This is for all the Slavinskys out there!  When I received the latest issue of bon appetit magazine the other day, I knew we would be eating pasta this week.  I made the Bucatini all’Amatriciana (except that I used spaghetti instead of bucatini) and it was DELICIOUS!  The crushed red pepper adds just enough heat to make the sauce interesting, but not enough to burn your tongue – even my toddlers loved it.  I will definitely be making this again and again.  Just a reminder to add lots of kosher salt (maybe 2 Tablespoons) to your pasta water – it is the key to delicious pasta and it is especially important in this recipe since  you use the pasta water to help create the sauce, and the salty water adds flavor. Okay, now for a review of the magazine….

The May 2011 issue of bon appetit is a wonderful issue, focusing mostly on Italian cuisine.  There are many great pasta recipes as well as a few amazing dessert recipes, like zeppole, chocolate tiramisu, rhubarb and raspberry crostata, and a pistachio biscotti.  There is a wonderful article about traveling to Rome with young kids – makes me excited to think that we could actually do that with our kids in a few years!  On top of all the amazing Italian recipes and articles, there are also Cinco de Mayo recipes and dreamy chef Eric Ripert shares his recipe for Blender Hollandaise.  This is one of the best issues of bon appetit that I’ve ever read – go out and get it, or at least check out their website for some of the recipes.~