Stuffed Shells

I don't know about you, but whenever I'm cleaning out or reorganizing my pantry, I always seem to find at least a couple half boxes of pasta that I've had for who knows how long. I mean, with just me and my husband here, rarely do I cook an entire box of pasta at once. Lucky for me, whenever I manage to stumble upon those half empty (or half full if you like) boxes, it always seems to spark a dinner idea. Well last week as I was standing on my tip toes trying to reach something on the top shelf of my pantry, I happened upon a partial box of large pasta shells. Well, naturally I thought of stuffed shells. I haven't made these in so long so I thought I'd add them to my menu for this week. I had forgotten how good these little cheese stuffed shells are. I had planned on having leftovers for our lunches tomorrow, but let's just say it looks like one of us will have to order out for lunch. They were just too darn good!

Stuffed Shells

1/2 box jumbo shells
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 cup baby spinach
salt and pepper
4 cups pasta sauce or meat sauce (I used a meat sauce made with ground turkey and jarred sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Begin by boiling the shells until done (about 8-9 minutes). Drain. Combine cheeses, egg, italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor. Add baby spinach and pulse a couple more times until the spinach is slightly chopped. In a baking dish, spread 2 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Next, scoop about 1 1/2 tsp of the cheese mixture into each shell and place them in the dish on top of the sauce. Top with the remaining sauce and additional mozzarella cheese is desired. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25-30 min.

Shrimp Pasta

If you can't tell from these last two posts, seafood was on sale at the store this week. While I'm not always the biggest fan of seafood, I do love shrimp. Fried, steamed, grilled, all kinds. It's a good thing I love it because I've got a ton of it in my freezer right now. I thought a simple pasta dish would be good for dinner tonight and what better way to use up some of my shrimp. I thought I would throw some spinach in there for good measure, too. So that's how I came up with this easy and delicious dish. Dinner was ready in about 20 minutes. This is a perfect example of a quick and easy dinner with basic ingredients, and just goes to show that dinner doesn't have to be hard!

Shrimp Pasta with a lemon butter sauce
(for 2)

10-12 small shrimp, defrosted if frozen
4 oz vermicelli pasta
1/2 a lemon
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 tsp dried parsley

Begin by chopping the spinach and placing it in a serving bowl. Boil water and cook pasta until al dente (about 5 min for vermicelli). Drain the pasta and place in the bowl on top of the spinach. The warm pasta will help the spinach to wilt down a little. In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter. Add garlic and juice of half a lemon. Cook the garlic 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter over the pasta and spinach and toss to combine. Toss the shrimp in the same skillet and cook about 3 min or until pink. Place the shrimp on top of the pasta and sprinkle with parsley. Squeeze additional lemon juice over the shrimp if desired. Serve warm.

Pesto Presto!

Ok, yeah I know that's a cheesy title, but that's what came to mind so that's what I went with. I haven't been very inspired in the dinner department lately. I think I was trying so many new recipes all at once that I sort of had recipe overload. So lately I've been making easy meals with staple items in my pantry. Tonight was no different. I had some pesto in the fridge that needed using up so I thought what goes better with pesto than pasta and chicken. Plus, my husband is always up for pasta so I knew I'd get no complaints from him. It took no time to make and was really delicious.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
2 cups dry pasta (I used farfalle but any pasta would work)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp pesto
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Begin by heating the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the pan. While chicken is cooking boil the pasta and drain. Once the chicken is done, add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze it. Make sure to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan for flavor. Add the pasta to the pan. Stir in the pesto, coating the pasta and chicken. Top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Herb Roasted Pork with Garlic and Spinach Orzo

Looking in my fridge and pantry this week, I saw lots of half boxes and bags of things. I hate when I have a lot of random leftover items because I always find it difficult to make a complete dinner out of them. Well there was no way I was fighting the last minute Thanksgiving shoppers at the grocery store so I decided I needed to use up what I had. So out of a pork roast, half a box of orzo, half a bag of baby spinach, 1/4 head of garlic, and 1 cup chicken stock came the idea for our dinner tonight. It turned out really well and was simple and delicious.

Herb Roasted Pork

1.5 lb pork roast
1 tsp dried thyme
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a skillet over med/high heat and add 3 Tbsp olive oil. Rub the roast with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. Place the roast in the skillet and sear on all sides. Place roast in a preheated 375 degree oven and cook for about an hour. Check to make sure the internal temp is 160 or that juices are clear. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 min before slicing. Pour pan juices over sliced pork.

Garlic and Spinach Orzo

1 cup orzo
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt. Add orzo and boil for 9 min, until al dente. Drain the orzo. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 min. Add the orzo and chicken stock and stir. Remove from heat and stir in chopped spinach, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Chicken Parmesan and Buttery Garlic Croutons

One of our favorite Italian dishes is chicken parmesan. It's such a simple and comforting dish, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand to make it. It always turns out so delicious that I ask myself why I don't make it more often. We had this tonight for dinner with some spaghetti and a salad. Dinner was ready in under 30 minutes. Can't beat that.

Chicken Parmesan

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 cup italian style bread crumbs (I made my own but you could buy them)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Set up three shallow bowls; one with the parmesan cheese, one with the eggs, and one with the bread crumbs. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breasts. Dip one chicken breast in the parmesan and pat to coat it with the cheese. Then dip it in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Be sure to coat it well. Do this for the other remaining chicken breasts and place them in a baking dish. Bake for 20-25 min until chicken is no longer pink. Broil on each side 2 min for a crispier crust.

Serve with your favorite pasta and marinara sauce. Top with additional parmesan if desired.


I also made some homemade croutons tonight to go on my salad. I had some leftover dinner rolls so this was a good way to use those up. So simple and so good!

Buttery Garlic Croutons

4-5 small dinner rolls (this could be made with regular bread as well)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp garlic powder(you could also use minced garlic but remove it from the melted butter before placing the bread cubes in the pan so it doesn't burn)

Cut the bread into 1"cubes. Heat a pan over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic powder and the bread cubes. Toss the bread around or turn with a spoon every couple of minutes to brown on each side. Once brown and crispy, place the croutons on a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess butter. Allow them to cool and serve on your favorite salad.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been a little under the weather for the past couple days. And by a little I mean a lot. For the past few days I've been completely and utterly miserable. I haven't felt like cooking or doing much of anything. Today I finally started to feel a tad bit better. Well wouldn't you know my husband is starting to feel sick now. Since I was on my own for dinner tonight, I decided I felt up to making us some chicken noodle soup. I made it pretty much the same way I made my chicken and rice soup but added a few more veggies and of course noodles instead of rice. Hopefully a couple bowls of this will have us both feeling better in no time.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts
5-6 cups water
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp thyme
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 large onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2-2 cups egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling the chicken breasts in a large pot with water and chicken stock. Once the chicken is done, remove from the pot and set aside. Place vegetables, thyme, and chicken bouillon in the pot and simmer for 8-10 min until vegetables start to get tender. Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the pot. Add the noodles and let simmer about 8 min until the noodles are done. Add more water as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dinner in a hurry

I found out at the last minute today that we would be having my husband's family over for lunch tomorrow. And while they will be bringing the main course and sides, I volunteered to do a salad and dessert. Of course, for a person like me that loves to bake, a cake or pie from the store won't do, so that meant I would be spending tonight with my apron and mixer. With that on my mind, I did not want a complicated dinner. So I thought some pasta and fresh veggies would be good, and I figured I'd add some chicken too, for good measure. This pasta was done in under 20 minutes and was very delicious. I will definitely be making this again for those nights when I'm pressed for time. This made enough for the two of us with a little leftover.

Fettucine with spinach, tomatoes, and chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/3 of a 16 oz box of fettucine (most any pasta would work)
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, washed
1 small tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Begin boiling the water for the pasta. Add pasta to salted water and boil for about 8 min or until al dente. Drain the pasta and place in a bowl with spinach. (The heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach down a little.) Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium/high heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the pan. Cook for about 10 min or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet and add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan along with the butter. When the butter is melted, add the chopped garlic. Saute for 2-3 min to cook the garlic. Pour garlic butter over the pasta and spinach and toss in the chicken and chopped tomato. Toss to combine all the ingredients. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

*a squirt of lemon juice right before serving would be good on this, too

A vegetable-less dinner

This never happens but tonight we had dinner without vegetables. I always try to make a balanced meal for dinner; protein, carbs, and at least one non-starchy vegetable, but tonight I was just not feeling the veggies. So I didn't make any. But what we did have was very good... barbecue pork sandwiches, made in the crock pot and homemade mac 'n cheese. So I guess I don't feel so bad about the veggies. Eh, I'll do better tomorrow.


Crock Pot Pulled Barbecue Pork

2 lb pork loin roast
1 jar barbebue sauce (I use a honey bbq sauce for a sweeter flavor)
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups broth or water

Place roast in the crock pot. Add 1/2 bottle sauce, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and garlic on top of the roast. Pour broth or water in the bottom of the crock pot. This helps to keep the roast from burning or drying out. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Before serving, take two forks and shred the pork in the crock pot. Turn the crock pot on keep warm and allow the pork to warm in the juices in the bottom of the crock pot for 15 min or so. Remove pork from the crock pot and place in a bowl. Add the other 1/2 bottle of sauce and toss to coat. Serve on buns or rolls.



I'm especially proud of how the macaroni turned out. It was the first time I have made this dish that it turned out well. You would think any proper southern girl would be born knowing how to make a killer mac 'n cheese, but I have never had any luck with it until tonight. This will be my go to mac 'n cheese recipe from now on! I basically just took ideas from several different recipes and came up with this.


Creamy Baked Mac 'n Cheese

8 oz elbow macaroni
6 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Begin my boiling the macaroni in salted water until done. Drain. Heat the milk for about 1 min in the microwave just to get it warm. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add flour and stir in with a whisk. Cook over medium heat for about 2-3 min. Slowly add warm milk to the pan and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup mozzarella, salt and pepper. Stir in macaroni. Pour into a greased baking dish. Top with additional cheddar, mozzarella and bread crumbs. Bake for about 25-30 min or until bubbly and golden brown.

Adventures with Wonton Wrappers

So here's one more thing I can mark off my list to try-cooking with wonton wrappers. I've always been afraid to use them because for some strange reason I thought they would be difficult to work with. They really weren't though. I figured they had to be easier than making my own pasta dough. It was a little time consuming filling each ravioli but once that was done they cooked up quickly. My husband and I both thought they worked out really well for this dish. I bought them specifically to make this ravioli but can't wait to try them in other dishes!

Three Cheese Ravioli with Chicken and Spinach

1 cup shredded chicken (I had some left over chicken in the fridge that had been baked with garlic.)
3 cups baby spinach, finely chopped
2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley flakes or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 package wonton wrappers

Combine the first nine ingredients in a bowl for the filling. Lay wonton wrappers out on a dry surface. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton skin. Using your fingers or a brush, moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with water. Place another wonton wrapper on top and press the edges all around to seal, pushing the air out around the filling as you go. Repeat to make desired number of ravioli. Working in batches, place ravioli in a pot of boiling, salted water and boil for about 2 min. Remove and drain off excess water. Be careful not to overcook these as they cook very quickly. Serve the ravioli with your favorite marinara sauce.

*This recipe makes a lot of filling. It can be frozen by itself or you can make additional ravioli and freeze those. The unused wonton wrappers can be frozen too.

Baked Ziti and something new for my kitchen!!

Last week while watching tv I saw Robin Miller making baked ziti on the Food Network. That's what started my craving. I decided we'd have that for dinner one night but I didn't copy her recipe. I sort of made up my own. I had a little help by using jarred sauce but added a few fresh ingredients. Oh gosh I just realized I sounded like Sandra Lee on Semi-Homemade. A reference to Robin Miller and Sandra Lee all in the same paragraph! Ahh! What's gotten into me? Sorry, I really don't care for their style of cooking. Well anyway, it turned out pretty good if I do say so. We had this tonight with a garden salad. I can't wait to eat the leftovers!


Baked Ziti

1/2 lb ziti
1 jar Bertolli Five Cheese Pasta Sauce
1/4 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Drain. Saute the onion and garlic in the pan for about 5 min. Add the ground beef back to the pan. Add sauce and chopped tomato. Cover and simmer while preparing the pasta. Boil the water for the pasta and cook the pasta until done, about 8-10 min. Drain. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Add a layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of ziti. Add another layer of sauce and then 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of ziti and another layer of sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 min. Then remove foil and bake an additional 15 min, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.



My husband and I were both off work today and decided to stop by a local antique mall. We like to go and browse the aisles when we have some time to kill. It's one of those places where people have booths set up to sell all their old junk as well as valuable antiques. While we were looking around I spotted a baker's rack that I really liked. I have been looking for one for a couple years now. Well I couldn't believe it when I saw it was only $35. I told my husband I had to get it!! We brought it home and it's the perfect place to store my cookbooks, aprons and other knick-knacks. I just love it! It fit perfectly in my kitchen.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Mmm, lasagna. One of my favorite foods to eat. Not a favorite food to photograph. It's difficult to take a good picture of a big mound of cheesey, tomato-ey pasta on your plate. But don't let my photo deter you from trying this recipe. It is awesome! I was first introduced to this recipe by my nestie friend, Mrssisler. It has become my favorite lasagna recipe. It's so easy to make because it's done in the crock pot. Also, the crock pot gives the noodles the perfect texture when done and gives you a combination of gooey cheese with the golden brown, chewy cheese edges that everyone loves about lasagna. You should definitely give this one a try! We had this for dinner tonight with a romaine and baby spinach salad with balsamic dressing and buttery garlic bread.


Crock Pot Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
* 1 large jar spaghetti
sauce (such as Ragu in the
1 lb. 10 ounce
jar)
* 1 package (8 ounces no-boil
lasagna noodles
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 lb. ricotta cheese
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese
* Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little
oil in a frying pan. Drain off
any grease.

Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat
mixture. Mix well.In a separate bowl, mix the
ricotta cheese, milk, and egg.
Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
Then mix in the mozzarella
cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the
cheeses are combined.

Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some
vegetable shortening on thebottom and sides.

Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the
bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of
noodles on top of that (break or cut them
if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on
top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese
for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce.
Cookon low for 4-6 hours or until noodles
are tender.

*I use regular lasagna noodles (not the no boil
kind). Also,my crock pot cooks this in 3 1/2 hrs on
low so you have to watch it to be sure it doesn't
burn. 

My Pasta Creation

I made up this pasta dish a while back and it's my husband's favorite dish. He requests it at least once a month. However, I don't necessarily make it every month because it has way too many calories. But it's a nice treat every once in a while. I decided to give in and make it over the weekend just for my hubby.


Penne with Chicken in a Cream Sauce


1 box penne pasta (farfalle works nicely too)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed on package. While it's cooking, heat olive oil in a pan and saute chicken. Add salt and pepper. When chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside. Melt butter in the same pan and cook garlic for about 2 min making sure not to burn it. Add chicken broth, heavy cream and italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Add chicken to the sauce and let simmer for 5 min. Add parmesan cheese to help thicken the sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Next add drained pasta to the pan and let heat through for another 4-5 min.

*If the sauce doesn't thicken enough, add a little flour and stir before adding the pasta.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

So it's been a while since I've updated my blog. Things have been so hectic around here and we've pretty much been fending for ourselves. I was exhausted tonight but decided I should cook anyway. My friend Elly sent me some orzo, since I'm so sheltered and had never tried it, so I decided to make that tonight. I saw this recipe on allrecipes.com and had saved it a week or so ago. Then I saw it on someone elses' blog too and decided to try it. It was very easy and very good! I think I've found a new food that I love!

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
2. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.
3. Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.

* I didn't have any chicken broth on hand so I just used 14.5 oz of water and added some salt. We had this with some grilled chicken and peas.

Original source: allrecipes.com

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomato and Cheese

I saved this recipe a couple months ago and had not gotten around to making it yet. Well it was voted recipe of the week on the WC Blog so I figured now was a good time to try it. I had to change it up a bit to suit my picky husband but overall it turned out really good! It is definitely something I would make again.

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomato, and Cheese

1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.

3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil.

4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 413(26% from fat); FAT 11.8g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.2g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 24.1g; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 265mg; SODIUM 941mg; FIBER 4.5g; IRON 7.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 53g

* These are my alterations. I subbed 1 29 oz can tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes and tomato paste and added 1/2 a fresh tomato chopped to thicken the sauce a bit. I also used penne pasta instead of ziti. I couldn't find turkey italian sausage at the store so I used regular italian pork sausage.

Original source: Cooking Light

Holy Meatballs!

For years I was afraid of making my own meatballs. Boy was I really missing out! Since I've been trying all these new recipes that I've never tried before, I decided meatballs had to be on that list. I started looking around for great recipes and got tons of suggestions from other foodies. Finally I came up with this one. It's a combination of several different recipes. I had no idea they could be so easy!!



Renea's Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper-I just eyeball it

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Roll into 1-1 1/2" balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 min. Remove from oven and add to your favorite pasta sauce.