Pasta is the ultimate quick and easy food. There's the stand-by red sauce, or jarred Alfredo or pesto that you can just heat and serve. Add a loaf of bread and a simple bagged salad and you're set to go. It's easy to jazz it up a bit with fresh Parmesan cheese, fresh basil or oregano. Go Asian and combine peanut butter and soy sauce over hot noodles. Add chopped scallions and some bean sprouts. Think of pasta as a neutral-add anything you like to it. Be creative-try dried fruits and nuts for a sweeter pasta. You can always throw together something good if you keep a few canned ingredients around the house. Under "The Perfect Pasta Pantry," I included a list of basic pasta add-ins. Pick a couple and add it to your pasta, either warm or cold. I've included a couple of interesting combinations, but try your hand at creating your favorite.

I steered clear of pasta in the past recipes because I just assumed that everyone could make pasta. But this weekend, I witnessed first-hand that just because you can boil water doesn't mean you can cook pasta. So for my pasta-challenged friends I came up with a couple of easy pasta concoctions. For those of you with a hot plate or (gasp) real stove top, make your own pasta using the helpful hints below. If you can't-or are lazy or in a hurry-just grab some from Valentine-if you can make your own, though, do. There is a lot more to pasta than white noodles.

Pasta Basics

When cooking pasta, be sure to use lots of water. If you give pasta room to move while boiling you don't need to add any oil while cooking. Stir frequently during cooking so the pasta doesn't stick. Also, the cooking process is the only time you have to season the pasta, so be sure to salt the water (about 1 tablespoon per pot). This spices up the pasta and helps it to absorbs the flavors of your sauce. Do not overcook your pasta. It will quickly become an icky, sticky mess. The rule is "al dente" (to the tooth). Cook pasta for less time than the package says-taste it to see if it's ready. It should crunch, not mush, when you bite it. If you are serving your pasta cold, rinse in cold water after cooking. If you are serving it warm, don't rinse the pasta. Rinsing washes away the starch, which prevents the sauce from sticking.

The Perfect Pasta Pantry

Artichoke Hearts

Basil

Cheese

Dressing-almost any salad dressing works. Wishbone Italian is a go-to for everything, but others are really fun. Experiment.

Garlic

Marinated Mushrooms

Meat-chicken, ham, shrimp

Nuts

Olives

Sun-dried tomatoes

Vegetables-cooked, raw, diced, sliced, any combination you might find (some suggestions: peas, onions, peppers of any kind)

Chicken Caesar Pasta

Combine to taste: Rinsed and cooled pasta, grilled chicken, Caesar dressing, spinach or raw lettuce, parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Italian Style Pasta Salad

Combine to taste: Warm pasta, diced red pepper, diced green pepper, marinated artichoke hearts, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, olives, parmesan cheese, some of the oil from the artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and pepper.