Fusilli with Fresh Tomato Sauce & Ricotta Cheese

After college I moved to NYC to “grow up,” which means I worked three jobs in attempts to make rent & pay off student loans while having some fun too. Glamorous, right? One of my three jobs was waiting tables  in NYC’s Little Italy. During this time I survived on a few staples for dinner: cannolis, pasta dishes my boss would generously share with me & Chinese food from my favorite place a block away.

I really hadn't thought about these meals until I was watching Giada’s show on Food Network yesterday. She was in Italy making all kinds of pasta. The one dish that she made took me way back to my early twenties when I used to share fusilli (the long curly pasta) with tomato sauce & fresh ricotta with my boss. I easily ate this once or twice (maybe more) a week. Giada’s method was simple & straight forward so feeling nostalgic for it I recreated it from memory of what I learned earlier in the day. 

The one key method for making Giada's simple & super fresh tomato sauce sung out to my inner love of tomatoes - especially fresh summer tomatoes. She took fresh tomatoes & used a box grater to break them down for the sauce. Apparently if you do this in a fancy food processor or blender the heat from those kinds of appliances actually change the flavor of the tomatoes (& we don't want that). I had to try it. I did & I loved it. This maybe my new favorite way to make tomato sauce. It’s so easy & fresh that you’ll be making on the regular too. I think it’s time to get this dish back in my weekly rotation like when I first moved to NYC.

Do you have specific food that reminds you of your first “adult” years? I’d love to hear about them. Leave me a note in the comments below.

PS: remember if you make this pasta be sure to snap a pic & then tag me in your photos on instagram (@mrshoh or #HeatherOMade)!

3rd Blog Birthday + Raspberry-Ricotta Cake

It’s March 12th again, how can that be? That means HeatherOMade is three!!! Sometimes I can’t imagine my life without this blog & you guys my loyal readers who check in to see what I’m making or posting on the daily (or maybe not so daily). I’m still trying to find the balance between blogging, my full time job, being a wife, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a grand daughter & a friend but thanks for letting me be me & allowing me to focus on whatever it is I choose to be each day.

To celebrate I made this cake I found in the pages of this month’s Bon Appetit. It’s super moist (even if you don’t like that word it is!) & flavorful. The raspberries are the perfect balance of sweet & tart. I even ate a piece for breakfast because why not it’s my blog birthday :) (Yes, sometimes I eat cake for breakfast even though my Instagram feed would make you believe I only eat smoothie bowls)

I think this would be a great cake to make for Easter or just this spring in general, or just breakfast.
Super huge thanks again for reading these past three years! Cheers to you all (especially my biggest fan,  best friend, main taste-tester, oh & best husband, Chris)! xx Heather

Baked Spaghetti Squash

In attempts to reduce the amount of pasta we eat (we like it too much!) I usually throw a spaghetti squash in my shopping cart & hope I remember to make it. Spaghetti squash is great because you can really treat it like pasta but feel better about eating it. This time I made our spaghetti squash like I would baked ziti & I’ll be making it like this again. It was easy & delicious while being familiar but new at the same time.

How do you make your spaghetti squash?

Veggie Lasagna

My grandmother only makes lasagna on Christmas because my dad will be there to eat it. Lasagna is a labor of love & reserved for very special loved ones.  My friend Ashley was up visiting from Texas this past weekend. She is a lasagna worthy friend.  I even whipped up some homemade lasagna pasta sheets to make it extra special. You can of course skip the homemade pasta part & use the boxed lasagna noodles but whatever you do, make this for someone you love sometime really soon, preferably on a lazy Sunday when you have just as much time to make it as you do eat it in really great company.

Eggplant Rollatini

I love breaded eggplant. I love the crunchy exterior & the fleshy interior. It's almost meaty - but it's not because it's a vegetable. When I make eggplant rollatini (think egg plant parmesan but rolled up with yummy ricotta cheese inside) I like to keep the integrity of the crunch, otherwise what’s the point of going through all the motions to bread it in the first place? I ensure the crunch by first baking my eggplant with a mixture of panko (the crunchiest) breadcrumbs ahead of time & then when it’s time to put it all together I use just a little bit of sauce to top them with because the more sauce you add the more mushy (less crispy) it gets - but if that's your thing - sauce away!

This is a great & hearty vegetarian option when you’re going meatless. What are you eating for meatless dinners?