Cheesy Ziti Florentine

In an effort to get the blog completely updated before the new year (and thanks to some vacation time) you should start seeing posts more frequently as I recap my fall cooking. Here is the first...a yummy take on baked ziti. This is a good baked ziti and a nice way to incorporate your vegetables for a one dish meal.

Cheesy Ziti Florentine

1 lb ground beef (we used ground turkey)
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic diced
1 jar of good marinara sauce (or homemade)
3/4 cup water
4 oz (1/2 small package) of frozen chopped spinach (defrosted)
1 lb of ziti pasta
1 8 oz container of ricotta cheese
1-2 cups of mozzarella
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese grated
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons of salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon of pepper (more to taste)
1/2 cup of whatever red wine you have on hand (if you don't have any, simply omit--we did)
1 tablespoon of Mrs. Dash
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Start by browning your ground beef in a large pan. Drain any excess grease, add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are tender. Meanwhile - boil your pasta, make sure you season the water with salt well. Undercook the pasta by about 1-2 minutes. Add the wine to the ground beef, onions and garlic- allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and the water- I like mine to be a little saucy and not as thick. Add your defrosted spinach. Stir in your salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash (or any nice salt free seasoning blend you prefer), crushed red pepper and oregano. Season to taste at this point. Drain your ziti noodles and put back into the hot pan. Make sure the pan is off of the heat. Stir in ricotta cheese until well incorporated with the noodles. Combine your sauce and noodles in the large noodle pot. Stir well. Once in the pan, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 375 covered for 20 minutes. Uncover the dish, add the Parmesan cheese and allow cheese to brown ( 5-6 minutes).

Source: Everyday Gourmet

2nd Annual NC Nestie Tacky Sweater Party

For years I've enjoyed chatting with the fabulous married ladies that frequent The Nest and the NC girls are the best. They are funny, caring, and just all around wonderful. This year was the 2nd annual NC Nestie Tacky Sweater Party, hosted by the fabulous Beth Anne (who always has a beautifully decorated home for the party). The idea...everyone dons the tackiest Christmas sweater they can find, shows up with an appetizer or drink, and we have a great time chatting, eating and drinking. There is also a cookie exchange at the end of the night...each girl brings 6 bags of 6 cookies each and each girl goes home with 6 different bags of cookies. Yum! The food and cookies were delicious. I had some requests for my Chocolate Chip Cheeseball/Dip recipe that I took to the party (I serve as a dip), so I thought I would share that as well as the recipe for the cookies I took to the party. Thanks to my mom for loaning me the first Christmas sweater she ever bought to wear to the party...it was a good one! Merry Christmas!


Chocolate Chip Cheeseball/Dip

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
Graham cracker sticks

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add the sugars and beat just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If serving as a dip, it will be ready at this point. If you wish to serve it as a cheeseball, remove from the refrigerator and place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least an hour and then just before serving, roll the pall in pecans. Serve with the graham cracker sticks for dipping. Yield: 2 cups

Source: My friend, Kati

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I use pre-ground)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter--chunky or smooth (but not natural)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips. If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.) If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes (my oven is more in the 10 minute range for these). The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches (I don't really do this). Storing: Wrapped airtight or piled into a cookie jar, the cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they'll be good for 2 months. Makes approximately 60 cookies.

Source: Baking, From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, page 73 found on Proceed with Caution

Party Pictures

All the girls, being silly

Beth Anne geting ready to try the first bite of Sarah's beautiful cake (it was delicious!)

Everyone is starting to grab the cookies they want to take home

The best shot I have of my sweater (that's me in the white)

Philly Food

Back in August, my husband and I visited Philly for the first time (well I'd had two very long layovers at the airport there going to and from Europe in high school, but I don't think that really counts). We were going to be working in the area for a couple of days so we went early to see the city. We checked out the historical spots like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, checked out the famous "Love" sculpture in Love Plaza, shopped at fun foodie spots Reading Terminal Market and DiBruno Brothers, and enjoyed checking out the waterfront at Penn's Landing. We also rode around the city some to see the famous "Rocky" steps at the Art Museum and just get a little tour of the town. We even watched a Bollywood movie tentatively titled "New York" be filmed, complete with fake NYPD cars. We did go have an authentic Philly cheesesteak at Jim's on South Street, but we both agreed that the cheesesteaks at our local cheesesteak restaurant, Fat Philly's, were much better (the folks that own it came from Philly and import their Amoroso's rolls). The cheesesteak was certainly not worth the 1.5 hour wait.

However, some of the other food we had in Philly was fabulous. I had heard that Philly was a restaurant town and I was given tons of suggestions on places to eat. My husband and I decided on El Vez for dinner on Saturday night and Jones for brunch on Sunday. Boy were those good choices! The food was absolutely delicious at both (and extremely plentiful at Jones...all we could manage to eat for the rest of the day was a single slice of pizza for dinner). At El Vez, I got black bean enchiladas with smoked tomato sauce and my husband got the carne asada. We both got sides of the creamy poblano corn rice, which was to die for. At Jones the next morning, we started off with their monkey bread (they do a small bowl) and then I had the BMW pancakes (huge pancakes with carmelized bananas, walnuts and maple syrup) and my husband got the cheesesteak omelet (really delicious and far better than the cheesesteak we'd had the day before). Our waiter said that he'd only seen someone finish off the pancakes 3 times. Even after both David and I ate off them, there was still half the plate left. We left completely stuffed.

So while I'm not sure we'd go back to Philly just to hang out (we weren't all that impressed with the city), we would go back to sleep in the comfy bed at the Westin and to eat. In fact, we loved the creamy poblano corn rice at El Vez so much, I set out to recreate it when I got home. It is wonderful and I've managed to duplicate it almost perfectly I think. Enjoy!

Creamy Poblano Corn Rice

1.5 cups Arborio Rice (this is important, it likely won't turn out with regular rice)

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2-3 tablespoons finely minced onions

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium Poblano peppers roasted, peeled and diced

1/2-1 cup white corn kernals (however much you'd like--canned, fresh or defrosted frozen all work fine)

8 oz queso blanco cheese, shredded

1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sautee the onions in the butter until translucent. Put in the rice and sautee until kernals turn translucent and are coated with butter. Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and allow to simmer until most is absorbed. Then continue adding broth 1 cup at a time until it is mostly all absorbed. This will take 20-30 minutes. While you are waiting for the rice to absorb the broth, roast your peppers. I do mine under the broiler in the toaster oven but you can also do them in a regular oven, on the grill, or over an open flame. Roast until the skin is turning black and blistering on all sides. Then place peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a paper bag and allow them to sweat for about 15 minutes. Peel them, remove the seeds and stem, and then dice the meat of the peppers. Once your broth is mostly absorbed add your diced pepper, corn, cheese and cream. Stir until well combined. Serve immediately. This rewarms well too.

My homemade version of the creamy poblano corn rice

Enjoying my pomegranate margarita at El Vez

My black bean enchiladas and creamy poblano corn rice at El Vez

David's carne asada at El Vez

Yummy BMW pancakes at Jones

The ridiculous line we waited in for a Jim's cheesesteak

The Liberty Bell

Us at Love Plaza

It's a Girl!

I just wanted to write a quick post to congratulate my friends Bob and Gina on the arrival of their daughter tonight. Erin was born at 7:01pm and weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great and I can't wait to go meet Erin tomorrow. You might remember that I hosted Gina's baby shower back in August. I'm excited that she is finally here and that she is a girl (they decided to keep it a surprise). Little girls are so much fun to shop for (and we all know how I love to shop). Welcome to the world, Erin!

Update: A picture of us meeting Erin for the first time.

Creamy Corn Chowder...Paula Deen Style!

Back in October 2006, Paula Deen came to town to promote her new cookbook, Paula Deen Celebrates!. I was so excited to go but I had just gotten a new job and found out I was going to be sent to a conference in Denver that week. I was so bummed, but my wonderful husband agreed to go for me and get my cookbook signed. I really enjoy watching Paula on the Food Network and the recipes of hers that I've tried have been delish (when most things start with a stick of butter, what's not to love?). I had a bunch of extra fresh corn a few weeks ago and I remembered that I had seen a Corn Chowder recipe in the book and decided that would be the perfect use for my leftover corn. It was warm and tasty and I enjoyed it. Next time I'll be sure to add the red pepper, as I omited it this time (though I'll probably use roasted red pepper and mix it into the soup, rather than using it as a topping).

Corn Chowder

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup chopped yellow onion (I used a sweet onion)

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 baking potatoes, peeled and diced (I used yukon gold instead)

4 cups chicken broth (canned is fine)

4 ears white or yellow corn on the cob

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

One 10.75 oz can condensed cream of celery soup

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (I omitted)

In a heavy-bottomed 4 quart stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and potatoes and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the broth and boil the vegetables over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft. Meanwhile, cut the corn from the cobs with a sharp knife. Place each corncob in the middle of a large bowl to catch the kernels and juice. Add the corn to the soup and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the half-and-half, salt, pepper and the cream of celery soup. Stir well to combine. Simmer until hot. Serve immediately. Garnish with the bell pepper. Makes about 6 cups.

Source: Paula Deen Celebrates!

The deliciousness

Paula getting ready to sign my book

My husband with Paula's husband, Michael

Party Hearty...with a sandwich!

A few weeks ago, I hosted my friend Gina's baby shower at my house along with her sister and a few of her other friends. We had lots of yummy food and my contributions were Ham and Swiss Party Sandwiches and homemade mini quiches (I made spinach ones and then ones using this recipe, but with Gryuere). These are the best little party sandwiches. They are different and tasty and always a big hit every time I make them. I've made them for coworkers, Christmas parties, and, of course, the baby shower. They are just delicious. My husband LOVES them and can't get enough. Before he left for the man party (all the husbands got together for a Wii, pizza and beer party at the dad-to-be's house during the shower) he was like "There will be sandwiches for me, right?" He was in luck, as with so much food, we had leftovers of everything. They are quite rich, so you can't eat too many at once. Start looking early for the party rolls though...I know in our area they can be tough to find!

Ham and Swiss Party Sandwiches

3 packages party rolls (should be around 20 in the package...smaller than but similar to dinner rolls...Cobblestone Mills or Pepperidge Farms both make them)

1/2 lb. butter or margarine

3 tblsp. poppy seed (World Market is the cheapest place I've found to get them)

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

3 tblsp. yellow mustard

1 medium onion chopped or grated (you want this to be very finely chopped)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced (you need around 15 slices)

Ham (I normally use close to a pound of thin sliced from the deli)

Slice rolls, don't pull apart (keep all 20 tops as one "sheet" and all 20 bottoms as one "sheet"). Mix next five ingredients and cook on low heat enough to melt butter/margarine. Spread sauce on both sides of rolls. Put cheese and ham on bottom part. Put the top of the rolls over the bottom and wrap in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Slice into individual rolls for serving.

Source: My mom...don't know where she got it from, sorry!

A close up shot

On the display tower at Gina's baby shower (that's them behind the diaper cake)

I must attention whore my first diaper cake, which I was really pleased with (and hey, the sandwiches are in the background!)

Quick Weeknight Lasagna

I love lasagna...layers of pasta, cheese and sauce...yum! However, lasagna can tend to be pretty labor intensive. That is why I love this recipe for when I want lasagna, but don't have time for an hour long production.

Meatless Microwave Lasagna

6 oven ready lasanga noodles (the kind you don't need boil)

1 egg

1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese (fat free or part skim works fine)

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 jar pasta sauce, any variety

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Grease an 8x8x2 inch glass baking dish (cooking spray is fine). In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, parsley and Parmesan. Spread 3/4 cup pasta sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Place 2 lasagna noodles on top. Spread half the ricotta mixture onto the noodles, trying to seal in the edges of the noodles. Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella then another 3/4 cup of pasta sauce. Repeat (2 noodles, other half ricotta mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 3/4 cup sauce). Place the final two lasagna noodles on top and then cover with the remaining pasta sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover with microwavable plastic wrap and cut a small slit in the center of the plastic wrap to vent. Microwave on high for 15-20 minutes depending on your microwave. If you don't have a turntable in your microwave, rotate 1/4 turn every 5 minutes. Let stand uncovered 15 minutes before cutting.

Source: Adapted from a Barilla recipe found in the coupon section of the newspaper many years ago.

Cheesy Goodness x 2

I love cheese. Especially good cheese. I mean...how can you not like cheese? It can be cool and creamy, it can be spicy or piquant, it can slice, shred, melt. It is a perfect food. There are also so many wonderful varieties out there and I'm working on trying new ones. I've also tried to start buying only good cheese, as it makes a difference in flavor. No more canisters of Kraft Parmesan...only a block of Parmegiano Reggiano and my trusty Microplane. I've also pretty much quit buying preshredded since it doesn't melt as well as when you shred your own (they use a substance on it to keep it from caking in the bag).

Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas includes a cheese you may or may not be familiar with...fontina. It is creamy and buttery and delicious! When I made this I also happened to have another favorite cheese on hand...Tillamook Aged White Cheddar (pick it up at Whole Foods...it also makes fantastic mac and cheese). So I used that for my main dish and the fontina for my side dish. I'll admit that the Baked Orzo needs something else and I plan to experiment next time I make it. It is just slightly bland and I think mainly needs some garlic added as well as a few other spices. It was quite tasty though and reheated well. I'll also either dot the top with butter or use a little cooking spray on it next time so that the breadcrumb topping gets crisp. I do recommend trying it though!

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

1/2 cup butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin (we only used 4 since there were only 2 of us)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt. Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Source: NC Recipes Bio

Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas

4 cups chicken broth

1 pound orzo pasta

3 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease the baking dish (I greased the pan with cooking spray)

1 onion, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (we used baby bellas)

1 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 ounces shredded fontina cheese (about 1 cup)

4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Pour the orzo and the broth into a large bowl. Set aside. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 7 minutes. Add the Marsala. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until the Marsala has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the orzo in the large bowl. Add the cream, fontina, mozzarella, peas, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and dried thyme. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the pasta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis from foodnetwork.com

Monkeying around for breakfast

I love monkey bread. It is gooey and cinnamony and fun to eat. It is perfect to make for guests and always a crowd pleaser. I love that I've found a super easy recipe for it that turns out delicious in just over 30 minutes.

Monkey Bread

3 cans butter biscuits (I used the kind that came 10 to a tube)

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a Bundt pan. Melt butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Rip the biscuits into little pieces in a medium sized bowl. Pour the sauce over the biscuit pieces and quickly toss to coat all the biscuit pieces with sauce (I find two spoons work well for this). Pour the coated biscuit pieces into the Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Source: Adapted from a recipe found in the NC Recipes Bio

A Symphony in your mouth

I've made these brownies a few times since starting this blog, but I can never seem to remember to actually blog the recipe. So I'm finally going to take care of that tonight. I made these last night after dinner and they were as delicious as ever. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. I got the recipe from my mom, who got the recipe from a friend who I think ultimately got the recipe from Paula Deen.

Symphony Brownies

1 box brownie mix, any kind, prepared as directed (I normally use applesauce instead of oil)

2-3 5oz Toffee and Almond Hershey's Symphony Bars (2 if making in a 8x8, 3 if making in a 9x13 or other rectangular pan)

Pour half the brownie mix into the prepared pan. Place the two (or three) whole candy bars on top next to each other. Top with the remaining brownie mix. Bake as directed on the brownie package. Enjoy!

I scream, you scream...

...we all scream for Ice Cream! For Christmas (or my birthday...they are so close together I can't remember which) my mother in law gave me the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. I'd had a little ice cream maker that a friend gave us but it just never seemed to work. So I was excited to try the Kitchenaid attachment, as I'd heard it was pretty good. Boy is it! I love this thing. So far I've only made two batches of ice cream but I'm keeping the bowl permanently in our extra freezer so I can make ice cream whenever I want. It comes out in a nice soft serve consistency and then you can harden it up by freezing it (over night is best...4 hours or so will get it a little firmer, but not to the hardness of say grocery store ice cream). Here are the two ice creams we've tried so far. Both were really good. We used full fat ingredients in these but I hope to start trying to do some lighter ice creams soon.

Vanilla Ice Cream

1 cup milk

a pinch of salt

3/4 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean (I used a Madagascar vanilla bean, which is more recommended for ice cream than a Tahitian bean)

2 cups heavy cream

5 egg yolks

a few drops of vanilla extract

Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a paring knife. Add the bean pod to the milk. Stir together the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour (this is called tempering...so your eggs don't scramble). Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping. Chill thoroughly, then remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Source: David Lebovitz via http://crumblycookie.wordpress.com/

Oreo Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 cup sugar

4 oz cream cheese at room temperature

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

10 Oreo cookies, crumbled

Beat the sugar and the cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Set aside. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Slowing beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stire constantly with a whisk until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the egg will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cheese custard through a strainer into a large, clean bowl. All the custard to cool slightly, then stir in cream. Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight. Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in your ice cream machine, adding the crumbled cookies to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the cookies.

Source: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein

More Market Goodness

As previously stated, I love the farmer's market. There are so many great goodies each week and so many opportunities to use that fresh produce in your cooking. So you'll be seeing a few posts soon utilizing some of my farmer's market finds. First up, lasagna! How can anyone not like lasagna...layers of pasta, sauce and ooey gooey cheese! Yum! While my hubby prefers his with meat, I'll take a veggie lasagna anyday. Since I'm generally the cook around here, I often get my way, as I did with this recipe. This turned out great! Also, I think it is important to note that this is a Paula Deen recipe WITHOUT 2 sticks of butter...in fact, there isn't even any butter in it. Paula must be slipping...but this is wonderful none the less. I knew I had to make it when I watched her make it on her show one Sunday morning and Paula didn't disappoint.

Garden Full of Goodness Lasagna

2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
2 cups thinly sliced yellow squash
1 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cups small cottage cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
8 oven-ready, "no cook," lasagna noodles
12 slices provolone cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella


Combine zucchini, squash, carrot, mushrooms, onion and peppers with water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain well, and reserve. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, and eggs. Stir together.


Spread 1/3 of the sauce evenly over bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Place 4 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/2 of cream cheese mixture over noodles. Cover cheese mixture with 1/2 the vegetable mixture, more sauce, and top evenly with 6 slices provolone cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with 4 noodles, rest of the cream cheese mixture, vegetables, sauce, and remaining cheeses. Place in oven for 35 minutes or until lasagna is hot and bubbling. Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.



Source: foodnetwork.com

Oh Farmers' Market, how do I love thee...

I love summer because the bounty at the local farmers' markets is fabulous. My hubby and I have a tradition every Saturday morning from May through October (the period during which our local farmers' market operates) of heading to the market. It is within walking distance of our house and the vendors are just wonderful. We always stop and pick up a chocolate croissant from a great bread company that sets up a booth there. Their breads are wonderful as well (I recommend the garlic asiago foccacia and the cinnamon swirl) but their chocolate croissants are to die for. I look forward to it every weekend. The vendors are also great. Really kind, genuine folks working hard to bring wonderful produce to the market. We've really enjoyed getting to know some of the vendors over the past year and a half and we're such regulars that they notice if we miss a weekend (which only happens if we are out of town). Heck, they even notice if we are later than usual on a Saturday morning. This is just one of the things I love about my small, suburban town. I'm within 15 minutes of the "city" and all it has to offer (including the large state farmers' market, which is also great) but I can enjoy the quiet, small town life too.

This summer at the market has been great with some new vendors stopping by. I've been able to really get most all of the produce that I need each week. In May and June there were fresh strawberries, and now in the heat of summer we have lots of goodies--squash, zucchini, peppers, fresh herbs, corn, red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, green beans and okra, just to name a few of my purchases in the past few weeks. Almost every week during the summer, we have "farmers' market special" dinners where we cook up a lot of the fresh veggies we got at the market that week. One of my favorite ways to use my squash is to make squash casserole. This is my parents' recipe and both my husband and I love it. I don't use exact measurements, but the basic recipe is:

Squash Casserole

5-7 small to medium size squash, sliced
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped (depends on how big your onion is, use your best judgment)
1 cup sour cream (light works fine)
1 can cream of celery soup (I always use the Healthy Request version)
1-2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing
1 tbsp of olive oil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat (you could opt to use another fat like butter or bacon grease here or you might be able to get away with cooking spray). Sautee the squash and onions in the olive oil until they are soft and slightly browning. Pour into a baking dish and combine with remaining ingredients. It should be slightly creamy (I recommend mixing in your sour cream and soup first, then adding the stuffing until you reach the consistency you desire). Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

I've been MIA, but I've been cooking

I'm back again, trying to get the blog updated with all of my cooking from the past month or so. I've been busy and just haven't been able to find the time to get everything posted for your viewing and eating pleasure. I promise to get better at this!

Now, on to the food...

One of my favorite restaurants in our area is called Daniel's Pizza and Pasta. It is a locally owned restaurant and their food is fantastic. My favorite dish is called Penne Alla Casa and it blends a creamy tomato sauce with sundried tomatoes, garlic and spinach. It isn't the healthiest, but it is oh so good and worth the caloric splurge now and then. Luckily for my tastebuds (though not so luckily for my hips) our local newspaper published the recipe for this exact dish a while back in their "Specialty of the House" column. This is where readers can write in and request recipes from their favorite restaurants. It is a great column and I check it every week to see what gems it might turn up.

I highly recommend giving this a try. But eat in moderation... (Nutrition facts available upon request...trust me...just enjoy it and don't think about it!)

Penne Alla Casa

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup freshly chopped garlic

2 cups heavy cream (I've tried fat free half and half and it just doesn't work so well)

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienne

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

salt, pepper and granulated garlic, to taste (I omitted the granulated garlic because I didn't have any)

1/2 pound fresh spinach

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

1 pound penne pasta cooked al dente and drained

Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat then add the garlic and saute just until it begins to brown (careful not to burn the garlic...that won't be tasty). This should take about 1 minute. Add the cream and sun-dried tomatoes and bring to a boil then add the marinara sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and is reduced by one-fourth. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and granulated garlic then fold in the spinach and Romano. Heat just until spinach is wilted and the cheese melts. Toss with the pasta and serve hot. Serves 4.

Source: Daniel's Pizza and Pasta

Another dish I'd been wanting to try was stuffed peppers. I'd seen them in Jaime and Beth Anne's blogs and decided to give them a try. I thought they were pretty tasty and they are really quite healthy. My hubby, who is less of a green pepper fan than I am, liked the filling but felt like we had wasted a bunch of pepper since he only ate a portion of his actual pepper. His vote was that next time I just make the filling and throw some cooked green pepper in with it. If you like green peppers though, try it as is.

Stuffed Peppers

1lb ground beef (I used 1% fat ground turkey)

1 large onion, chopped

1 15 oz can tomato sauce, divided

1 1/4 c water, divided

1 envelope Good Seasoning Garlic & Herb Dressing & Recipe mix

1 cup instant brown rice, uncooked

4 large green peppers

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Brown meat with onion in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1 cup of water & salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil, stir in rice & cover. Remove from heat and let stand 5 min. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds. Mix remaining sauce and 1/4 c water in the bottom of a 9 in square baking dish. Place peppers in baking dish. Stir 1/4 cup cheese into meat mixture and then spoon meat mixture into peppers. Use the remaining 1/4 cup cheese to top each pepper with a little bit of cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 to 40 min or until peppers are tender. Spoon sauce from bottom of dish over peppers just before serving.

I'm baaack...

Wow, long time no post. We've been so busy with a family wedding, friend and family birthdays, our open house, holidays and our vacation that there just hasn't been much time to post. Luckily, life is slowing down a bit. Though I was busy, I was still cooking. Here are a few recipes to end the dry spell:


Hamburger (er...Turkey) Stroganoff

Growing up, my mom made this quite a bit and it was always one of my favorites. She of course always made it with hamburger, as the original recipe calls for. I try to lighten things up of course, so I make mine using ground turkey.

1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced (optional...my mom omits, I add extra)
4 Tbsp butter or margarine (I never use this much...maybe 1 or 2 Tbsp max)
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey...the picture was using 99% FF ground turkey breast)
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp salt (I only use 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (8 oz) can mushrooms, drained (I saute some fresh)
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I use Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom)
1 c. commercial sour cream (I use light and it works fine)

Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium heat. Stir in meat and brown. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in soup. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve over egg noodles.

Source: Cooking in the Original Washington

Dive! Brick Oven Mushroom and Turkey Cheese Sub

I found this recipe in a cookbook and decided to try it a few years ago. It is one we quite enjoy but had forgotten about until recently when we had a few of the ingredients it calls for that we needed to use up. It is very tasty but also quite rich.

4 mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 Tbsp butter
salt
pepper
6 oz deli-slice turkey breast (we prefer smoked, recipe calls for roasted)
1/4 cup White Cheddar Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
One 7-inch baguette, sliced open
2 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced

White Cheddar Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 oz white cheddar cheese, grated or chopped
1 Tbsp butter

Prepare the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken.

Prepare the sandwich by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Saute the mushroom slices in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the turkey breast in the microwave until warm. Split the baguette open without cutting all of the way through. Hinge the bread open and spread some of the hot White Cheddar Dipping Sauce on the faces of the bread. Load the turkey onto the baguette. Salt and pepper it. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the turkey. Spread the mushrooms over the cheese sauce. Bake the open sandwich for 4 minutes. Put the Swiss cheese on top of the other ingredients and bake for 2 minutes more or just until the cheese is melted. Slice the sandwich in half before serving.

Source: A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes

Pasta Pomodoro

This is one of my favorite meals as it is not only easy, but tasty. It also isn't terrible for you, which is always a plus. I think it tastes even better the next day. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 8oz package of angel hair pasta (recipe calls for 2 but it's too much...we use whole wheat pasta)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes, any flavor you like (recipe calls for 2 cups diced roma tomatoes)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 (10.75 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth

crushed red pepper to taste (we generally omit)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (we substitute 2 tsp dried basil)

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth. Simmer for about 8 minutes. Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Source: allrecipes.com

Stuffed Shells

I love stuffed shells. All the yummy cheese spilling out just makes them wonderful. I was craving them one night and happened to have a box of shells on hand so voila, the idea for dinner was born. I used two recipes for inspiration so I don't have an actual recipe to provide but here is an idea of what I ended up using:

1 12oz package jumbo pasta shells

1-2 cups of part skim ricotta cheese

8 oz package of mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup or so of parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

Italian seasoning, probably 1/2 to 1 tsp

Garlic powder, probably 1/2 to 1 tsp

Dried Parsley, 1 Tbsp or so

Salt

Pepper

3 or 4 cups of pasta sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the shells until done and then drain. You may want to rinse in cool water to help get them to handling point sooner. Mix ricotta, 3/4 of mozzarella, 3/4 of the parmesan, seasonings and beaten egg together. Spoon mixture into shells. Spread some sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place shells in dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle top with remaining cheeses. Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Valentine's Recap

My husband and I decided we'd stay in this Valentine's Day and cook rather than fight the crowds for an overpriced restaurant meal. Luckily the temperature was pretty nice out so we could grill. My husband grilled a steak for himself and he grilled me a piece of boneless chicken. We served it with a salad and twice baked potatoes. Then mini molten chocolate cakes for dessert. Yum!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Baking potatoes (we do one per person)
Shredded cheese (we used 2% cheddar)
Bacon pieces (we cooked and crumbled some fully cooked slices)
Sour cream (we used light)

Baking potatoes in the oven or microwave until done. Scoop out most of the potato, leaving just the skin with a thin layer of potato on it. Mix scooped out potato with as much cheese, bacon and sour cream as you'd like. Put the filling back in the skins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and cheese melts.


Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 3/4-cup (6 ounce) ramekins. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; whisk in cocoa and sugar. Whisk in egg yolks, then whole egg and flour. Divide batter between prepared ramekins. Bake cakes uncovered until edges are set but center is not yet set, about 22 minutes (i'll probably shave a few minutes off this next time as the center wasn't set yet but it also wasn't molten). To serve: Cut around cakes to loosen; turn out onto plates. *do-ahead tip: cake batter can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

Source: email from Whole Foods which lists the source as Chef Ashley Brooke adapted from "Dinner for Two" class at Salud! Cooking School

More Catching Up to Do

So I didn't get to finish catching up the other night so here are a few of the other things I've been making recently:

I always love to get Baked Ziti at restaurants so I thought I'd try to make some at home. I generally get mine meatless but my husband always prefers things to have meat in them if possible, so I opted to try a recipe that contained beef. I thought it turned out pretty tasty, though I might try to use more sauce or less ricotta next time, as I prefer mine to have a little more of a tomato taste to it. It was good nonetheless.

Baked Ziti (er...Rotini...I didn't have any ziti on hand)

1 lb ziti pasta
1 lb ground beef
salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
12 oz ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
3 cups jarred pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I used 2% milk mozzarella)
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season water with salt, boil pasta till al dente; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile brown ground beef in skillet and season with desired amounts of salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. Drain excess grease away from meats and return back to skillet.
Put a thin layer of sauce on bottom of baking dish to prevent sticking. In a large pot, mix remaining sauce with meat, ricotta cheese and pasta. Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish and top with 1/2 cup Romano, 1/2 cup mozzarella , 1/4 cup Parmesean. Pour remaining noodle mixture and top with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Romano cheese.
Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, then remove foil and broil on low for 5 minutes if you like the cheese a little bit browned. Let set 5 minutes to cool before serving.

Adapted from a recipe found on Mrs. Sac's Purple Kitchen.



I was asked to bring dessert to a Superbowl party and decided I've given this Oreo Cheesecake a try. It was delicious! I love cheesecake and Oreos so this was great. Now if I can just figure out how to keep it from cracking on top!

Oreo Cheesecake

1 cup crushed OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
20 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, quartered

PREHEAT oven to 325°F if using a silver springform pan (or 300°F if using a dark nonstick springform pan). Mix crushed cookies and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently stir in quartered cookies. Pour over crust. BAKE 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional cookies, if desired.

Source: NC Recipes


I love pizza! It is gooey and cheesy and just all around yummy. However, pizza is generally not all that good for you, especially when it comes from a pizza place. So we try to make it at home and to find ways to make it healthier. Using lower fat cheese and non meat toppings always helps, but helping to get some of your grain servings in there too is an added plus. So I was excited to try this pizza dough that incorporates whole wheat flour. It was tasty and I'll definitely be making it again.

Whole Wheat Herb Pizza Dough

1 package dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons pizza seasoning (I used a mix of Italian seasoning and pasta seasoning since I didn't have pizza seasoning)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking Spray

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oil, garlic powder, pizza seasonings and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well-blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Top and bake according to recipe directions.

Note: You can prepare this in a stand mixer using the dough hook. Add all the ingredients and let the hook knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes. Also, this dough may be frozen. Follow directions for kneading dough, and shape dough into 2 balls. Coat balls with cooking spray and place into a ziptop plastic freezer bag. Thaw overnight in a refrigerator. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85'), free from drafts' 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If Indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Shape as instructed.

We cooked the pizza dough for 5 minutes, then added our sauce, cheese, toppings and more cheese. Then we baked for approximately 15 more minutes until the cheese was melted and slightly browned.

Source: Jenni's Culinary Creations

Catching Up!

So I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had a chance to update the blog regularly so this is my catch up post to share the yummy things I've been making in the meantime.

First up is a tasty pasta dish I made from a recipe that was in the most recent issue of Kraft Food and Family. It turned out well and was quick to make and I like that it included dairy, veggie and protein.


Simple & Creamy Tortellini Alfredo

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese tortellini
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup KRAFT Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend (I used the 2% milk kind)
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (I used the fully cooked kind)

POUR broth and water into large saucepan; stir. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 8 to 9 min. or until tortellini is tender. (Do not drain.)
ADD cream cheese and peas; stir. Heat 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring occasionally.
STIR in shredded cheese and bacon.

Source: Kraft Food and Family Magazine (also available at kraftfoods.com)

A few weekends ago we had some friends over for dinner after they helped us with a home improvement project. I cooked the Mexican Lasagna from a previous post and then pulled out my cookbooks to find a rice dish to make for a side. I came upon Fiesta Rice from one of my Cooking Light cookbooks and decided to give it a shot. It was good but it might be even better with the lime juice and fresh cilantro, which I omitted since I didn't have them on hand.

Fiesta Rice

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped green onions

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash of salt

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn to pan; cook 10 minutes or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Set aside.
Melt butter in pan. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, cumin, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth, black pepper, salt, and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in reserved corn and beans. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.

Source: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008

Manicotti Madness

I've been sick so I haven't been doing as much cooking and I'm a little behind on my posting. I hope to get caught up with my kitchen adventures soon. Last Wednesday and Thursday we enjoyed a tasty Italian treat...Manicotti! This recipe was in my Kraft Food and Family magazine (which is free and so much fun to get each month) and it had things we loved...pasta, cheese, garlic and mushrooms...and things we are trying to eat more of...healthy spinach. The recipe turned out really tasty and the only change I would make for next time would be more garlic, simply because we love it, and I would have used the whole jar of sauce, since I like a lot of sauce with my pasta. Otherwise I highly recommend it. We had it the first night with green pea casserole, my mom's specialty. I never had green bean casserole growing up...my mom always made green pea instead. I love it so much more than green bean casserole and even my husband, who grew up with green bean casserole, prefers it now. The second night was some simple steamed fresh broccoli from my dad's garden and some fresh green beans. Yum!

Cheesy Manicotti

1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 egg whites (I used about 6 tablespoons of liquid egg whites)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 container (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/3 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided (I grated some fresh Parmigiano Reggiano)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) manicotti shells (14 shells), cooked, drained
2 cups spaghetti sauce (I did this but will use the whole jar next time)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 min. on medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites lightly in medium bowl. Add mushroom mixture, spinach, ricotta cheese and half each of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; mix well. Spoon evenly into manicotti shells.
PLACE in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with spaghetti sauce.
BAKE 40 min. or until heated through. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; continue baking 5 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

Green Pea Casserole

1 can Leseur baby peas

1 can Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 large can or 1 small can French's French Fried Onions

Stir together peas and soup in a casserole dish. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Sprinkle onions on top and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 until the onions are crispy and golden brown.

Chopsticks Optional

For dinner Thursday night we made one of my favorites...Chicken Stir Fry! I don't really have a "recipe" per say since it is not being made from scratch, but it sure is tasty. It is a great way to get in tons of veggies, is an overall healthly meal, and is really quick to prepare. So here is how we make our version of stir fry and a picture for your viewing (and drooling) pleasure.


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1 inch pieces (about 2/3 to 1 pound)
2 bags Birds Eye Steamfresh Asian Vegetable Medley, prepared as directed on package
1/3 bottle House of Tsang Classic Stir Fry Sauce



Spray a wok or other similarly large pan with cooking spray and cook chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through. Pour in prepared veggies and stir fry sauce. Stir and heat through. Serve over brown rice.

The Wonders of Wonton Wrappers

Friday I decided to finally embark on the new adventure I had been wanting to try so badly...cooking with wonton wrappers. I whipped out my wonton wrappers, had my wonderful husband chop up some baby spinach, and away we went in the name of ravioli creation. This ravioli was quite tasty and really easy to make. Once stuffed they took only 3 minutes to boil and be ready for delicious consumption. We tried 3 different variations on ravioli with these wrappers...your traditional ravioli with filling in the center and a top and bottom sheet of pasta, your purse shaped ravioli using one sheet of pasta, and then your tortellini/wonton shape ravioli, also using just one sheet. We found that the tortellini shape worked best. These are a great way to get in your veggies and the filling makes enough for two hefty batches...we froze half for another time. Enjoy!

Three Cheese Ravioli with Chicken and Spinach

1 cup shredded chicken (I boiled one breast in chicken broth and 5 chopped fresh garlic cloves the night before)
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 (we used Newman's Own Vodka Sauce).


Source: Sweet Savory Southern

Quiche is the word...

Last week we had some ham and some eggs that we needed to use up so I thought what better way to accomplish that than with a quiche. Normally I make a cheese and bacon quiche but saw no reason why I couldn't substitue some ham for the bacon. It turned out great and provided a couple of dinners for us. I didn't take a picture...if you've seen one quiche you've seen them all. Here is the recipe I use:

1 9 inch deep dish pie crust
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I substituted 1-1.5 cups chopped ham this time)
1/2 cup diced onion (raw is fine--I prefer to sautee until soft in a little cooking spray or butter)
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half & half (I used fat free...you could also use evaporated milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (recipe calls for Swiss but I use whatever I have on hand, generally cheddar or a colby and monterey jack blend...always 2% cheese)
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix together eggs, half & half and salt. Stir in the bacon or ham and onion. Mix in the cheese and flour. Place pie shell on a baking sheet and pour in the mixture. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mexican Lasagna...Yumo!

Tonight I made Mexican Lasagna for the second time. We love it and it has turned out great both times that I've made it. It is pretty healthy and doesn't mess up too many dishes, so clean up is pretty quick. If there are only two of you, there will be plenty left over. It rewarms well on the second day. The recipe is from Rachael Ray and I've shown the changes/choices I've made in pink.

Mexican Lasagna

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case (I used 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey breast and I think this is plenty)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped (I used a regular sweet onion)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes (I used the tomatoes)
1 cup frozen corn kernels (I like more around a cup and a half and I use the fire roasted kernals from Trader Joe's)
Salt (I omitted...trying to watch the sodium)
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack (I use 2% cheese)
2 scallions, finely chopped (I omitted as I'm not a fan)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.
Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.

Source: Rachael Ray from foodnetwork.com

Beans, Beans good for the heart....

I love black beans. I never had them until our Cuban friend cooked us black beans and rice one night when I was in my early 20s. I loved his black beans and rice and would always beg him to make them when we had potluck dinners. Sadly, he has moved north and is not around for me to get my fix. So I've learned to make a version pretty close to his through trial and error and we either eat them on just plain brown rice or we turn them into black bean and rice burritos. We had planned to cook this meal on Friday night but some friends called and wanted to go out so we postponed this until tonight. We love to do this meal not only because it is very tasty, but also because it is quick. I can easily have dinner on the table in 30 minutes and it is pretty healthy. If I'm doing burritos, I season the brown rice with some Old El Paso Cheesy taco seasoning. The amount I use depends on the amount of rice I'm cooking...about a half package works well for the amount that results from 2 cups of uncooked rice. Mix it in after the rice is done.

Black Beans

1 can La Costena whole black beans (these are a personal preference...you can use any brand)

1 can Bush's Seasoned recipe black beans (again, personal preference)

1/4 medium green pepper, diced

1/4 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon of cumin (I just eyeball it so this is a guess)

2-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped or pressed (depends on how much garlic you like...I always press it using one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, my Pampered Chef Garlic Press)

1-2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sautee onion and pepper in olive oil until soft, generally 5-8 minutes or so. You can just do this in your saucepan. Dump your two cans of black beans into the pot, partially draining them first (you don't want to completely drain or your black beans will be dry). Press your garlic into the pot, toss in your cumin and stir (you could sautee the garlic with the pepper and onion if you prefer the chopping route). Add a little extra olive oil if you feel it needs to be saucier. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the flavors have melded, it is heated through, and the sauciness has reduced down a bit.

If doing burritos, we always put slices of Cabot's 50% light pepperjack down the middle of either a wheat or a spinach tortilla and microwave this for 30 seconds to melt the cheese and heat the tortilla. Then we put some rice and beans on the tortilla and dress it up with some low fat or fat free sour cream and some lettuce. So yummy!

After dinner, my husband reminded me that I needed to make a loaf of banana bread for his coworker. We had done loaves for his team and a few others at his office for Christmas, but one coworker isn't in the office much due to the nature of his job, so we couldn't do his bread when we did the others. He will be back in the office tomorrow, so late Christmas baking ensued. I love this recipe because it is quick to put together but always turns out perfectly.

Janet's Rich Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (I use light)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 medium bananas, sliced (I mash mine instead)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Allrecipes.com

New Year's Recipes

Here are the two recipes I mentioned in my post yesterday regarding our New Year's meal:

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked elbow mac (7 oz)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Cook & drain mac as directed on package
3. Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard, & Worc sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth & bubly. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil & stir 1 minute, remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.
4. Gently stir mac into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole dish.
5. Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Source: Beth Anne's blog...thanks Beth Anne!


Angus Barn Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan or any other 6 cup loaf pan; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter, and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated before adding the next. Sift together cake flour and baking powder, the add, a little at a time, to the sugar and butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Add vanilla and beat to combine thoroughly. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a tester inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a greased wire rack. Makes 12 servings.

Per serving: 250 calories, 11 grams fat, 79 milligrams cholesterol, 25 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, 120 milligrams sodium

Note: I always use low fat sour cream and it works great. You could also lighten it by using egg substitute.

Source: The Angus Barn as printed in the News & Observer's Specialty of the House column on May 15, 2002.

Happy New Year!

New Year's is always a nice time...time to make resolutions and try to transform your life. Sometimes the resolutions stick...more often they don't. It is also a time for a good, traditional Southern meal. I grew up having the traditional meal on New Year's Day and now when we are in town for New Years, I always cook up the usual New Year's menu, with a little help from my "friends". This year I got a ham from Honeybaked and collards and biscuits from a local restaurant that specializes in Southern cooking. This is the only time of year I really eat collards, so I've never learned how to cook them. Therefore I outsource. Also, I'd normally do cornbread but I had a New Year's hankering for a biscuit. I did however do my own black eye peas, green beans, and macaroni and cheese. You must eat foods that swell so you can swell your fortune for the year and greens, like collards, are to be eaten so you will be prosperous. I served it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream on homemade poundcake. It was yummy and really hit the spot. I got my macaroni and cheese recipe from Beth Anne, who has some other great recipes in her blog, The Domestic Diva. The key to it is definitely real cheese...I found that using the pre-shredded 2% cheese gave it a kind of grainy consistency. Skim milk works OK but I generally use low fat half and half. The pound cake recipe is from a famous local restaurant, The Angus Barn. I winged the rest!

So we've started the new year with some not so healthy food but hey, who really starts their resolutions on January 1st anyway!

It has begun

It's happened. I've been sucked in. I've enjoyed reading so many other people's blogs that I've decided to start one of my own. My blog will primarily be devoted to food and fashion...hence the name Style and Sustenance. They are two of my greatest loves. Welcome to Style and Sustenance! Let the games begin!