I am 23 years old and I don�t know how to cook (wow I feel like I am in a confession booth). My mom brought me up on southern / soul food I helped my mom in the kitchen every Sunday. I would assist her with meals but she never let me get down and dirty with cooking the meal. Anyway the problem is that I am marrying an Italian guy who is in love with meatballs and pasta. Yes I cook a hell of a pasta dish but I want to get more Italian like in my kitchen. But the other problem is he can not have spicy food or a lot of chicken. Here is a list that the man likes to eat
Peanut butter and jelly
Pasta
Ham sandwich
Grill cheese / ham
Sloppy Joe
Eggs and ham scrabbled
Bagels w/ cream cheese
Meat loft
Yeah I know it�s not a lot for him but I want to extend my recipe book that I haven�t developed yet lol. Is there anybody out there who can help a soul food girl turn Italian?
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www.foodnetwork.com is the place for you!
Also the tv shows - the one that's probably going to be right up your alley is going to be Rachel Ray - she's great!
She cooks like a little bit of everything! She's always talking about her Mom's Italian side and her Dad's Louisiana cookin' so there's your match. She also has several books out and her stuff is usually pretty easy to moderate to make.

I'm surprised about him not being able to eat chicken, though. That's a hard one in today's health-concious cooking. But honestly, Italian cooking is a lot about comfort & home cooking - not fancy & stuffy like French cuisine. So its really not all that different from soul food, its just food that makes you feel good and at home!

Oh my gosh I was watching Rachel Ray last friday on fox five news cooking burgers. Thank you so much musicalmom you are the best. Any other idea I will take because I am the mother hubbard lol. thanks again

Try the Italian Food site here. I love the recipes. http://www.bellaonline.com/site/italianfood

I am a country cooker married to an "italian stallion"! <img src="/images/graemlins/lovers.gif" alt="" /> It took a while for him to see past his favorite foods (translation-not the healthiest) and now loves soul food and country cookin, as well as his mama's spaghetti and meatballs. Me too! Cook your sauce for 6-8 hours on 325, stirring once an hour. Add your meatballs in the beginning, raw. Skim the fat when the sauce is done. Try to grow your own basil and parsley in the summer; it is very easy. Have your mom teach you to cook soul food; there is nothing like it. And make him help in the kitchen (if possible), he might enjoy it. Good Luck and Have Fun! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You don't really need to cook marinara sauce for hours. Here is a much simpler Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe, http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art13297.asp.

You'll find that true Italian recipes are much simpler than many American versions.

This is certainly true; and not everyone has time to cook for hours! With my husband's family meat sauce recipe, which was brought over from Sicily, I have done some "experimenting" and the recipe the way it was given to me is by far the best. It is for meat sauce, and cooking it for less than 6 hours just does not produce the rich, wonderful flavor. My marinara does not improve as much with longer cooking times. And these recipes you have recommended sound so good I am going back to read them some more right now! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Get this after you guys gave me some really awesome advice on cooking. I bought some really awesome pots from JC Penney (red 10 piece set Farberware matches the red white and black kitchen). Isnt that great... I ordered it on August the 24 they said I will get August the 28 (on a sunday no way). So I threw out my old pots and waited. Then I followed up on it on the 29 and they told me I'll get on September the 8th. Then I called again September 8th and they said you wont get it till October the 17th I said look I had awesome people gave me advice on cooking and I have food in the fridge that needs to be cooked now. So I canceled the order. So my fiance was feeling really extra sweet that night and went online looked it up and order them for me. He order the pots on the 13th of September I would of gotten it next wednesday on the 21st. But instead of that I got them today on the 16th of September. YYYEEEESSSSSSSSSSS I'm so happy I told him that this was the best anniversary gift ever. Our anni is on the 17th 9 months long and going strong.
<img src="/images/graemlins/lovers.gif" alt="" /> Now I'm off doing some cooking

So, how's the cooking going?

Oh its going well I love it I love it I love it. I sometime feel like I'm Martha Stewart in my kitchen lol. Those pots and Pans are the best. Thanks for asking