Barilla is a staple in our pantry.

It’s true. Ever since Barilla Pasta came onto the scene, we’ve been choosing it over the other brands of pasta.

WHY?

Well, first of all, for some reason – I can’t seem to overcook it. Oh, I’m sure that if I tried REALLY, REALLY hard that I could. But, Barilla comes out JUST RIGHT every time that I make it. Whether I’m simply pouring a jar of Barilla Sauce over it and serving it with cheese or Mr. S. has made his fabulous homemade puttanesca sauce, I can always count on the Barilla pasta to be perfect.

Because I love eating Italian, I’m always on the hunt for great new recipes and tips, and now Barilla’s Share the Table site has teamed up with some FABULOUS celebrities like chef Mario Batali and singer Martina McBride to bring you important tips on the importance of  gathering the family for dinner and things that you can do (and recipes that you can create) to make your meals more meaningful.

My mom used to make Pasta alla Norma when we were kids and I don’t think that I’d ever made it myself. So, when I saw that Mario Batali had put his recipe for this dish on the Share the Table site, I got very excited.  It’s a vegetarian dish with plenty of ZING (I like it with LOTS of garlic and plenty of chili flakes). I made it this week and I’ve got to tell you (boasting here), that it was BETTER than my mom’s. Just a note, I added a few ingredients of my own like black olives and fresh pecorino-romano cheese.  If you’re looking for recipes that are AUTHENTIC and easy to make, you’ll want to bookmark this site (as I have).

Barilla is also offering a  “Pasta Friday Sweepstakes” with  winners of pasta and pasta sauce each week. They’ve  created the “Mealtime Moments Contest,” that gives families who commit to enhancing mealtime the opportunity to share their stories and have the opportunity to win prizes throughout the summer. Here’s the part that I really love – for each person that becomes a fan of meaningful meals at ShareTheTable.com, Barilla will donate $1 to Meals on Wheels Association of America, which helps seniors at risk of hunger get the nutritious food they need.

OK – all of this writing about Barilla is making me hungry. I’m heading to the kitchen now. See you on the NEXT post from the mansion.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Barilla and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review..