Pasta lovers looking to spice up their pasta dishes with professional, chef-inspired recipes have a new cookbook from Barilla to try out. Barilla is offering its second annual downloadable cookbook for free in its campaign to help fight hunger.
Barilla, the world’s number one pasta maker, announces its second annual call on pasta lovers to help fight hunger with the launch of “The Celebrity Italian Table Cookbook.” Renowned chef Mario Batali, entertaining expert David Tutera and five Hollywood celebrities partnered with Barilla to offer unique recipes and stylish table concepts.
Throughout the month of February, the cookbook is available online for no charge at www.celebrityitaliantable.com. For every person who downloads a copy, Barilla will donate $1 to America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network (up to $100,000).
Tutera and Batali developed six three-course meals and table settings inspired by Hollywood celebrities Chris Daughtry, Debra Messing, Natalie Portman, Marisa Tomei and Stanley Tucci, which can easily be recreated at home. To thank the celebrities for their participation, Barilla is making an additional $25,000 donation to America’s Second Harvest on their behalf.
This year’s cookbook offers the following celebrity-inspired recipes and table settings:
— Romantic Night with Chris Daughtry’s Rigatoni with Basil and Gorgonzola
— Celebratory Feast with Debra Messing’s Penne alla Vodka
— Girlfriends Gathering with Natalie Portman’s Penne alla Puttanesca
— Dinner Party with Marisa Tomei’s Farfalle “alla Marisa”
— Family Dinner with Stanley Tucci’s Spaghetti al Tonno
— Babbo with Mario Batali’s restaurant favorite Fettuccine with Zucca
Tonno, by the way, is Tuna. Zucca is pumpkin. Zucca is an Italian favorite. In fact, it’s one of my Italian favorites. Puttanesca, well, is named after the prostitues of Napoli. It’s considered to be a robust, hot and spicy past dish.
The beef industry honored Paul Hitch today at the general session. His family joined him on stage and he was presented with a plaque and accolades for all the work he’s done on behalf of the industry over the years. Paul’s a producer from Oklahoma.
The press got to meet with our new Ag Secretary, Ed Schafer, after his speech today.
The ever lovely Executive Director of the 
Our Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer, made his first major public policy speech today at the Cattle Industry Convention. Thanks to Andy Vance, 
He did talk about the Humane Society mess over their video of animal handling atrocities at the Hallmark Meat Packing Co. I think USDA has handled this quite well and the plant was shut down. What I thought was interesting was the Secretary in the press conference making a very good point about how this whacko (my word) organization withheld the video for months so they could release it to the media in a sensational way instead of bringing it immediately to the proper legal authorities so that the situation could have been halted immediately. In effect, the Humane Society prolonged animal suffering and I think the people who support them ought to know that they really don’t care about animals, only their political agenda and raising money.
The Beef Ambassadors sure do a good job of getting out and promoting beef. I know passion about the product is necessary to be chosen and Jennifer Rassler, Kempton, PA is one of them.
It’s time once again for a Guess Who’s Boots post.