Sesame-Ginger Grilled Salmon served with grilled vegetables and a Spinach Salad with Oranges & Cucumbers

You get a three-for-one recipe blog post with this one! I love grilled salmon. Aside from the wonderful Omega-3s salmon provides us, it's delicious! We all know that the pairing of sesame-ginger is a perfect union. This is a great meal for entertaining. I served it with veggies cooked in a grill pan at the same time as the salmon along with a fresh spinach salad with a vinaigrette from the same marinade. Delicious flavors throughout this meal!

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 T. minced fresh ginger

1 T. wasabi powder

3 T. Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar

2 T. sugar

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 T. Sesame Oil

4 salmon fillets, skin-on (4-5 oz. each)

Whisk together the vegetable oil, ginger, and wasabi in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice; season with salt.

Transfer marinade to a bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup to use as a vinaigrette for spinach salad.

Add soy sauce and sesame oil to remaining marinade in bowl; whisk until emulsified (thickened). Place fillets in a glass baking dish; pour marinade over top, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then, transfer fillets to a plate and marinade to bowl.

Preheat grill to medium. Brush grill grate with oil.

Grill fillets, skin side down, uncovered, until firm to the touch, about 8 minutes. You don't need to turn the fillets over while grilling.

Baste fillets every 2 minutes with marinade. Remove from grill and top with sesame seeds and thinly sliced chives.

While the salmon is resting in the marinade, let's make our salad.

1 bag fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup seeded and diced cucumbers
1 Cara Cara orange, peeled and cut into 1/2" segments
1/4 cup diced yellow bell peppers

1/3 cup of the reserved marinade
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Just before serving, toss spinach and other ingredients with the marinade. Top with slivered almonds.

Now for the veggies! Wash and separate into cauliflower and broccoli into florets. You'll need about 3 cups. I use a grill pan that is placed directly on the grill grates. After the vegetables cook for 3 - 4 minutes, drizzle with Garlic Olive Oil. Using a potholder, carefully hold the handle and shake the basket like you're popping popcorn on the stove. Let vegetables cook until they are tender crisp, another 4 - 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Isn't that a lovely meal?

Adapted from Cuisine Celebrate the Seasons

Steakhouse Chicken Wings

It's Wing Wednesday once again! I hope y'all are enjoying these different versions as well as we are. Today's recipe has big bold flavors. You choose your favorite steak sauce. I'm using A-1 for my wings. Sweet Harold declared this one his personal favorite so far.

3 lbs. chicken wings, separated and tips removed

4 T. all-purpose flour

4 T. Canadian steak seasoning
3/4 cup of your favorite steak sauce

3 T. butter

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.

Combine flour and steak seasoning in a large bowl. Toss chicken wings in flour mixture until fully coated and then place wings in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.

Place in oven and cook for 30 - 35 minutes. Increase heat to 400 degrees F. and cook for an additional 30 - 35 minutes. You can turn the wings over midway through cooking time if you'd like.

While wings are in the final bake, make the sauce. 

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Add steak sauce and stir to thoroughly combine. Let simmer for 5 minutes. 

When wings are cooked, place in large bowl. Toss with steak sauce and serve immediately!

Greek Shrimp Salad

This recipe is a breeze to make. You can use either or spinach as the base for the salad. I chose spinach. Slice the shrimp lengthwise, you'll have twice as many pieces of shrimp for the salad and when they cook, they will twist into small corkscrew shapes. 

1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved lengthwise

4 T. Garlic Olive Oil, divided

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. prepared yellow mustard

2 t. sugar

2 t. minced fresh garlic

1 t. minced fresh oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cups shredded spinach or lettuce

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup seeded and diced cucumber

1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 cup halved kalamata olives

1/4 cup cubed feta cheese

Sear shrimp in 1 T. of the olive oil in a saute' pan until cooked through, about 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Puree' crumbled feta, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, garlic, and minced oregano in a food processor; season with salt and red pepper flakes. While food processor is running on low speed, slowly add remaining 3 T. olive oil.

Lightly toss spinach (or lettuce) with some of the dressing. Then divide the salad between serving plates.

Place tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, onion, olives, and cubed feta with dressing to taste in a large bowl.

Add shrimp and remaining dressing.  Gently fold dressing into shrimp and vegetables.  Spoon over spinach or lettuce.

Serve with Cheesy Flatbread.

Adapted from Cuisine at Home Celebrate the Seasons

Cheesy Flatbread (or Pitas)

For this cheesy bread, you'll need to select unsplit pitas or flatbread. What is Farmer Cheese you might ask?  It's almost a combination between a ricotta and cream cheese.  Technically, it's a pressed cottage cheese, an unripened cheese made by adding rennet and bacterial starter to coagulate and acidify milk. You can find it in the dairy case near the cream cheese. The combination of the farmer cheese with the Greek Seasoning will definitely hit the spot.

2 pitas (6 inch) OR 2 flatbreads

1 cup shredded farmer cheese OR a few tablespoons of a 6 oz. block of farmer cheese

1/2 t. dried Greek seasoning

salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat broiler to high and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Arrange bread on prepared baking sheet and divide cheese and Greek seasoning between them; season with salt and pepper.

Broil bread until cheese melts and bubbles, 3 - 5 minutes.  Cut each pita into four wedges or slice flatbread into serving size pieces.

Serve immediately.

Adapted from Cuisine at Home Celebrate the Seasons

Sheet Pan Dinner: Garlic Honey Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli

We all love the ease of sheet pan dinners for quick weeknight meals. The chicken was tender and juicy and the garlic honey glaze with delicious. The potatoes and broccoli cook right alongside for a one pan meal. The addition of the Garlic Olive Oil seriously amps up the flavor.

3 T. Garlic Olive Oil, divided

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

2 T. honey

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. spicy brown mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. Tuscan herb seasoning blend

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 cups halved baby red potatoes

3 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups broccoli florets

2 T. fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 T. garlic olive oil, butter, honey, brown sugar, mustard, garlic, and seasoning blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Place potatoes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining 1 T. olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken in a single layer and brush each chicken breast with half of the with honey mixture.

Place into oven and roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with remaining honey mixture. Return to the oven and roast until the chicken is completely cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 15 - 18 minutes longer.

Stir in broccoli during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.  Then broil for 2 - 3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Adapted from www.damndelicious.net 

Buffalo Wings Supreme

For this week's Wing Wednesday, I decided to grill the wings instead of baking or frying. These wings definitely picked up the char-grilled taste. While the wings were grilling, I mixed up the sauce to toss them in as soon as they came off the grill and were piping hot. The addition of blue cheese crumbles and celery leaves definitely made these wings "supreme." The crumbles melted onto the hot wings...yum!  I also added about a 1/2 teaspoon of chopped chives to the blue cheese dressing.

2 - 3 pounds chicken wings, separated and tips removed

salt and black pepper

For the sauce:

6 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 t. celery salt

3/4 cup of your favorite wing sauce

Whisk together all ingredients and set aside.

blue cheese crumbles

celery leaves 

celery sticks

blue cheese dressing

Preheat gas grill or prepare charcoal grill for grilling. Place chicken wings on the grill and let cook on medium high heat for 8 - 10 minutes. 

Turn wings over and allow to cook for another 8 - 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees..  

When wings are done, place in a large bowl and slowly pour the sauce over the wings. Toss to completely coat the wings. Place on a serving platter and top with the blue cheese crumbles and celery leaves.

Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese (or ranch) dressing on the side.

Spicy Beef Empanadas

This is an easy version for baked empanadas. I used refrigerated pie crust dough and simply rolled it out to remove any creases and wrinkles. I have a dumpling maker similar to this one. It made quick work of making the empanadas.

For the filling:

1 T. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 t. minced garlic

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced

1 pound ground chuck

1 T. chili powder

1 t. ground coriander

1 t. dried thyme

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package prepared pie dough (2 crusts total)

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute' until softened, 3 - 4 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno and saute' until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Add the ground chuck and cook until well browned, 5 - 7 minutes. Add the chili powder, coriander, and dried thyme. Stir to combine. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded cheese and stir until it is well mixed with the ground chuck mixture.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

For the dough:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to flatten any creases. Using a cookie cutter, a rim of a glass or anything about 3 inches in diameter cut circles from the dough. You may need to flour the cutter in between uses.  You can reroll the scraps of pie dough to cut more circles.

Place 2 T. of filling in the center of the dough. Brush one side with water then fold the dough over the filling pressing gently to seal.

Use the tines of a fork to seal the edge of the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and filling.

If you'd like, at this point, you can freeze in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheets.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 T. water to combine. Brush the egg wash onto each empanada.

Bake until golden brown, 15 - 17 minutes. Cool at least 10 - 12 minutes before serving. You can serve either warm or at room temperature.

Pork, Mushroom & Onion Kebabs

I am loving the daylight hours after work along with the warm temps which are allowing me time to grill! A quick marinade whisked together made from what might seem an odd pairing: Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic Olive Oil. To the contrary, this is a perfect pairing. The sweet richness of the figs enhances the pork and the subtle flavor of the garlic adds a nice finishing note.

30 - 45 minutes of marinating time and 8 minutes on the grill and dinner is on the table!

1 lb. of boneless pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 cup Garlic olive oil

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

16 oz. white button mushrooms

1 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges

In a medium add vinegar. In a slow stream, drizzle in the olive oil which constantly whisking the two together. Add salt and pepper and whisk to incorporate.

Place pork, mushrooms, and onion in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in marinade and carefully seal. Refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes.

Remove from refrigerator and carefully thread pork and vegetables onto skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak in water while food is marinating. 

Preheat gas grill on high heat and then lower the setting to medium-high. 

Place skewers onto grill.

Close cover and let cook 3 - 4 minutes, then turn. Cook an additional 3 - 4 minutes, until pork is cooked to an internal temp of 165 degrees F.

Grilled Garlic Espresso Burgers

Finally! We're enjoying weather that allows time spent on the deck and grilling. Nothing heralds the beginning of Grilling Season like a grilled burger. I'm always searching for different flavor combinations to use for hamburgers and today was no exception. Garlic is always an excellent choice in my opinion so I used Garlic Olive Oil.  To add a little "extra something" to the mix, I chose  Espresso Balsamic Vinegar which pairs wonderfully with the garlic olive oil.

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck

1 T. Garlic Olive Oil

1 t. Espresso Balsamic Vinegar

1 t. minced garlic

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Shape into 5 - 6 burgers. 

Preheat gas grill or prepare charcoal grill.

Grill burgers 5 - 6 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. for medium and 170 degrees F. for well done.

Place on lightly grilled bun and add your favorite condiments!

Garlicky Meatball Sliders

Remember last weekend when I cooked 78 meatballs? Remember when I fed half my friends and family with those 78 meatballs? After all that I still had meatballs! So, into the freezer the leftovers went and today they were thawed and heated and turned into a completely different meal.

Put this recipe in the back of your mind for when you have leftover meatballs and you can't eat another strand of spaghetti. If you don't have leftover, make a small batch of meatballs or buy frozen.

12 meatballs

2 cups marinara sauce

12 King's Hawaiian rolls

6 slices provolone cheese

6 T. butter

1 T. minced garlic

1 t. Tuscan herb blend

2 T. minced basil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Heat the meatballs and marinara in a medium saucepan over low heat until heated through.

Slice the rolls in half and place bottom half in prepared baking dish. Top each roll with a meatball and marinara sauce.

Next, add the sliced provolone.

And now place the top of the rolls on top of the cheese.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Add garlic, Tuscan herb blend, basil and Parmesan cheese. Let simmer for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Slowly spoon the garlic butter mixture over the sliders.

Then top with extra grated Parmesan.

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Serve immediately.

Honey Ginger Sesame Wings

This week's wing for Wing Wednesdays takes on a decidedly Asian flair. A nice visit to King's Olive Oil and the oils and vinegars were chosen!

I knew a combination of Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar, Japanese Sesame Oil, and garlic olive oil would make a tasty combination.

Let's get the chicken baking:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken wings

1 T. baking powder
1 T. all-purpose flour

1 t. granulated garlic

1 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. salt

And now let's make the sauce:
2 T. honey ginger balsamic vinegar
1 T. garlic olive oil
1 t. sesame oil
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Toss wings in the coating until completely covered and place individually on the baking sheet. Wash the bowl. You'll need it later!

Bake for 30 minutes and then increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F.  Let bake an additional 15 - 18 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce.

Add the vinegar to a medium bowl. Gradually add the olive oil and whisk to incorporate. It will begin to thicken the more it is whisked. Whisk in walnut oil and salt.

Remember the large bowl you washed earlier? Place the cooked wings back into the bowl and slowly add about half of the sauce over the wings. Toss the wings to coat and then pour remaining sauce and toss again.

I served these wings with a prepackaged Asian rice and some pickled ginger slices.

Enjoy!

Northern Italian Salad: Part II

I made this salad recently and Sweet Harold fell in love with it. He requested this one again for our Italian Feast night. I changed a few ingredients for this version and it was as delicious as the prior one.

For the dressing:

2 T. Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar

2 T. walnut infused olive oil

1 t. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/4 t. kosher salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mascarpone, walnut oil, salt, and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the crumbled gorgonzola. Let the dressing sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle, or refrigerate until ready to use. 

For the salad:

6 cups mixed baby greens

1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup dried cranberries

8 thin slices prosciutto

In a large bowl, combine the greens with the toasted walnuts, dates, and dried cranberries. Add the dressing and toss gently until evenly coated. Ribbon the prosciutto on a serving platter and mound the salad on top. 

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Lolly's Spaghetti & Meatballs

I love to make meatballs. Sometimes I sear them in a skillet before dropping them into the huge vat of simmering red sauce. Sometimes I bake them for a bit. This recipe has been posted before and I will continue to post it when I make a batch because they're that good!

Let's make the sauce first:

A word of caution here: This makes a HUGE pot of sauce. I cooked this in my Le Creuset 9-quart Dutch oven and with the addition of the meatballs, it was filled to the brim. You can certainly cut this recipe in half, but while you're cooking, why not go ahead and make a full recipe and divide and freeze portions for upcoming meals?

1 T. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 sweet green peppers, chopped

2 T. finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup red wine

3 large cans of either crushed or pureed tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano added

2 small cans tomato paste (plus 2 cans filled with water)

salt and pepper to taste

1 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. Tone's spicy spaghetti seasoning

In a LARGE Dutch oven over medium heat, pour olive oil and add onion and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Add garlic and let cook about a minute, stirring constantly.

Add red wine and let it cook for about 2 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated.

Then add the remaining ingredients, stirring well after each addition.

Lower heat to barely simmering and let sauce cook for at least 2 hours. If you are making the meatballs to serve with the sauce, drop them in as they are seared. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground round

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

2 pounds ground pork

1 small yellow onion, small diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried basil

2 T. chopped parsley

1 t. salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup Italian styled dried breadcrumbs

Crushed red pepper flakes (if desired)

In a LARGE bowl, combine all ingredients, lightly mixing with clean hands. You don't want to attempt to use a spatula or spoon. As Ina says, "Clean hands are the cook's best tools."

Of course, you can roll these meatballs any size you prefer. But before you begin to shape the meatballs, heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add a small amount of olive oil and take about a half dollar size amount of the meatball mixture and flatten it slightly into a patty shape. Place in the skillet and brown on both sides and taste. If you need to adjust the seasonings, now is the time to do that before you roll out all these beautiful meatballs.

In the same skillet, place several meatballs and let brown on all sides. Don't crowd the skillet. If you do, the meatballs will not brown properly. As the meatballs are seared, drop them into the pot of sauce to continue cooking all the way through.  

OR you can bake them on a greased baking sheet at 375 degrees F. for 15 - 18 minutes and then place them in the sauce.

Crispy Polenta Bites topped with Marinara and Parmesan

If you've only had polenta served as a side dish, it's time to make it the star of the show.  You can use your own homemade marinara or the jarred version. You can shave the Parmesan cheese or finely grated as I did here.  Either way, this is a different nibble to serve your guests.

1 - 18 oz. tube polenta, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

Marinara

Parmesan cheese

Working in batches, cook the polenta in a non-stick skillet with olive oil over medium high heat, turning occasionally, until crisped and browned, 15 minutes.  

Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with salt.

Top with a little marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese.

From Food Network

Rosemary Lemon Frico (Cheese Crisps)

These were super easy to make and were very tasty. As always, you cannot go wrong with rosemary, lemon and Parmesan cheese!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Shred 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and lightly mix with 2 t. chopped rosemary and 1 t. grated lemon zest.

Sprinkle the cheese mixture into 12 rounds (2 - 3 inches) on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 4 - 6 minutes until browned and bubbling around the edges.  Let cool on the pan.

From Food Network.

Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti

With all the other menu items to be prepared for the Italian Feast night, I took a few shortcuts on this dish. If you want to make your favorite Alfredo Sauce recipe to use here, feel free. But if you're looking for a great weeknight meal that I'm sure the kids will love, take the short cuts I did!

1 16 oz. box ziti pasta cooked according to package directions and drained well

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 16 oz. jar of four cheese Alfredo sauce

1 16 oz. jar of basil pesto Alfredo sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Mix cooked ziti, chicken and the Alfredo sauces in a large bowl. (Or, do as I did, and use the same pot you cooked the pasta. You'll have one less bowl to wash!)

Place half the pasta mixture into the casserole dish and sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese.

Pour the remaining pasta mixture and top with remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 - 7 minutes until browned and bubbly.

The Appetizer Portion of the Italian Feast Meal!

We started with one of my perfection combinations ever.

Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil mixed with Tuscan Herb Seasoning Blend in small bowls with a little freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle or two of Parmesan cheese will make your dinner guests very happy. Thinly sliced bread dipped into this nectar of the gods, is sure to please. It's the perfect beginning to your meal. 

Appetizers don't have to be elaborate and take hours to prepare. Doesn't this look delicious?

I thinly sliced cantaloupe and then cut the slices into bite-sized chunks. Then a quick wrap with a slice of prosciutto. But the perfect finishing touch? A drizzle of Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar.

If you've never tried Speciality Oils and Vinegars, trust me when I say, please do!  

And here is the link to get you started!  King's Olive Oil Company.

 

Stracciatella Soup

With our "Italian Feast" featuring many courses, and lots of pasta, I went in search of a lighter soup for the soup portion of our meal. This recipe is from Giada's Family Dinners. It fit the bill perfectly. However, I think a nice helping of shredded chicken would be absolutely delicious in this soup.

The word "stracciatella" translated from Italian means "little rags" which is what the strands of eggs resemble when they are cooked in the broth.  Neat, don't you think?

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 large eggs

2 T. freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 T. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 T. chopped fresh basil

1 cup lightly packed spinach leaves, cut into thin strips

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, parsley, and basil to blend.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir the broth in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin strands of egg, about 1 minute.

Stir in the spinach, then season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Sunday Night Italian Feast Table Setting

I've been wanting to have an Italian Feast for awhile now. Tomorrow night is the night! 

To begin the table, I chose Fiestaware for the place settings. I debated half the morning as to whether to use the traditional Italian colors, green/ red/white OR what I normally think of when I think of an Italian theme table....greens, purples, cream....you know, like a vineyard! You can see which one won the coin toss!

I used the Arthur Court grapevine napkin rings.

 And what better thing to use for a place card than a lasagna noodle???