Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a few drops of hot pepper sauce for a real pop in flavor. I add favorite herbs while the mushrooms marinate in the jars - bay leaves, rosemary, etc. Very versatile and can be tailored to individual taste. This makes a great appetizer with martinis!

Broccoli rabe is an acquired taste, even for native Italians (my dad is from Naples and mom is from Trieste - neither of whom would touch the stuff until I cooked it my way). The recipe submitted is basic but can be enhanced this way. Trim the ends of the stems. Bring a large pot or saucepan filled with salted water to a boil. Immerse the BR and cook for no more than 8 minutes. Drain immediately, flash chill and then spread on cookie sheet to continue cool down. The BR will be bright green yet tender. Cut the BR into bite size pieces. Saute some garlic to taste and a few hot pepper flakes in olive oil - about 3 tbsp. should do it. Then add BR, toss to coat and remove from heat when warmed through; you don't want to lose that beautiful bright green color. Place on a serving plate, top with a squirt of lemon juice and maybe some homemade toasted breadcrumbs. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and enjoy.

This was a quick recipe to pull together right from my cupboard and fridge. I made the following changes: I used about 1 lb. of boneless pork loin chops, ranch dressing mix (didn't have Italian today), 3/4 of a soup can of fat free half and half and 4 oz. of low fat cream cheese. I pulled the cooked meat into small pieces after 5 hours. Served over small pasta, this was terrific. I left the salt out of the pasta cooking water since the sauce tasted salty. Next time I will use canola oil instead of margarine, and garnish with a little parsley for color and a couple of twists of the pepper grinder. I will try it again with the chicken and Italian salad dressing mix. Thank you for a versatile recipe!

Because of cholesterol issues in my house, I substituted ground buffalo (1 lb.) and ground turkey (1 lb.). I also used panko crumbs instead of bread crumbs. I find regular fine bread crumbs create an unpleasant gummy texture in my meatloaf. I topped my meatloaf with BBQ sauce. Loved the results from the crock pot. Thank you!

Very good recipe. I try to use buttermilk in most of my baking because I believe it keeps things light. I also try to substitute brown sugar for white when I feel it would work just as well. I agree that vanilla extract adds very little to this recipe. But one little secret that I have found works for all my blueberry recipes is to add a pinch (1/8 of a tsp.) of ground cloves to the mix. One reader mentioned that she ground her cinnamon sticks to create fresh cinnamon for her muffins. Please make sure those sticks are food grade. Most of the decorative cinnamon sticks you see around the holidays are treated with preservatives and nasty chemicals. Thank you Colleen for a lovely way to use fresh blueberries. I may take advantage of the season by freezing a few batches of these muffins.

This a very easy recipe - a nice take on orange sherbet. There seems to be no limit to this recipe. The one thing I would not change is the sweetened condensed milk - you definitely need a little richness to avoid an icy result. Thank you Terri!

What a nice twist to the traditional recipe. I loved the idea of toasting the bread with the garlic, oil and seasonings (I used an herb blend). It mellowed the garlic just enough to take the edge off. I left the salt out of the recipe and added brined capers to compensate. I suggest that the mozzarella cubes be added after the salad is plated to preserve their deliciousness. By the way, I used a chewy bread for this recipe - ciabatta was what I had and it really held up. I'm sure focaccia would work such as well. Don't waste your time with supermarket breads for this tasty dish. Thanks for a great recipe!

These are delicious. I did made a couple of alterations: 1/3 cup brown sugar instead of white; almond extract instead of rum (I didn't have any); a small pinch of nutmeg; and 1/3 cup slivered almonds. After combining the wet ingredients, I added the pineapple, coconut and almonds so that they were distributed evenly before adding the dry ingredients. I folded the flour mixture gently into the wet ingredients just until everything was moistened. The results were very good. Thanks for a keeper recipe!

Wonderful flavors and so easy to make using a slow cooker. It was a little saucy for my taste, so next time I'll reduce the ketchup to 1/2 cup and 1/2 cup barbeque sauce (I used Original KC Masterpiece and it lent a nice smokiness to the finished dish). Another thing I'll change next time will be to put the meat in the pot last. Then I'll turn it to coat all over with the sauce. Other than that, this recipe is very good. Oh, and I served this on a hearty slice of whole grain buttered toast and a romaine salad on the side. Thanks for a keeper recipe!

Someone called this a Seabreeze. Sorry but that drink is made with cranberry and grapefruit juices. This drink is sweeter but high in sugar calories.

This is a delicious marinade for chicken breasts. I baked the chicken with its marinade (425 degrees for 45 minutes. The result was succulent and moist with a bit of crust. I removed the breasts to a serving dish and discarded the remaining juices. Next time I will add a few herbs but the recipe is excellent as is.

On Long Island, good Italian restaurants serve this dish family style. It contains chicken on the bone cut or chopped into bite size pieces, along with chunks of Italian sweet and hot sausage, chunked up mushrooms, whole garlic cloves, potatoes cut into small chunks, lots of black pepper, lemon juice, fresh rosemary sprigs, and olive oil. All the main ingredients are browned on the stove then finished in the oven in a casserole and seasoned to taste. With a salad and fresh bread, it's a meal all by itself. "Scarpariello" means shoemaker in Italian, and this signifies that the dish is rustic in origin and makes use of whatever is handy in the kitchen. So it's pretty open-ended. If you use chicken cutlets, lemon and garlic, it's "picatta" - piquant. Nothing is considered wrong in how the dish is made because the results are always "right"!!

I admit that I was skeptical when I tried this recipe but it turned out very well. The turkey was moist and well flavored, not salty at all as I had feared. I coated the crock with nonstick spray before adding the breast, threw in a few rosemary sprigs, and added about 1/4 cup of water. When the cooking time was up, I removed the breast from the crock and let it rest. Then I sliced off all the meat and returned it to the crock to reheat in the juices before serving. The au jus was tasty, and the leftover meat will be turned into a turkey pot pie and salad for sandwiches. Great way to stretch a good thing!

Sounds delicious but very high in fat. So I'll rate this 3 stars. I try to use healthy substitutions for butter and eggs, but not always successfully. I wish this website would do this for us (who wants to waste all these good ingredients on a failure?). But I can't understand why a cake that has a full cup of butter would be dry. Would using oil for some of the butter help? I'm reluctant to try it. Any advice or suggestions?