Rigatoni with Fresh Tomatoes and Pancetta and some new recipes

While this recipe for Rigatoni with Fresh Tomatoes and Pancetta does take a little bit of time to prepare, it was mostly because of the tomatoes. I chose some smaller tomatoes, it might have gone faster with Romas. Very, very tasty, I definitely enjoyed this. I rated this recipe a 4.5 out of 5, and here's why:

Recipe Review: Rigatoni with Fresh Tomatoes and Pancetta

1) The tomatoes. I chose the wrong kind, so that's my fault. Don't deviate, it takes too long. Trust me. Get Roma tomatoes, also known as plum tomatoes. Also, I would definitely recommend plunging them into boiling water for about a minute, then peel the skins off before seeding and chopping. The skins in the dish were annoying.

2) Fabulous flavor. Really good, definitely worth the effort!

3) Pancetta is an Italian cured meat; pork belly that has been salt cured and spiced. It's delicious and you don't really want to substitute bacon as the flavor, fat content and texture are considerably different.

Have you made one of our recipes and would like to voice your opinion? Share your review with me and I'll post it for all to see!

New Recipes Added
Banana Buttermilk Cake
Cherry-Pecan Bread
Cucumber Salad
Original Toll House Streusel Muffins
Pasta with Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Blueberry Breakfast Cake review and new recipes

We have some new recipes for you to try. But first the review. I rated this recipe a 5 out of 5, delicious! (Photo courtesy of my personal blog, Amanda's Cookin')

Recipe Review: Blueberry Breakfast Cake

1) Very easy to prepare. Common ingredients, nothing overly complicated or expensive.

2) Very adaptable. You can use a variety of different berries for this. Maybe cranberries with some fall spices, cherries and almond extract, or raspberries with a white chocolate drizzle. Try different types of nuts too!

3) A drizzle isn't really necessary on this, but I like drizzle :) so I added it. The crumb topping is sweet enough on its own, so you decide.

4) Can use fresh or frozen berries, just don't thaw them if they are frozen. Toss them in as is. When I made this I was a little skeptical about the vast amount of berries in it, but as you can see it came out perfect. I used fresh blueberries.

If you would like to add a drizzle topping, simply mix 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk, more or less to get the right consistency.

Have you made one of our recipes and would like to voice your opinion? Share your review with me and I'll post it for all to see!

New Recipes Added

Butterscotch Pound Cake (review coming!)
Chilled Tomato Soup
Grilled Cube Steaks with Fries (review coming!)
Pepper Crusted Roast
Rigatoni with Fresh Tomatoes & Pancetta (review coming!)

Annie's Recipes now on Facebook!

Well, we did it, we finally created a Facebook page! That's right, now you can receive news about new recipes, maybe a random recipe now and then, recipe reviews and hear about new contests. So won't you "like" us on Facebook?

Click here to become a Facebook fan of Annie's Recipes!

Enter our Giveaway!

This month, enter to win these Snap-n-Seal Set/3 Airtight Plastic Storage Containers, courtesy of our sponsor, Kid Smart Living!

Our Snap-n-Seal stackable storage containers are ideal for so many uses at home and on the go... plus they nest for tight storage and look great for serving, too. Colorful, stackable, portable, washable, freezable... what's NOT to love about these multipurpose storage containers?

Each 3-piece set of Snap-n-Seal Storage Containers comes with three rectangular plastic storage containers with clear locking lids in three handy sizes:

• Small holds 1-quart; 8" x 4-1/2" x 2-3/8"
• Medium holds 1.75-quarts; 9-1/2" x 5-5/8" x 3-1/8"
• Large holds 3-quarts; 11" x 6-3/4" x 3-7/8"

Snap-n-Seal Storage Containers feature:

• Lids lock in place for an airtight seal
• Handy day and month slider bar for tracking leftovers
• BPA-free Polypropylene plastic container bases & Acrylic lids
• Freezer, top-rack dishwasher safe
• Container base is microwave-safe, too
• Drain or freezer tray included in each container
• Available in 4 great colors to mix and match or color-code foods.

Rules: Must have a valid SHIPPING address in the continental U.S., 18 years or older. You may enter once per day. Entries will be accepted through midnight, CST on September 15, 2010. Winner will be drawn at random and notified via email.  They will have 7 days to respond or an alternate winner will be drawn.

To enter, click here.

Brownie recipe review and new recipes

We have some new recipes for you to try. But first I wanted to give you my review on one of them. I rated these a 3 out of 5, let me tell you why.

Recipe Review: Dee's Cookie Sheet Brownies

1) Very easy to prepare. Simple list of ingredients, one pan prep. Very few dishes.

2) Presentation not as great. Didn't have that tell tale crinkly look that is so lovely in a brownie. They were very light in color, almost a blondie, because the recipe only called for 1/4 cup of cocoa. As a result, the chocolate flavor was not very pronounced.

3) Texture was good, chewy, but the ends were crunchy. This is probably my fault, I didn't set my timer properly and I had to guess when they were done.

I really think this recipe has a lot of potential, but definitely has room for improvement. If you were in need of a quick recipe for last minute guests, this would be a great choice. However, I think I would play around with it a bit, adjust the cocoa level, or add chocolate chips, maybe reduce the flour by the amount of cocoa you increase. Flavor was good, but not very chocolatey.

Have you made one of our recipes and would like to voice your opinion? Share your review with me and I'll post it for all to see!

New Recipes Added

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Spicy Kielbasa Soup
Vanilla Zucchini Muffins
Vegetable Lasagna
Zucchini Potato Bake
Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Blueberry Oat Muffins
English Beef Pot Pie
Pepper Steak Stir Fry
Pineapple Steak Stir Fry
Colorful Raspberry Smoothie
Creamsicle Smoothie
Lime Smoothie
Raspberry Banana Smoothie
Triple Berry Yogurt Smoothie
Aggie's Supreme Peach Pie
Cowboy Peach Cobbler
Peach Kuchen
Peach Pockets
Peach Streusel Muffins
Candy Cane Brownies
Dee's Cookie Sheet Brownies
Double Chocolate Brownies
Mom's Apple Brownies
Praline Brownies

New recipes added

We've added some more new recipes to our huge collection! Here are a few of them, you can also click the category name above each st of recipes to see that entire category. Enjoy!

1) amish recipes
Amish Bob and Andy Pie
Amish Buttermilk Cookies

2) microwave recipes
Edamame Hummus with Vegetables

3) jello recipes
Confetti Coleslaw Parfait

4) simple hamburger recipes 
Vegetable Beef Soup
Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef

5) campbell soup recipes
Campbell's Creamy Irish Potato Soup

New recipes added

We've been busy at Annie's, just haven't told you about it! :) Come see the new recipes we've added recently:

Buffet Salad
Ham And Cheese Muffins
Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies
Chicken Crunch Casserole
Chocolate Chip Caramel Drop Cookies (pictured)
Gingersnaps
Apple Doodle Cookies
Chocolate-Peanut Blowout Cookies
Hawaiian Mood Cookies
Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
Sesame Garlic Chicken
Coleslaw
Quick Taco Salad
Campbell’s Corned Beef Special
Butternut Squash Casserole
Mashed Butternut Squash
Onion-Crusted Meat Loaf with Roasted Potatoes
Dijon-Tarragon Cream Chicken
Spanish Tortilla
Rubbed Pork Roast
Creamy Potato Salad

Don't forget to enter our giveaway for this great grill pack!