eat, shrink and be merry

After a bit of a hiatus I am finally back to blogging and am so thrilled that my first post in awhile is about two of my favourite cooking show hosts and cookbook authors:  Janet & Greta Podleski of Eat, Shrink & Be Merry.  


I was super excited to receive a box of Janet & Greta's latest products in the mail a few weeks ago.  For those of you haven't had the pleasure, Janet & Greta are sisters who pool their talents (Janet is a punning nutritionist and Greta is a creative cook) to create simple, quick and (above all) healthy versions of favourite tasty treats.  This is my kind of food - I have all of their cookbooks and absolutely love them!  


Like wings?  Try "Lord of the Wings", lovely sticky chicken thighs that will fool even the most fanatical wing lover.

Want a healthier version of pancakes?  Try "Batter be Good to Me" - yummy banana blueberry pancakes that will have you clamouring for more!

In addition to a copy of their fantastic Eat, Shrink & Be Merry! Great-Tasting Food That Won't Go from Your Lips to Your Hips! cookbook, I received a set of their new greEATing cards - adorable greeting cards complete with one of Janet's trademark food puns and a delicious recipe from Greta's kitchen.  You can find these cards at Hallmark stores in Canada.

Janet & Greta also have a line of kitchen utensils in bright cheerful colours - I received the pizza wheel in orange and an ice cream scoop in hot pink.  Very cute and available at Canadian Tire.


Thank you to BloggerAid, a wonderful group of bloggers from around the world coming together to make a difference, for the opportunity to review these products.  BloggerAid has recently published a fantastic cookbook to benefit the UN's World Food Programme and I encourage you to take a moment to visit their site and my earlier post about the cookbook for details on how you can help to change the face of famine.

wordless wednesday: central park

pasta al forno

One of the things I like best about autumn (and there are many) is that the cool days signal a return to comfort food and nothing spells comfort to me like pasta al forno, or baked pasta.

Like so much of my cooking, this dish brings me back to my childhood when every Sunday, rain or shine, snow or scorching heat, our extended family would set out on a picnic. But no sandwiches for us, thank you very much, and pasta al forno made a regular appearance on our picnic table with us kids fighting over who would get the corners with the crusty bits!

So when I was invited to a potluck recently there was no question as to what I would bring!

I decided to use paccheri, a large tubular shape which is traditionally Neapolitan. You want a large pasta shape for this dish so that it holds up to the heat of the oven and, while you can use rigatoni or even penne, paccheri maintain a nice chew after baking.

I parboiled the pasta and added it to a simmering pot of tomato sauce with tiny meatballs. While the pasta was cooking I made a béchamel sauce - this is totally optional but it adds a nice creaminess to the finished dish and it's a cinch to make.

After that, all that was left was to layer - first the sauced pasta, then the béchamel, finally a little grated mozzarella (not too much) and repeat.

Bake in a 375°F oven, covered with foil, until hot and bubbly (30-45 minutes depending on the size of your dish). Remove the foil and increase heat to 425°F until the top is browned. Don't scrimp on this last step because the crusty bits around the edges are the best part!

Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before serving then stand back and reap the praise!

Pasta al forno is my contribution to this week's Presto Pasta Nights hosted this week by Kait of Pots and Plots. Visit Kait's blog on Friday for some weekend pasta inspiration from this week's roundup.