Creamy Orzo with Chicken Mushrooms and Red Peppers

From Mels! So I've now made this twice with plans to make it again! I love the mushrooms and the creamy sauce!!! It's more of an everyday meal, but it's a good one. I also added chopped asparagus last time cause I had to use it and it was awesome.  Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 average-sized chicken breasts (about 1 to 1 ½ pounds), cut into chunks
• 1-2 red bell peppers, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 pound orzo pasta
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until tender. When the orzo is ready, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water (ladling it into a small bowl is my method) and then drain the orzo and set aside.
2. While the orzo cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. When nicely browned (but not all the way cooked through), add the peppers, mushrooms and thyme. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms and peppers have softened and browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. In the skillet over medium heat, add the softened cream cheese (if you forgot to let the cream cheese soften at room temperature, no worries! Pop it in the microwave for one minute on 40% power) in bite sized chunks and stir so that the cream cheese melts and coats the chicken and vegetables. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir. Add the orzo, Parmesan, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Also from Mels, very easy and a good use of those extra noodles in the lasagna pkg. I also made it with a half a box of bowties one night to make it look prettier and we loved that!

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the rictotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi with Proscuitto, Peas, and Mushrooms

This recipe is from Anne Burrell (food network). It was Really Really Good! And while the gnocchi was time consuming, it wasn't very hard, plus it makes a ton!!!! Also, for those who don't like peas, I really thought this would taste good with spinach, or kale, or even zucchini, etc. Ohh, and also, after reading the reviews, don't add any of the extra salt until the end......I didn't need any because the proscuitto adds plenty of it!!!!!

• 1 1/2 cups fresh peas (frozen can be substituted in a pinch)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• Pinch crushed red pepper
• 1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced into 1/2-inch wide slices
• 2 cups chanterelle mushrooms, brushed or lightly rinsed and pulled apart (I just used Cremini)
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 recipe Chef Anne's Light as a Cloud Gnocchi (I recommend to make a full recipe and freeze half for another use), recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano
• 1/2 bunch chopped chives

Directions

Bring 2 pots, 1 large and 1 medium, with well-salted water to a boil over medium heat. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Blanch the fresh peas in the medium pot of boiling water until they are cooked but still crunchy and then immediately plunge them into the salted ice water. Remove them from the ice water and reserve.

Coat a large saute pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add the smashed garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to a medium high heat. When the garlic has become golden brown and is very aromatic, remove it and discard. Add the prosciutto and saute until it starts to get crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, and TASTE to see if they are delicious (they should be!).

Add the peas and chicken stock. Season with salt, TASTE IT (it should be more delicious). Simmer until the stock has reduced by about half.

While the stock is reducing, add the gnocchi to the large pot of salted boiling water. Cook the gnocchi until they float and get very puffy. The gnocchi should be really puffy.

While the gnocchi is in the boiling water, add the butter to the pan with the mushroom mixture. Cook over low heat and swirl to incorporate. TASTE and adjust seasoning if needed.

When the gnocchi are cooked, carefully remove them from the cooking water and add them to the pan with the mushrooms. Toss or stir to combine. Cook the gnocchi with mushroom mixture until it clings to the gnocchi. Add the grated Parmigiano and the chopped chives. Transfer to serving bowls and serve immediately.

Call yourself a superstar!

Chef Anne's Light as a Cloud Gnocchi:

• 5 large Idaho potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano
• 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 or 400 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check them!

While the potatoes are still hot peel and pass them through a food mill or ricer. (I find that the food mill works just as well as a ricer and is much easier to handle) onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. When doing this pay careful attention to keep the potatoes as light and fluffy as possible. This will aid in keeping the gnocchi light. Refrigerate the potatoes on the sheet tray until cold. This is also a very important step. If the potatoes are warm while adding flour they will require more flour which will result in a much heavier finished product.

When the potatoes are absolutely cold, transfer to a clean work surface. Beat together the eggs and cheese and pour onto the potatoes. Season with salt. Cover generously with flour. It should look like snow on the mountains.

Crumble the potato flour mixture between your fingers. Begin to knead the dough until it is a dry homogeneous mixture. The dough should feel slightly moist, but not tacky. If too tacky, repeat the snow on the mountains stage.

Form the dough into a large log. Cut slices off the log and begin to roll into long ropes that are about 1-inch in thickness. Cut the ropes into 1/2-inch lengths. Cover generously with flour. Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a sheet tray dusted with flour. DO NOT PILE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER!!

Use or freeze the gnocchi immediately. If freezing, place tray directly into the freezer. Once frozen, the gnocchi can be stored in plastic bags, in the freezer, indefinitely. When cooking gnocchi they can go directly from the freezer into salted boiling water.

Note: It is a general practice to take gnocchi out of the water when they float. This is a big mistake. Gnocchi need to be cooked in boiling water until they float and get nice and puffy. Not cooking gnocchi long enough will also result in heavy gnocchi.

P.S. These are Chef Anne "Secrets" to great gnocchi, use them and you will be successful every time.

Our Favorite Lasagna

This is the recipe I've put together that we all seem to like the most. It makes a ton (I like this because of the leftovers!)

1 pkg. Whole wheat lasagna noodles (better for you, and you really can't tell the difference)
1 16 oz cottage cheese, low fat
1 16 oz ricotta cheese, from skim
1 pkg. sliced provolone cheese
1 pkg. sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg. Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 eggs.
1-2 tbsp. dried Parsley
one small pkg. frozen cut spinach, thawed and drained (I like to squeeze the juice out with paper towels)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 bottle's of your favorite canned tomato sauce (I like either Prego's meat flavored sauce, or classico's Italian sausage sauce)

Directions:
1.Cook noodles according to package directions, do not overcook. let cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
2. mix together cottage and ricotta cheeses. Add in eggs, parsley, spinach, and garlic powder. Mix. Then add about 1/4 cup. Parmesan and mix.
3. put a little sauce on the bottom of a deep 9X13 or 11X13. Layer noodles than cottage cheese mixture than provolone and mozzarella then another layer of sauce. repeat 2 or 3 times depending on size of pan. top with more Parmesan cheese.
4. Cook 30-45 minutes. let stand for about 10 mins, and enjoy.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana

This is so yummy! I love the sauce, I could just eat that over the noodles. I would recommend cutting the chicken breasts in half before cooking, they are huge if you don't. I made this before Christmas when I wasn't trying to be healthy so it is definitely not healthy but so good.

Ingredients
4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
½ cups All-purpose Flour
Salt And Pepper, to taste
½ cups Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
¾ cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)
3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Sugar
¼ cubes Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pound Thin Linguine

Preparation Instructions

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.
Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce

A not very healthy and not as easy meal by Giada.:) But it was yummy! More of a Sunday meal.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette

A very healthy easy meal from Giada.

Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces ( I just used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was great)
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.

ITALIAN GREEN BEANS

I have had several requests for the recipes used at Duke's wedding luncheon. Two of the recipes are already listed on the blog. The first, Mona's Teriayaki Chicken, and the second, Everything Tossed Salad. The Chicken turns out wonderfully if done exactly as the recipe says. However, Candace, thought it would be more attractive if we did the chicken on skewers. Therefore, we cut the chicken thighs into 1/2 inch-3/4 inch strips before we marinated it. After marinating, we put the strips onto skewers. We baked the skewers in the oven until the meat was done, which took less time then the recipe, because the chicken pieces were smaller. We made the sauce as explained in the recipe.

The Everything Tossed Salad is a family favorite shared with us by Rob's sister Mashelle. The recipe is great. However, for the luncheon, we omitted the apple, and the avacado so we didn't have to try and keep them from browning. We also decided to use red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar (the red wine vinegar is a little prettier for serving) . we used canola oil instead of Olive Oil ( it is cheaper) and we whisked about a Tablespoon of sour cream into the dressing (this was to try and help keep the dressing emulsified better). If I were making the salad for my family, I would double the dressing recipe.

ITALIAN GREEN BEANS

This recipe was borrowed from the Lion House Classics recipe book. Candace and I thought this was a great recipe and very easy.

4 slices thick bacon
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
1 can (16 ounces) green beans, drained (we used frozen, cut green beans)
1 can (16 ounces) italian seasoned diced tomatoes (we used S&W brand)
1 teaspoon salt

Saute bacon in hot frying pan until cooked but not crisp. Remove from pan. Measure 2 tablespoons drippings into frying pan. Add onion and green pepper, cook until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add green beans, seasoned tomatoes, salt, and bacon pieces. Stir, cover and simmer until beans are heated through. Makes 6 servings. I would recommend serving these with a slotted spoon so that you avoid extra liquid on your plates.

The last recipes to post are Buttermilk Pie and Berry Sauce

Garlic chicken pasta with spinach.

This recipe was light, healthy and yummy. I used the Barilla plus penne for extra health. If you are serving this to kiddies you might not want to use the red pepper or use very little, just a suggestion.

6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Tomato Basil Soup with Tortellini

I know I just barely posted a tomato soup but this one was too good not to post. Plus this one is totally different.

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 can (15 oz) tomato puree (or sauce)
1 lg can stewed tomatoes
3 Tblsp dry basil leaves or 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 tsp sugar (this is to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder or salt to taste (or you could add garlic)
1 pkg. cheese tortellini (I like the fresh tortellini you find by the cheese)
Shredded parmesan cheese

In a 3 to 4 quart pan, melt butter and heat oil over medium low heat. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender. Stir stock, tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, basil, sugar, and pepper into pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer to blend flavors and soften carrots, about 15 minutes. (At this point you can puree the soup if you want it smooth. I like it chuncky so I skip this step.) Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bring soup to a boil and add tortellini. Boil until tortellini is tender. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Lasagna swirls

This is a fun spin on lasagna. I thought it was yummy.

1 box lasagna noodles
2-10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed & well drained (I only used 1 bag)
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste (I used red pepper, more Italianie)

Light tomato sauce
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2-12 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
16 oz. tomato sauce
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp. sweet basil
1/2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare pasta according to box directions. Set aside. Beat together ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, spinach, cream cheese, mozzarella, salt & pepper. Set aside.
To prepare sauce, saute` onion & garlic in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until onion is translucent. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Lay out each noodle & spread about 2 TBSP filling on each. Roll up like a jelly roll. Place into a 11x14 pan. Pour sauce over rolls & sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Loosely cover with foil & bake for 30-40 minutes.

Rhodes Calzones

Well, fine! I guess I'll post then. Since were talking about Rhodes rolls. This is also a recipe that I made up myself and I thought it turned out really yummy.


3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Mozerella cheese
Parmesan cheese to taste
2 cloves garlic
5-6 leaves fresh basil (I have basil coming out of my ears from my garden, wish I could share with you. I'll be sad when it's all gone.)
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.

3 hours before making dinner take out desired amount of rolls. Above recipe makes about 8-10 calzones and you need 2 rolls per calzone. When you are ready to assemble: roll out the rolls until nice and thin, put cheese mixture on top of one and add another rolled out roll and squish sides together. Brush tops with melted butter. Bake and 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until tops are nice and golden.

My kids loved these inventions. They wanted more than I had. They liked to dip it into pizza or spaghetti sauce.

Turkey Meatballs with Quick And Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

Read all directions before making this......otherwise it'll take you a long time to make it!!! this is an Ellie Krieger recipe from the food network. It's healthy, low fat, low calorie, and very tasty! Hope you enjoy!

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included (I just used regular and it tasted great!
1 teaspoon finely minced canned chipotle en adobo and sauce, or more to taste
2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Meatballs:
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey meat
1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1 box (16 ounces) whole-wheat spaghetti

Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.

Make Sauce:
In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.

Meatballs:

Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl. Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.
Meanwhile, remove rosemary sprig from sauce and add fresh basil. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the whole-wheat spaghetti according to package directions.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and meatballs, toss and heat through over medium heat. Divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan.

Yield: 6 servings (1 serving equals about 1 1/3 cups pasta and sauce, plus 2 meatballs

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Calories 332
Carbohydrates 39 grams
Total Fat 10 grams
Saturated Fat 3 grams
Protein 23 grams
Fiber 8 grams
Sodium 568 milligrams

Stuffed Shells

1 pkg. Jumbo Shells
1 tsp. Salt

Boil for 10 minutes. Don't overcook! Place on waxed paper to cool.

While shells are cooking, mix:

1 large container Ricotta Cheese
1 16 oz. cottage cheese
2 c. mozarella cheese (reserve some to put on top)
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese (reserve some to put on top)
3 eggs
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Also need: 2 jars spaghetti sauce.

Spread small amount of sauce on bottom of two 9x13 pans. Fill shells and place them seem side down. Leave some space between each. Cover stuffed shells with sauce and sprinkle remaining cheeses on top. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Fills about 40 shells, 20 per pan.

I like to make this and freeze one of the pans for a later meal! Also, if you were going to make this for company, I'd probably buy two packages of shells, because it always seems like a lot of the shells are broken!!! Any way, this is a great every day kind of meal! It's really pretty good!

Strawberry Italian Ice

As you may know, Devin is Lactose intolerant, so he loves this kind of stuff.......but this is REALLY good, and low fat!!

1 Cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. Finely Shredded Orange Peel
2 tsp. Finely shredded Lemon Peel
1 1/2 tsp. Finely shredded Lime Peel
1/3 cup orange juice
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. lime juice
4 cups sliced strawberries

1. In a medium sauce pan combine sugar, water, and all shredded peels. Bring to boil, reduce and simmer 5 minutes uncovered. Let cool slightly, strain and add juices.
2. In blender or food processor combine half of strawberries and half of juice mixture. Cover and blend with several on/off turns until nearly smooth (leave some small chunks of strawberries). Pour into a freezer safe container. Repeat with other half. Freeze until solid (6-8 hrs)
3. Let stand about 20 mins or until soft enough to scrape out. Makes 8 servings.

Capelini Pomodoro

I love Olive Garden and this recipe is one of my favorites there! It is so easy! It would be great for those gardener's out there who end up with a ton of tomatoes in the summer. It's a great way to use those tomatoes besides making salsa. This is also very healthy (I'm kind of on a health kick right now).

8 medium tomatoes
11 fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
6 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
14 oz. angel hair pasta (I use the Barilla Plus pasta, much healthier and it's tastes great)

Cook angel hair according to package instructions. Chop tomatoes to 1/2 in. pieces. Chop basil, mince garlic. Combine all ingredients (except noodles). The recipe says to combine cooked noodles and sauce and heat through. I chose to heat the sauce separately. I cooked it until tomatoes were tender. Next time I make this I'm going to put tomatoes in boiling water for 20 seconds; so I can remove the skin, but you don't have to. Pour sauce over noodles and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese and serve.

John wouldn't enjoy this meal, he's a "where's the meat" kind of guy. But my girls and I really enjoyed it. So, maybe this is a chick food recipe.

Tomato, Basil and Cheese Baked Pasta

This is a Rachael Ray Recipe......It's an everyday type meal, and I have to say the color ends up looking kind of unappetizing, but it tastes pretty good!

1 lb. small shell pasta
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
3 large cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup, 10 - 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
salt and pepper
1 cup store bought pesto sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, a couple of handfuls
1/2 pound mozzarella

Cook pasta according to package directions, do not overcook.

Chop garlic and onions and saute in oil until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and stir. When the tomatoes come to a boil reduce heat to low. Stir in basil to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Preheat oven broiler to high.

Drain shells and add them to casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of the ricotta cheese and a handful of Parmesan. Stir carefully to coat pasta. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve and little at the table, to pass around. Shred up some Mozzarella cheese with and grater and scatter over the pasta. Add a sprinkle in of Parmesan as well. place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of the oven, 10 - 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 - 5 minutes.

Fried Ravioli.

I have a friend here who is a great cook. This is one of hers. Definitely one you make when having company over. It has three parts. One of them I'm not giving because it's the ravioli and it's just easier to buy a bag of ravioli. I bought a bag at Costco and it made tons.

Essence (this spice combination can be used as a meat rub as well)
2 1/2 T. paprika
2 T. salt
2 T. garlic powder
1 T. black pepper
1 T. onion powder
1 T. cayenne pepper
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. tyme

Hot sausage ragu
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. hot italian sausage
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
3/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used ground red pepper and was just fine)
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 15 oz. cans whole tomatoes, chopped, keep juice
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 T. tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine (found near vinegars, cooking wine will work)
1/4 c. heavy cream
pinch sugar

In a medim pot,heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring until brown and the fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Add onions, garlic, red pepper, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine, cream, and sugar and stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick and flavors are blended, about 30 minutes, adding water as necessary to keep from getting too thick. Remove from heat and cover until needed.

Ravioli
1 lg. egg
2 T. water

Combine to make egg wash

1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. essence

Dip thawed ravioli into egg wash and then into bread crumb mixture. fry.

Heat 2 cups oil into a large pot and fry ravioli until golden brown. Be careful with the hot oil, I really recommend a large pot. I used a medium pot and the oil came out of the pot and scared me because I was afraid of a fire. This meal is really yummy. I served it with garlic bread and salad.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 lb. spaghetti (or other pasta)
Salt, for water

Meatballs:
1 1/4 lbs ground beef (I used the super lean or even ground turkey)
2 tps Worchestershire sauce, eye ball it
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C. Italian bread crumbs (a couple of handfulls)
1/4 C. parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper

Sauce:
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I use a dash of Tabasco)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C. beef stock (this is in carton's in the soup aisle, I only use 1/2 cup or sauce is more runny than I prefer)
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
10 leaves fresh basil, chopped (If you don't care for the taste of basil a whole lot just do a tsp of dried)
A handful of chopped parsley (I sometimes just use a Tbsp of dried)
More Parmesan cheese to top

Preheat oven to 425

Place a large pot of water to boil pasta. Add salt to water and cook pasta according to directions

mix beef and Worcestershire, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Roll Meat into 1 1/2 in. balls and place on nonstick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet greased. Bake balls 10-12 minutes, till no longer pink.

Heat a deep skillet or medium pot over medium heat. Add oil, and saute onion and garlic with the Tabasco or red pepper flakes until onions are translucent (add garlic last and be careful not to burn it!). Add beef stock crushed tomatoes, and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Toss hot, drained pasta with a few ladles of the sauce and grated cheese. Turn meatballs in remaining sauce. Place pasta on dinner plates and top with meatballs and sauce and extra grated cheese. Serve with bread or garlic bread.

this makes quite a bit, so I hope your hungry!!!

Our Favorite Pizza

Crust:

2 Cups Warm Water
2 Packets or Tbsp. Yeast
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 tsp. Salt
5 Cups Flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add Honey, Salt, and 3 cups of flour. Mix until combined then continue mixing for 2 mins. Add the rest of the flour (may need more, make a stiff dough) and knead for 5 - 6 mins. more (I do this in the mixer). Put into an oiled bowl, cover and let rise till doubled (about 40 mins). Put stone in oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

While dough is rising prepare toppings. You can do whatever you want. We usually do:
Green peppers
Pineapple tidbits
olives
pepperoni
Canadian bacon
mushrooms (Camille I know will appreciate)
tomatoes

For sauce I've made several kinds, but I did Barilla's mushroom and garlic sauce, and added 1 clove crushed garlic and lemon pepper, and liked it the best.

or for homemade: (do this while dough is raising)
1 14.5 oz can diced Italian style tomates
1 small can tomato paste
1/2 c. diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil, or 1/8 c. fresh
1 tsp. dried oregano
If I have it I also like to sometimes add fresh rosemary (about 1 tsp.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in olive oil in medium sized sauce pan until translucent. Then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and spices. put in blender at this point and blend until smooth. Put back into pan and let simmer uncovered for about 30 mins.


Also, I just used a pizza cheese blend.

To bake roll out dough as thin as you can, place on heated pizza stone and put toppings on. Cook about 10-12 min. After you take the pizza off, immediately put stone back in oven and let it heat up for a few minutes before cooking next pizza or the crust won't be crisp on the outside.

Yields 3 large pizza's, or 4 medium pizza's

We love it, hopefully you will too!