Shrimp-Stuffed Shells

This recipe came out of a Cooking Light magazine. I made some adjustment with the supplies I had on hand... They were pretty good, and pretty healthy too. My husband says I can definitely make them again. :)

The recipe said that you can find potato starch near the cornstarch in the grocery store. It also explained that the shrimp goes into the pasta shells raw to prevent it from over cooking while the pasta bakes.

{ingredients}
20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 8 oz)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. chopped shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves) {I used some garlic powder... as I didn't have the other stuff}
1/2 c. (4 oz) cream cheese {you can use 1/3 less fat version}
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil {nope didn't have any of these. I used Italian seasoning instead}]...}
1 lb medium shrimp- peeled, deveined, and coarsley chopped {I had pre-cooked, frozen shrimp. So I thawed them and used them instead. It is also important to take not of the coarsly chopped... I used a food processor and it made them a little too fine it made a funny texture.}
1 Tbsp potato starch {I had no idea what this was... and didn't get any before trying it...}


{directions}
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook pasta 7 minutes, or until al dente, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. {I only cooked them for 5 minutes so they were less likely to break. upon filling and baking...}
3. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add cream cheese mixture to shrimp; toss well.
5: {this is where I took the liberty to make them my own way} Put the mixture in a ziploc bag and cut one of the corners off. Use it to squeeze it into the shells.
6. Coat a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; spread 1 c. marinara sauce over the bottom of dish. Arrange shells in prepared dish; top with remaining 2 cups marinara. Sprinkle shells evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until shrimp is done.

Huevos Rancheros

Mom sent me to a cooking class to learn some different breakfast foods. She told me that Huevos Rancheros is one of my dad's favorite things. Not that I can cook authentic mexican food... but these were pretty good anyway! I made them for my family and they all had seconds. So I take that to mean they were decent.

{ingredients}
6 eggs
6 corn tortillas
2 cups black beans- drained
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 small can (4 oz) chili peppers- chopped
1 large can chili verde sauce
2 c. salsa
1 1/2 c. queso fresco (found in the normal cheese isle)
salt and pepper

{directions}
In a skillet, lightly brushed with oil, toast corn tortillas. In a small saucepan, combine the beans, cumin, chili powder, and chopped chili peppers and heat (simmer) until bubbles.
In another saucepan, combine the salsa and the verde together and bring to a bubble. In the same skillet, spray with nonstick spray and cook each egg until sunny side up until the yolk is semi firm- salt and pepper the eggs.
Place the tortilla on a plate, spread 1/2 c. of beans over it. Next add the egg and smother with the verde salsa. Finally, sprinkle generously with queso.

*Tip #1: keep the oven at a low temperature to keep tortillas warm. 
*Tip #2: when cooking in bulk, cook the eggs until they are almost done. Let them finish cooking in the warming oven while you prepare the rest and are ready to serve. Nothing is worse than cold breakfast foods...

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Was introduced to this dish at a family gathering and fell in love with it. Easy and delicious . . . what more could you ask?

Puree in blender:
1/2 jar marinara sauce (24-26 oz.)
1 can white beans, drained
1 jar roasted red peppers (7 oz.)
2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic

Heat:
1 can chicken broth
Remaining 1/2 jar marinara sauce.

Add blended red sauce and 1/4 c. basil. Top with Parmesan cheese.

(I found my roasted red peppers at a dollar store. Great price!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This recipe came from Studio 5. I saw it and have been craving it ever since. Turns out, it is delicious. The only problem I ran into was what to serve it with... I decided on some broccoli for some greenery... yum.

{ingredients}
3 c. chicken- cooked and cubed
2 c. cubed ham
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. (12 oz) half and half
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 T. butter
3 T. flour

Topping: (mix together following)
1/2 c. dried bread crumbs
1 tsp melt butter
1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese

{directions}
1. Saute onions in butter, add flour. Stir half and half and bring to a boil until thick, stirring constantly. In a separate bowl, mix together chicken, ham and cheese. Pour sauce over and mix well.
2. Pour into a 9X13 pan.
3. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

**If freezing:
Step 2: place in a disposable pan, sprinkle with topping. Cover with foil and freeze.

Cinnamon Poached Pears w/ Carmel Sauce

I LOVE anything that has to do with pears. They are my fruit of choice in almost every scenario, certainly as my go-to for a healthy snack. When I see a recipe that includes a pear, I put it onto my "gotta try that" list. I got the idea for this recipe from the Real Simple magazine. I didn't follow the recipe exactly... so for the original recipe you'll have to go here. I made some of it up, and I didn't make my own caramel (cheating, I know) I could not get it to work. But it was absolutely divine all the same!

{ingredients}
8 firm Anjou, Barlett, or Bosc pears- stems attached (for pretty display)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 two inch piece fresh ginger- peeled and sliced
2 c. sugar
8 c. water
your favorite caramel sauce
2 pints vanilla ice cream
cinnamon to sprinkle for display (optional)

{directions}

1. Peel the pears. Using a melon baller, scoop out the core of each pear, starting from the bottom (leave the stem end intact).
2. In a large pot, combine the cinnamon sticks, ginger, 2 cups of the sugar, and 8 cups water. Add the pears and bring to a boil, stirring gently to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until the pears just begin to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool in the cooking liquid (the pears will continue to cook as they cool).- {I let it cool for about 20 minutes... they were still warm when I served them, but it made for a delicious contrast to the ice cream we served it with.}
3. Serve the pears with the ice cream, drizzled with the caramel.

**Quick Tip**

these can be made up to 2 days in advance; refrigerate, covered. Bring the pears to room temp before serving.

Carmel Apple Bites

Saw this on Pinterest. It was ridiculously easy and my husband loved it!

Take an apple. (really, any kind that you would like to eat raw...)
Using a melon baller, core the apple, leaving the apple as in-tact as possible, fill hole with Vanilla Bean ice cream & drizzle with Carmel sauce. DE-lish! :)

Halloween 2011

Here's our Halloween dinner this year. Everyone actually ate what we cooked this year.

Maggot Sliders

ground turkey or beef

favorite seasoning (we like montreal steak seasoning)

cooked white rice

small, slider sized buns

Mix the ground beef and seasonings and form into small patties. Roll the edges of the patties in a plate full of rice. Carefully cook so all of the rice doesn't fall off. (Some of it will) Cook to your liking. Serve on buns with ketchup for that bloody look!

Deviled Eyeballs

check out this post

and for dessert . . . .

Worm Covered Rotten Apple Bars

CRUST:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

FILLING:

8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (we used 5 and thought it was plenty)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg

TOPPING:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts

Heat oven to 425°F (400°F for dark or nonstick pan).
In large bowl, beat flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. It will be crumbly.
Press mixture in the bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan.

Combine the dry ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Toss the apples with the dry stuff--coat them well. Carefully spread the filling over the crust.
Bake 10 minutes.

While that bakes, in large bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
Cut 1 cold unrolled crust lengthwise in half (keep remaining crust refrigerated).
Cut into 1/4-inch slices. Repeat with remaining crust.
Separate pieces, and toss with sugar mixture.
After the 10 minutes, sprinkle cut-up crust mixture evenly over filling.
Bake 18 to 22 minutes more, or until crust is golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.