Give Me Manicotti or Give Me Death!!

Well after running around this morning getting needed supplies to continue packing and to finalize some last minute details,  I decided today would be a really good day to make my manicotti and Caesar salad for dinner.  I thought today was especially a good day for it since Chris doesn't have to work tomorrow either.  I had toyed around with my manicotti recipe several times trying to achieve the right balance of flavors until I settled on this particular combination.  It has become a favorite in our household and among some of Chris' fellow boilermakers as well.

Today I must add that I did not have any grated parmesan at home & did not want to go out and get any; the least amount of items in our refrigerator currently, the better for packing for the move. What I did, however, have on hand was a shredded blend of parmesan, asiago & romano which works perfectly in this dish also.  

Also, this particular recipe lends itself to those of you who don't have the time to sit over the stove for 8 hrs to tend to the perfect homemade pasta sauce.  I am particularly fond of Rinaldi brand sauces; I find it has the perfect balance of flavors and herbs and is not overly acidic either.  Today I went with the Tomato & Basil flavored one.

I have also found that an equal blend of ground pork and beef is perfect in the manicotti;  I, oddly enough, never find it in the pork section of the grocery store.  It is usually near the ground turkey and Italian sausage links, and also comes in lean.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1/4 cup  Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbs Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1-8 oz pkg manicotti shells
2 eggs
1 jar pasta sauce of your choice
Butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add beef, pork, garlic, onions, salt and Italian seasonings; drain and cool completely. 

In the meantime, cook your shells to al-dente (don't let them cook all the way or they will fall apart or tear; I cut the cooking time by 2 min).  Drain and carefully place shells on waxed or parchment paper.

Once meat mixture has cooled, transfer to a bowl and mix in bread crumbs, parsley, mozzarella, parmesan cheese and eggs (your hands are the best mixing tools you have, lol).

Spread pasta sauce over the bottom of your baking dish.  

Carefully stuff your shells with a small spoon -OR- you can cut the edge of a large ziplock back and fit with a large decorating tip.  Start on one end, stuffing tightly; flip around and continue to stuff being careful not to tear your shells.  Arrange in your baking pan, and cover with remaining pasta sauce. 

Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

Dot with butter.  

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 min.  Uncover and continue to bake 20 min, unbubbly

Let rest for about 10 min.

You can serve with garlic toast and Caesar salad, which is our favorite salad for this dish.

If you should try this out, I hope it is a hit in your household as well.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

Have Your Pasta and Eat It Too!!!!!!!!!

Please forgive me for having strayed for a while now; this does not mean that I have not been cooking up a storm, rather I just haven't had time to post anything as life just seems to happen.

So I have found a great recipe from Oxmoor House called Mexican Bow-Tie Pasta with Chicken.  When I ran the numbers through my recipe analyzer, I was floored!  I knew that I could make it way better, or rather healthier, while still preserving the flavor.  So I started manipulating and calculating until I came up with the perfect ingredients, which brings me to tonight's current blog.

Ingredients:

1 lb Barilla Farfalle, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs  Simple Truth - Natural Chicken Breast Boneless Skinless
2 Tbs Land O Lakes Spreadable - Light Butter With Canola Oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Central Market 2% Milk
1 cup Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock
1 cup Red Gold Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
8 oz pkg Philadelphia - Fat Free Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Tbs Chives, chopped

Preparation:

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. You may be wondering about this Simple Truth Natural Chicken; I found this as Kroger, and it's not super expensive plus the nutritional value is excellent.  

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until chicken is just cooked through. 

Stir in flour; slowly pour in milk and stock, stirring constantly. Add Red Gold Tomatoes & Chilies and cream cheese and stir until sauce is hot and bubbling, and cream cheese is melted and smooth.

Add drained pasta to skillet; stir until pasta is coated with sauce and everything is well combined. 

Top with chives.

Serve immediately.

This recipe is enough for 6 servings.  It was a great hit in our household; it has a really great flavor even without adding any extra salt to it.  It is creamy, rich, has a slight bite and is not bad for you either so you can go ahead and enjoy this pasta dish.

Calories:  482
Fat:  5
Sat. Fat:  1
Cholesterol:  75
Sodium:  565
Carbs:  62
Fiber:  3
Sugar:  6
Protein:  43

I know you're probably looking at the carbs and thinking it is too high, but it is not.  You're allotted 0.15 carbs per calorie; based on the calculation, you are allowed 72.3 carbs per serving so this recipe comes under even on that point!

I will warn you that changing any aspect of this recipe, will change all the numbers.  One important thing to look out for is Sodium.  The chicken stock I use has MUCH less sodium than the intended chicken broth; I'm talking half!  So if you're looking at tweaking it in anyway (to fit what items you have in your household) and want to see how the numbers may change, run it through My Fitness Pal recipe calculator.

Hope this serves as helpful and that you enjoy it as much as we did.  I promise to not stay away for such long periods of time.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

Why Order Takeout, When You Can Make It At Home In Under 15 Min!

As luck would have it, I have unintentionally neglected my blog.  My life gets a bit turned around when Chris is back home as spending time with one another is crucial since we never know where the next job will take him and for how long.  THEN there's that God-awful incident from which I am STILL recovering from, the dreaded flu.  It will have been 2 weeks this Friday; thankfully, I am 99% better but still have lingering issues with my voice and a very light, occasional productive cough.  

I do have another recipe to post that I made a few weeks ago, just before I fell ill, that I will try to post up by this weekend.  Blog, I am sorry for my neglect; please forgive me! LOL

OMG, let me tell all of you that for the first time since I have lived on my own (nearly 15 yrs now), I have NEVER EVER not had chicken or seafood in my freezer.  For those who know me well, I am not, nor have I EVER been a really big beef eater.  That day has now arrived:  our freezer is completely overloaded with C-O-W!  Seriously. I can't believe I have no chicken, seafood, lamb or pork in there at all.  How did this happen?  I know how:  we got a really fantastic deal on what the guy liked to refer to as "cow in a box".  In this box, we got 8-10 Kansas City Strip steaks, 8-10 ribeyes, 18 hamburger steaks (patties) and 8 peppered beef tenderloins.  We bought this a few months ago because the meat is good for up to a year; and as evidenced by this email, we still have tons left!  Surprisingly the meat has turned out to be very tender and juicy so we have yet to be disappointed.

Chris commented the other day that he was "steaked out" which is funny because I made ribeyes for us over a week ago.  Yesterday I asked him to stop by the store and pick up some chicken or fish, and he came home with catfish fillets which I seasoned up really nicely, broiled and served with a salad.  I told him last night that today we WERE having beef, lol.  I researched and researched different recipes for ideas on how to prepare the Kansas City Strip Steaks that I had moved to the fridge last night.  I wanted to cook them differently and not as an actual steak (I think the chefs on Chopped would call it re purposing  lol.)  After reading through dozens and dozens of recipes, I concocted the following:

Sesame-Ginger Strip Steak

1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbs sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs hoisin sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dark sesame oil, divided
2 Kansas City Strip Steaks, trimmed of fat and sliced against the grain
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 onion, quartered & sliced
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
8 oz uncooked wide rice stick noodles (banh pho)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted

Soak your rice noodle sticks in warm water for about 45-60 min.

Combine the first 8 ingredients, whisking until sugar dissolves.

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon sesame oil to pan. Add half of steak; sauté 4 minutes or until browned.

Remove steak from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and steak. Add vinegar mixture, carrot, onion, and sprouts to pan; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (this resulted in nice crispy veggies; you may want to stir fry longer if you want your veggies less crispy). Return steak to pan. Add noodles; cook 3-4 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

If your eyes are sharp, you will notice there are no sesame seeds in the dish; I did not realize I was out of sesame seeds so my plan did not work out completely.   I can see how my plan for the toasted seeds would add a nice texture and flavor profile to this dish.  

Suggestions:  I would say that sugar snap peas, red or yellow bell peppers and broccoli (for you enthusiasts, lol) would also be a great addition to this dish; personally, I used what I had here at home.  As far as the noodles are concerned, I can suggest using regular rice noodles if that is all you can find; I used these because it's what I had in the pantry.  If you don't have an Asian market in your area, look in the international aisle of your grocery store for these noodles.

Dinner was a success!  Chris agrees that this dish beats take out for sure (makes me very happy)  Hope you give it a try and that you like it as much as we did.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

ALLA CARBONARA

Ah, Spaghetti alla Carbonara, now that is music to my ears.  I have tried Carbonara, at my own risk, at different eating establishments and had NEVER found it to be spectacular or really any good until Chris took me to Coppa Ristorante.  I was incredibly amazed beyond belief that I had finally found a restaurant that not only made carbonara but made it VERY well!  Coppa, however, uses a salami toscano as opposed to pancetta which a great compliment to the dish as well.

Apparently Carbonara is a dish specific to Rome based on eggs, cheese, bacon (either pancetta or guinciale) and black pepper.  Normally spaghetti is used but you can use linguini, fettuccine, bucatini (which would be great for this dish as the pasta has a tiny hollow middle in which the sauce can soak into) or cappellini (which is my fave because it is light, plus it holds up well to the sauce without falling apart). 

Below is my recipe for Carbonara portioned for 2 people; you may double it for 4 and so on and so forth. 

Ingredients:

8 oz. cappellini (angel hair) pasta

1/2 Tbs olive oil

4 oz rindless pancetta, chopped

2 egg yolks

2-1/2 Tbs heavy cream

4 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Bring a large, heavy-bottom, pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta & return to boil according to pkg (4-5 min for angel hair).

Because I live so close to Phoenicia Specialty Foods, I can readily go over and ask for 1/4 lb of pancetta sliced #1 (which is approx 1 oz slices).  You can get pancetta at HEB or Central Market deli departments as well.  Pancetta is a pork belly meat that is cured in salt and contains peppercorns; however, there are several variations available. (as you can see, today, mine had no peppercorns)

Heat oil in a heavy-bottom skillet; add the chopped pancetta and cook over medium heat.  Stir frequently for about 8-10 min until nice and crispy and golden brown.

Beat the egg yolks with the cream in a small bowl and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. (if you read or have read recipes about using the entire egg, beware as the egg will curdle, and you will not have a smooth, creamy textured sauce as you would using only the yolks)

Drain your pasta and return to the pain.  Tip the contents of the skillet, then add the egg mixture and half of your Parmesan Cheese.

Stir well, then transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining Parmesan Cheese.

Beautiful and luscious.  You may top with fresh-cracked pepper as well which is how I like mine.

Hopefully you'll be inspired to try this dish out as well and hope that you will find it both satisfying and sinfully delish!

Until next time, Buon Appetito or Happy Eating!

Benvenuti in Italia!!

So tonight I finally broke down and gave in to my ongoing craving for a pasta that is served at my fave Italian restaurant, Coppa Ristorante called Bucatini Cacio e Pepe.  I did not order it the first time we went because I HAD to have the carbonara; and the second time we went, they had a special Valentine's Day menu going on.  I AM, however, going to order it on our next visit there.

Cacio e Pepe is a Roman dish and basically means cheese and pepper, literally.  In my research of the dish, I encountered one important thing: no two chefs make it the same nor can they agree on how to do it right.  It is a very simple dish and uses very few ingredients. 

Of course with me being home alone right now, I had to create a recipe for one. You can double the recipe, however, for two people.  I wish I would've had bucatini pasta because it would have been great for this dish; bucatini is a spaghetti pasta that has a pinhole size hollow middle which is great to soak up all your sauce.  You can, however, use regular spaghetti, linguine or capellini (angel hair).  My recipe for this pasta should actually be called Cacio, Pepe e Aglio since my pasta has the cheese, pepper and garlic.

Ingredients:

Kosher Salt
3 0z angel hair 
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup pasta water

This is my favorite type of peppercorns to use for everything; I love the bite it has and great flavor.  This is why I love going to Penzeys Spices in the Heights; if you can, you really need to try to get out to this place for all your spice needs.

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add salt, boil pasta according to package minus about 1-2 min for al dente. 

Garlic

Pepper straight from my mill

Parmesan

If you don't have one of these, get one now!  This is a microplane, and I use it for so many different things.  When recipes call for minced garlic, I peel the garlic and run through here to create a paste like consistency that basically melts into your food.  I use this to zest lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit.  I also use it to grate/shred cheese like the Parmesan. Plus, I even use it to grate fresh nutmeg!

Ok, back to my recipe, LOL.  Melt 1/2 Tbs of the butter in a pan over medium heat, add oil and swirl together.  Add cracked pepper and garlic and swirl pan around for about a minute to toast pepper and bring out the flavors. 

Add the 1/4 cup pasta water and bring to a simmer.

Add the pasta, the remaining butter & oil.  Reduce heat to low, and add the Parmesan cheese.  Stir and toss with tongs until melted ensuring all the pasta is thoroughly coated.  Serve in a bowl and top with shredded Parmesan.

You can use a combination of cheese:  Parmesan, Parmigiana Reggiano, Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano.

This dish was absolutely spectacular!  This is a dish I will make again because I have to admit I prefer a simple pasta made with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice or touch of white wine.  I did make myself a small tomato, basil & Mozzarella salad stack to go along side.

This here is SUPER simple: thick slice of tomato, a little salt & Italian seasoning, thick slice of mozzarella, basil leaf and another thick slice of tomato with a little salt & Italian seasoning.  Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar; that's it, it's that simple!

I have a word of advice: don't be afraid to try new things, get creative in the kitchen.  It's fun trying all kinds of things out and playing with ideas and seeing them come to fruition. (maybe that's more than one word of advice, lol).  The kitchen is actually my therapy, it helps me unwind and decompress.  Last night I made someone my pineapple upside down cake with crushed pineapples instead of pineapple rings; it was a HUGE success, not to mention a long-overdue promise I had made to make this for them, lol.  A co-worker even asked how come I hadn't made this for the office before and am now committed to make a lemon pound cake when we return after Easter.

Well, I have rambled on enough.  I hope you give this recipe a try; remember, if you are NOT a garlic fan, omit it from the recipe (but hey, we LOVE garlic here so we use it in just about everything).  If you are needing this for multiple people, just multiply by the number needed as this is a one-serving recipe.  Hopefully it is a hit in your household as well!!

Until next time, Happy Eating!!