It is really interesting to read all the tips and methods that people follow. I did try the Bionature pasta and I really loved the texture of the whole wheat. We tried both the spagetti and the fusili and it was really good. A couple of kids who were visiting seemed to prefer that to the barilla version (I made both). I am very intrigued by the hydrated cold water pasta method. I am going to give that a try as DH is the dishwasher in chief and he is not happy when I pul out my 8qt pasta pot with the colander insert. Sauce coating the pasta - I feel that this is kind of important as I like to make pasta with just enough sauce - not too much. Have blobs of sauce on the plate that you can spoon up would be not nice in my books. I saw that with the bronze die pasta (Bionature), the pest kind of coated it better. I did not see the much uncoated surface of the pasta. The Barilla was not coated as much. It would be nicer to taste the sauce first and not the blandness of pasta.Whether the extra cost of the bronze die pasta is worth it or not is a personal call. Mileage may vary there and as someone suggested, it may be more important for some recipes but not others. Carrying the argument to the other extreme, a super slick pasta version might be rice noodles or one of those zero cal tofu noodles. Nothing sticks to that :)

I did a search on Greek Red pepper pasta and came up with this. It sounds similar. The writer says it is Macedonian Pasta with Olives and Feta in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Serves 4 generously â¦500 g package of pasta * â¦1 whole bulb garlic â¦8 roasted red peppers (about 2 1/4 cups chopped) â¦2 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil â¦1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar â¦3/4 � 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes ** â¦1 cup kalamata olives â¦1 bunch basil (about 1/4 cup chopped) â¦300 g feta cheese *** â¦salt and pepper to taste * We used a lovely Greek pasta that Peter gave to us when we went to his house to provide some tech support. And be �we� I mean Mike. I sat and flipped through cookbooks as they did all that computer mumbo-jumbo stuff. And don�t go calling the troops on us for using Greek pasta in a Macedonian dish. Carbs have no borders, in my opinion. The best noodle shape for a sauce like this would probably be a fettucine or linguine, but when you have some fine looking spaghettini in the cupboard, well, who am I to judge? ** Some like it hot, and some like it not. We added 1 tsp of our fiery red pepper flakes and the heat was still very subtle. *** We used a pungent but creamy textured Macedonian feta, but any good Mediterranean feta will do.

There's always TTHD. TATER TOT HOTDISH -Ground meat (I like to mix Jimmy Dean hot pork sausage with hamburger) -Onion & celery (optional) -Vegetables (Whatever you like. Green beans are sort of "traditional" but I like corn or mixed veg) -Cream soup mixed with milk (Cream of mushroom is "traditional" but I like cream of chicken, broccoli or potato.) -Tater Tots -Cheese (optional) This is so flexible. Use amounts to make the size of dish you want. Use any kind of meat. Roast beef, turkey, chicken... I like to mix them occasionally. It's best to brown the meat and I usually cook the onion and sometimes the celery with it. Depends if I want the onion and celery with a bit of a crunch. Season as you like. I use Louisiana Hot Sauce, garlic, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning usually. Put the meat, onion & celery in the bottom of a baking dish, either in layers or mixed up, top with the veggies, top that with the cream soup and on top go the tater tots. Some like to bake the tots first for extra crunch or they'll be crunchy on top and soft on the bottom. Whatever you prefer. Cheese is optional in it or on it in the last 15 min or so. Bake it until the tots are as brown as you like. The good part is everything is cooked so you don't have that as a problem. Substitute mashed potatoes for tots and you'll have a Shepherd's Pie. You can even use fresh potatoes if you like. Like I said, it's so flexible you really don't need a recipe. Hot rolls, biscuits, toast, etc., all go well with this. Even garlic bread. Another easy option is Scalloped potatoes & ham (or other meat, or go meatless). When I make a macaroni hotdish I don't use a real recipe either. Again, you can add any kind(s) of meat or go without. Similar to baked ziti. Macaroni Hotdish -Meat of your choice -Macaroni or other pasta of your choice. I like the jumbo elbows -Sauce. Can be spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, with or without some diced or stewed tomatoes, or you can use cream soup(s) or you can use a can of gravy, again, it's flexible. -I like to add some kidney beans and sometimes mixed veg or corn Amounts depend on servings desired and the ratio of meat to pasta you like. A starting point would be 1#-2# of meat, 1-2 cups of macaroni, small to large jar/can of sauce and add the amount of other things you like. I also like to add some pepperoni for a bit of spice. Again, season as you like. Garlic bread goes great with it. Veggies can be served on the side or mixed into these. A crisp green salad is a good accompaniment to thse too.

Hmmm, full disclosure, so Giada fans can hate me for this : ) I’ve never been a fan of Giada’s show or the recipes. Years ago I was channel flipping and saw a show on how her shows were put together. That pretty much nailed the head on the coffin for me and I never watched again. Can’t remember the details, but if I recall correctly – and my apologies if I’m wrong, someone else tested the recipes for her, and then walked her through the ingredients and recipe before filming, and as they filmed, they did so at her pace, taking breaks as she requested. That just struck me as wrong for some odd reason – I suppose I felt she should have found and cooked her own T&T recipes and that perhaps she was treated a bit like a prima donna. I also remember an episode on some other show in which she left the seeds (of something acidic also) on dough and thought no chef/cook would do that, even in a hurry. I think the host spit the dish out, too. I think a couple things that also kinda got to me... her looong nails (more disclosure, my nails grow too fast and I have a hard time keeping up with them). I always use a nail brush when I wash my hands... I mean, the gunk that gets under them... ew! And those huge diamonds. I always take off my huge diamonds... I mean, my plain jane jewelry... prior to cooking : ) Maybe I'm too fussy about just being sanitary while cooking? OTOH, I agree, a squeeze of lemon (not a lemon slice) on a grilled tomato/moz (with basil, yum!) sammy would give a nice zip.