"Penne For Your Thoughts"

Any excuse for pasta, right? But we’ll let you in on a little secret: a pasta bar is the ideal meal to serve at your next party. All in one you can tempt a variety of palates, appease picky eaters, cater to a wide range of dietary requirements, and all with minimal preparation. Sound too good to be true?

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The antipasto platter is a guest-pleasing appetizer course no matter if you serve up 2 options or 20. Ideally, your platter is filled with items that don’t require constant refrigeration, and each item is easy to pick up and eat, no slicing or spinning necessary. Typical fare includes cured meats, hard cheeses, fresh and dried fruit, pickled items of all kinds, and of course bread.

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In case it wasn’t clear, at National Pasta we’re passionate about pasta! That’s just one of the reasons why we work diligently to provide you with fresh, quality pasta made with Canadian-sourced ingredients. There’s so much to love about pasta; here are some of our favourite reasons why we keep it stocked in our own home kitchens.

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You’ve spent the spring getting your yard ready to entertain, and your patience has paid off: summer has arrived! And in style: This season is bound to be a hot one! With these top summertime entertaining tips, and meal suggestions from your neighbourhood National Pasta shop, you can focus on good times and making memories with you family and friends all summer long.

Summer Party Tips:

1. Use frozen fruit instead of ice to keep cold drinks refreshing without watering them down. Stock up on seasonal fruits and freeze them in a single layer on a baking pan lined with wax or parchment paper. Remove the fruit from the paper and store in an airtight bag in the freezer and you won’t have to work too hard to chip off what you need at party time, or when you pour a summer sipper for one.
2. Encourage guests to guzzle water by infusing pitchers with herbs and fruit. Just add them to the pitcher and you’re done! This is best to make ahead the night before, but you can still taste success by putting your mix together the morning of. Popular add-ins are cantaloupe, cucumber and mint, and any single or combination of citrus fruits. Invent your own combinations, and don’t be afraid to mix fruit and herbs together. Be sure to use fresh ingredients rather than dried or frozen for full flavour as well as a beautiful display.
3. Skip the mayo in hot weather and serve salads with vinaigrette. This suits garden salad as well as rice and pasta salads. Dress your salads to impress by providing a salad bar! It’s still a good idea to refrigerate all food items as soon as you’re done serving. Better yet, set up your buffet in the kitchen to avoid food from spoiling as well as making for easy set up and cleanup.
4. Be a thoughtful host and schedule your party for the morning, or late afternoon to evening to avoid midday heat and sun exposure. Keep sunscreen and bug spray handy for guests, water plentiful, and if it’s really hot don’t be afraid to move the party indoors.

National Pasta makes elegant entertaining easy. We’ve got pasta for all of your entertaining needs. Have you tried our Healthy Grains Red Lentil Rotini in a pasta salad yet? You should! Check out our meat selection, in which we proudly offer Canadian-raised free-range chicken, succulent sausages, hot dogs that hit the spot, and AAA New York steak aged a minimum 35 days. Peruse our selection of Mamma Mari’s BBQ sauce in a variety of flavours and heat; gluten free!

But wait, there’s more! Give your guests the taste of Europe with our imported antipasto items and satisfy the sweet tooth with cookies, candies, and more. Looking for a thank you gift for teachers? Put together your own gift basket, or pick up a gift card! Stop in to see what’s in store at 715 Wellington St. West in Guelph or 25 Struck Court Unit 3 in Cambridge today.

Q: How much pasta is one serving?

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Are you sick of searching for new ways to make healthy, exciting lunches? Try pasta! Pasta is a versatile meal that is easy to make part of your well-balanced diet. Our bodies need carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, and vitamins to keep us energized throughout the day. Pasta’s here for you! By choosing your ingredients thoughtfully you can design a pasta lunch to get you through the 3 o’clock wall without reaching for a donut.

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You dig some meatballs out of the freezer and grab a jar of tomato sauce out of the cupboard, then reach for a package of noodles. You’re out of spaghetti, but fettuccini is fine, because it’s all the same, right? Soon you’re sitting down to a delicious meal that…just doesn’t feel right! What happened? Pasta is more than a pretty face; it’s the vehicle used to get that delightful sauce from your plate into your mouth, and each shape serves a specific purpose.

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It’s a new year and you’re ready to take on new challenges. Why not get a little saucy? A fresh take on nutrition and food is a common New Year’s resolution, and adding some new sauces to your repertoire, or even just your pantry, can help liven up your newly developed menu. Looking to add more vegetables to your diet? There’s a sauce for that! Interested in the health benefits of various herbs? Add them to sauce! Here is a list of some popular sauces – Italian and otherwise – to help you understand dishes you thought you knew, and to bolster your Must Try list.

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When you think of comfort food visions of biscuits and gravy may float through your head, but at National Pasta it’s lasagna. Those indulgent layers of pasta, sauce, cheese set off a sensory sensation like no other food. One of our most popular products, we offer it in 3 flavour combinations to appease every lasagna fan out there, and there are a lot of you! What kind of lasagna enthusiast are you? Do you fancy yourself a traditionalist, or are you into the modern takes on lasagna? And which one do you take with you to the family potluck this year?

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‘Tis the season of potluck! Asking guests to contribute to the celebration’s meal takes a lot of stress out of hosting duties, it can add a bit of strain to guests. On top of juggling a full season of social events, now you’ve got to plan a dish, make it, pack it, and set it up at someone else’s home. You’ve got plenty of resources online, and in your collection of cookbooks, but the choices are so many that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Avoid resorting to chips and dip; let National Pasta take the stress out of potlucks this holiday season!

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