Mangia Bene!

Mangia Bene!

(It eats well!)

I don’t know what it is lately, but I have been battling this undying craving for Italian food and pasta in savory red sauce. Not only are pasta dishes so easy to make, they are also so versatile in flavor! Perhaps with the stresses of work and personal life I have just been seeking some comfort food to take solace in. Whatever it is, here is something I whipped together that brings really hits the spot.

Marvelous Meringue!

Let me tell you something my friends, there is nothing like wrapping up a family meal with a nice slice of homemade pie to really cap off the gathering. Rarely do we save room for dessert when dinning out, but when it come to the holidays, there always seems to be one more button we can loosen just to get that little slice of heaven in. This holiday season, I final had the opportunity to work with my future mother-in-law, Patti Harris to learn her secrets to a making a fantastic and oh so flakey pie crust.


As I am sure you can imagine, I was a little hesitant, coming from a background of baking with substitutions to make things healthier, when she pulled out the white sugar and Crisco! Oh ya, Crisco. But, I was dying to know how she does it when she makes her delicious lemon meringue pie (An absolute must have if my "soon-to-be" father-in-law, Bob Harris is around. Throughout my culinary journey I have learned that there is just no substitution for good old fashioned sugar and butter, or shortening in this case. Funny because the next day I spoke with my Uncle Paul in Ireland who relayed to me that the real secret to amazing pie is lard! I know he speaks the truth since I come from a Hispanic heritage were my grandmother made the most amazing baked goods, all with the help from her can of lard.

Now, if you air on the healthier side like me, do not be put off by all this. It is once a year we get to indulge (maybe a few other times too), so don't worry about it. Life is way too short to flip out about the small stuff and miss out on these amazing treats (I just need to practice what I preach right there).

Check this out--->