It's Sunday - That means it's time for Sunday Dinner - Pasta Dishes and Homemade Meatballs.

A post shared by Margaret Fontana (@italianamericangirl) on Mar 4, 2016 at 7:19pm PST

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Have You Ever Had Pasta Chips? Italian Version of the American Potato Chip?

Here is the latest food product you have to try and no it's on the grown out of garden type, but it's pretty amazing.  So Superbowl Sunday just passed and we eat tons of party food and including chips.  Well,  about a week ago I received a package from the team over at Pasta Chips and they sent a few bags of their latest creation literally called Pasta Chips.  OK, so to an Italian American, I thought wow, they made pasta into a type of potato chip, but then when I tasted it I was so shocked at how light and crispy they were. 

I entertained with a bag of Alfredo, Marinara, and Garlic-Olive Oil flavors.    I served a side of spinach yogurt dip on the side, which was a-mazing.  The great thing about the chips, as you know I am a bit of a health aficionado, - the chips are actually baked, taking that guilt off right away. 

Pasta Chips are:

-all natural

-low in cholesterol 

-low in saturated fat 

-only 120 calories per serving 

-oven baked 

-60% less fat

       
Here's a bit of history from the creator of the Pasta Chips -- 

Pasta Chips

I would like to take you on a journey through Italy with our delicious Pasta Chips, an idea born in the hills of Tuscany at a small, authentic Osteria, where food comes alive with the passion associated with Italy. This Tuscan inspired chip is made with semolina flour and Italian herbs, married with different seasonings based on regional Italian favorites, is steeped in hundreds of years of Italian culture and living. Pasta Chips come in 5 flavor packed varieties: Spicy Tomato Herb, Sea Salt, Marinara, Alfredo and Garlic Olive Oil. 

The thing is it's not about being Italian, or Italian American, but rather the notion that this is a type of chip made from pasta and if you're a foodie, this type of variation on a pasta chip can be an interesting accent to your dishes.  The idea threw me off, but the taste and concept are amazing.  I would recommend and most likely buy these again for my next party.  It really allows for creativity if you want to accompany the chip with a side dish of either dips or antipasto.

Check out their site and you can actually buy Pasta Chips in most grocery stores.

http://pastachips.com/

                                                                 

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BERTOLLI Presenting "Into the Heart of Italy" A Unique Webseries Featuring Italian American Celebrities, Rocco DiSpirito, Marisa Tomei, & Dan Cortese.

Bertolli Frozen Meals is getting ready to launch a new series of webisodes titled “Into the Heart of Italy: Six Adventures, Three Celebrities, One Mission… To Unlock the Secrets of Italian Passion for Food and Life.”

This one-of-a-kind online series will feature celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito and actors Marisa Tomei and Dan Cortese as they explore the food and culture of Italy.

A trailer for “Into the Heart of Italy” will premiere during Desperate Housewives at 9/8 CST.

I’ll be tweeting tonight for @Bertolli’s Taste & Tweet. I received a wine aerator & a gift card to cover the purchase of one of their meals. Join Me Tonight on TWITTER for the Taste & Tweet which includes a VIP giveaway to win one of three local cheese making classes up to a $150 value!

Every Tweet using #BertolliItaly between Sunday, March 14 from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM EST Monday, March 15, will be entered to win the prize, which will be selected by a random drawing Monday. A link to the rules and regulations will be tweeted from @Bertolli at the start of the Taste & Tweet or can be found on the Bertolli Facebook page.

Join me on Twitter: @italianamergirl

www.IntotheHeartofItaly.com Tweet

Pasta Channel: Learning & Talking About Pasta

For More: http://thepastachannel.com Tweet

What Ever Happened To Sunday Dinners....?

I can speak for myself and say that I am extremely lucky. Come hell or high water..which is pretty likely these days..there is always dinner on Sunday at my parents. By dinner, I don't mean like 5:00 or 6:00 pm its more like 1 or 2:00 pm. My father is a creature of habit and loves that my mother cooks him sausage and meatballs in the sauce. (Yes, its sauce.) Then following a fantastic plate of pasta. Sometimes, if I have an event to go to or someone invites me out for a Sunday I always do a second guess about attending, because I almost feel like I am missing out if I miss dinner at parents.

Their house is like the headquarters for everyone. I might be there, then my sister shows up with her kids and husband, followed by my brother or my other brother who might be visiting with his family. Sunday dinner, doesn't mean its just about food. I mean, Sunday dinners are like the meetings of the knights of the round table. There are some serious conversations that occur and pretty deep ones at that. We usually sit around the table for hours with revolving courses and especially coffee at the end of our meal.

Sunday dinners are one of the major characteristics of our family's values. No matter what, you are expected for dinner and you usually should attend..its in your best interest. ;) (according to my father.) Now, that I look back at my life growing up as an Italian American, I really cherish the fact that my parents kept my brothers and sister and myself super tight. The core of our values revolves around our family and respect for one another. Who would of thought that pasta and a few meatballs could be so meaningful? I'm lucky and wish more Italian Americans could experience Sunday dinner. Tweet