Recipes

The $50 Macaroni and Cheese Dish

Sanura
The $50.00 Mac and Cheese with Sharp Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Aged Gouda Cheese.
The $50.00 Mac and Cheese with Sharp Cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Aged Gouda Cheese.

The true worth of this dish depends on the storyteller. The parents dub this dish “The $50.00 Mac and Cheese,” as they mockingly add a few singsong “oohs” and “aahs” with snickering laughter. However, when I serve them the dish, there isn’t a word heard, because their mouths are full of cheesy pasta. Forks scraping the plates, glassware chiming, and lip smacking chewing sounds are the only audible sounds heard at the dinner table. Such sounds without words communicate an extremely successful dish. As the parents tell their side of the story, my smile is a forced patience. I have my opinion. This is my food blog, thus only one side to the three views is told. Read more →

Orange Pomegranate Sandwich Cookies

Sanura
Orange Pomegranate Sandwich Cookies
Orange Pomegranate Sandwich Cookies

The kids loved it! Well… the new proud big kids of an adorable baby girl. We’re all kids, regardless of our age, right? A couple months ago, I had quite a stressful week. A personal event occurred that remains us that life is never completely stable, and a dear friend passed away. It was a momentous week. The day after the unexpected funeral, there was my friend’s scheduled baby shower. I showed up shamefully empty handed without a gift, but the party was fun. I promised the mother to visit her with a homemade cake as a gift, because she was craving sweets. However, a short time afterwards, my phone beeped a text message, for she had become a new mother. To respect her family’s time, I decided to wait until after Thanksgiving to schedule a visit. Read more →

Apple Pear Pie with Pecans

Sanura
Apple Pear Pie
Apple Pear Pie

A few months ago, My Life Runs On Food’s Facebook fans were asked to describe their favorite Fall recipe. Of course, it was Apple Pie.

“Ooohh! I remember going to the apple orchard with my grandmother! Picking the apples, watching them make fresh apple cider and then bringing home all those baskets of apples! She would make apple everything! But my favorites were apple pancakes and pies! Mmmmmmmm! That was the best! Reminds me of those candy apples too, the ones with the red, hard, cinnamon candy! Gotta love the Fall!”
– Monique Foley

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Ground Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells Baked in a Creamy Cheese Sauce

Sanura
Fresh Crushed Red Pepper Cheese and Olive Oil. Visit Agrestis Società Cooperativa Agricola {www.agrestis.it/index.html} to order online.
Fresh Crushed Red Pepper Cheese and Olive Oil. Visit Agrestis Società Cooperativa Agricola {www.agrestis.it/index.html} to order online.

The boyfriend’s best friend’s wife’s family owns an olive oil business in Italy. Once a year the lovely couple crosses the Atlantic Ocean to visit her side of the family. This year, I humbly asked for just olive oil. They returned with a pound of cheese studded with crushed red pepper, olive oil (with the lot number handwritten on the container), and black olive pesto. They gave the gifts to the boyfriend, who casually said thank you, and delivered the package to me. His thank you was mild compared to my crazy delight. He would later call his friend about my excitement. To him it was just cheese, olive oil and a jar from Italy, but he was still genuinely thankful, regardless of the gift idea. He finally understood the value of these gifted ingredients when presented with a dish of Ground Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells Baked in a Creamy Cheese Sauce. Grazie e mangiare bene! Read more →