Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Stuffed Shells

I always loved getting stuffed pastas when I was little when we would go out to eat. It seemed so exotic! How did they get the stuffing inside the pasta? Now not that I've mastered the art if pasta making, I'm still in awe of people who can make tortellini, but in my house we like to make our own ravioli and stuffed shells! Today's recipe is for stuffed jumbo shells.

The Recipe:

• 2 15 Ounce Containers of Ricotta
• 1 Package of Fresh Spinach
• 1 Recipe Tomato Sauce
• 1 Cup Shredded Chicken (optional)
• 1 Box Jumbo Shells
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Salt and Pepper

Equipment:

• Piping Bag
• 13x9 Baking Dish
• Food Processor

In boiling water, cook the jumbo shells until slightly al dente. Set aside.

Combine 1 container of ricotta with the tomato sauce. Set aside.

Using a food processor, combine the remaining​ container of ricotta with the spinach. I don't measure it, but I go off of color. A light, pale green us a good mix. You'll know it when you see it. Mix in some salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken if you are adding that to the mix.

Using a piping bag or 2 spoons, fill each shell with the ricotta mixture. Position each shell face up in the baking dish. Once the baking dish is full, pour the tomatoe sauce and ricotta over the shells. Then cover it up with the mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and starting to brown, usually about 30 minutes.

Happy Eating!

Mushroom Risotto

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is one of those things I always heard was really hard to make. But once I watched someone make it, and how simple it is, I had to try it fr myself.

The Recipe:

• 1 Onion - Diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
• 1 Quart Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup Arborio Rice
• 2 Tablespoons Butter - divided
• 1 Package Portobello Mushrooms - Sliced
• 1/4 Cup Dry White Wine
• Spinach - Rough Chopped (optional)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Ricotta Cheese
• 1/4 Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Sauté the rice in butter
until translucent

In a saucepan, heat the chicken broth to a slow simmer. In a heavy bottom Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Over medium-high heat, sauté the arborio rice until translucent, or not quite browned.



Remove the rice from the pot. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sauté the onions and garlic until slightly browned. Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine. Return the arborio rice back to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the broth one ladle
at a time

The next step is where it can get a little tricky. It's not hard, it just takes patience. Add the chicken broth to the rice, one ladle at a time. The rice is going to slowly absorb the chicken broth. Don't rush it by turning the heat up too much or the chicken broth will evaporate instead of absorbing in to the rice. Stir the rice occasionally. As the chicken broth absorbs into the rice, add another ladle one at time.






When the last ladle of broth has been added, add the mushrooms. The mushrooms will cook quickly. When the broth is fully absorbed, the mushrooms are done.

Add the spinach
at the very end

If you are adding the spinach, stir it in just before turning off the heat. The remaining heat in the rice will cook it.

Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the ricotta and mozzarella cheese. 

Some other variations to try are mushroom and asparagus, summer veggies, or pumpkin for the fall!

Happy eating!

4 Recipes Using a Rotisserie Chicken - Chicken Salad

Lately, I've been looking for ways to make dinner prep a little easier. So I decided to put together a series of 4 recipes using a rotisserie chicken, something that can be picked up at the store on your way home from work and then combined with a few simple ingredients that may already be in your kitchen. The last recipe in the series is Chicken Salad.

Chicken Salad

The Recipe:

• 1 Cup Chicken - Cubed
• 1 Cup Grapes - Halved
• 3 Apples - Diced
• 1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds
• 1/2 Cup Celery - Diced
• 2 Green Onions - Diced
• Mayonnaise
• Salt and Pepper

This Chicken Salad is by far the easiest recipe of the series. Just combine all of the ingredients and bowl. I don't measure the mayonnaise. For me, it's a consistency thing. I add a little at a time until everything is combined. The mayonnaise serves more as a binder than as a flavoring ingredient. If there's too much, it just tastes like mayonnaise. The chicken should still the star. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I like to serve mine as a sandwich on toasted bread. It goes well on a bed of lettuce too!


Happy eating!

4 Recipes Using a Rotisserie Chicken - Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

Lately, I've been looking for ways to make dinner prep a little easier. So I decided to put together a series of 4 recipes using a rotisserie chicken, something that can be picked up at the store on your way home from work and then combined with a few simple ingredients that may already be in your kitchen. The third recipe in the series is Greek Chicken Pasta Salad. You may notice this one as a repeat, but it works so well with a rotisserie chicken I couldn't leave it out of the series!

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

The Recipe:

• Rotisserie Chicken - Chopped
• Olive and Feta Mix
• Pasta
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumber - Quartered and Chopped
• 1 Recipe Greek Salad Dressing

This recipe is super simple to make on a busy weeknight. With the rotisserie chicken, the only thing to cook is the pasta. I don't measure anything. I just put everything in a big bowl and mix it up. My only requirement is to go heavy on the olives, the more the better! Combine all of the ingredients, poor the dressing over, and serve. It's that simple!

Happy eating!

Greek Pasta Salad with Chicken

Greek Pasta Salad with Chicken

Some nights we just don't feel like cooking. Every week, we try to add at least one meal that requires almost no prep. We can just come home and put it together, so we can relax and enjoy the rest of our evening together. This week, we made Greek Pasta Salad.





Here's what you'll need:

• Chicken - cooked 
• Olive mix
• Pasta
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumber - Quartered and Chopped
• 1 Recipe Greek Salad Dressing

We grilled some boneless chicken breasts this time,
but it will make this even easier if you use a grocery
store rotisserie chicken.

To make this recipe even easier, there is no measuring involved. A box of pasta, however much chicken we have in the fridge, it doesn't matter how much or how little of each ingredient goes in. I'm a bit of an olive junkie, so I do go heavy on the olives. We like to use the olive mix from the store that comes with feta cheese so we don't have to buy an extra ingredient. Mix everything together in a bowl. Add salad dressing to taste. This week we added some avocado to mix it up a little. 

Honey Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Honey Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin

I was messing around one day with salad dressing variations and mixed some lemon juice with some Dijon mustard. It was good, but not quite right. It needed something sweet in it. The classic honey mustard combo was what I went for. After the initial salad dressing test, I tried it on a few other things. It makes a good coleslaw. But where I hit gold, was as a pork marinade. The spice of the mustard, the sweet of the honey, and the acid of the lemon compliment the pork perfectly.


The Recipe:

• 1 Cup Spicy Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• Juice of 1 Large Lemon
• 2 Pork Tenderloins
• 1 Large Storage Bag

Use a plastic storage bag for marinating

Perforate the pork with a fork to allow the marinade to get inside the meat. Move the pork to a large storage bag. In a large bowl, mix together the mustard, honey, and lemon juice. I like to use a coarse grain mustard to give it some extra spice, but it depends on who I am cooking for. A milder, smoother mustard will work fine. Just don't use yellow mustard here. Don't worry about straining out the seeds or pulp from the lemon. It helps with the flavor. Pour the marinade in to the bag with the pork. With the bag sealed, work the pork and marinade around to get the pork completely covered. Let the pork sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.

Get a good smoke going to really enhance the
the flavor. The smoke is just to enhance the flavor,
not to actually cook the meat.

Remove the pork from the bag and place on a plate to let the extra marinade drip off. The mustard has a habit of burning and let it drip off a little will help prevent any unwanted burning on the grill. I like to use charcoal for this dish instead of gas, so that I can get a good smoky flavor in the pork. The smoke and mustard flavors were meant to be together. Get the grill to about 450-500 degrees. If you want to throw some oak or hickory in there to help get some smoke going. I use an oak lump charcoal that works really well. Grill about 10 - 15 minutes per side and then over indirect heat another 5 - 10 minutes. 

Honey Mustard Marinated Pork with
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Asparagus

I've served this with a few different things. Salad. Mixed veggies. Roasted potatoes. Usually I'll have rolls in the freezer I can throw in the oven. This time, I served the pork with some cheesy mashed potatoes and asparagus sautéed with onions and garlic.

Insanely Easy Weeknight Dinners To Try This Week - Delish.com

Need a little help with menu planning next week? I always love trying new things. I'm especially looking forward to Wednesday!



Insanely Easy Weeknight Dinners To Try This Week - Delish.com:



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