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This recipe came about because of two reasons. Reason number one, an unexpected guest was coming on Sunday for coffee at around 11:30 am and it was already 9:00 am. Reason number two, I found all of the ingredients handy in my refrigerator including just the right amount of ricotta needed. The topping of sweetened and salted whole pecans was a total last minute thought that turned out to be a great addition. Sometimes you have to be quick on your feet when it comes to entertaining at the last minute. I am always up to the challenge of whipping up something, even if it isn’t all homemade.

Years ago, my husband mentioned to me, last minute, that he invited some of his family over for dinner because they would happen to be in our neighborhood, in a few hours. I had no idea what I would serve; then like a drill sergeant, I started barking commands to the family. To my husband, “Get the dining room table pulled out and set up the room so I can serve buffet style.” To my son, who was driving at the time, “I need you to go to Price Club and buy two bags of frozen stuffed shells and one bag of frozen ready made meatballs.” There is always homemade spaghetti sauce in my freezer and I had everything to make a salad. The menu for dinner for about 15 people altogether was two trays of stuffed shells, a pot of meatballs in sauce, a tray of salad and Italian bread. When the family arrived for dinner, it was as if a tornado had touched down in my house and whipped up all the food into a cyclone and took it away. They came, they ate, they left. Nothing but a few meatballs at the bottom of a pot of sauce was left standing. When you use your own homemade sauce, everything you serve with it tastes ten times better. Don’t sweat the small stuff, so what if I didn’t make an elaborate dinner, I made dinner and in a short amount of time no less. That is what is important at the end of the day. Dinner was served.

Mangia, and the whole world Mangias with you!