Epicurean Bliss

When it comes to the world of food and cooking, there are few things that make this foodie happier than getting a great deal, or better yet, getting something for free! Let’s face it, being a connoisseur of cuisine in Manhattan, or any city for that matter, can be pretty pricey, so when a great deal falls into my lap, I can’t wait to share it with others.

Yesterday, TastingTable.com’s daily newsletter included what was touted as a “Free Celebrity Cookbook,” which includes the favorite dishes of some well-known celebrities like Meryl Streep, Jimmy Fallon, and Julianne Moore. In turn, the culinary world’s go-to Italian Chef Mario Batali took these dishes and recreated them into easy-to-make-at-home recipes. At first I was skeptical, but some of these meals look downright delicious, and who isn’t looking for something to do with that forgotten box of pasta stuffed away in the back of your cabinet? From Vegetarian Lasagna to Penne with Toasted Pine Nuts, Cauliflower, and Romano Cheese, to Three Cheese Tortellini in Sage Brown Butter Sauce, this collection of recipes is simple enough to use every night with most ingredients that can be found in your fridge already.

But on to the more important reason as to why you should download this cookbook. To obtain the cookbook, all you have to do is click on this link and answer a simple question: “Do you believe in meaningful meals?” For every person that clicks yes, Barilla will donate a dollar to the Meals on Wheels Association of America, which provides home-delivered meal services to families in need. So far over thirty-three thousand people have clicked YES – that’s a lot of charitable good for not a whole lot of heavy lifting And once you answer the question, a link to download a PDF of the cookbook appears below – and it’s all yours to download, save, print, and use to your heart’s content.

So tonight enjoy a yummy homemade pasta dish, plain and simple, with the knowledge that you’ve helped support a great cause today FYI, the cookbook (and website for making your “donation”) will be available until October 15th, so feel free to pass this along to friends, family, and coworkers!