SPAGHETTI WITH ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Who does not like spaghetti on a Sunday night? My children always like pasta and to avoid the boring meatsauce, I tried this "Italian meatballs recipe" from Lidia. You can use you own meatballs recipe and just add raisins and pine nuts. In this recipe, ground turkey was used with soaked day old bread and an egg.

We had garlic bread from the leftover Ciabatta bread from Trader Joe's to round it up. The Portugese wine, Vinho Verde, also from Trader Joe's newly opened wine store is the perfect wine to complement this dish. Just perfect for spring.

PINEAPPLE WITH HONEY AND PINENUTS

Simple and fast is the best way to describe this dessert. Just combine canned pineapple with honey and toasted pine nuts and viola.

You can have this dessert any time of the year.

GNOCCHI

Another instant meal from Trader Joe's. A package of gnocchi will serve three and it so cheap (less than $2). I love this store. I made the sauce on my own. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. If you need a recipe you can always go to my favorite website.

PROFITERROLES

Another instant desert courtesy of Trader Joe's. I added the powdered sugar and chocolate syrup.

Maybe next time, I can make my own cream puff with vanilla ice cream. That will be another day. For now, I will enjoy my profiterroles made from Belgium, according to the package.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

My stuffed mushrooms before and after pictures.

I made these appetizers for Easter lunch. So easy and so good, you will not be happy with just having one.

Just combine any ground meat ( I used ground turkey and pork) and combine with the minced mushroom stems, some bread crumbs and an egg to bind the stuffing.

Add a dab of butter on each mushroom and 1/2 cup of water before baking in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Finally, I can cook. This is the first dish I thought of cooking as soon as I can find the time. I did not have any home cooked food for the last 4 weeks because of work.

Actually, I had the canned version of this soup and enjoyed it so much, I have to research for the recipe. I knew it was easy. Just make up your own mini meatballs from any meat availble. I had leftover turkey and pork from my "Italian meatballs". Add the pasta to the chicken stock, let it cook for few minutes and then add the spinach. How easy can that be. It was really good. Everyone should try it.