Cheesy Baked Tortellini

It’s time I wrote about a recipe from my favorite Food Network Chef, Giada DeLaurentiis. I have made soooo many of her dishes and have been extremely pleased with them all. They’re usually a big hit with everyone I share them with too. My family, friends and co-workers are my guinea pigs (whether they know it or not) and get to try whatever new recipe I decide to make for get-togethers and parties. Her recipes are definitely in line with my taste in food.

Giada’s ‘Cheesy Baked Tortellini’ has to be one of the tastiest, easiest recipes I’ve ever made. It takes no time at all to whip all of the ingredients together. You can make this meal on a week night when you want to get dinner on the table quick and still have plenty of time to relax. It’s actually a great meal for any occasion and doesn’t require expert cooking skills either. If you can boil water, measure ingredients and chop some fresh herbs, you can do this!

Let me walk you through the simple steps of making this meal. First, put your salted water on to boil. In the meantime, chop up some fresh parsley and thyme. Mix together 2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (I prefer Prego), 1/3 cup creamy mascarpone cheese and the freshly chopped herbs. Once the water comes to a boil, drop in a bag of cheese tortellini. Only let them cook for about 2 minutes though because they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Once they’re done, drain and stir into the marinara mixture. Pour into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish coated with olive oil. Top it all off with smoked mozzarella (or regular mozzarella) and parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and you will have a wonderfully tasty meal to share with your family and friends. Visit the Cheesy Baked Tortellini recipe page on the Food Network website for ingredients and detailed cooking instructions.

Believe me when I tell you that you will be a star when you make this. The creaminess and tanginess of the marinara mixed with mascarpone cheese and the freshness of the herbs will create a burst of flavor in your mouth. You will appreciate not having to spend hours in the kitchen to make this extremely pleasing meal.

I love to serve this dish with warm ciabatta rolls and Ellie Kreiger’s Five-Minute Salad with Goat Cheese, Herb and White Bean.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert

One of the most amazing combinations of flavors in the world is chocolate and peanut butter. It is so rich and satisfying and goes great with a big glass of milk to wash it all down.

My mother recently made a wonderful Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert recipe she found in a Taste of Home Quick Cooking magazine. The recipe was provided by Debbie Price from LaRue, OH and won 1st Place in a contest back in 2002 for the magazine. When I saw how much everyone loved this dessert, I knew I had to make it for my company picnic. Everyone loved it there too!!

As you will notice in the picture, when clicking on the link above, there are several layers of delicious ingredients that you will dig into when eating this dessert. Each level is so easy to make and the best thing is it doesn’t require any cooking. You will definitely save time without the cooking. When you are finished assembling the layers, you simply cover and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Now let me take you through the taste experience of this dessert. As your fork sinks into each layer then makes its way to your mouth you will be about to enjoy a peanut butter and chocolate creation out of this world! The first layer is a creamy chocolate mixture of chocolate pudding, milk, confectioners’ sugar and whipped cream, then you bite into a crunchy layer of chopped miniature peanut butter cups as you make your way to the creamy peanut butter blend of peanut butter (of course), cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and whipped cream then finally down to the crust of crushed sweet cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies and melted butter to hold it all together. Mmmmmm….does that sound good or what?

I know you’re all dying to learn the recipe so you can run out to the store to buy the ingredients, so here it is:

20 Chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
½ cup peanut butter
1-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, divided
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups. In another mixing bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.

In closing, I would just like to say, the dessert you are about to enjoy may cause serious indulgent tendencies and create the sudden urge to lock yourself in a closet with the entire dish so no one else can have any. Eat at your own risk!!

Marcella's Ristorante

Marcella’s
1319 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43240
http://www.marcellasristorante.com/

Marcella’s is a unique twist on fine Italian dining. It is one of the newer concepts created by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Currently, there are only two locations in Columbus, but hopefully they’ll expand into Cleveland soon!! (Hint, Hint)

The atmosphere immediately feels calming with colors of brown, gold and deep red decor. The walls are adorned with photos, mirrors and cabinets full of wine bottles, bread baskets, cans of tomatoes and more. The banquet style tables are set with paper placemats portraying a map of Italy and white kitchen towels with a blue stripe through it for napkins. There are also a stack of plates in a wire rack to encourage sharing of your plates. Whether you’re dining for lunch, after work or on the weekends, you will be completely relaxed, ready to enjoy wonderful food with good company when you walk in the doors.

Now that I’ve somewhat painted a picture of the surroundings, (and you can view actual photos of the interior on the Marcella’s website) I will dive right into the food. We started out with their selection of assorted olives, a Formaggi (cheese) plate, fresh sliced prosciutto with melon, bruschetta with prosciutto and deep fried calamari. The olive pot was filled with 4 types of tasty, assorted olives. The Formaggi plate is completed with your choice of 6 different cheeses based on your preference. We chose 3, Mozzarella di Bufala (Buffalo Mozzarella), Aged Goat Cheese and Pecorino di Pienza. These cheeses were so fresh and each had their own distinct flavor. The Goat Cheese actually came in the form of a sliced cheese, more firm than the traditional soft Goat Cheese I’m familiar with. You can also order a plate of various Italian meats from the “Salumeria”, but we opted for a cold plate of sliced prosciutto and melon.



Now if that wasn’t enough, we absolutely had to order the Bruschetta covered in whipped ricotta cheese, roasted tomato and parma prosciutto, as well as the Fritto Misto (Calamari with roasted garlic aioli & marinara). Love Calamari!!

Are you feeling full yet…this is just the beginning!! Dinner is served…

Between the eight of us, we tried several different dishes. Starting with the two girls (ages 9 & 10), who ordered from the children’s menu, they were served a bowl of fresh fruit with the appetizers of cantaloupe and grapes, which they happily devoured. One ordered the buttered penne for her meal and the other ordered spaghetti and meatball and boy was this a large meatball as you can tell from the photo. The penne needed a little extra butter which they were happy to supply. They both thoroughly enjoyed their meals, especially the bowl of vanilla gelato that arrived at the end.

The two teenage boys and my brother ordered pizza. These are classic Neapolitan stone oven pizzas with your choice of cheeses, vegetables and meats. There’s sure to be one that makes your mouth water. The two boys ordered the Quattro Formaggi (4 cheeses), which consisted of Pecorino, Asiago, Gorgonzola and Parmesan Reggiano. Not the typical cheeses they’re used to on their pizza, but they absolutely loved it. My brother ordered the Sicilian with capacola, salami, chunks of meatballs and asiago cheese. You can see from the picture that this is a hearty meal.



Now onto my parent’s meals. My father loves veal, so it wasn’t surprising when he ordered the Veal Milanese which is served with Pomodoro Sauce. I don’t have a picture of this meal and unfortunately didn’t taste it but he assured me it was delicious. My mother ordered one of Marcella’s Favorites, Ravioli Mezzaluna. This one I did taste and would definitely consider ordering it on my next visit. As you can see from the picture, this dish is made up of lovely, half-moon shaped pasta stuffed with goat cheese then smothered in a sauce of cabbage and Italian Bacon (pancetta) along with other ingredients that give it a golden brown colored sauce. The taste was amazing. It was very rich and flavorful.



Finally, I had a tough time deciding between the Linguine & Clams and the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. I’ve had Linguine and Clams before at the little Italian Café down the street from me and loved it, but I had never had Carbonara and really wanted to try it, which is what I ended up ordering. What makes Carbonara distinct is that it is topped with a slightly cooked egg yolk that you mix into the pasta. If you’re not a fan of egg yolk, you probably won’t like it, but I’ll eat just about anything. Not too many ingredients in this dish. It’s basically the pasta in a simple sauce of EVOO (Extra-Virgin Olive Oil), pancetta (Italian Bacon), garlic, black pepper, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the egg yolk. It was pretty good for my first Carbonara. I love EVOO, garlic and crushed red pepper on my pasta, so this was right up my alley. You could really taste the distinct flavors of each ingredient. The bits of pancetta were perfectly cooked. This is an Italian or Spanish dry cured pork belly that has been salted and spiced. I’ve cooked with it before and it has a rich meaty consistency and the spices give it a great flavor.


I think I’ve probably filled up the page with this post and I’m sure you’re all tired of reading by now, but at least the pictures gave you a visual instead of having to imagine what everything looks like. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you’re traveling in the Columbus area. My only regret is that we didn’t have room in our stomachs for dessert.