Plain and simple, pasta is food. It is made from kneading together flour from specific grains with water or eggs, or both. Then the dough-like substance is pressed, formed, or cut into various shapes. Pasta can come fresh or dried. You can even make your own fresh pasta to cook! Whether it is fresh or dried, pasta is then boiled until it is tender, but be careful not to boil it too long or it will get mushy. If you have ever had pasta before you can simply taste it to see if the texture is right or if it needs to cook a little longer. Another old method of checking the progress of your cooking pasta is to throw a piece against the wall and if it sticks, it’s ready. (more…)

A sweet American classic, PEEPS remind us of how the simple things in life bring us so much happiness.

Having and using food-theme personal checks is like having the food channel in your checkbook. CLICK HERE to see more food checks.

Nuts On The Net by Zenobia has been a family run gourmet nut business for over 80 years. They take pride in offering their Web site visitors premium nuts for all occasions. With NutsOnTheNet.com you won’t be settling for average tasting nuts. Their mission is to provide Web site visitors with the best tasting nuts in the most hassle free online shopping and ordering environment. By continuously providing a variety of absolutely the best nuts available, they have become a premiere store for buying nuts online. DriedPasta.com highly recommends you try them.

Zenobia also makes shopping for nuts online very easy and efficient. They offer FREE two-day shipping and they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. They also have incentives for larger orders and supply free gift cards for people shopping for gourmet nuts as gifts.

GourmetStation.com offers deliciously designed gourmet meals delivered to your home or the home of a friend. These make a wonderful gift for any occasion, for friends, family, or your own special 5-star dining experience at home. Our typical order size is approx.imately $75 - $110. This is often much less than dining out at a top-shelf restaurant. Gourmet gifts are very popular as company incentives, holiday gifts, event gifts and rewards. Gift certificates are very popular, and allow your recipient to pick their own menu and have it delivered to “their” front door.

Go ahead and CLICK HERE just to see what it’s all about!

To get the best texture of pasta you have to cook it to the point that it is “al dente,” which literally means “to the tooth” in Italian. Pasta needs to be tender but it should still be a bit firm when you bite it.

If you cook it past the point of having a bite it will get mushy.

Some people say that one good way to test stringy pasta, other than tasting it, is to toss it lightly against the wall. If it sticks, it’s done!

Some pasta dishes can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated, or even frozen, until you are ready to cook them. Lasagna is the best dish to prepare ahead of time, but just about any casserole dish where the pasta is precooked and covered in sauce can be prepared ahead of time and kept in an air tight container. These dishes make for great party meals.

Pasta can even be cooked ahead of time and kept around for a little while to heat and use later. To do this, cook the pasta until it is just done then drain it immediately. Then, toss the pasta with a little oil and store it in an air-tight container. When you are ready to use it, simply drop it in boiling water for about two minutes just to heat it thoroughly.

When making homemade sauce that uses cheese as an ingredient, be sure that the sauce is not boiling. Grate your cheese finely and add it to the sauce a little at a time while the sauce is hot, but not boiling or it will curdle.