Spinach Stuffed Shells...

I have never made stuffed shells before. I actually bought the shells by mistake when pasta was on sale I grabbed at least 1 of everything. So they sat in my pantry intimidating me for several weeks. So I took the plunge and decided to make them. But how? I went in blind thinking I have watched my husband make a mean lasagna enough times that this was just a little different. They where good.. like really good. They are by no means a quick prep kind of dinner. Maybe over time I could make them faster. I did though prep them during the day so all I had to do was make some garlic bread and pop it in the oven before dinner time so that made up for the long prep time. The best part was that 3 out of 4 kids loved them. My 8 year old is as picky as they come I had a back up meal for her already made because I just know better at this point.

Spinach Stuffed Shells
1 box of large shells cooked according to package directions and drained
reserve 1/2 cup of the water from your pasta
1 pound ground beef (you could use ground turkey too)
1 cup frozen spinach (defrosted, and dried
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 tbs dried minced onion
1 16oz tub of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tsp sugar
1 large jar pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

cook pasta according to directions drain and set aside, while your pasta is cooking you can also brown your beef. Add your pasta sauce to the beef and allow to simmer on low. After you have cooked and drained your pasta return the 1/2 cup of water you reserved and place back in the pan from your pasta and your spinach, garlic & onion. Simmer this until the onion and garlic is cooked. In a large bowl mix your ricotta, Parmesan cheese, sugar & egg. Take 1/2 of your spinach mixture and mix it with the ricotta, take the other 1/2 of your spinach mixture and mix it in with the pasta sauce. In a 10x13 pan place about a cup or so of your sauce in the bottom of the pan (enough to cover the bottom) you will now start stuffing your shells I used a wooden spoon I figure it was about 1/8 of a cup of ricotta, place them in the pan then cover with the remaining sauce and top with mozzarella cheese.

*at this point I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to pop in later for dinner.. when it was cold it took about 45 mins at 400 to fully cook. At room temperature I would estimated 25-30 mins at 400.

Mac n' Tuna Bites

I have decided to no longer title each post with a "Day of the Week" type title it is just not reality that I can blog each and everyday so I will keep it to recipe names and other titles appropriate to the subject. One thing for sure is kids love mac and cheese. Noddles good..cheese good...I fully understand. I have made several types of Mac n Cheese over the years and have no definitive recipe for it. I basically have a simple base of butter, flour & milk and add what ever cheeses I have on hand until it is thick, gooey & tasty lol. I made up a big batch of Mac n' Tuna Bites Wednesday afternoon they are perfect for a after school snack or a quick lunch or dinner. I double them and they are gone with in 3 days. For this batch I only had about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese so I used that plus 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/8 cup of Parmesan cheese & 6 slices of Havarti dill cheese The kids said these where the best ones ever I thought they where quite tasty too.

Mac n' tuna bites
8oz macaroni noodles
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 to 2 cups of cheese of your choice
salt & pepper
1 can tuna drained
3/4 cup frozen peas (cooked)
Ritz or saltine crackers
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350, spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray
cook 8oz macaroni noodles according to the package (and of course drain)
for the cheese sauce in a sauce pan melt butter then stir in flour it will resemble paste
add in 1 & 1/2 cups of milk and whisk to get out clumps. Add your cheeses of your choice
salt and pepper cheese sauce to taste
In a big bowl combine cheese sauce and noodles with one can of drained tuna &Peas
in a ziplock bag crush crackers & add Parmesan cheese
Scoop 1/4 cup of noodle mixture into each tin and sprinkle on about a tsp or so of cracker mixture. Cook for about 12-15 mins allow to cool slightly before removing. These keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days if they last that long
**I don't like tuna so I keep a little of the noodles separate for myself and they hold up just fine with out the tuna
**Thanks to Cathrine at Weelicious for the inspiration for this recipe

Sunday Salad

Sundays are another busy day in our household. This Sunday especially with getting a few things put together for Labor Day tomorrow. A nice simple pasta salad is a great to go with a BBQ. I find that pasta salad is great for kids because generally all kids love pasta and you can load it up with their favorite veggies

Bow-tie pasta
1 16 oz box bow-tie pasta (we use whole wheat) cooked according to package, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 package of pepperoni cut into 4ths
1 bottle Italian dressing (we like the 365 organic)
1 med red bell pepper chopped
About a cup full of shelled edamame
1 can sliced black olives (I call this optional because I am the only one in the house who wont eat them)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved.
1 cup chopped broccoli

in a large bowl add cooked, drained and rinsed pasta followed by dressing & Parmesan cheese and mix well, then add remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for about an hour and serve.

Chicken Ravioli Bomb Bomb Bomb Casserole

I was inspired by watching "Good Eats" on food net work this evening Alton was making some very random casseroles. All I could think is BEEN THERE DONE THAT You can go a few ways here from elaborate homemade raviolis and sauces to store bought.. I admit I usually don't have that kind of time. So feel free to use the easy version if you like! this is a crowd pleaser! And According to my 8 year old who is the pickiest kid in my kitchen its "Bomb Bomb Bomb"

Ravioli Bomb Bomb Bomb Casserole
1 8oz package Frozen Cheese Ravioli (we like Rising Moon Organics)
2 cups steamed broccoli (you can use frozen if you like)
Alfredo Sauce *you can use jarred we use Simply Organic mix which you will need milk, butter & Parmesan cheese*
1 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Cook Ravioli according to package directions and drain. Combine Broccoli, Alfredo sauce & chicken in a large mixing bowl and toss in carefully Ravioli. Transfer mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes, Then top with mozzarella cheese and cook for additional 15 minutes or until cheese is nice and melty.

We serve this with a nice salad & Garlic bread