Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells- Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 20 large pasta shells
• 1 can whole plum tomatoes (28 ounces), preferably San Marzano
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 7-8 leaves basil, torn
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted or 3/4 pound fresh baby spinach, chopped
• A few grates of fresh nutmeg
• 1 box frozen baby or regular artichoke hearts (10 ounces), defrosted and chopped
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

2. Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil the pasta. When the water reaches a bubble, salt it well, drop in the shells and cook them to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the cooked shells and shock them under cold water to stop them from cooking. Reserve.

3. While the shells are cooking, mash up the tomatoes in the bottom of a casserole dish. Stir the butter, basil and some salt and pepper, to taste, into the dish and set aside.

4. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until it's aromatic and light golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and nutmeg to the pan and cook to heat through.
5. Transfer the spinach to a large bowl and stir in the artichokes, ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon zest, thyme, egg yolk, parsley and some salt and pepper. Fill the reserved pasta shells with the mixture, arranging them on top of the sauce in the casserole dish as you complete them.
6. Cover the casserole with foil and transfer it to the oven. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and turn the oven up to 425˚F. Continue cooking until the filling is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes more.

This came out super yummy!  I love the combination of spinach and artichokes, especially when cheese is involved. 

This recipe took a little longer than I thought it would. Give yourself enough time to prep or you can run around the kitchen like I do, whichever :)

I used canned artichokes, they work the same. I didn't have time to thaw spinach and artichokes, so I used frozen spinach and canned artichokes. I didn't use nutmeg. I'm not sure why I never use it, I just don't. I also bought the smaller ricotta cheese- it was 1 and 3/4 not two cups. I figured it was better not to have wasted cheese and I didn't notice the 1/4 cup was missing.

3 more Sunday's until California!! 

Garden Burger- Food Network Magazine

Make four patties out of whatever ground meat you enjoy: we used turkey as it is Father's Day and my dad doesn't eat read meat :)

Toppings: Avocado, tomato, baby romaine lettuce, alfalfa sprouts & Green Goddess Dressing

Green Goddess Dressing: In a blender puree 1/3 a cup of plain low-fat yogurt, 1/2 cup of chopped chives, 2 tablespoons each of mayonnaise and chopped basil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (I used half a small lemon), 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

I served with sweet potato fries.

I realize as I look at the date of my last entry what a huge slacker I've been. I didn't realize how busy I have been. I plan to keep up with this until I move to San Diego, my last NH entry will be July 8th. I have a bridal shower the 15th and then I fly out the 18th!! I'm very excited. 

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Chicken with Artichoke and Angel Hair - Everyday Food

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed, drained, and quartered
• 2 tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves

Directions

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Place flour in a shallow dish, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in batches, adding remaining oil as needed, until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a dish.
   
2. Add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Add artichokes, capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently swirl to combine, and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat. Swirl in butter, and cover to keep warm.
   
3. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta, topped with parsley.

I became distracted in doing multiple things at once today and picked this recipe last minute. I didn't give it much thought because I love artichokes. I realized after eating it that there are definitely somethings I would add to the sauce. I would probably reduce the broth and replace some of the liquid with white wine. I would also add the juice of half a lemon. Capers do taste good with lemons and while the sauce was good, it was lacking something.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend!

Haddock and Quinoa - Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound boneless, skinless tilapia fillets, divided into 8 pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup English cucumber (6 ounces), diced small
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup feta (1 1/2 ounces), crumbled
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (half lemon)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high. Reduce to a medium simmer and cook until water evaporates, about 15 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a medium bowl and let cool 5 minutes.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Pat fish dry and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with paprika. Cook fillets until opaque throughout, about 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. Stir cucumber, dill, feta, 1 teaspoon oil, and lemon juice into quinoa. Season with salt and pepper. Divide quinoa among four plates and top with fish.

So to start my blog, I have a story to share. All of my clothes are fitting me tight, like really tight. I had to change my shirt three times on Wednesday so my stomach didn't show its true size. I've come to the realization I need to be more active and eat a little better. I think for the most part my dinners have been pretty healthy and I try to balance them. I just don't eat well during the week and I've made an April resolution to be healthier :) I usually don't like "health" food so tonight I branched out and thought outside for what I normally eat. This meal turned out really good.

A few item changes; Shaws didn't have fresh tilapia so I used haddock. I didn't have time to thaw anything out, but frozen fish is fine to buy. Tilapia, haddock, and cod are really similar tasting. I will say that tilapia holds up a little better in the skillet and the haddock was a little hard to cook as it kept breaking.  Whatever fish you like best I would use, except maybe salmon. I also didn't add any oil to the quinoa, I forgot actually but it tasted really fresh and I think the oil might have taken away from that.

Admittedly I was hesitant to use quinoa. My mom had made it once for breakfast and we all responded with, well thanks for making us breakfast, at least we know we won't make this again. I keep reading about how healthy it is and I figured I would try it again. I followed the recipe for making the quinoa exactly as it says above. The only think I wasn't sure about is how much 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice is in ratio of how much lemon to cut; I used half a lemon and that seemed to be perfect.

Everyone really liked dinner tonight so the quinoa was a success! I might try to make it for breakfast again, sweeten it up. If I do, I'll keep you all posted!

Pesto-presto chicken - Rachael Ray

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 8-10 leaves basil, about a half a cup
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a handful
• 1 5.4 ounce round of Boursin garlic and herb soft cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
• 4 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 12 slices 1/2 inch thick of vine ripe tomato, 3 medium tomatoes 

Directions

Preheat oven to 450ºF. In a small pan over medium heat lightly toast the nuts then cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, pine nuts, Boursin cheese, 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (about a handful), some salt and pepper. Process into a smooth paste. Reserve.

Butterfly each of the chicken breasts and pound them out lightly in a plastic bag with a dash of water using a skillet or meat mallet. Season both sides of the chicken and divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four breasts, placing a scoop on one half of each breast. Fold the flap over to enclose the cheese mixture.
Transfer the chicken pockets to a baking sheet and shingle 3 slices of tomato over each breast. Season with some salt and pepper, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano (about a handful). 
Bake the chicken pockets until cooked through and light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

This turned out awesome. I made it following the recipe exactly. You can substitute the Parmigiano-Reggiano with regular Parm; the Parmigiano-Reggiano is very expensive and sometimes Shaw's doesn't carry it. I served this with a boxed rice pilaf (garlic flavored) and broccoli. So good :)

Spaghetti Squash Gratin - Everday Food

For the Chicken- I lightly floured the chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked in olive oil in a pan.
For the broccoli- I steamed the broccoli in the microwave then drained the water. I seasoned with salt and pepper with a little bit of butter.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 to 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• Roasted Spaghetti Squash (see previous blog for roasting instructions)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small pot, bring broth, milk, and garlic to a boil over medium-high and cook 1 minute. Pour into a medium bowl, then slowly add flour, whisking constantly. In pot, melt butter over medium. Add anchovies and 2 teaspoons sage and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Return broth mixture to pan, bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened, 6 minutes. Discard garlic.
   
2. Add squash to sauce and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon sage, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan and sprinkle over squash. Bake until top is golden brown and mixture is bubbling at edges, 20 to 25 minutes. 
   
    This was fairly easy to make and is healthier than potatoes au gratin. I wish the sauce had been creamier, I would add cheese (probably fontina) to the sauce next time. I also didn't use anchovies, I haven't really cooked with them and it freaks me out that they "melt" when they are cooked. I used regular store bough plain breadcrumbs, they worked out just fine :)

School vacation is officially over as of tomorrow :( 20 schools days in March. The countdown for the end of school is on! I'm counting down as I have decided to move out west to California and start a new adventure. I'll definitely keep sharing recipes though :) Happy eating.

Mexican Stuffed Shells - Blog

 Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions.  Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.  While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.
Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish.  Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed.  Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

This was super easy to make and came out awesome.
I found that Sargento makes a shredded cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese combo. So exciting and cheaper. I also didn't use 2 cups worth of cheese. I always use 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, especially in dishes with other types of cheese. It's a healthier option. I also used ground turkey instead of beef; my dad doesn't eat red meat and turkey has less fat.
I used about 20 shells; I have no idea what 'jumbo' shells are but mine seems fairly normal :) 
I served mine with shredded lettuce, tomato, and a slice of avocado. The blog I took this from didn't add any veggies and I like to serve something fresh with dinner. It was a nice addition to dish.

Check out the blog I got this recipe from: http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/mexican-stuffed-shells/