Sweet and Tangy Balsamic BBQ Sauce Recipe

This  sweet and tangy Balsamic BBQ Sauce is the best barbecue sauce that is both sweet and tangy is ready in 15 minutes and made from scratch.

BBQ sauce is one of those foods that differ from state to state you have Kansas City style, Memphis style, Texas style and many between. Everyone has their personal favorite. I like them all.

Growing up in an Italian household our BBQ sauce consisted of a basic olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs, still one of my favorites.

But today I wanted to share this quick and easy BBQ sauce that uses few ingredients you probably have  on hand, is ready in 15 minutes. and comes out prefect every time.

Things to know about this Sweet and Tangy Balsamic BBQ Sauce Recipe

When you make this Balsamic BBQ sauce as a made-ahead meal prep allow it to cool, then pour it onto mason jars. Seal it tight with a tight fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator to use for quick and easy meals throughout the week.

It’s the prefect sauce to use for pulled pork or chicken and keeps fresh in you fridge up to 2 weeks.

If you make this BBQ sauce please leave me a comment, let me know in what recipe you used it, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations I love hearing from you!!!

Ingredients

1. • 2 cups ketchup

   • 1 cup water

   • 1 cup balsamic vinegar

   • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

   • 1/2 cup brown sugar

   • 2 tablespoons hot sauce

   • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

   • 1 tablespoon onion powder

   • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

   • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

   • Salt and black pepper to taste

   Instructions

   1. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.

   2. Stir well and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over low heat.

   3. Cover and let the sauce simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened to your liking.

   4. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or hot sauce if needed.

   Let the sauce cool before using. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

• Creamy Tuscan Chicken Penne Pasta – Easy Weeknight Dinner

You need to add this Tuscan Chicken Penne to your weekly pasta night menu. It’s a creamy pan sauce filled with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms and goes prefect with the chicken and pasta. This is a delicious base sauce to add any shape pasta to, it doesn’t have to be penne, use what you have on hand.

My recipes and the way I cook is to use what  I have on hand, or what is on sale and the freshest seasonal  ingredients.  This meal came about because on a shopping trip I bought whole, skinless. boneless chicken breast, they were on sale.

I like to cut them into different shapes to use in different recipes. For this penne pasta I cut the chicken into strips.

The rest I cut into fillets for grilling or baking, lay it flat in baggies and freeze it.

It’s great when all you have to do is take the chicken out of the freezer and it’s pan ready for your recipe, for those busy night , when commitments are long and time is short.

This quick dinner can be on your table in about thirty minutes and has few ingredients so you don’t have to go to the store as often, because you forgot something, and leaving with more than you came for, plus a little extra frustration you didn’t have to pay for in this crazy times.

Things to know about this creamy chicken penne recipe

In this Tuscan Chicken Penne recipe, I use one of my favorite tricks—pasta water! I do this in about 75% of my recipes because pasta water is pure magic when it comes to finishing sauces.

Before adding the pasta to your pan, ladle in about 1 cup of the starchy, salty cooking water. It not only adds flavor but also helps bind the sauce and pasta together while naturally thickening the sauce.

Don’t forget to save the pasta water before you drain it—this is one of the easiest steps to overlook! I like to save extra just in case I want to adjust the sauce’s consistency.

Need to thicken your pan sauce a bit more? Try this trick: coat a pat or two of butter in flour and drop it into the sauce. Let it simmer for at least 5 minutes to cook out any raw flour taste.

This Tuscan-style sauce is a restaurant-quality base you can customize any way you like. It’s full of flavor and guaranteed to be a hit with your family. If you like family friendly pasta meals that come together quick and taste delicious try my tomato piccata shrimp bucatini.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you—leave a comment or tag me on Instagram so I can see your delicious creations. That’s truly my favorite part!

Ingredients

1/2  lb. penne pasta

1/2 Lbs.  skinless boneless chicken breast sliced into strips

2 Tbs. each olive oil and butter

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups spinach chopped

4 oz, sun dried tomatoes

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup reserved pasta water

1 Tbs. each chopped Italian parsley, and basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instruction

1. Salt and pepper the chicken
2. Heat oil and butter add the chicken saute on high heat till golden, remove and set aside
3.  In the same pan lower the heat to medium add the onion and garlic saute until soft and translucent
4. Deglaze the pan with the white wine waiting until fully absorbed before adding  the cream, chicken stock, and pasta water
5. Simmer  covered until thickens about 15 minute
6. Add  spinach and sun dried tomatoes simmer 5 minutes longer.
7. Toss cooked penne in sauce add the parmesan cheese, Italian parsley and basil
8. Top with additional parmesan……. Enjoy!!!

Tuscan-Style Jumbo Shrimp Linguine

This Tuscan-Style Jumbo Shrimp Linguine recipe is one that’s sure to impress family and friends. It comes together quickly, in less than 30 minutes, is decant enough for Saturday night dinner with friends, and easy enough for family dinners any night of the week.

Jumbo shrimp in a creamy sauce with spinach, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes produce the most delicious sauce prefect for the linguine I used in this recipe.  This is one of best pasta dish to add to your weekly pasta night. We need this pasta right now, a very simple, delicious recipe, one your whole family will love. With everything going on in the world and everyone’s lives being affected in some way, there is still so much joy and comfort in cooking.

And I’m really wanting to share comforting recipe inspirations with you that uses minimal ingredients and delivers big flavors.

Things to know about this Tuscan-Style Jumbo Shrimp Linguine recipe

In this Jumbo Shrimp linguine recipe I used frozen jumbo shrimp. It’s preferable to buy shrimp frozen as fresh is rare, most are sold in five- pound blocks or they come individually frozen.

I recommend opting for the for the second. Individually frozen shrimp tend to show less damage during freezing. They also make it easy to thaw out only the shrimp you need for a single meal.

Of course you can buy smaller qualities that a have been previously frozen but you have to use them within one to two days. I prefer buying the five pound frozen individual ones, and taking out what I need for what Am making, also buying in larger quantities usually means less expensive.

Something else there are ways of describing shrimp size such as jumbo, large or medium in this recipe I used Jumbo which means there are 16-20 shrimp per pound. The smaller the shrimp the more per pound, if all possible buy jumbo with the shells on.

Only defrost what you need,  you can defrost them two ways overnight in the fridge or for quick defrost in a bowl of cold water. Shrimp will keep fresh in the fridge for 2 to three days and frozen up to 4 months.

Shell and devien the shrimp just before cooking, keeping the shell on retains flavor. Most importantly shrimp cook quickly overcook them and you end up with dried out shrimp.

One more thing if you ever wondered what the difference is between Shrimp and Prawns there really isn’t any except size, this jumbo shrimp can be classified as prawns. If you like shrimp or prawn recipes try my Tomato Piccata shrimp bucatini, a family favorite.

If you make this recipe please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, I love hearing from you!!!!

Ingredients: Serves 4

 30 minute Broccoli Pancetta rigatoni

Things to know about this 30 minute broccoli pancetta rigatoni recipe

This creamy Broccoli Pancetta Rigatoni is a quick and comforting Italian-inspired pasta dinner you can make in under 30 minutes—perfect for busy weeknights. Made with simple ingredients like butter, garlic, cream, and broccoli, it’s rich, flavorful, and easy to customize with whatever you have on hand.

Don’t have pancetta? No problem—swap in regular bacon. No broccoli? Use spinach or another green vegetable you love. I used rigatoni, but any pasta shape works beautifully. My recipes are designed to be flexible and help you avoid extra trips to the store.

I don’t drink alcohol, so I always include the option to use either white wine or chicken stock—whatever suits your taste and lifestyle. In some recipes, I do use wine, but I always make sure there’s an alternative for those who prefer not to.

This is a restaurant-quality meal that’s easy enough for a weeknight and special enough to impress. If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and tag me on Instagram—I always enjoy seeing your creations.

Ingredients

1/2  lb. rigatoni

4 cups  broccoli florets

1 Tbsp. butter

1 cup  diced pancetta 

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 small chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced  garlic

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup chicken stock or white wine

1 cup reserved pasta water

1 Tbs. each chopped Italian parsley, and basil

Summer Tomato Zucchini Bake

Here we are it’s the middle of June and my garden is starting to buzz not only with bees, but with zucchini and tomatoes, so at this time of year Am always thinking of new ways to use them.

Introducing Summer Tomato Zucchini Bake, layered with cheese, marinara and  just picked ingredients from the garden. It’s  easy to plant and grow the ingredients for this easy recipe, but if you don’t have a garden store bought works.

I love the idea of being able to go in the garden and pick a tomato or herbs for a recipe. In all the restaurants we always found a spot for herbs, even if they were  mixed in with the red geraniums.

Okay, so back to the recipe it’s an easy recipe that uses few ingredients, is prefect for this time of year when the tomatoes and zucchini are at they’re peak, and your family and friends are going to love it!!!

How To Make Summer Tomato Zucchini Bake

Making this Summer Tomato Zucchini Bake is easy and the prep is super quick. Start by washing and slicing the tomatoes and zucchini, I sliced the zucchini in round shapes about 1/2 inch thick you can slice them length wise if the shape fits your casserole dish better.

If your using store bought zucchini bigger is not necessarily better, the bigger ones tend to have more seeds and less flavor, choose small to medium size ones with a shiny unblemished skin.

Layer the ingredients in the same way you would a lasagna,  beginning with the marinara and ending with the cheese.

I used my homemade marinara you can use whatever you like, but if you would like to make your own, here’s how, in a large pot with 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil saute 1 bunch of chopped Italian parsley, 1 onion and 2 tablespoons of garlic until tender and just beginning to brown then add 2 15 oz. cans chopped tomatoes, 2 cans tomato sauce and 1 can of water simmer covered 2 hours add 1 bunch chopped basil last 15 minutes.

This marinara sauce was a staple in the restaurants and now in my home kitchen this one sauce is  the beautiful beginning of many delicious recipes. Both the marinara and the Tomato Zucchini Bake can be frozen for ready made meals.

If you make these recipes please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, hearing for you is my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 1 green and 1 yellow zucchini
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 2 cups prepared marinara
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon each garlic, Italian parsley, thyme and oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the zucchini in medium thick rounds
2. Slice the tomatoes
3. In a bowl mix the herbs with the onion, salt, pepper, olive oil and 1/3 cup of the parmesan
4. Toss the tomatoes and zucchini in the olive oil mixture
5. In a small casserole dish ( 8 x 8) beginning layer the tomatoes, zucchini, cheeses and marinara sauce, beginning and ending with the marinara sauce
6. Bake covered  at 375 for 30 minutes uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes

Italian Tortellini summer Salad

Italian tortellini summer  salad is not your run of the mill pasta salad. This recipe takes classic pasta salad and kicks it up a few notches, with an Italian inspired twist.

Made with store bought cheese tortellini, loaded with from the garden summer ingredients and topped with a made in the bowl tangy Italian dressing this Italian tortellini pasta salad is sure to be a hit at your next potluck or party.

I prefer to cover and chill the pasta salad for at least an hour before serving, to bring out the vibrant flavors of the dressing.

You can make this recipe ahead of the time you plan to serve it, just be sure to give it a good re-toss before serving.

 Things to know about this Italian Tortellini summer Salad

Three things to remember when making Italian Tortellini  Salad…

First don’t over cook the tortellini, stop the cooking process by running the pasta under cold water.

Second it’s best if the tortellini are cold before mixing with the rest of the ingredients, in fact you can cook the tortellini the day before, then mix with rest of ingredients the morning of the day you plan to serve it.

Third  the Tortellini pasta salad taste better if it’s refrigerated for a few hours before serving.

And lastly if you make this recipe please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, hearing from you is my favorite part. And if your looking for more summer salad recipes try my quick Italian bread salad (panzanella) or my personal favorite watermelon cucumber feta salad. ENJOY!!!

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz. package store bought cheese tortellini ( the fresh refrigerated ones)
• 8 oz. cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1 each chopped red and green bell pepper
• 1 cup kalamata olives
• 1 cucumber peeled and sliced
• 1 cup marinated artichokes
• 1 sliced red onion
• 1 12 oz fresh mozzarella bucconcini
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup pasta water
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon each, chopped garlic, Italian parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, and thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions reserve 1 cup pasta water then run the tortellini under cold water
2. In a bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper
3. Add rest of ingredients
4. Now add the tortellini
5. Chill until ready to serve

 Easy Tomato Halibut Piccata

This easy  Tomato Halibut Piccate is from the restaurant menu. Don’t let that intimidate you, you can make it in your home kitchen in less than 30 minutes, in one pan.

I try to incorporate fish in my family meals once or twice a week,  halibut is one of my favorite white fish, it is firm, yet flaky with a hearty, tender texture. And if you’re not big on the taste of fish, you will appreciate the mild flavor of Halibut.

Whether you’re trying to add more fish to your diet or just looking for a bright and quick summer dinner that will deliver on flavor and nutrition, this one pan halibut recipe with tomatoes, lemon and capers is the order.

Halibut and tomatoes tossed in a piccata sauce with lots of lemon, olive oil, capers and fresh herbs, make this fish dinner a prefect nutritious  family meal any night of the week, and it’s a restaurant quality meal prefect for Saturday night dinner with friends.

Things to know about this Easy Tomato Halibut Piccata

Halibut is a firm white fish, with a mild flavor, making it prefect for the bold lemony, caper sauce in this Tomato Halibut Picatta recipe. but it can be a bit pricey.

If possible buy your halibut at a market that sells fresh of the boat seafood.Typically, one pound of halibut will yield two very generous portions. Buy the thick end of the halibut fillet and to make it easier on yourself, skinless.

Always buy the freshest fish available. Fresh seafood should not have any smell except the salty smell of the ocean.

This is a delicious restaurant quality dinner you can make in your kitchen to show off what a great home chef you are. If you are trying to add more fish to your recipe rotation try my Quick and Easy Salmon Piccata  or my Italian dover sole in lemon wine sauce

If you make this recipe please leave me a comment, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations. Hearing your you is my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh halibut fillet ( 2 pieces)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
• 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup capers
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoon each chopped basil, Italian parsley and lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Salt and pepper the halibut
2. In a large saute pan bring the butter and olive oil to medium heat
3. Sear the fish 3 to 5 minutes per side remove and set aside
4. Add tomatoes, onions and garlic saute until tender and beginning to brown
5. Add rest of ingredients simmer 10 minutes
6. Return Halibut to the pan heat through
7. Plate pour tomato caper sauce over, sprinkle with additional basil and Italian parsley

Greens And Beans Spaghetti pasta

This Greens and Beans Spaghetti pasta is a prefect definition of a comforting family meal everyone will love. It’s a beautiful bowl of lemony, spinach, broccoli, vegetarian pasta that comes together quickly.

While the sauce is  being make on the front burner the pasta is cooking on the back burner. In case you haven’t notice I love pasta. It’s my favorite go to ingredient, when am stuck for dinner ideas it’s pasta to the rescue.  Italians truly love pasta so much so that it ranks first pasta consumption, with Americans close behind.

Really what’s not to love? Pasta is versatile, quick, easy, delicious and with all the shapes and flavors you could have pasta often without repeating the same meal.

A few Tips about this Greens and Beans Spaghetti pasta

When making Greens and Beans spaghetti be sure to save some of the pasta water. It’s a step that can be easily missed if you drain the pasta before reserving a cup or two of this starchy water.

This water is key to create a pan sauce that sticks to the pasta. I always reserve a little extra just in case the sauce reduces too much. Another tip…

If the sauce is too liquid coat a pat of butter with flour and trow it into the sauce to thicken it more. Tip number 3 add the broccoli to the pasta water just a few minutes before you drain the pasta.

One more thing….if your like me and cook in the morning for dinner stop the cooking process so the pasta remains el dente by running it and the broccoli under cold water.Then at dinner time reheat the sauce, add the pasta and broccoli just too heat through.

One more thing add salt and pepper to the vegetables in the saute pan,  salt brings out the flavor in food, but use it sparsely you can add more to adjust flavors according to your taste.

This is a great satisfying  vegetarian  pasta recipe. If you make it please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, I love hearing from you, that’s my favorite part. if you like easy vegetarian  pasta recipes try my summer lemon ricotta pasta and peas or my personal favorite vegetarian zucchini and tomato pasta.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lbs. spaghetti
•  2 cups chopped spinach
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 15 oz. can cannelloni beans
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup my walnut pesto sauce or your favorite store bought pesto
• 2 cups resevered pasta water
• 1 cup parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley and basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instruction

1. Cook pasta  according to package directions add the broccoli last 5 minutes  reserve 2 cups of pasta water
2. In a large saute pan cook the onion and garlic until tender and just beginning to brown
3. Add the, reserved pasta water, drained, rinsed beans  and   prepared pesto sauce
4. Simmer 15 minutes add spinach last 5 minutes
5. Toss pasta into green and bean sauce
6. Add the herbs and Parmesan Cheese

Pesto Braid Bread

This Pesto Braid Bread is so easy to make, when you use store bought pizza dough. If you love bread like I do, your going to love this cheesy one. You won’t believe how easy it is.

I don’t eat bread by itself often, but when I do this is the one I crave. Toasty, cheesy  spread with pesto sauce and sprinkled with  salty parmesan, piping hot from the oven make this bread a family favorite.

Pesto Braid Bread is basically pull apart bread in the shape of a braid.You pull apart pieces so you can eat with your hands. Stuffed bread like this makes a great appetizer for any party, and it’s also prefect as a side dish for family dinners.

Serving it with a side of marinara for dipping, makes this straight up a restaurant quality appetizer. I use my homemade marinara and pesto sauce two staples in my kitchen, you can use whatever you like.

How To Make Pesto Braid Bread

Here’s how to make this Pesto Braid Bread: Start by kneading the dough just a few times on a lightly  floured broad , then gather it in a ball and let it rest covered 3o minutes. Them cut it into three equal parts.

Flatten the logs and first spread with pesto then top with the parmesan and shredded mozzarella, now pinch together to seal in the filling. Now shape the logs into a braid on a cookie sheet put additional pesto and cheese in the braid twists, spread with pesto, dust with parmesan cover and let rest 3o minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400 bake 15 minutes at 400 lower the heat to 350 and bake 15 minutes longer.

If you make this please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Hearing from you is my favorite part.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. store bought pizza dough
• 1 cup prepared pesto sauce
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 Tablespoon each chopped garlic and Italian parsley
• 1 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Form dough into a ball kneading lightly let rest 30 minutes covered
3. Divide dough into 3 equal parts roll into 10 inch flat log, on lightly floured broad
4. Spread each log with pesto then the cheeses
5. Now roll the flat logs around the filling
6. Form the three logs into a tight braid
7. Brush with olive oil, pesto, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper
8. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes lower heat to 350 and bake 15 minutes longer

 30 minute Broccolini Tortellini

This 30 minute Broccolini Tortellini with pancetta is quick, easy, delicious and the best part you only need one pan.

I don’t know about you but  this shelter in place has me cooking and cleaning more then when I was in the restaurant. So am always looking for quick and easy, and if it’s make in one pan that’s a bonus.

This pasta recipe was created out of the contents of my fridge, and whatever pasta I had. I knew it was going to be good, broccolini, tortellini and pancetta together are what dreams are made of.

Well it turned out better than I could have dreamt and the whole family loved it!!

Things to know about this 30 minute Broccolini Tortellini

Like most of my recipes this Broccolini Tortellini pasta is customizable. By changing the ingredients you can make this recipe fit your lifestyle, tastes and what you have available.

Though broccoli and broccolini have a very similar flavors broccolini is slightly sweeter and more expense. That’s what I had in my fridge so that’s what I used.

You can use broccoli if that’s what you have on hand, it works. Now about the pancetta which is Italy’s version of  bacon, the difference between the two is that pancetta is never smoked.

In some recipes swapping the two doesn’t work because bacon has a smokey flavor, but in this Brocollini Tortellini it works just fine. I tested the recipe using broccoli and bacon, it was just as a delicious.

I hope you make this recipe it’s delicious. And when you do please leave me a comment, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, hearing from you is my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 1 9 oz. refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 8 oz. trimmed broccolini
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomato
• 1 cup diced pancetta
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons  lemon juice
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons each Italian parsley and basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large skillet,  in the olive oil cook the pancetta over medium heat until crisp.

2. Add the chopped onion and garlic; sauté until tender and lightly golden.

3. Stir in the broccolini and season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the tortellini, chicken stock, and water. Stir gently to combine.

5. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the tortellini is cooked and broccolini is tender.

6. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, Parmesan, parsley, and basil.

7. Cook for another minute or two, just until heated through.

8. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.