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This peasant soup is based on inexpensive, hearty, substantial beans in broth thickened with pasta and is found throughout Italy. The texture of this soup ranges from thin and smooth if puréed to thick and hearty, almost stewlike, depending on region and taste. In this recipe, we use pancetta (pork belly that has been salt and air-cured like prosciutto) for its potent savory flavor and rich fat, but you may substitute more olive oil. Pasta e Fagioli is often made with tender- skinned cannellini (white kidney) beans or meaty borlotti (or Romano) beans. Better yet is to use fresh shelled beans such as cranberry beans (found in season at farmers’ markets and Asian groceries), which don’t need any soaking. You will need to start the soup one day ahead to soak the beans. This soup freezes well without the pasta. Add the pasta after reheating the soup.
Makes about 1 gallon (4 L), serves 8 to 12 Ingredients
• ½ pound (225 g) pancetta, chilled until firm
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons (30 ml) for serving
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• ½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, finely diced
• 3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) chopped garlic
• 2 cups (360 g) chopped plum tomatoes (canned or fresh)
• 6 cups (600 g) cooked cannellini beans (see “Cooking Dried Beans,” below)
• 2 quarts (2 L) Chicken or Vegetable Stock (page 9 or 14)
• ½ pound (225 g) ditalini or small dried pasta shells
• 2 cups (40 g) whole baby arugula or large arugula leaves shredded (if field-grown, wash the arugula thoroughly)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces (55 g) each grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses
Baby arugula is prewashed and easy to use in this soup but larger field-grown arugula works as well. Just be sure to wash it thoroughly, changing the water if necessary. Slice larger leaves of arugula crosswise into 1-inch (2.5 cm) sections before adding to the soup.
1. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice all around the outside as a cutting guide. Following the guide, slice off a piece of pancetta about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick, which will weigh about 1/2 pound (225 g).
2. Cut the pancetta into small cubes by first slicing into 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices. Then cut the slices into thick sticks.
3. Turn the sticks around so the ends are facing the knife. Cut the sticks into cubes.
4. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, lightly brown the pancetta in the olive oil over moderate heat.
5. Add the red onion, fennel, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
7. Add the cooked beans, any bean cooking liquid, and the Chicken Stock and bring back to a boil.
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Today, fast food has seemed to be somewhat of a necessity for many office workers due to their busy life and hectic work schedules. As a result, a greater number of people are becoming obese day-by-day. Regulating your eating habits has become the need of the hour to enable you to lead a healthy and happy life. You need to take care of the number of calories that you consume daily in order to keep obesity away.
Controlling your diet does not mean you go hungry and only eat limited kinds of food items. It is much better to find out which foods help kick start your metabolic rate without resorting to fasting. Knowing about the health regulations for food will enable you to know more about the best foods that can help you to remain in shape without crash diets dominating your eating habits. Here are some good foods that you can add in your diet plan to reduce your weight without sacrificing on tasty food. These will help satisfy your hunger and leave you fuller for a longer span of time.
Beans: The consumption of beans is an excellent addition of protein to your diet. Generally, meat, eggs and other animal products are regarded as a good means of proteins. However, these foods can also increase cholesterol in the human body and have several health risks associated with regular consumption. This is not the case with beans. Beans have 0% cholesterol but contains a high percentage of protein. The high fiber content of beans makes their digestion slower than other kinds of protein-rich foods. This enables you to follow your diet plan without feeling hungry.
Nuts: Nuts can be a rich source of vitamins and instrumental in losing weight as per health regulations. Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and pecans tend to have a good amount of essential vitamins and antioxidants. A daily dose of nuts is considered beneficial to good health. It is believed that some substances within these nuts affect the calorie pathways and may alter the metabolism in a positive way. Nuts are one of the most effective foods that can help you to have desired weight loss and remain healthy.
Banana Cupcake Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)
1 tbsp Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. Line twelve regular size muffins pans with paper liners
or grease well. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil and eggs until blended. Add
banana and rum. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and beat again until smooth.
Fill cupcake wells about 2/3 full. Bake approximately 25 minutes or until a
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My husband and son are huge Taco Bell fans. There is no other fast food that they prefer more, and honestly I think they like it as much as tacos we make at home. My son especially loves the Doritos Locos Taco, which he will eat three of. Yes, I know. To celebrate the season, Taco Bell is embracing the holiday tradition that giving is receiving and offering fans a great value on gift cards.
Customers can purchase $20 in Taco Bell gift cards to give as stocking stuffers or an office party gift and receive (2) free Doritos Locos Tacos and a large drink at participating restaurants. With the DLT being the most popular product to date, Taco Bell lovers can enjoy this fan favorite and choose from three flavors: Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch and Fiery – a perfect way to warm up this season.
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Planning a huge holiday meal for family and friends can be quite an ordeal. Heck, planning dinners during the average work week can be a hassle, so when you’re hosting a slew of people during the busy holiday season, you’d better put some extra time into planning, preparation, and organization if you don’t want your dinner to be a complete disaster. Although you probably have some notion of the amount of work that has to be done and at least a few menu items your guests will expect, still it can’t hurt to get the ball rolling early in order to avoid any major snafus at the eleventh hour. Here are just a few tips that should help to ensure your holiday feast goes off without a hitch.
Plan and shop early. Once you have an idea of how many people are coming to your holiday meal you can begin planning the menu and shopping for items you’ll need. This is important for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, traditional items may sell out as the holidays approach. If you wait until just a few days before your feast to pick up meats, pie crusts, and other items, you may find them out of stock at your local market, leaving you scrambling to hit other stores or plan a new menu. Additionally, however, you’re bound to miss something and you want to make sure you still have plenty of time to pick up ingredients that you accidentally forgot to put on your initial shopping list.
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Krusteaz is a well known trusted baking partner in kitchens across the country for years. They make our favorite buttermilk pancake mix and little man is a connoisseur of the cake of pan (pancakes). His favorite are make by his great-grandmother who makes the most delectable pancakes, with a few secret ingredients, and a pig shaped pan mommy brought back from a trip.
Krusteaz started in 1932 with a women’s bridge club from Seattle who wanted an easy to make pic crust. Krusteaz has since come to be makers of home baked convenient fresh from the oven goodness one mix at a time.
To get all home bakers in the holiday spirit, Krusteaz is hosting a Virtual Holiday Baking Event on Saturday, December 14. We’re excited to announce Weelicious blogger and cookbook author, Catherine McCord, will be baking her favorite Krusteaz creations live from her kitchen, sharing recipes, tips and holiday gifting ideas featuring homemade goodies. We’re encouraging everyone to tune in, invite friends over, ask question/share ideas via our Twitter feed and get into the holiday spirit. Their handle is @Krusteaz so make sure you are following for all the fun.
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New York City is one of the most child-friendly cities in the world, offering a wealth of things to do that keep your kids happy, from playgrounds and movie theaters to toy stores and of course, the many major attractions all over Manhattan and beyond. But between all that fun, learning and play, where are the best places to grab a bite to eat with your kiddos?
Here are five of our favorite child-friendly restaurants in Manhattan.
With locations all over the city—including the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, Grand Central Terminal, Battery Park, Madison Square Park, the Theater District and Brooklyn—this is a handy go-to for child-friendly eating, no matter where you are. The menu may stick to the basics—burgers, hot dogs and shakes—but this is lovingly-prepared fast food that pays close attention to detail and is always a fun environment for families. The fact that this now-booming business started as a single food cart in Madison Square Park is a good indication of the quality on offer at Shake Shack.
With three Uptown locations to choose from (one on the West Side, two on the East), Alice’s Tea Cup is glorious fun for any little girls who enjoy the delicate nature of tea parties and fairy wings, but offers satisfying food options for adults. With a great selection of sandwiches, salads and soups, as well as good breakfast options and a predictably delectable dessert menu, Alice’s Tea Cup is heaven for girly-girls and a delight for any parent with a sweet-tooth. According to InTouch magazine, Nicole Richie and her little ones love the desserts here so much, she has been known to have them shipped all the way to her home in Los Angeles! Call ahead and make a reservation in advance, if you can.
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