Fresh Ideas for Pasta Lovers: A Review of Donna Kelly’s New Cookbook

 

If your family is anything like mine, pasta is one of those dependable ingredients that’s always waiting patiently in the pantry for inspiration to strike. It’s affordable, versatile, comforting, and just about everyone loves it. So when I came across 101 Things to Do With Pasta by Donna Kelly, I was curious to see whether it could offer something beyond the usual spaghetti-and-meatballs routine.

 I’m happy to say it does.

  Part of the popular 101 Cookbooks series, this compact little volume packs an impressive variety of recipes into its 128 pages. While it may be small enough to tuck into a tote bag or kitchen drawer, it's filled with practical ideas that make weeknight dinner -- and even breakfasts and lunches -- a little more exciting.

The recipes are organized into easy-to-browse chapters including "Brunching and Lunching," "Sassy Salads," "Weeknight Pastabilities," "Company's Coming," "Veggie Delights," "Baked Pasta Dishes, and "Around the World. Whether you're craving a quick one-pan meal or something hearty enough for company, there's likely something here to tempt you.Among the recipes that caught my eye were Spinach Artichoke Orzo, Confetti Pasta Salad, Creamy Shrimp Tagliatelle, Creamy Mushroom Pasta Rags, and Orzo Jambalaya. The “Around the World” section was an especially fun addition, featuring dishes such as Turkish Pasta, Jewish Noodle Kugel, and Singapore Spicy Tofu Noodles that add a welcome international twist. One thing I appreciated is Kelly’s practical introduction. Rather than spending pages discussing cookware or complicated techniques, she focuses on helpful tips like understanding pasta sizes and the differences between cooking pasta for hot dishes versus cold salads. It’s the kind of information beginning cooks will actually use.

  The recipes themselves are straightforward and concise. Most fit comfortably on a single page, ingredient list included, making them easy to follow without endless page-turning. Many rely on pantry staples and supermarket ingredients, and there are even gluten-free and vegan-friendly options sprinkled throughout the book.

 That said, seasoned cooks may notice a bit of repetition. Several recipes share similar methods or ingredients, and some categories overlap. There is also a noticeable reliance on convenience products—particularly jarred Alfredo sauce and cream cheese—in some of the weeknight recipes. If you prefer making everything completely from scratch, you may find yourself adapting a few dishes.

 Another drawback is the lack of photographs. As someone who truly enjoys cookbooks filled with beautiful food photography, I did miss having pictures to inspire me. There’s also no index, so locating recipes by ingredient requires browsing the table of contents rather than flipping to an alphabetical listing. Still, those are relatively minor complaints considering the cookbook’s purpose. This isn’t intended to be a coffee-table cookbook; it’s designed to be practical, approachable, and affordable.

 In fact, I think 101 Things to Do With Pasta would make a wonderful gift. Its compact size makes it perfect for slipping into a stocking at Christmas, adding to a pasta-themed gift basket with imported pasta and homemade sauce, tucking into a care package for a college student, or pairing with a bottle of olive oil for a thoughtful hostess gift. 

If you’ve ever stood in front of your pantry wondering, “What else can I make with this box of pasta?” Donna Kelly has plenty of delicious answers.

 Scheduled for release on July 14^th, you can order a copy here.

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My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 stars) 

Bright & Zesty One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo – Ready in 30 Minutes!

 

There's nothing quite like a one-pot meal that lands on the table in 30 minutes or less—minimal cleanup, maximum flavor. This dish quickly became a favorite after I spotted a similar recipe on Allrecipes and decided to make it my own by halving it (mostly). I couldn't resist doubling down on the garlic and lemon because, let's be honest, you can never have too much of either!

What really surprised me? How much I love orzo. It's like a tiny rice-shaped pasta that soaks up every bit of that bright, zesty lemon and rich chicken broth. Using my homemade bone broth added incredible depth (and some natural saltiness), so I skipped extra salt entirely, so be sure to taste as you go—it's the key to getting the seasoning just right.

This version is light yet satisfying, packed with tender shrimp, a pop of fresh spinach, and a cheesy Parmesan finish. It's perfect for busy weeknights when you want something fresh, flavorful, and effortless.

Bright & Zesty One-Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo

 Serves 2

2 t. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced (yes, I went generous!)
½ t. Italian seasoning
⅔ c. orzo pasta
1½ c. chicken bone broth (homemade if possible for extra flavor)
Salt, to taste
Generous gratings of freshly ground black pepper
8 oz. raw tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
A generous handful of fresh spinach, thinly sliced
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
Juice of ½ Meyer lemon (or to taste—don't hold back!)
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

     Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning, sautéing until fragrant (about 30-60 seconds—don't let it burn!).

Stir in the orzo and toast it lightly for about 30 seconds to bring out its nutty side.

Pour in the chicken broth, season with black pepper (and salt if needed), and bring to a gentle boil.

Reduce to medium-low, simmer, and stir occasionally until the orzo is almost tender and most liquid is absorbed (7-9 minutes).

Nestle the shrimp right into the orzo, scatter the sliced spinach on top, then add the lemon zest and juice.

Cover and cook until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, flipping once (2-3 minutes per side).

Remove from heat, stir in the Parmesan, and give it a final taste—adjust lemon, pepper, or cheese as desired.

Serve immediately and enjoy the fresh, garlicky, lemony goodness. It's proof that simple ingredients can deliver big flavor!

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Maggiano’s Chopped Salad Copycat Recipe (and that irresistible dressing!)

 

It had been years since my last visit to Maggiano’s Little Italy, but one bite of their chopped salad stayed with me. The crisp romaine, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, salty bacon, and pungent blue cheese created something truly special. When this copycat recipe landed in my lap, I headed straight to the kitchen. One taste of the dressing and I was hooked — it’s bright, zesty, garlicky, and cheesy with just the right touch of heat. You’ll want to put it on everything, from wedge salads to grilled veggies.

Maggiano’s Chopped Salad Copycat

1 T. sugar

1 t. dry mustard

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

½ t. crushed red pepper flakes

½ t. dried oregano

¼ t. salt

1 clove garlic, finely grated

⅛ c. red wine vinegar

⅛ c. white vinegar

⅛ c. water

⅓ c. vegetable oil

⅓ c. extra virgin olive oil

⅓ c. grated Parmesan cheese

 Salad Ingredients:

3 romaine hearts, chopped

1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ c. crumbled blue cheese

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (or crispy prosciutto)

3 large avocados, chopped into chunks

 Add all dressing ingredients to a mini food processor or blender and process until smooth and emulsified.

 Refrigerate until ready to use (it keeps beautifully for up to a week).

 In a large bowl, combine the chopped romaine and halved cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Add the avocado chunks, crumbled blue cheese, and crispy bacon. Gently mix until just combined. Serve immediately and enjoy every flavorful bite!

 This salad delivers the perfect mix of fresh, crunchy, creamy, and salty elements. It’s hearty enough for a main dish yet elegant enough for guests. 

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Hilarious 80s Mom Fail: The Pepperoni That Stole the Show at Pizza Hut

Back in the glorious, pre-smartphone days of the 1980s, my two boys were your typical reluctant readers—more interested in Mario and Luigi and causing minor chaos than cracking open a book. Enter the Pizza Hut Book-It! Program, the greatest educational hack of all time. Suddenly, reading wasn’t a chore; it was a strategic mission with a cheesy reward at the end. Those little certificates felt like golden tickets to carbohydrate heaven.

Off we’d go to our local Pizza Hut, the one with the red vinyl booths, checkered tablecloths, and that unmistakable aroma of grease and glory. We’d hit the buffet like it was our Olympic event. My boys dove in with the enthusiasm of Vikings at a feast—arms flailing, hands grabbing pizza slices, breadsticks, and anything else within a three-foot radius.

My then-husband (yes, first husband—keep reading and you’ll see why) played the role of “elegant bystander.” While the boys turned our booth into a full-contact sport, he sat there serenely nibbling his pizza, radiating the calm detachment of a man who had absolutely no genetic connection to the tiny tornadoes beside him.

 

Me? I was in full Mom Mode. I fed the boys first. I wiped sauce-covered hands. I rescued drowning breadsticks. I cut pizza into manageable pieces and dodged rogue pepperoni projectiles. By the time everyone else was happily chowing down, I was starving, exhausted, and probably had more pizza sauce on me than on their plates.

Finally, I made my escape to the buffet. I stood up, smoothed my outfit, and began the long trek across the restaurant like a weary warrior heading into battle. That’s when I noticed it: people were staring. Not just casual glances, but full-on, wide-eyed looks. A few were even tittering behind their hands.

Well, hello, I thought, giving my hair a subtle toss. I must still have it. Back then I was young, cute, and convinced the world was admiring my mom-of-two glow.

I piled my plate high with salad and pizza, basking in what I assumed was quiet admiration. As I walked back toward our booth, though, I caught my husband’s eye. His face had gone pale. His eyes bulged like he’d just seen a ghost wearing a name tag that read “Property of This Table.”

I slid back into the booth, still clueless.

That’s when I felt it.

Something greasy. Something round. Something unmistakably topping-like stuck firmly to my chestal area, right where a pasty might go if I were, say, performing in a very different kind of establishment. A single, perfectly placed pepperoni had adhered itself to my shirt during my earlier leaning-and-serving maneuvers. It had survived the entire walk across the restaurant like the world’s most committed edible accessory.

The stares. The titters. The horrified husband. It all made sense now.

I discreetly removed the offending pepperoni (leaving behind a lovely grease stain as a souvenir) and did what any dignified mother would do: I pretended it never happened while dying inside. We finished the meal, went home, and I quietly vowed never to set foot in another Pizza Hut again.

Fast-forward to today. I’m hearing all about Tim Sparks and Daland Corporation bringing back the classic 1980s Pizza Hut experience—red booths, checkered tables, salad bars, the works. And you know what? I’m actually excited.

This time I’ll be going with my adult sons. No more chaotic little arms everywhere. No more feeding everyone before myself. And most importantly… no risk of wearing Italian meat as decorative apparel.

 Though if it does happen again, at least I’ll have better stories to tell.

 This story is part of my series Life on Planet Pattie, about the foibles of life, resilience, and the occasional furniture-moving adventure. It appears the first Monday of every month.

You might also enjoy:

The Great Potting Soil Heist (and Other Adventures in Independent Living)

Clean and Presentable, or so I thought.

A Winter-Weathered Miracle Under the Chair

My Dance with the Devil

 Nothing Is Ever Simple (Featuring a Refrigerator and My — GASP! — Underwear)

 Refrigerator Roulette, Round Two

 The Sun’s Sneaky Victory: My “Brilliant” Outdoor Freezer Defrost Debacle 

A Delightfully Trashy Escape: Murder on Sex Island Delivers Unexpected Thrills

 

I’ll admit it—I’m a creature of habit when it comes to books. Give me a cozy British country house mystery or a solid police procedural set somewhere misty and proper, and I’m happy. New York? Private islands for the ultra-rich? Not exactly my scene. So when I picked up Murder on Sex Island by Jo Firestone (without having read the first in the series), I genuinely thought I might be wasting my time.

 I’ve rarely been happier to be wrong.

 The story follows Marie Jones, who moonlights as the wonderfully eccentric detective Luella van Horn. Fresh off solving a murder on the reality show Sex Island, Marie is now broke, sweating through an August heat wave, and staring down eviction. Then comes the call: a simple surveillance job on Murder Island, an exclusive enclave for the super-rich just outside New York City. The task? Catch a suspected cheating spouse.

 What starts as a straightforward infidelity case quickly spirals into something far juicier. A murder. Layers of scandalous secrets. A den of iniquity that could shock the world. And yes—there’s even a boat chase on the East River. The plot is wild, fun, and surprisingly gripping, packed with sex, money, and murder in all the right proportions.

 What really sold me was Luella/Marie herself. She’s flawed, messy, and deeply human, but also incredibly lovable. In a cast full of mostly despicable rich characters, she shines as the sarcastic, clever outsider trying to navigate their world. The supporting characters are colorful (some hilariously awful), and I actually found myself invested in the relationships she forms along the way. For once, the detective isn’t entirely alone.

I tore through this book in two days, chores be damned. It hooked me from the very first pages and never let go. Even though it’s a far cry from my usual British fare, it works perfectly as a standalone. Jo Firestone’s voice is sharp, witty, and just the right amount of mad genius.

If you’re in the mood for something escapist, funny, and a little bit filthy, give Murder on Sex Island a shot. Highly recommended—even (or especially) if it’s not your usual genre. I’ll definitely be back for more.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

 You can order a copy here.

 Disclaimer: I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Ice Cream Jar Challenge (And Why Number Two Son Was Right…Again)

 

When summer rolls around, all kinds of new ice cream recipes and techniques suddenly seem to flood the Internet. Naturally, my intention is always to try every single one of them. Whether I actually get around to doing so is another matter entirely.

The other day, Number Two Son, Andrew, stopped by for his weekly visit and caught me pouring heavy cream, whole milk, and sweetened condensed milk into a Mason jar.

 “What are you doing?” he asked.

 “I’m making ice cream,” I said matter-of-factly.

 He watched as I screwed on the lid.

 “I’m going to shake it for three or four minutes until it gets thick, then I’ll put it in the freezer.”

 The look on his face…

 He stared at me as though I had just announced I planned to churn butter by riding around the yard on a horse.

 “Mom,” he finally said, “wouldn’t it be easier to stick an immersion blender in there and beat it instead of shaking it for four minutes?”

 “But it’ll be fun,” I reasoned.

 “Not after the first minute or two it won’t.”

 Why is that guy always right?

 Naturally, I refused to admit it while he was standing there.

 A mother has her pride, after all.

 But once he left, I decided to prove to myself that the internet couldn’t possibly be wrong.

 Three minutes later…

 My arm was tired.

The mixture looked exactly the same.

 It hadn’t doubled.

 It hadn’t thickened.

 It hadn’t become magical ice cream.

 It had simply become…cold dairy products in a jar.

 I shoved it into the freezer anyway.

A couple of hours later, I stirred in a handful of crushed Oreos and put it back in the freezer. Later that evening I had a perfectly respectable little spoonable ice cream. It wasn’t quite the towering pint of fluffy frozen goodness those online videos promised, but it was delicious.

Today, however, I decided to do things differently.

 This time I started with a pint Mason jar and added chocolate malt powder, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and a splash of vanilla. Then, instead of shaking the daylights out of it, I attached the whisk to my hand mixer, lowered it right into the jar, and turned it on.

Thirty seconds.

 That’s all it took.

 The mixture had doubled in volume, looked beautifully thick, and suddenly I felt just a tiny bit foolish.

 Apparently Andrew had been right.

 Again.

 Those videos showing overflowing pint jars packed to the brim with homemade ice cream? I have to believe a little movie magic is involved because that’s simply not how mine behaved.

 But this method?

 This one works.

 The chocolate malt powder gives it the nostalgic flavor of an old-fashioned malt from the neighborhood ice cream shop, and the finished dessert is somewhere between soft-serve ice cream and a thick malt. Rich, creamy, chocolaty, and wonderfully nostalgic.

On a blazing summer afternoon, I’m not sure there’s anything much better.

Frosty Chocolate Malt Spoon Ice Cream

 ½ c. heavy cream

⅛ c. whole milk

⅛ c. sweetened condensed milk

⅛ c. chocolate malt powder

Splash of vanilla extract

Crushed Oreos or mini chocolate chips

 Add the heavy cream, milk, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate malt powder, and vanilla to a pint-size Mason jar.

Using the whisk attachment on a hand mixer, beat the mixture directly in the jar for about 30 seconds, or until thickened and nearly doubled in volume.

 Fold in mini chocolate chips, if using.

 Freeze for 2–4 hours, depending on how firm you like your ice cream.

 Serve with a spoon and enjoy!

 Cook’s Note: If you insist on shaking the jar by hand because the internet told you to, I wish you the best of luck…and strong forearms.  

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Creamy Spring Onion & Radish Dip – A Fresh Spring Favorite

 

Radishes are one of my all-time favorite vegetables—I’m rarely without a bunch in the fridge. That crisp, peppery crunch is irresistible whether I’m snacking straight from the fridge or tossing them into salads, from green, to potato, they’re fantastic in chicken salad. Every spring I attempt to grow my own, usually fail spectacularly, and end up happily stocking up at the local farm stand or getting delish French breakfast radishes from Melissa’s Produce.

 One of the best ways to enjoy them? This bright, creamy dip. It’s light, tastes like pure spring, and pairs beautifully with just about anything. I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t love it! 

One of the best ways to enjoy them? This bright, creamy dip. It’s light, tastes like pure spring, and pairs beautifully with just about anything. I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t love it!

Creamy Spring Onion & Radish Dip 

¾ c. sour cream

½ c. Duke’s mayonnaise

1 t. Ranch seasoning mix

⅛ t. kosher salt

⅛ t. freshly ground black pepper

1½ c. radishes, very thinly sliced (mandoline works best)

½ c. chopped scallions

1 T. snipped fresh chives*

 In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch seasoning, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Gently fold in the thinly sliced radishes and chopped scallions.

 Cover and chill for 1–2 hours so the flavors can meld beautifully.

 Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh chives.

 Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, fresh crudités, or slices of crusty bread. It also makes a fantastic spread for sandwiches and wraps!

 *Dry, if you must.

 

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might want to try Caramelized Shallot Dip with Toasted Everything Bagel Topping. 

 

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.