These are great for quick + easy dinners.

As a busy mom I am constantly on the lookout for products that will make my life—and the lives of my clients—easier when it comes to dinnertime. Enter Garlic Gold. Their line of Nuggets have saved me time when I’ve been overwhelmed with work, projects and daily life.

I’ve used Garlic Gold Nuggets sprinkled on pasta, on crunchy bread I put in the oven, on steamed vegetables and on popcorn for our weekly movie night. They add a crunchy texture, and I must say, they pack a lot of flavor into those jars—if you’re going for a super quick meal, not much else is needed. The come in four flavors: Plain Garlic, Sea Salt, Italian Herb and my favorite, Parmesan.

And these aren’t your run-of-the mill supermarket flavorings full of who-knows-what (and surprisingly they have no sodium). They’re handcrafted and made of organic garlic from a farm in Ojai, California.

Although I’ve made pasta and added the Parmesan Nuggets, and ate that for dinner (and truly, they have so much flavor, it was all that was needed), here is a heartier recipe for pasta.

Gnocchi with tomatoes, pancetta, arugula—Garlic Gold Nuggets
If you’re so inclined to make your own gnocchi, send me a message and I’ll share my recipe with you. You may omit pancetta for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients
2 ounces pancetta, chopped
1 tablespoon of Garlic Gold (their toasted, crunchy, chopped garlic)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
¼teaspoon sea salt
1 pound gnocchi
1 bunch of arugula, chopped
Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets, to taste

Make the dish
Begin with boiling water for the gnocchi. Meanwhile, sauté pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for a minute. Add tomatoes, sugar and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are almost completely broken down, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt. Remove from the heat.

Cook gnocchi in the boiling water according to package directions. Place arugula in a colander and drain the gnocchi over it, which will wilt the arugula slightly. Add the gnocchi and arugula to the sauce in the pan; toss to combine. Sprinkle with Garlic Gold Parmesan Nuggets.

Enjoy!

Espresso-Rubbed Rib-Eye Steak

Find the recipe for espresso-rubbed steak in The Gourmet Food Blog by Dean & DeLuca.

Win a lovely box of Tonnino Tuna. See below for details.

What are some ways you use tuna in recipes? Thanks to mercury, gone are the days when I ate a lot of tuna fish sandwiches. But it’s okay every once in a while, and I like adding it to to pasta dishes like this one. I love the saltiness of olives + capers together. That combination, mixed with high-quality tuna, Tonnino, makes for a tangy pasta sauce.

I’d love for you to win a few jars of Tonnino Tuna so you can make this dish or one of your favorites that include tuna.

All you have to do is:

Sign up for The Peach (on the right-hand side of this blog)

Extra credit if you “like” The Busy Hedonist Facebook page

Two (2) lucky winners, chosen at random on Monday, February 21st, will receive an assortment of 3 jars of Tonnino Tuna.

Good luck!

Ingredients
1 pound whole wheat fettuccini (or other pasta that you prefer)
Extra-virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan
6 medium garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1/2 cup pitted green olives chopped
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
(I chopped the ingredients above in a food processor, the Ninja; it took all of 10 seconds, making it a quick dish to make.)
1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped parsley (if you use a food processor, add parsley separately)
1 can Tonnino tuna (I used the one with oregano, but the jalapeno is a good option, too)
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper

Make the sauce
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Add olive oil and garlic in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is lightly golden. Add capers, olives, and roasted red peppers. Cook for about 8-10 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta. Add parsley and tuna. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.

Remember, enter to win your assortment of 3 jars of Tonnino Tuna by signing up for The Peach.

Extra credit if you “like” The Busy Hedonist Facebook page

To hear more about Tonnino Tuna you may want to follow them on Twitter.

I was excited to participate in the Wisconsin Cheese Board’s 2nd annual, “30 Days, 30 Ways with Macaroni & Cheese.” We each had to use a cheese from Wisconsin and then come up with our own rendition. This gave me the perfect excuse to buy a truffle, which I purchased at Citarella’s West Village store.

Here is my recipe for macaroni & cheese with black truffles on the “30 days, 30 ways with macaroni & cheese” web site.

Several years ago I was in Amsterdam around this time of year. I remember finding the cutest fondue restaurant, one in which customers were required to climb a ladder to get to the dining room. Of course the climb was well worth it, but getting back down that ladder after imbibing wine and eating lots of wine-laced fondue was another story. But the experience stuck in my mind and I’ve loved fondue ever since, even when I haven’t been able to replicate that experience.

Fast-forward to the present: One cool fall evening, I found myself (with husband and daughter in tow) in the suburbs of NYC at a subterranean fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot. Fondue is such a fun dinner experience, the presentation, the variety and all that dipping. We got the Big Night Out Four-Course dinner: Swiss cheese fondue to start, a salad, and then a mushroom, herb + wine broth into which we dipped a large variety of meat + fish (their Land & Sea option), plus vegetables, and then of course chocolate fondue, which arrived with pound cake, berries, marshmallows and fruit slices for dessert. What a feast!

As I sat there, I thought how fun it would be to make fondue at home, so I was happy that The Melting Pot shared their Swiss Fondue recipe with me. And I immediately bought myself a fondue set (see below for options). Even if it comes out of the cabinet only a few times a year, it’s worth it.

Swiss Fondue
Serves 4-6
Recipe courtesy of The Melting Pot

3 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 ounce cherry-flavored liqueur, such as Kirschwasser
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
dash of grated nutmeg

Ahead of time: cut cubes of bread and/or slice a variety of fruit and vegetables of your choice, perhaps carrots, broccoli, peppers, apples and more for dipping into the fondue.

Make the fondue
Toss the cheese with the flour in a bowl. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. You may also use a conventional double boiler. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce to heat to medium and pour the wine into the bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and garlic using a fork. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add half the cheese and cook until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add the remaining cheese, a small amount at a time, stirring constantly in a circular motion after each addition until the cheese is melted. Pour the liqueur slowly around the edge of the bowl. Pull the cheese mixture away from the edge of the bowl nd cook for about 1 minute or until the alcohol cooks off. Stir the liqueur into the cheese. Stir the pepper in gently. Pour into a warm fondue pot and keep warm over low heat. Garnish with a dash of nutmeg.

Note: The cheese is shredded and tossed with flour to aid in thickening and to improve the viscosity of the fondue, which should be the consistency of warm honey when completed. Monitor the cheese as you add it, adding more or less as desired.

Great gift idea for hedonistic cooks: Crate & Barrel offers several cute fondue sets, from cast iron to electric, plus dipping forks.

For more information on The Melting Pot or to find a location near you, visit their site.