going back to NYC w/ Manicotti

Have you ever tasted food so good that you dreamed about it after?  It was probably something out of the norm, something not on your normal recipe rotation.  You probably didn't even make it yourself.  It was dinner at a friend's house, or a new restaurant.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's something that sticks with you all day (like a sex dream, only you don't feel even the slightest bit guilty about it).

Manicotti from Sal's in Little Italy (remember our trip to the Big Apple?) is one of my dream-dishes.  It comes up on a regular basis in conversation when Dick and I are out to eat.  It's usually something like, "Yeah, this is good...but remember that manicotti at Sal's?"  It was the perfect amount of cheesy - like so cheesy you couldn't even talk with a mouth full no matter how hard you tried!  That's my perfect amount of cheesy.  We loved NYC (and all the food we ate there) so much the first time around, that we're going back for our Christmas vacation!  It's a pretty safe bet that we'll be stopping at Sal's.

Well, I finally tried my hand at manicotti.  It wasn't quite what I'd hoped for on the cheesy side, but we didn't do much talking while we ate.  Dick and I both loved it!  And I have to admit I was a bit skeptical because the recipe called for crepes rather than pasta.  I'm pretty sure I'd never had it that way before, but I'll definitely make it that way again.  Not one complaint from this kitch.  Not one.  I loved the spinach, and I think next time I'll add some mushrooms, too.  And I know that not everyone is a fan of leftovers, but we're big fans here.  I don't like paying for lunch if I can just bring it from home.  Especially if I loved it as dinner.  I loved it as dinner, and then I loved it as lunch the next day.  Give it a try, because I bet you will, too.

Manicotti

Adapted from 2 recipes found at www.foodnetwork.com

Crepes for Manicotti

1 c. flour

1 c. milk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together and stir until smooth.

2. Drop by spoonfuls or 1/4 c. of mixture onto a hot, lightly greased nonstick 6-inch pan.  Crepes should form and become dry almost instantly as you swirl the pan and its contents.  Turn crepe over to cook other side quickly.  Remove cooked crepe to waxed paper to cool. 

**They can be stacked w/ waxed paper between each and then placed in the freezer until you're ready to fill them.  This makes about 9 crepes that can be filled with more than just ricotta.

Filling for Manicotti

1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed

kosher salt, plus 1/2 tsp

3 c. marinara sauce

1 1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

freshly ground pepper

pinch ground nutmeg

2 tsp. unsalted butter, diced

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt.

2. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well.

3. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water.

5. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop.

**Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.

6. Cover the bottom of a 9x13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 c. of the marinara sauce.

7. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 c. of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach.

8. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste.

9. Spoon some of the cheese into the center of each crepe, then fold over the edges to close.  Line them up in the baking dish with the seam side down.

10. Cover with the remaining sauce and scatter the cheese on top.  Dot with the butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, and serve.

Pumpkin Cream Trifle & Brussels Sprouts Gratin for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I know I'm a bit early, but I have to be if you're going to use any of my Thanksgiving recipes for the big day.  I've only got two, but they're out of this world!  I'm posting them both today to give you as much notice as possible (what, 2 full days isn't enough?!).  I just made them for our first family Thanksgiving celebration yesterday, and both were big, BIG hits.  I'm still getting FaceBook comments about them.

My favorite part about Thanksgiving is all the delicious food, of course, and even more so the Gingerbread house decorating after dinner (see pictures at the very bottom of this post).  Many people would tell you that the Pumpkin Pie is their favorite part of Turkey Day.  You're going to have to trust me when I tell you that you should just forget about the pie this year.  Blasphemy, you say?  Not so.  I'm giving you a much better alternative!  It is this fabulous Pumpkin Cream Trifle that will have you "mmmmm-ing" and "yummmmm-ing" with every single bite.  You're just going to die!  My friend, Keri, that gave me this recipe titled it "The BEST dessert ever," and I do believe she is right!

Pumpkin Cream Trifle

From Keri Abney

for the cake

1 package spice cake mix

1 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

In a large bowl, combine these eight ingredients, mixing well.  Transfer to a 9x13 inch nonstick baking pan.  Bake 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  At this point, the cake can be frozen for later use.

Making the Trifle

2 c. cold milk

2 3.4 oz packages instant cheesecake pudding mix

1 8 oz carton whipped topping, thawed

1 c. chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

*3/4 c. English Toffee bits (Skor bars mashed up work perfect)

*I used 8 Skor bars (just to make sure...)

Combine milk and pudding mixes; whisk for 2 minutes.  Fold in whipped topping.  Cut cake into 1-inch cubes.  Layer cake, pudding mixture, pecans & Skor bar bits in a glass 3 quart bowl or trifle dish; repeat to make three layers of each.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serves 15-20.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Adapted from Food Network Magazine, November 2010

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the dish

Kosher salt

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, outer leaves and stems removed

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c. bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 2-quart baking dish.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes.

2. Drain the Brussels sprouts and coarsely chop.  Transfer to the prepared baking dish and toss with the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste, then spread out evenly.  Pour the cream on top, sprinkle with the cheese and breadcrumbs and dot with butter pieces.

3. Bake the gratin until bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Gingerbread "Heaven"

It's tradition to decorate Gingerbread houses every Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. 

A tradition we all love.

Although looking at these pictures, I'm not exactly sure why. HA!

When the houses are bare, there are smiles all around...

But when the candy and icing come out, so do our true colors...

 Just for a minute...

and then they're back again...

 until Chow hides every last bit of candy inside her house...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Creamy, Crunchy Apple Dip

If chocolate or cheese were food groups, one of those would probably be my favorite...or maybe even tie for my very favorite food group.  But since neither of those gets it's own category, I choose fruit as my favorite food group.  You can eat it on your cereal/oatmeal/toast/yogurt/waffles/pancakes for breakfast, as a snack, on the side of your lunch & dinner, mixed in with your salad for lunch or dinner, and with a little sugar for dessert - fruit is the jack-of-all-meals.  And I love fruit for that reason.  But you want to know something else I love about fruit?  You can pair it with something completely unhealthy and not feel quite as guilty as you normally would eating that unhealthy thing.  A perfect example of that situation is the apple dip I'm sharing with you today.  It's absolutely divine, and definitely one of those things you could find yourself licking the bowl clean after finishing it off.  Cheese.  Brown Sugar.  Heath bar.  It's literally that simple.  Don't forget the apples, though, or you're in for a major guilt trip.

Creamy, Crunchy Apple Dip

Something I picked up somewhere...I just don't remember!

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 - 3/4 c. heath bar bits

Directions

Combine all 3 ingredients in a bowl & mix well, until the sugar is well-incorporated and not a grainy texture.  Serve with Granny Smith apples, or other fruit of your choice (also very good with bananas!)

Stuffed Zucchini

Are your fridge drawers overflowing with squash like mine are?  We don't even have our own garden, and they're coming out of our ears!  We are pretty lucky people to have such wonderful friends/neighbors/family to share the fruits of their labors with us, huh!  I know.  Hopefully next year we will be able to pay it forward.  For now though, you have someone else's green thumb to thank for this tasty dinner.  I've seen zucchini stuffed with a variety of things - meat, rice, veggies, greens, etc. - so I figured I'd just use what I had.  That's the greatest thing about recipes like these (aside from the fact that they're easy & pretty quick!) - you can substitute almost anything you've got in your fridge for something I used that you might be out of (or can't stand the taste of).  So, get busy making those little zucchini boats and set sail with stuffed zucchini for dinner tonight!

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise & centers hollowed

1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 c. artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

1/3 c. button mushrooms, chopped

3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

garlic & onion powder to taste

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil and place zucchini halves rounded side down on the tray.

2. Mix together all other ingredients & spoon the mixture into the hollows of each zucchini halve.  Be generous with the filling!

3. Bake 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, or until cheese in filling is just starting to brown & zucchini is tender.

goat cheese - stuffed mushrooms

Being the cheese-lover I am, you'd think I'd have been all over the goat cheese scene for a long time, but no.  This dish was my introduction to the creamy, dreamy stuff.  And now I'm hooked for life!  Another little nugget:  Dick swore when we first met that he hated mushrooms. Hated them.  Fast forward to the day I made these babies, and he devoured those shrooms like it was nobody's business.  He's been a self-proclaimed mushroom-eater for about a year now, and there's no going back.  When we open our minds (& mouths) to new foods, the odds are that life will get much more delicious!  I baked these in the oven, but if you're trying to beat the summer heat you can always plop them on the grill!

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

A Rachel Smith original recipe

Ingredients

8 oz white mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed

stems of mushrooms, roughly chopped

4 oz. goat cheese crumbles

2 green onions, chopped

garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. preheat oven to 375

2. combine chopped mushroom stems, goat cheese, green onion & garlic powder in a medium bowl.

3. place a heaping spoonful of the goat cheese mixture in the cap of each mushroom.

4. on a prepared baking sheet, bake mushrooms approximately 20 minutes, or until cheese is melty & slightly browning & mushrooms are tender.

Buffalo Chicken Dip...Yummmmmm

Netflix. I love love love Netflix! Not just because they deliver movies to my house, or because I can watch movies instantly online, no no. Right now I mostly love them because they are putting video stores all over out of business. Sounds terrible, and I realize it makes me seem like an absolute villain to be happy about something like that, but I'm getting loads of dvd's on the CHEAP and there is nothing bad about that! Except maybe for the fact that if I don't learn to control myself we could be movie-poor. At least when our cable gets turned off we'll still have our movies to keep us busy...I'm sure Dick will totally agree with me...maybe not.

Needless to say, we have a boatload of movie nights in our future, and this dip will definitely be showing its face for at least one or two of them. It's hot & spicy, cheesy and gooey, just the way I like it! Plus the warmth of it will make snuggling up on the couch even that much more enjoyable! TGIF, my friends! Any movie recommendations? - I'd love to hear your faves!

Kickin' Buffalo Chicken Dip

Adapted from David Garrard's Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

8 oz. low fat cream cheese at room temp.

2 c. cooked chicken, shredded

1/2 c. hot sauce

1/3-1/2 c. blue cheese crumbles

1/4 c. Tbsp. Ranch dressing

1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

1. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of an 8x8 oven safe pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix chicken and hot sauce until chicken is well-coated.

3. Spread chicken over cream cheese.

4. Drizzle Ranch dressing evenly over the chicken.

5. Evenly cover the dip with blue cheese crumbles and shredded mozzarella.

6. Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned & bubbling.

Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

I didn't even have to think twice when I was flipping through this month's Food Network Magazine...I knew right away that I'd be making this recipe. Spicy buffalo? Love it. Blue cheese? Gotta have it. Mac & cheese? At the top of my "guilty pleasures to indulge in" list. There are only two of us, and this recipe makes A LOT of food! We had leftovers for days, and some of it is still in the freezer. Think you're not one for the leftover scene? Think again. This is one dish that is even better a day or two after you make it! No joke.

Ok. Before I share this fantastic recipe, I have to make one request. Please only make this dish, and any others including meat of any kind with locally raised, grass or seed-fed chicken or beef (or whatever kind of meat you're using). I watched the documentary Food Inc. the other night, and I've been having serious guilt issues ever since. I'm making the switch to this better kind of meat from here on out, and I hope you'll join me.

Now, here you go:

Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

From the Food Network Magazine, April 2010

beautiful melty crumbles of blue cheese...

yummmmmm!

Ingredients

7 Tbsp unsalted butter

kosher salt

1 lb. elbow macaroni

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 c. shredded chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. hot sauce

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. dry mustard

2 1/2 c. half & half

1 lb. yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes

8 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

2/3 c. sour cream

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. preheat the oven to 350 & butter a 9x13 baking dish. bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the pasta & cook until al dente, about 7 min. drain.

2. meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over med. heat. add the onion & cook until soft, ~5 min. stir in the chicken & garlic & cook 2 min, then add 1/2 c. hot sauce & simmer until slightly thickened, ~1 more min.

3. melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan over med. heat. stir in the flour & mustard w/ a wooden spoon until smooth. whisk in the half & half, then add the remaining 1/4 c. hot sauce and stir until thick, ~ 2 min. whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

4. spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top w/ the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.

5. Mix the panko, blue cheese & parsley, and sprinkle over the macaroni. bake until bubbly, 30-40 min. Let rest 10 min. before serving.

pork quesadillas

Ok, here's the thing about cooking for two: Most recipes you'll find make far too much food for two people to consume in one sitting (although, Dick and I have been known to manage it many a time!). And usually you don't want to eat the same thing for dinner 4 nights in a row, or 2 days in a row for lunch and dinner - you know what I mean! But the good thing about leftovers are that you can transform them into something completely different without much effort. That way nothing has to go down the disposal or in the trash - Grandma Bagley would be so proud! Take, for instance, these pork quesadillas which contain the remnants of the Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches from the other night. Super easy, super fast, and super yummy! I'm a BIG TIME cheese lover, too (how could one forget the 38 kinds I sampled in Loleta?!), so this one really hit the spot. I'm not gonna lie, I feel a little silly even calling it a "recipe" because its so easy, but they're de-lish, so there! You can do this with any leftover meat, or with no meat at all. However you decide to make them, just enjoy every single bite!

Pork Quesadillas

w/ leftover Hawaiian pulled pork

Ingredients

4 whole wheat tortillas

1/2 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 can corn, drained

1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 c. leftover Hawaiian pulled pork, warmed in microwave

Directions

Place pan (large enough to hold tortilla) on stove & warm over low-medium heat. Sprinkle one half of the tortilla with a little cheese. Spoon a bit of corn and black beans over the cheese. Add a layer of pork, about 1/4 cup. Sprinkle a little more cheese over the top & fold the empty half of the tortilla over the ingredients. Gently press down on the folded tortilla with a spatula. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip over with spatula. Press gently down again & cook about 2 minutes on this side, until cheese is melted & corn, beans & pork are hot. Remove from pan to plate and let cool 1 minute before cutting in half. Serve with leftover Hawaiian sauce or sour cream.