Pasta may be the greatest overachiever in the food world.

It starts as a mess of flour, water and sometimes eggs, yet somehow ends up as spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, fettuccine, baked ziti, macaroni salad and approximately 400 other things that make us loosen our belts.

That is serious range, or as the kids say, “aura.”

So, what makes pasta so ridiculously versatile?

It Gets Along With Everybody

Pasta is remarkably nonjudgmental.

Red sauce? Absolutely. Cream sauce? Of course. Pesto? Bring it on and your lovely green color. 

It works with meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese and whatever random assortment of ingredients is currently residing in your refrigerator.

There are very few foods this accommodating.

The Shape Actually Changes the Experience

Yes, technically, spaghetti and rigatoni are made from essentially the same stuff.

But tell that to someone who has strong feelings about penne.

Some shapes are made to grab thick sauces. Others are better suited for lighter ones. Tubes catch bits of meat and vegetables, and long noodles twirl dramatically around a fork.

And stuffed pasta? That’s basically pasta deciding it wasn’t doing enough already.

It Can Be Casual or Fancy

Mac and cheese on Tuesday night?

Pasta.

Handmade lobster ravioli at a restaurant where the waiter folds your napkin while you’re in the restroom?

Also pasta.

Few foods can move this effortlessly between paper plates and white tablecloths.

Pasta can feed four hungry kids after soccer practice or anchor a romantic anniversary dinner.

Try doing that with oatmeal.

Hot? Cold? Pasta Doesn’t Care

Most foods pick a temperature and stick with it.

Pasta refuses to be boxed in.

Serve it piping hot with Bolognese, bake it under a blanket of melted cheese, or chill it and toss it with vegetables and vinaigrette for a summer pasta salad.

Somehow, all three feel completely legitimate.

Pasta Comes in a Rainbow of Colors 

Pasta apparently decided shape wasn’t enough.

Walk down the pasta aisle and you’ll find noodles in shades of red, green, black, orange and just about everything in between. Some get their color from spinach, tomatoes, beets, squid ink or other ingredients.

Colored pasta changes the mood of a dish. Spinach pasta brings a little earthiness. Tomato-based pasta adds warmth. Squid ink pasta shows up looking dramatic enough to deserve its own entrance music.

When several colors are combined in one bowl, even a simple pasta dish starts to look like someone put in considerably more effort than they actually did.

Leftovers Are Rarely a Problem

Another underrated talent: pasta usually tastes pretty darn good the next day.

Sometimes even better.

That lasagna that was excellent on Sunday can become Monday lunch with almost no effort beyond locating a fork.

Versatility and laziness occasionally make wonderful partners.

🍝 SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT 🍝

You’ll never guess what this shameless plug alert gift basket has. 

If you said bowling ball pins, you’re wrong! 

Our Lotsa Pasta Gift Basket is built in a colander and twirling with Pappardelle pasta, Pasta sauce, Italian cookies, Pasta spoon, Dish towel, and of course a”Kiss the Cook” Swedish dishcloth. 

Make it a pasta night to remember!

About BasketWorks

BasketWorks is a woman-owned gift basket company located in the north suburbs of Chicago (specifically Northbrook, IL) since 1997. We are proud to offer a variety of gifts and gift baskets appropriate for all occasions. Each of our packages is built to order, allowing for customization at no additional cost to our clients. Contact us today!

Please subscribe to our blog, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.

Think about tailgating objectively for a moment.

We voluntarily arrive several hours early for an event so we can stand around a parking lot, eat food from folding tables, occasionally toss beanbags into a hole, and watch some people who can’t handle their liquor. 

And we absolutely love it.

Football season is almost here, which means parking lots will soon transform into temporary neighborhoods filled with grills, coolers, folding chairs, team flags, and people who have been awake far too long for a Sunday morning.

So, why exactly do we love tailgating so much?

The Game Becomes an All-Day Affair

A football game lasts about three hours and 15 minutes. 

For serious tailgaters, that’s simply not enough.

Tailgating stretches game day into something much bigger. There’s the packing, drive, setup, food, games, conversations and, eventually, the actual football game.

Food Tastes Better in a Parking Lot

I can’t prove this scientifically, but I’m comfortable standing behind it.

A burger at your kitchen table is a burger. A burger eaten outside a stadium with charcoal essence while wearing your lucky jersey and discussing whether this is finally the year is an experience.

Tailgating food doesn’t need to be fancy. In fact, if you prepare foie gras, you’ll get run out of town in many cities. 

Burgers, brats, chili, dips, sandwiches, chips, cookies and plenty of snacks all work beautifully. The important thing is having enough.

If you have extra wings, you can throw them at the opposing team. 

Everyone Has a Role

Every tailgate has its own cast of characters.

There’s the Grill Master, who guards the cooking area with the intensity of a surgeon. There’s the Organizer, who somehow remembered napkins, utensils, garbage bags and the bottle opener. There’s the Superfan, already analyzing playoff scenarios in September.

Then there’s the person who brought nothing but has strong opinions about the doneness of meat.

You know who you are.

Tradition Is a Powerful Thing

Tailgaters return to the same spots, prepare the same foods and gather with many of the same people year after year.

Those rituals become part of football season. You remember freezing tailgates, rainy tailgates, glorious September afternoons and games you’d prefer never to discuss again.

The traditions keep bringing everyone back.

And Then There’s the Optimism

The secret ingredient.

Before kickoff, anything is possible. Your team is undefeated for the day. The questionable offseason decisions suddenly seem brilliant. That rookie could be a superstar. The playoffs? Practically inevitable.

Ultimately, tailgating gives us an excuse to eat, laugh, reconnect and spend a few hours with people we enjoy (and interlopers we tolerate) before turning our attention to the field.

If the game doesn’t go our way, at least you ate well.

🏈 SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT 🏈 

Who knows where the Bears will actually be playing their home games in a few season. What’s certain is that kickoff for their home-opener (at Soldier Field) is noon on September 20th. The other certainty is that we have a fabulous treat for Bears fans. Our Bear Down Football Gift Basket features: 100 Things Bears Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die book; Bears mug; Bears ticket desk sign; Bears chip clips; Bears pens; Bears notepads; cookies; Dipping pretzels; and Honey mustard. 

May this be the Bears’ year. 

About BasketWorks

BasketWorks is a woman-owned gift basket company located in the north suburbs of Chicago (specifically Northbrook, IL) since 1997. We are proud to offer a variety of gifts and gift baskets appropriate for all occasions. Each of our packages is built to order, allowing for customization at no additional cost to our clients. Contact us today!

Please subscribe to our blog, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.