This Scallop Linguine is a 10/10. It turned out even better than I imagined it would. Something magical happens to the lemon-garlic sauce when you deglaze the pan, soaking up all the seared scallop goodness. I’m drooling just thinking about it! I combined two of my favorite things to create this recipe: seared scallops and my Under the Sea Pasta. Hilariously, this dish tastes nothing like my Under the Sea Pasta, as the process of searing the scallops in butter and then deglazing the pan to capture the scallop essence gives the sauce a fabulous nutty, toasty, browned butter flavor that’s total ..read more

Looking for a delicious, easy-to-make pasta salad to pack up for picnics or lunchboxes? You found it! This delicious Mediterranean Pasta Salad has cherries, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, pine nuts, feta cheese, fresh basil and oregano, and a delicious lemon dressing with fresh lemon zest. Wow, that’s truly a laundry list of some of my favorite ingredients! My love for pasta salad knows no bounds. I truly could eat a delicious pasta salad every day of my life. I came up with this pasta salad for my Shakespeare in the Park picnic, mainly because I didn’t feel like going to the store and w ..read more

Looking for a simple pasta salad to take on a picnic or pack for lunches? You found it! This Artichoke and Olive Pasta Salad is so quick and easy to make. Look at how high quality these olives are! I picked up gorgeous artichokes and saffron Kalamata olives from Amanida at the farmers market the other day and decided to make a simple pasta salad that would showcase them. I used gorgeous rainbow pasta for this pasta salad, but of course you could use regular benne or bow tie pasta as well! The measurements here are really guidelines. Want to use a whole freaking cup of feta cheese? Zero jud ..read more

This is such a delightful summer dish! I absolutely adore grilled asparagus and it’s so good in this lemony pasta salad. Pine nuts and feta cheese take this pasta salad over the top! I love penne for this since the shape complements asparagus spears but you can of course use whatever you want! You’ll want to make the dressing first (it takes literally a minute or two to whisk together) and have it ready to go before you cook the pasta, because you want to immediately pour half of the dressing on the warm noodles.  Lemon Dressing While the pasta is cooling, I pop out to grill the asparag ..read more

My alfredo sauce is simply the best. It’s beyond delicious and cheesy, with a little garlic, a lot of gruyere cheese (so melty! so nutty!), and a hint of freshly grated nutmeg. (Just trust me!) It’s divine.  I don’t actually often cook fettuccine but I was inspired by Kate Winslet’s line in The Holiday, “Shall I make us a little Christmas fettuccine?” so I decided to make fettuccine alfredo for my Christmas dinner party alongside my Loaded Focaccia. This is such an easy dish for entertaining. It requires practically no prep and can be made literally in the time it takes to boil pasta. I ..read more

I have made this pasta a thousand times. Back when I was twenty and twenty-two, I didn’t have much of a budget for entertaining but still wanted to have my friends over for dinner so I almost always made pasta because it’s an inexpensive way to feed people. Nine out of ten times, I made a variation of my favorite sausage medallion pasta. It’s so easy to make! The method here is simple: caramelize onions in butter, then pan-fry sausage slices. It’s okay if the pan starts to turn brown. Free flavor! Add canned fire-roasted tomatoes and some pasta water, salt and pepper, a lot of herbs and parme ..read more

This pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese is creamy, dreamy, and easy to make! You can make the sauce in about the same amount of time it takes to boil macaroni. For that reason, this would be a great dish to make on Halloween night when you want a quick pumpkin dinner. Remember when I said in my Disney Dinners: Cinderella episode that pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese using my leftover roasted fairytale pumpkin sounded delicious? Well I can now confirm: it is! Sure, you can absolutely use a cup of canned pumpkin for this recipe but if you’re bold enough to roast a pumpkin, you’ll get that extra punch of flavor, espe ..read more

I can’t remember the last time I had so many messages about a single dish! This is the kind of thing I make for myself or my mom when she comes over, easy comfort food. I was astounded to see how many of you wanted this recipe! This sauce is super simple, especially if you have an immersion blender. (I’m not a gadget girl but an immersion blender to me is absolutely a kitchen essential.) This sauce starts as most good sauces do, with sautéing an onion and garlic. Next is one of my pantry secret ingredients: fire roasted tomatoes. (I only had one can on hand when I made this so feel free to su ..read more

“Oh wow” is exactly the reaction I’m going for when testing for Disney Dinners recipes and that’s exactly what Irene and I said when we first ate a bite of this phenomenal pasta. With its delicate leek flavor, garden fresh basil, and salty parmesan cheese, it’s effortlessly amazing. It’s the Serena van der Woodsen of side dishes. I came up with this pasta for my 101 Dalmatians dinner party. I wanted something that felt like the English countryside (leeks fit the bill perfectly) that was mostly white for black sesame seeds to “pop” like Dalmatian spots. It’s very easy too – you basically ..read more

I’ve made so many versions of this over the years but this is the best. It’s creamy, with a bright flavor from the fresh herbs and sun-dried tomatoes, and the chicken is so tender. Throw in some bacon and it’s over-the-top delicious. I’ve also added spinach to this in the pasta, which is also delicious! Add sun-dried tomatoes and cream Add pastaStir in bacon The whole dish comes together so quickly, about fifteen minutes. I like to start my onions and bacon before boiling the water. By the time the water comes to a boil and I cook the pasta, the sauce is done. It’s minimal effort and maximum ..read more