Cheesy Stuffed Shells

First off, I have been sick as a dog so my cooking has been slacking. I Still got dinner on the table but it wasn’t out of love of cooking it was the basic need to feed a bunch of hungry family members. And my blogging had to wait also, this was from last week. Tonight I had a new recipe all planned out and then I did a switcheroo and made the yummy Chicken Cacciatore Ravioli Stew again. I do love that soup. I had to change a few things because I didnt know I was making it, and it was just as good. This will be a regular this fall/winter

I still am not sure why I tackled this recipe on a weeknight…while I was sick…after I took a long nap….and only had a short time to get a hungry toddler fed. This is a Sunday night meal for sure. I was really wanting something Italian and I went through my cooking magazines that I obsessively buy and this was a pull from the latest Food Network Magazine. I always buy the magazines and then never make what’s in them. So I decided it’s time to get my money's worth. This makes a ton of food. We had leftovers for days. I would suggest using the biggest darn pan you have.
I altered the original recipe because it used Tofu and hmm, well I can't be comfortable with spending hours making something and then gambling on tofu. It also had cottage cheese as the stuffing cheese. No self respecting Italian uses Cottage cheese!!!! They pictured the mom who made up this recipe and she in fact looks very mid-western so it isn't her fault, how could she know--but we know better!!!!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells
adapted from Food Network Magazine Oct 2009
this picture doesn't really do them justice since they are covered in sauce and cheese--sorry

Ingredients
For the Sauce
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 20 ozs package of ground turkey
Freshly ground pepper

For the Shells
1 12-ounce box jumbo pasta shells
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Cook ground turkey until crumbled and brown

Add the carrot, zucchini, onion and celery and saute until soft but not brown, 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the basil, oregano, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare the shells: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes; drain. Mix the spinach, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, the egg and garlic in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the dish.

Stuff the cheese mixture into the shells and place in the baking dish, open-side up.

Pour the remaining sauce over the shells.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes.

Let cool slightly before serving.

VERDICT

Ok so it was a lot of work. Lots of steps, lots of ingredients, but WOW!!!

It was worth the effort (thank goodness). What I really liked was the extra addition of the hidden veggies. Even if you don't make shells, the sauce would be great with regular pasta. You didn't know the veggies were there but it was a really great sauce on its own. I really liked the shell cheese mixture too. Sometimes there is something about the stuffing I don't quite like but this one was excellent. I didn't like that I had so many shells leftover that I threw in the garbage. I think I over stuff my shells....so next time I think I will stick with 1/2 the box. I think it made around 25 shells as it is. I think I could have even stuffed them more. I am not sure how the original recipe was but this was really awesome. It would be a great meal to Entertain with because a few shells go a long way and they just look really impressive. I know my picture kind of stinks but after cooking them forever, and being near collapse, I just wanted to eat.

Farm Stand Chicken

Is it Friday yet? This week is dragging on and If I don't get to the beach soon, I am going to turn into the biggest grump around...even bigger then I already am being. Which is quite scary.
I am excited because I ordered some new cooking tools. I am anxiously awaiting my corn de-cobber and my ginger grater. Man do I love Williams Sonoma. I try to stay away because I dont have any room in my over packed kitchen as it is, but If I ever need a job, I am going to run not walk to my local WS!!!
I could have used my corn de-cobber for dinner tonight. I never ever used fresh corn for things. I don't know why, just didn't. My lovely cousin informed me a few weeks ago that you can use it practically raw when taken fresh off the cob and I had no idea. I thought you needed to boil it first and then take it off the cob which seemed like an awful lot of work when you could just pull it out of the freezer. That little tidbit has changed my world. I stick fresh corn in everything now. I buy ears of it on Monday and try to figure out where I can add it into my meals. So YAY to fresh corn!!!

Farm Stand Chicken
adapted from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
olive oil
1 cup corn, fresh, canned, or frozen/thawed
1 cup tomato, diced
2 scallions, sliced thin
***I added an additional grated fresh zucchini****
drizzle of olive oil
about 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, or substitute your favorite cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

****before I started I pounded the breasts so that they were a bit thinner and they were even. If not I feel like the thinner part gets too dry trying to cook the thicker part*****
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Set aside.
Combine flour and bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
Beat eggs in another shallow dish.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan.
Dredge chicken in flour mixture and then in egg and saute for about 3 - 4 minutes per side until nicely browned.
Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.
If chicken is not cooked through at this point finish cooking in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine corn, tomato, scallions, zucchini, a drizzle of olive oil, and a little salt and pepper.
Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. ***I used a baking dish***
Top each one with about 1/4 of the corn mixture and 1/4 of the grated cheese.
Bake in oven for about 5 - 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Note: This meal can be made ahead of time. Saute the chicken, let cool and package for the frig. Mix up the corn mixture and keep in the frig. At dinner time, preheat the oven, assemble the chicken breasts and bake. Viola! It's just dinner.

Without the cheese, pretty colors huh?

With the cheese all nice and baked
oh and I had leftover mixture because I wasnt sure if Jackson wanted to have it all farm standish & cheesy so I just put the rest in the pan.

VERDICT:

HELLO YUMMY CHICKEN, meet my happy belly.

I really enjoyed this dish. I had never mixed flour and bread crumbs together and then fried. I guess that is how they make chicken francaise in the restaurants huh? Never knew. Anyway, I loved it. I also loved how easy this dish was and you could easily serve it for company because its colorful, flavorful and so easy. I think I might to Italian up the farm stand next time with a similar idea, stayed tuned for that. I had an awesome zucchini side dish I had been waiting to make with just the right meal and this was it....only when I looked at the recipe it needed to sit overnight and it was 6:00 pm already so I now have a ton of zucchini waiting to be side dished. Hopefully since it was from the farm stand it will be fresh enough that it will keep until next week. I will need to find another perfect meal to make it with. Having the for thought to cook anything a day ahead isn't likely going to happen with my 2 crazy monkeys in the house.

OBX Dinner-2009 Side Dishes

• Ok so I am ALMOST caught up with my blogging....well really I am a full week behind which I don't really like. I keep talking to some of my "followers" hehehehe! About things I made for dinner this week and when asked if I wrote about it, sadly the answer is not yet. But at least since I have a week of recipes cooked, eaten and blogged about it takes the self imposed pressure of me to do a write up nightly. So this is the last installment of the OBX fiesta I cooked for the family.
  
  
  A very colorful side dish to the burger….
  
  

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

from Lauren's Kitchen
Makes about 4 side dish servings
**I doubled it for a crowd of 13**

INGREDIENTS
10 ozs frozen corn, thawed completely
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, thinly sliced1 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine corn, tomatoes, scallions in large bowl.
Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour over vegetables.
Chill for 1-4 hours.
When ready to serve, add gently fold in avocado and allow salad to come to room temperature. Season again with salt and pepper if needed.

VERDICT
Great salad. Really light, colorful and flavorful. You will make this one again and again and it’s a go to dish to bring to someone’s house too because its room temperature, easy to throw together AND It is so good I cant imagine anyone not liking it, but I could see everyone asking you the recipe for it.

This is one of the other sides I made with the tex-mex turkey burgers.

Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad-
borrowed from Cara’s Cravings

INGREDIENTS
1lb wagon wheel pasta ** I used mini wheels**
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn (I don't even bother thawing it, because I always make this at least a few hours before serving, so it plenty of time to defrost)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced ** I used 2**


Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.Just before serving, stir in the diced avocado.

VERDICT
Really easy, really flavorful, Really colorful, will make again for sure. It was great leftover the next day too since we had so much leftover, we all ate it for lunch and still ended up throwing some out. I liked all the mexicany ingredients and this pasta salad fit with the rest of the dishes beautifully.

and last but not least.......


I have to apologize I didn't take this picture, I borrowed it from the website because I didn't make this salad, my sous chef Douglas did and I didn't get a chance to take a picture.



Spicy Mexican Salad
Borrowed from Allrecipes.com


INGREDIENTS
1 (10 ounce) package chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey cheese blend
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package corn chips-crushed
1 (16 ounce) bottle Catalina salad dressing

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the romaine, cheese, pinto beans, black beans, and tomatoes.
Add the corn chips and enough dressing to coat; toss and serve.

VERDICT
Ok so you might be looking at this recipe thinking why on earth would I make this salad it seems kind of unsophisticated and kind of gross. OK so you might think that but you would be WRONG WRONG WRONG. It is so good. I don’t know why it is, but I don’t question it I will just eat it and then ask for more. I have to apologize for not snapping a picture but it was Doug’s salad to make and I totally forgot until I was doing this entry and looked for a picture. It is a pretty color with the Catalina dressing too—so I am sorry, but that shouldn't stop you from making this yummy and east summer salad. You could easily add some grilled chicken and make it a complete meal salad.

OBX Dinner-2009-Appetizers

Sorry we did eat dinner tonight and it was yummy, but I am still trying to post all my prior recipes from last week. This was one of the appetizer for our vacation meal. I did omit the rotisserie chicken because it didn’t seem like I needed it for this appetizer with this meal but cant wait to try it with it.

Chicken Enchilada Dip Roll-ups
Source: Cook Like a Champion

Ingredients:

• 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced ***I used a garlic press
  1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste **use sparingly**
• salt to taste
• 1 small, rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes ** I found mild and it had a kick**
• 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas—mission makes these

Directions:

-Mix cheeses together until well blended.

-Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

-Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

-Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.

-Spread to edges using a metal spatula.

-Roll and cut into slices.

VERDICT
This is going to be a staple at every party I throw, or go to and need to bring an appetizer. I love it because its no cook, easy prep, not too many expensive ingredients, and it would travel really easy & you can make it ahead of time. HELLO—can you tell you need to make this for the next party you have? Pop B Bramley raved about it and I told him I would tell you all that he loved it. They were even really yummy leftover the next day. So if you are throwing a party and ask me to bring something there is a good chance I will show up with this recipe.

and I paired it with this baked appetizer

Baked Santa Fe Dip
slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes a 9-inch pie plate
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup light mayo
1 (8-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1/2 of a 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried cilantro, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir together cheeses, mayo, corn, chilis, beans (if using), chili powder, and garlic powder in large bowl. Spread mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.
Combine tomato, green onion, and cilantro in small bowl. Spoon into center of baked dip. Serve with tortilla chips.
This can be covered and chilled up to 24 hours before baking. Store cheese mixture and tomato mixture separately

VERDICT
Ok so I liked this dip but it was GREASYYYYY. I mean really greasy to the point of where if I saw it on a table I would probably not want to take a bite. It was pretty good ( I admit I only took 1 bite because I was cooking away) and I loved the freshness of the topping and it looked great, but the greasy thing made it kind of a downer. BUT…I think it was because I used the Mexican blend cheese. I know I read in some recipe someplace that they used Mexi blend cheese and it made it too greasy. Next time I think I will just try it with Cheddar and Monteray Jack. If you try it and it comes out less greasy let me know. Since I don’t often find myself making cheese dips for dinner…..Everyone ate it though so maybe I am just the only one who doesn’t like a 1/2 quart of grease with my dip. Or they spent all day on the beach and would have eaten anything I put on the table and come back for seconds.

OBX Dinner-2009 Entree

When I first made these burgers it was a test run. On vacation we all take responsibility to cook one dinner. This year I was determined to make it simple. I will post the other recipes I made with these burgers in a later post and if you put them all together you will have a really nice spread for a large hungry group. In this picture for my test run I used sour cream and cheddar. When I made them for the family I used Monteray jack and guacamole

Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Bon appetite July 2003

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey –I used a 20 ozs package and it made 5 good sized burgers
1/2 cup finely crushed tortilla chips (crushed in resealable plastic bag with mallet)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Oil grill rack. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine turkey, crushed chips, 4 tablespoons cilantro, chili powder, salt, cumin, and pepper in large bowl. Using fork, mix together. Form 5 patties, each about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

When I made them the 2nd time I made 20 burgers so I made them into meatballs 1st so I could make them all about the same size. I also laid the 1st batch on foil lined baking sheets and put the cheese on them and broiled them until it melted. This also kept them warm while the 2nd batch was grilling.


Verdict:
These are really tasty. Both times I made them I think I tend to over cook them a bit because raw turkey scares me, especially when I know my Hungry boy Jackson will be eating them. On vacation when I made these I used 2 grill pans instead of an outdoor grill so I could cook 10 burgers at a time and that worked really well. I like that you serve them in a tortilla instead of on a roll. Who needs all that bread and if you can get the good Mission tortillas with the extra grams of fiber its an even healthier burger. Even though I found this recipe for part of a themeish type dinner it will be kept in my repeat file because it was really good, and it was a nice change.

Asian Noodle Salad

Its has been a flurry of cooking going on in my kitchen today. That's it for me though. It will be leftovers or sushi tomorrow night & the weekend because I am out recipes. Unless someone might want to come over for a BBQ? There are some turkey burgers I need to try out before vacation.

It will sound ridiculous because I am sure I could say this about everything I have posted--heck, I probably wrote it this afternoon but you need to try this salad. Make it for a party, bring it to someone's house, make it and eat it for a week. I am telling you, this is a EUREKA I cant believe I know how to make this salad its so good.

Asian Noodle Salad

borrowed from The Sister's Cafe who adapted it from Jamie Oliver

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 packages linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled--(I used whole wheat spaghetti)
1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage **I couldn't find this in my store so I omitted**
1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage**I got a bag of shredded red cabbage is that the same?**
1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts (I left these out)**me too they didn't have them in my store**
3 sliced scallions
1 peeled, sliced cucumber ( you could use more)
chopped cilantro-to taste (I only used a little) **blech I don't like cilantro**
1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet **um, I forgot to do this whole step so no nuts were harmed in the making of this salad**

DRESSING:

Juice of 1 lime
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped--WARNING the use of jalapenos can be dangerous. I know when I seed them not to touch the membrane but I was in a rush and wasn't really thinking and I pulled it out with my finger nails instead of cutting it with a knife and now my fingers under the nail are burning for hours--DON'T DO THIS. I think next time I will just omit these too because I liked the dressing better without it anyway, and I cant be trusted with a hot pepper

Mix together salad ingredients in LARGE bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs and serve in a big bowl or platter. NOT A big bowl A HUGE BOWL. This is a BIG salad--you cant even tell how big it is from the picture, but this bowl is enormous

VERDICT
IIIIII LOOOOOVVVVVEEEE THHHISSSS SAAAAALLAAADDDDD!!!

There is so much leftover that I am totally in heaven that I get to eat more of it. Can you tell I am starting to get a little nuts over some of these recipes. Who said Food isn't love??? Who knew a salad could bring so much joy. I am telling you if I made this for a crowd they would go nuts for it too. I want to have a party just so I can make this salad for people. You can make it for a crowd because its GIANT, have I mentioned that? So again I omitted somethings and forgot one really big thing the cashews, but I didn't miss them and I saved a whole bunch of extra calories. When I have the leftovers maybe I will throw them in just in case it might make me love the salad more but I don't think that could happen.

EDIT:

Something about the leftovers werent quite right. There was a bitterness that wasnt there the night I made it fresh and ate it. The cabbage made the leftovers taste very bitter and I had to throw the rest out. So I am putting this warning out there. If you use cabbage beware. Maybe it was the paricular cabbage I used since I dont think it was either of the ones mentioned in the recipe or if that is what cabbage does after a day or 2. I dont think it added anything spectacular to the dish so in the future I will leave it out of maybe add plain old coleslaw mix or a broccoli cole slaw mix instead--consider yourself warned

TRI-COLORE ORZO

WOW! Is all I can say
I have always considered myself a pretty decent cook. But lately with the aid of several cooking blogs I have made some incredible food. I cant take credit for the recipes and I am merely following their directions but there is something really satisfying about making a dish that tastes like something you would pay for in a restaurant or that I could serve to other people and have them be impressed. I have really upped my game in the past 2 weeks. Tonight's meal is no exception. I can not believe how happy it makes me that I can make this salad anytime I want and don't have to pay for it in a restaurant or deli. Its really the little things in life that make me happy and this salad makes me HAPPY!!!

TRI-COLORE ORZO
borrowed from Cooking This and That taken from Giada De Laurentiis


INGREDIENTS
Tri-Colore Orzo
Makes 6-8 servings ****I halved the recipe for a side dish for 2 people with 2 more big servings leftover.****as is would A LOT of pasta
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup **I only used 3 tbsp. total to drizzle-none other added after that and it was plenty of oil**
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
1/2 cup dried cherries **I used dried cranberries**
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet covered in foil to make the clean-up really easy. ***This step makes all the difference. I had no idea that this is how you prevent orzo from turning into a giant lump of mush***
• Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool
  Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

VERDICT

I don't always ask my Chief Taste Tester what he thinks to see if he will mention anything about dinner (since he has been working very hard and we don't eat together). I waited tonight and then he said it was "delicious". I don't even know how else to describe this salad. I cant wait to eat the leftovers if that means anything. It would be so great with some grilled chicken thrown in too. I just made it as a side dish for some chicken cutlets and it was definitely the star of the dish. I normally wouldn't have opted to make something from Giada because I kind of find her annoying but I am totally rethinking my bias against her and am going to see what other yummy dishes she has in her kitchen. Make this salad and bring it to someones house and you will be hailed a genius---