Stuffed Pasta Shells

I made this for Sunday dinner and Casey really liked it. I have tried a couple other jumbo shell pasta recipes and Casey liked them okay, but this one is his very favorite. He thought this one was really good. It got a little bit crispy around the edges, I am not sure if it is because I didn't put in quite as much pasta sauce as it called for, or if it was because it cooked on low for too long. It was still good though. Sorry there isn't a picture.

18 jumbo pasta shells
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1 egg, beaten
2 jars meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta shells according to directions, just until tender and drain. Meanwhile, brown beef, onion and garlic on stove top, drain. Add mozzarella, bread crumbs, parsley and egg. Stuff shells, set aside. Pour 1 jar of sauce into Crockery Pot. Arrange stuffed shells in sauce. Top with other jar of sauce and Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low 5 to 7 hours.

Crockery Pot Taco Casserole

Once again I don't have a picture of this one, because I am not used to posting my recipes on the blog. Jamie I hope you are proud of me for finally posting some recipes. It sure has taken me long enough!

I have started to make more crock pot meals, #1 because it is hot hear in Vegas and #2 because they work really nicely since our church doesn't start until 2:00. I don't think we would ever eat dinner on Sunday by the time we get home at 5:30 if I didn't throw something in the crockpot on Sunday morning.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 med. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
2 drops Tabasco sauce
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
2 cans chili with beans (16 oz)
3/4 lb. grated cheese
Tortilla chips (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)

Brown ground meat and drain. Add onion, garlic and pepper and cook until transparent. Add remaining Tabasco, tomato, sauce, and chili powder. Grease crock pot and layer in 5 layers beginning with meat mixture, tortilla chips, corn, chili, and grated cheese. cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

To grease the crock pot I just used PAM. Never heard of that before, but I guess it helped to keep it from sticking. I also just used a can of corn, instead of frozen. It turned out really yummy.

BLT Pasta Salad

I have been watching the food network a lot lately to try and get some new ideas for meals. I found this one on their website. I made it for the FHE potluck party we got invited to after we first moved into our new ward here. It turned out really yummy, but I totally forgot to add in the chopped romaine hearts! I also think I cooked the tomato mixture a little too long. Just in case you do try to make this don't get your tomato mixture very hot. If you do when you add the lettuce it will probably wilt. So looking back it might actually be a good think I spaced the lettuce. :) It made me really mad thought because I had already washed and chopped it all, I just forgot to pull it out of the crisper to put in the salad. I guess I am getting more and more like mom everyday. :) I forgot to take a picture of this one too! This pic. is from the food network website.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces corkscrew-shaped pasta
• 1/2 cup milk
• 12 ounces lean bacon
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens
• 5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from the pan. Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.
Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 tablespoons chives with the pasta until evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lettuce; toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 tablespoon chives. Serve at room temperature.

Southwest Quesadilla with Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream

I saw this recipe while watching the food network and I had to try it. I thought the cilantro lime sour cream sounded a little weird, but decided to give it a try anyway. I was so glad I did because it was so delicious! Casey also really loved this meal! Here is the recipe, sorry I forgot to take a picture of it. You have to try these!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for griddle
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3/4 cup corn kernels, (about 1 ear)
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 4 (10-inch"burrito size") flour tortillas
• 1 (16-ounce) can refried black beans
• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
• Lime-Cilantro Sour Cream, recipe follows

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute red pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add corn, red pepper flakes, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to incorporate and saute for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the cilantro. Preheat a long, 2-burner cast iron griddle, or a large saute pan over medium heat. Lay 2 tortillas on a work surface and spread each evenly with refried black beans. Place tortillas, bean side up, on the griddle (begin with 1 if using a saute pan). Sprinkle onion-red pepper mixture evenly over the top of each, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Cover with another tortilla coated with refried black beans and cook until cheese melts, about 4 minutes. Flip quesadillas to toast the other side. Slice each quesadilla into 8 wedges, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with Lime-Cilantro Sour Cream.

~For mine I only added a pinch of red pepper flakes and that was hot enough. Unless you like it super spicy I wouldn't add as much as it calls for. I also just used a can of corn instead of fresh and that was fine. I wasn't sure if it would be filling enough since it only makes two quesadillas, but there was almost a whole quesadilla left over! To make it easier I just cooked up all the stuff in my frying pan and then dumped it all into a bowl. then I just wiped out the skillet with a paper towel and used that to fry the quesadillas in. They turned out sooooo yummy! This would be a great appetizer if you were having a party or it also just makes a really yummy meal.

Lime-Cilantro Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• Pinch salt

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until combined. Season, to taste, with salt if needed.

Yield: 1/2 cup

Black Bean Corn Salsa

I made this Salsa the other night to go along with the fajitas I made. It was really good and Casey even liked it. He thought it was so good that he said it could have been a meal by itself. :) I thought that was pretty funny considering fajitas are one of his favorites.

1 can             black beans, drained

1/2 cup          sliced green onions

1 cup             chopped tomatoes

1 can             whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 to 1 tsp.   ground cumin
1/2 tsp.          chopped jalapeno pepper
salt to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.

I also added a little fresh lime juice and about a 1/4 cup chopped cilantro to mine. I also put more jalapeno in because it wasn't very hot once i took out all the seeds and stuff.

Steak Gorgonzola Salad

Whew! We had a busy food week! I love salad when it's hot out and Ben loves Giada from the food network (I think we all know why... he says its her cooking)... put these two loves together and you have this salad. Yum!

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces (I used a dark green spring mix)
• 1 large head Belgian endive, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 ounces Gorgonzola, coarsely crumbled
• Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound steak  pan-fried or grilled and chilled

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, red onion, and cherry tomatoes, and half of the cheese. Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the salad on a platter.

Cut the steaks crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the steak slices atop the salad and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Drizzle more vinaigrette over the steak slices and serve.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup olive oil

Thanks food network and Giada... You're a real pal:)

Stuffed Peppers, Ben style

I'm posting this for Jen, my partner in crime for anything bizarre sounding. I know she'll go with me down this road and at least try it:) Turns out last week, I had a few peppers (they were on sale) and didn't quite know what to stuff them with... I got a little adventurous and it turns out to be Ben's (literally) favorite meal of all time... weird. So, give it a try, if you trust Ben:)

Bell Peppers
Rice A Roni (we just happened to have Parmesan Chicken flavor)
1/2 lb. sausage, crumbled and browned
1 onion, chopped
1 can of corn, drained
shredded cheese (we used mexican blend)

Cut stem out of bell peppers and remove seeds. Brown sausage in a skillet. Add onions and cook until tender. Drain sausage and onions. Prepare rice a roni according to instructions. In a bowl combine sausage, onion, corn and rice. Stuff into peppers and top with shredded cheese. Bake 10 minutes in 350* oven.

Stuffed French Bread

This is a recipe I stole from Joni, so all credit goes to the Kenningtons:) It has become a favorite at our house.

1 lb. hamburger, browned
1/2 c. diced green pepper (we used red this time)
1/2 c. celery, diced
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. garlic salt
1 T. worcestershire sauce
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 loaf of french bread

Hull out the french bread loaf and break the inside bread into little pieces. Add to your browned hamburger. Mix in the remaining ingredients and fill the hulled out loaf of bread. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes at 350*

We also added olives this time and green onions, which were yummy too:)

Cottage Cheese Crepes

Just FYI- these are strawberries on top, not salsa:)

My kids' favorite breakfast...

1c. cottage cheese
4 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1 t. honey
1/4 t. salt

Put all ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour by spoonfuls into hot greased pan (or griddle). Turn over when air bubbles form. Spread with yogurt (the kids preferred blueberry acai this morning) and can top with fruit. Let your imagination go crazy... we tried everything from vanilla yogurt to huckleberry raspberry jam:)

Cajun Chicken and Peppers

Sorry for the long hiatus, but over the summer I did add a few new dishes to the repertoire... Here it goes:

2T canola oil
1 T butter
8 skinless chicken thighs
8 T Worcestershire sauce
8 tsp. cajun spice (this was too much for the little boys)
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 large red onion, julienned
1 c water
8 cups cooked rice

Preheat oven to 375

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Coat each chicken thighwith 1 T worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp Cajun spice (like I said, this was too much for our little boys). Saute thighs for 5 minutes, turning once. Place bell peppers and onion into a casserole dish sprayed with PAM. Place thighs on top. Stir water into skillet over high heat to deglaze pan. Pour liquid over top of thighs. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Serve with rice. Makes 6-8 servings.

*I served the rice on the side, so it was a low carb dish for those of us needing it:)