Learn How To Create A Delicious Holiday Meal With Michael Angelo {Review & Giveaway}

I love Italian food! LOVE. Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with the cooking skills that my Italian friends have, nor do I have much time to spend in the kitchen. Therefore, when we want Italian food, we either have to eat out, or buy frozen meals from the grocery store. The frozen meals are more convenient, and usually more affordable than eating out, but many of them are loaded with preservatives. When I do purchase Italian frozen entrees, I look for preservative-free varieties like those from Michael Angelo's.

Michael Angelo's is a family owned and operated business that creates authentic Italian frozen meals, and is celebrating 30 years in business in 2012. As a third-generation Italian-American family, founder Michael Angelo and his mother Sara have a passion for good Italian food and a commitment to never compromise on quality. As Michael says, "If you can't find it in Mom's kitchen, we won't use it in our food." For more details on how this duo prepares their entrees, visit the About section of the Michael Angelo's website. They have a great story!

Sara learned to cook from her Sicilian grandmother, Foti, and is ready to share some of her kitchen secrets through the Publix Apron's Cooking School series with Central Florida fans. Michael and Sara will be creating a full Italian holiday meal, complete with an appetizer, pasta dish, meat dish and a dessert, and guests get to sample each delicious creation.

Michael Angelo's Publix Apron's Cooking School Menu

• Appetizer – Caprese Stacker
• Toasted crostini, grilled eggplant with basil pesto, heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella seasoned with Italian style dressing.
• Primi Piatti – Rigatoni Pasta alla Norma
• Zesty tomato sauce with roasted eggplant, capers, kalamata olives, calabrian chili peppers and al’dente rigatoni pasta topped with ricotta salata and imported Romano cheese.
• Secondi Piatti – Beef Tenderloin Ripieni
• Beef loin filled with sautéed spinach, prosciutto, imported Romano cheese and pine nuts, seasoned with Tuscan-style fresh herbs and served with roasted vegetables and red wine sauce.
• Dolce – Tiramisu
• Tiramisu hand-dipped in Belgium dark chocolate, garnished with zabaglione, raspberries and blackberries.

Yum! I would certainly love to have that as my holiday meal! If you live in either Tampa or Sarasota, you can sign up for one of these classes and learn how to make it all! The Tampa Publix cooking class is Thursday, October 18, and the Sarasota Publix cooking class is Friday, October 19. Advance registration is available online. Seats are limited, so make sure you make your reservation today!

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend these classes, but I had the opportunity to try some of Michael Angelo's frozen meals. With so many delicious entrees to choose from, it was not an easy decision to pick which ones we wanted to try first. We ultimately went with a single size Chicken Parmesan and a family size Meat Lasagna.

We decided to try the Meat Lasagna first and we cooked it for dinner tonight. Talk about easy preparation! All I had to do was take it out of the box, place it on a cookie sheet, and put it in the oven. Less than an hour later, the whole house smelled like yummy Italian food, and dinner was ready!

The lasagna was so good! It tasted like something you would get in a restaurant. I'm not exaggerating, either. You could taste the spices in the sauce, and everything was very flavorful. It was so tasty that my picky eaters even cleaned their plates!

Yes, Rylie has a cat face. My mom took the kids to Sea World and she had her face painted.

This lasagna was so good that we even caught my mom trying to steal some of Bryce's after she finished hers!

We had purchased two of the large lasagna entrees since my mom was joining us, and we didn't know if one would be enough. One was plenty for all of us, though, and we didn't touch the other one. Guess what we're having for dinner again tomorrow night? YUM!

If you're looking for a home-cooked, Italian meal that you don't have to spend hours preparing, I highly recommend the Michael Angelo's products. They are wholesome and delicious, and the entire family will love them!

Which Michael Angelo's entree is your favorite? Or if you haven't had them yet, which one do you want to try first?

~*~Giveaway~*~

~*~Six Michael Angelo's Italian Meals~*~

Winner will receive 3 coupons for single-serve meals, and 3 coupons for family-serve meals.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received product coupons for free entrees in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received.