Maison Cupcake for the roundup. Hint... it's full of wonderful creamy, mushroomy and other delicious dishes.

Next week, Debbi Does Dinner is stepping up to the proverbial plate (no pun intended) to host PPN #205. A little birdie told me it's her birthday, so please join in the fun - it's easy and what a terrific celebration. Send your entries to crabbymomofthree (at)comcast (dot) net and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, March 18.

Perfect Pasta = Chicken, Mushrooms & Creamy Sherry Sauce

Last week was the big Presto Pasta Night 4th birthday bash and some lucky people won great gifts. In fact, one of the gifts was a copy of Pasta - 40 Recipes for Fine Dining at Home. It's a small but very tasty book, filled with awesome pasta dishes from Chefs across the Maritimes. Lots of my favorite restaurants and inns are mentioned. And since, the publisher sent the copy to me to forward on to lucky Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe in Melbourne, Australia...how could I not take a quick peek!

Don't worry Johanna, no cookbooks were stained in the making of this positively, sinfully delicious dish. I took a photo with my trusty iphone...

Farfalle with Chicken Pollo & Mushrooms in Sherry Cream Sauce

I didn't have the Port the recipe called for, but sherry was a great second choice... very mellow and ... what can I say... we had seconds!

I'm sharing this with Sarah of Maison Cupcakes for this week's Presto Pasta Night. If you have an interesting pasta, send it to her at sarah (at) maisoncupcake (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, March 10 .

I'm also sending this to Hearth & Soul Recipe Hop.

A Great Broken Telephone Chickpea Salad

Remember that childhood game of Broken Telephone that ended in hilarious messages so distorted and removed from the original? Well, this dish turns Broken Telephone to a much lovelier (not to mention more delicious) game.

I saw this mouth-watering Curried Chickpea Salad on Kalyn's Kitchen. She got it from her brother who saw it in the LA Times from some restaurant in LA that sounds like a great place to visit. Naturally Kalyn had to put her spin on the recipe ... and naturally, not able to leave well enough alone, I decided to do my own little twist, using Aleppo 7 Spice Blend from Epices de Cru, adding garlic, using avocado oil... you know how it goes once you start adding things to a recipe, it becomes something quite different from the original.

Aleppo Spiced Chickpea Salad

This one doesn't stray too far afield from the original, but it did get me thinking.... what are your favorite ways to make a dish your own?

The Big Presto Pasta Night Bash

It's been grand!!! Twenty five awesome dishes from so many wonderful bloggers. What a party!!! Some have made Presto Pasta Night the great roundup that it is by sharing many a delish dish over the years. Others are first timers and I hope they plan on showing up for many more. Thank you all for making the party such a success. Without further ado... grab a plate, a fork, a bib and manga!

Graziana of Erbe in Cucina was first to arrive with a very lovely Gorgonzola & Walnut Pasta so creamy and aromatic.
Abby of Eat the Right Stuff brings another great party dish - Mac 'n Cheese but with a very party addition - pancetta, one of my fave ingredients!
GirliChef really outdid herself this week with a Tomato Garlic Soup with Tortellini that has my eyes popping out of my head.
Apparently my secret love of all things garlic is out...Krithi of Krithi's Kitchen also made a very garlicy dish that looks awesome... Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic & Homemade Marinara Sauce.
Tina from Life in the Slow Lane shares yet another perfect party dish - Sausage & Ravioli Lasagna. One can never have too many kinds of pasta in one dish, can they?
Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours is back with news of a new place... with a garden and a heavenly dish of Whole Wheat Pasta with Pistachio Cream Sauce. I'm drooling.
Tigerfish of Teczcape has been coming to PPN ever since we started and every time she does, we drool over her gorgeous looking and tasty dishes. Thanks for sharing this Home-style Fried Rice Vermicelli.
Andrea of Nummy Kitchen shares another of my favorite pasta party food... Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells.
Tandy of Lavender & Lime is a first time PPNer and whipped up a wonderful dish of Crayfish Pasta... savor each bite slowly - crayfish are hard to find.
Claudia of Honey from a Rock made this wonderful Maccheroni alla Chittara e Bottarga - it even sounds delicious.
Raji, of Vegetarian Tastebuds is another PPN newbie and brings this very tasty, very sneaky way to get kids to eat their spinach... kudos!... Tri-colored Pasta with Spinach.
Lana of Bibberche must know I have a serious attachment to anything shrimp and anything pesto. I used to be a basil purist, but this exotic Pasta with Shrimp & Cilantro Lime Pesto (with a secret ingredient) really has my attention.
Katerina of Culinary Flavors shares a great post, lovely photos and a dish I can't wait to try... I just have to get some ouzo first... Shrimp/Lobster with Feta, Ouzo & Pasta.
Pam of Sidewalk Shoes came to the party with Creamy Skillet Chicken Pasta that has me slurping and drooling.
Jen of Tastes of Home brings much welcomed Summer to a blustery, wintery Nova Scotia. Thanks so much for sharing your Hiyashi Chuka with us.
Krista, the Beet Reporter, made a lovely lime caper fettuccini to help us celebrate the occasion.
Tahemeem of Not so Gourmet is a first time PPNer with a great dish of Mini Farfalle with Tomatoes & Corn that I'll be trying very soon.
Deb of Kahakai Kitchen added a Ming Tsai (I love his cooking) twist to garlic shrimp with this Lemongrass Shrimp Scampi with Pappardelle.
Pratibha of Recipes from Pratibha's Kitchen is yet another PPN newbie and she made a very interesting Cheesy Pasta , this is not your ordinary "mac 'n cheese". Check out the ingredients that add a powerful punch.
Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe in Australia with all the changes in her life and all the recent natural disasters that plagued the country still found time to share a very special dish of PPN Spring Rolls with Vermicelli!
Joanne, who always Eats Well With Others brought a particularly awesome looking dish. Her dish of Spaghetti with Spaghetti Squash, Ricotta & Lemon Garlic Sauce is awesome. Although her post is about portion control... I'm not sure I'd be able to pass up seconds.
Kankana of Sunshine & Smile really did bring a very festive dish to the party - Mini Rotelle Pasta Muffins. I mean could you get any more fun?
Cook with Pia made this terrific Bread & Macaroni Salad for our birthday bash. What an excellent choice for any potluck.
Straight from Kamu's Kaivannam is a wonderful Fettuccine with Spinach & Mint that will satisfy the kid in all of us.
Michelle, The Italian Mama Chef brought this simple Pasta with Peas & Pancetta that has me drooling.
And of course how could I miss sharing a pasta dish of my own. I first posted about Lamb Merguez Pasta way back in 2005 - long before I ever came up with the idea of Presto Pasta Nights.
This truly has been a great event and, although I don't have loot bags for everyone... other than the fantastic recipes, of course.... I do have three wonderful presents to send out to three randomly chosen guests. Randomly chosen because each entry is a winner and I couldn't possibly choose just one based on merit alone. Check out Presto Pasta Night to see what our wonderful sponsors are giving away as presents.

And as one party ends... another begins. Next week Sarah of Maison Cupcake will be hosting. Send your entries to sarah (at) maisoncupcake (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, March 10