Fancy Knock-Out Dinner Made Cheap
This is the perfect pasta when you want to blow your guests out of the water. Cook this at home instead of a pricey meal at a restaurant and you'll be amazed how much money you will save. It has the kind of buttery, salty flavors that aren't easily duplicated with jarred sauces and the comfort food appeal which makes it perfect year round. If you have a few extra dollars to splurge on prosciutto instead of ham and white wine instead of chicken broth, it will make the dish extra special but it works great either way. I think it's best with fresh pasta and I used a trick I saw recently on Jamie Oliver's new show: buying fresh lasagna sheets and cutting them into the desired thickness just before cooking. If you'd rather use dried pasta stick with thicker pasta like tagliatelle or linguine.
Buttery Pasta with Prosciutto
2 oz prosciutto or ham
1 tablespoon butter plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 medium onion
3 sheets fresh lasagna or 6 oz dried pasta
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
Grated Parmesan cheese
Add 1 tablespoon butter to a medium sized pan until melted. Add onion and cook until soft but not browned. Add prosciutto or ham, stir to mix and add white wine or chicken broth.
Cook until liquid has reduced by half. 
Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to cut the fresh pasta into desired thickness. Cook until al dente and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
Once liquid in the pan has reduced by half, turn off heat, add fresh cracked pepper and 1 teaspoon butter. Toss with hot pasta and add pasta cooking liquid if sauce seems too dry. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.
I am a hummus snob. Growing up outside of Detroit, I took for granted the creamy simple hummus at the Lebanese restaurants around town. I never liked grocery store hummus but the hummus I found at my college cafeteria brought the dish to new lows. It looked like concrete paste one might use to lay bricks.
Recipe for the best hummus ever
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. If you're using a mini food processor (like I did), reserve 1/2 of the can of chickpeas and add them back in after the rest of the ingredients have been blended.
Process until smooth, adding water as needed.
