Amaretti Cookie Nougat from Lidl - It's like it was made for me

Amaretti Cookie Italian Nougat - Lidl 

I'm weird. If you've ever been to this blog before you probably know that already. I am not a picky eater, but like many people I do have a few weird food hang-ups. One of which revolves around nuts. I love smooth peanut butter, marzipan, and pretty much everything almond flavored...but when it comes to actual nuts? Not a fan. I don't hate them, but I just don't see the appeal. I could never be one of those people who just eat a tin of almonds at their desk or buy nut-heavy trail mixes, or who sit at Five Guys eating the bottomless salted peanuts. It just doesn't appeal to me. 

That said, I do love absolutely everything related to almonds. In case you can't tell (because on a blog you're reading typed words and not watching me talk with my hands) I'm Italian, and Italians love almond everything. For Christmas we would get a big box of individually wrapped Ferrara's Torrone and slowly eat them as the holiday approached. (Turning the boxes backwards as they were eaten so there wasn't any sliding around. Does anyone else do that?) My mother and I love Italian nougat so much we even went on a tour through a factory in Italy to taste some fresh off the line. 

Long story short, it's been such a weird and difficult year, and I have such happy and positive associations with nougat, that I decided to treat myself. 

Specially Selected Pumpkin Ravioli - Aldi

Specially Selected Pumpkin Ravioli - Aldi

Is that fresh basil from my surprisingly not-dead herb garden? Why yes, yes it is! We're getting fancy with our plating today on Sometimes Foodie!

La Pasticceria Italian Soft Nougat (Mascarpone) - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ

La Pasticceria Italian Soft Nougat (Mascarpone) - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ

Another weekend has come and gone, and another season of Game of Thrones has ended. I won't spoil anything for anyone, but the finale almost made me throw up. I've never had that kind of reaction to a television show, it's like every episode this season was a sucker-punch to the gut. I like dark and depressing story-lines, but this season? It was just too much for me.

To make a long story short, after that season finale, I deserved a treat.

La Pasticceria Italian Soft Nougat (Strawberry) - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ

La Pasticceria Italian Soft Nougat (Strawberry) - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ

So I was at Marshall's wandering around in the hopes of finding some clearance jeans and, like always, I found myself in the gourmet foodie section. This specific Marshall's had just opened a month or so ago, and the place was completely ransacked! I guess they had an opening sale or something, because there was pretty slim pickings, but I managed to find a few foodie-gems to bring home and review. (Although no luck with the jeans. I just want skinny dark-wash jeans that cost less than my first born child.) Out of the two nougats I picked up I was most excited for the strawberry, so I'll be reviewing that one today and the Mascarpone will be up later next week.

On to the review!

Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

I've mentioned this in a lot of reviews, but I usually can't eat tomato sauce. I say it's because I'm allergic, which is not entirely true, but it's just the easiest way for me to explain things. Really, the problem isn't so much tomatoes themselves, as their acidity. I can have any other acidic food, but those little red suckers tear my stomach apart and make me puke my guts out. I come from an Italian family, so this can be a problem. (I call myself Fail-talian.) After a while, heavy cream and garlic sauces can get boring, so I'm always looking for alternatives, and I thought maybe this could possibly work. (Plus, it's pumpkin!) So let's see if this pasta sauce can survive my stomach.

Fig & Goat Cheese Pizza

Fig & Goat Cheese Pizza

Remember this pizza dough recipe?
I whipped up a double batch of dough earlier today and took a nap let it rise for three and a half hours. The crust turned out even better than last time!  The final results were much lighter, similar to a delivery style pizza crust, but it didn't lose it's crispiness.

My mom's boyfriend, who I call my kinda-sorta-step-dad, has this huge fig tree in his yard. Every fall I get a TON of figs and now that fig season is back I am trying to figure out different things to do with them.

This time I made a fancy, appetizer-style, pizza.

Bertolli, Ricotta and Lobster Ravioli - Target: Cherry Hill, NJ

Bertolli, Ricotta and Lobster Ravioli - Target: Cherry Hill, NJ

I have had frozen Bertolli dinners before, but never a soup. When I saw this at Target I got really excited. My boyfriend loves seafood and I usually share everything I review with him, so I thought this would be something yummy and fun to do together.

The packaging is pretty busy for an American product. (Especially one aimed at adults.) I think that the company was going for a warm Italian kitchen feeling, but it’s just too much. There are too many different colors topped with bold red banners. I think they need to step back and tone it down a little. That would make it appear a little more high end and sophisticated.

When it came to making it, this was super easy to prepare. All you have to do is pour the contents of the bag into a medium sized pot with one cup of milk. Top it off with a lid, heat it up, and you’re good to go.

Bruschetta-ish Appetizer - Recipe

 Bruschetta-ish Appetizer -  Recipe

 

Recently I was looking into different ways to preserve fresh baked breads. I love having it on hand but I never seem to use it all before it gets stale (or in some cases moldy).

I found THIS POST about slicing the bread up, wrapping it in tin foil, and putting it in the freezer. I was a little skeptical, I don’t want bread that tastes like freezer burn, but I gave it a try anyway. I took a fresh baked French baguette that I bought at Sam’s Club, sliced it in half (sandwich style), wrapped it in foil, and tossed it in the freezer.

Guess what?

It worked!

I took the bread out over a week later and let it thaw. The final product lost it’s crusty outside, but it tasted fresh baked. (Even the crustiness returned after a few minutes in the toaster oven.)

Now what will I do with it?

That’s Amore - Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ

That’s Amore - Restaurant Week : Collingswood, NJ 

It’s restaurant week in Collingswood! If any of you are New Jersey locals, you must know about Collingswood and it’s restaurants. For restaurant week, participating locations make a special menu for the event (usually 3-4 courses) and list it at a reasonable price. This is a great way to try something new. I have been looking forward to this for a while, and tonight my boyfriend and I ate at That’s Amore. 

I had never been to this restaurant before, but I had heard very good things. I felt like their restaurant week menu was the best menu available. I was able to get a lovely 4 course meal for $35.00. (You also get a voucher for $10.00 off for a return visit)

I ordered:

• Grilled Caesar Salad with Pancetta Chips and Parmigiano Shavings
• Olive Oil Crostini with Artichoke & Olive Tapenade
• Grilled Citrus Scottish Salmon over Mascarpone Risotto
• Zabaglione Cream over Drunken Strawberries

My Salad was presented in a beautiful and interesting way, which was very enjoyable and easy to eat. The star of this dish was definitely the salty pancetta. All of the flavors worked very well together, but that pancetta was to die for.