Rigatoni with Creamy Fennel Sauce

Another very yummy dish made with mom (on 31 August 2026)! This is from a Fine Cooking digital cookbook. We did modify a bit, but not much. Would 100% make again!

Ingredients:

salt & water for cooking pasta

8 oz. (dry weight) mezzi rigatoni

2 T. olive oil

1 c. chopped fennel (about 1 medium bulb)

2 large cloves garlic, very coarsely chopped

1 c. water

1 c. heavy cream

1 c. lower-sodium chicken broth

1/3 c. drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, very coarsely chopped

1/4 c. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. salt

shredded Pecorino-Romano, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook pasta 1-2 minutes less than indicated al dente time on package. After draining, return pasta to cooking pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, straight-sided skillet, over medium heat. Add the fennel and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until is begins to brown (around 5-7 minutes).

3. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Increase the heat slightly to bring to boil, then reduce to keep at a brisk simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour into blender, purée until smooth.

5. Pour sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Add a small amount of water, if needed, to achieve desired consistency (I added around 1/3 c., I would guess). Heat the pot over medium-low heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through and pasta has finished cooking.

6. Serve pasta topped with shredded Pecorino-Romano and enjoy!

Mushroom Stuffed Eggplant

Oooh is this ever good! Made with mom on 30 Aug 2026, and we will absolutely make it again sometime!

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mushroom-stuffed-eggplant

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

2 large or 3 medium eggplants (I think 3 medium would be better; we used 2 large, ended up with leftover stuffing)

salt

5 T. extra-virgin olive oil + more for coating, divided

1/4 c. water

3/4 lb. oyster mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick

pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium red onion, finely diced

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 T. unsalted butter, divided

4 oz. stale baguette, cut in 1/2" dice

1/2 c. dry red wine

2 oz. Pecorino-Romano, diced (we think we will add more next time)

3/4 c. low-sodium vegetable broth

~2 T. chopped curly parsley

Directions:

1. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4" shells.

2. Salt the eggplant shells inside and let stand for 30 minutes, cut side up, then pat the shells dry.

3. Meanwhile, cut the scooped out flesh into 1/2" dice.

4. Heat the oven to 350°F. Rub eggplants all over with olive oil, then set them cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. 

5. Add the 1/4 c. of water to the baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 T. of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender and transfer to a bowl.

7. Add 1 T. of the olive oil to the skillet, then the diced eggplant. Season with salt and pepper, cook until tender and browned, then transfer to same bowl as mushrooms.

8. Add the remaining 2 T. of the olive oil to the skillet, then the garlic and onion. Cover and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.

9. While the garlic and onion cook, place the cubes of stale baguette in a bowl and cover with the 

Add the cumin and 1 T. of the butter and stir until butter melts completely.

10. Remove from heat. Stir in the mushroom/eggplant mixture, followed by the wine-soaked bread, cheese, and vegetable broth. Season the filling with salt and pepper.

11. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Turn the eggplant shells cut side up and fill each with the stuffing.

12. Dot the tops with the remaining 1 T. of the butter. Transfer to upper third of oven and bake for 10 minutes.

13. Switch to the broiler and broil for 2 minutes. Remove from oven, top with parsley, and enjoy!

D'Artagnan Cocktail

A while back, mom bought a bottle of Armagnac that we used in a recipe (I believe it was for duck, and quite excellent). We still have quite a bit left, so we decided to try a cocktail using it. Really like this one--it's very orange and nice for sipping.

Ingredients:

1/2 oz. (15 mL) Armagnac

1/2 oz. (15 mL) Grand Marnier

2 oz. (60 mL) orange juice

1/2 oz. (15 mL) simple syrup

brut sparkling white wine (we used Barefoot Bubbly Brut Cuvée)

Directions:

1. Place 4-5 ice cubes in a shaker, then add the Armagnac, Grand Marnier, orange juice, and simple syrup.

2. Shake well, then strain into a chilled coupe glass.

3. Top glass rest of way with the sparkling wine and give a gentle stir to combine. Enjoy!

Amazing Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

 

Another chocolate chip cookie recipe? Yes! Never too many! What sets these apart is a couple of atypical ingredients and no need to chill the batter, despite using melted butter 😮 10+/10!

Link to my YouTube 'making of the recipe' video:https://youtu.be/B5_gbK_GYNE

Original recipe credit: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26827502/soft-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 c. plus 2 T. melted salted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)

1/4 c. plus 2 T. raw/turbinado sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp. white distilled vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

210g (1 3/4 c.) all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus more for topping)

flaky sea salt, to garnish 

 

Directions:

 

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

 

2. In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, and turbinado sugar until fully incorporated.

 

3. Stir in the egg, followed by the vinegar and vanilla.

 

4. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

 

5. Add the flour mixture to the large bowl (butter mixture) and stir until just combined.

 

6. Fold in chocolate chips.

 

7. Use a large cookie scoop (around 3 T. size) to portion dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing portions 2" apart.

 

8. Bake for 12-14 min, until cookies are slightly golden. After removing from oven, let cookies rest on sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 

9. Garnish with sea salt and enjoy! 

Individual Beef Wellingtons with Marsala Sauce (with video link)

**Pardon my dust -- entry in progress!** 

Seriously amazing dish alert!! These are sooo incredibly delicious! Just typing this up makes me want to have them again right now. They are so good you can even forego the sauce if you don't feel like fussing with it. To accompany it, I made these Sautéed Potatoes, which took longer to cook than what I'd written, so my picture is only of the beef wellington.

Link to my YouTube "making of the recipe" video: https://youtu.be/ZoLoYQhmU4M

Ingredients:

2 beef tenderloin filets, around 4-6 oz each 

1/2 T. olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

4 oz. button mushrooms, finely chopped

2 

Directions: 

Creamy Potato Gnocchi

Yes, another potato gnocchi recipe--just so yummy!

Link to my YouTube 'making of the recipe' video: https://youtu.be/JABNbbTJs1U

Original recipe credit: https://www.saltandlavender.com/one-pan-creamy-gnocchi-with-sausage/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 lb. hot (or mild) ground Italian sausage

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. dry white wine

~14 oz. crushed tomatoes

1 c. heavy cream

1 lb. shelf-stable potato gnocchi

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

handful of torn basil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, cook the Italian sausage, breaking into crumbles as you cook it. Cook until just beginning to brown.

2. Add in the minced garlic and cook for around 1 min.

3. Stir in the dry white wine and let cook for 1 minute.

4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and heavy cream, stirring until mixture is homogenous.

5. Add the potato gnocchi and stir to distribute/coat. Bring to a simmer. Once it reaches simmer, cover and reduce heat to keep it at low simmer for around 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the Parmesan and basil, then season with salt & pepper, to taste. Cook for another minute, then serve and enjoy!!

Mini Almond Cupcakes

These are soooo good!! I had some almond paste to use up and found this recipe in my recipe binders, though I'm not sure which magazine it came from. At any rate, I highly recommend it! It's particularly good with my homemade frosting (I don't have a set recipe for to share, though), which I flavor with both vanilla and almond extracts.

Link to my YouTube 'making of the recipe' video: https://youtu.be/fytAo95takg

Ingredients:

2 1/2 oz. almond paste

1/3 c. sugar

1 large egg white

1/4 c. milk (I used whole, could also use 2%)

2 T. canola oil

85g (3 oz., or around 2/3 c.) all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

frosting, if desired

Directions:

1. Spray the cavities of a 24 mini cupcake mold with a non-stick baking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, use your fingers to combine the almond paste and sugar (smush it together) until it becomes a coarse sand-like mixture.

3. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg white into the mixture, followed by the milk, then the canola oil.

4. Whisk the baking powder and salt into the flour, then gradually add and beat in the dry mixture to the wet mixture in the bowl.

5. Divide batter evenly among the prepared cavities of the mini cupcake mold (around 2 tsp. each).

6. Bake for 8 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean. (took exactly 8 min for mine)

7. Cool in pan for 5 min, then remove cupcakes from mold and transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling completely before frosting (if desired). Enjoy!