Beef & Cheese Manicotti

Here is that Manicotti dish that is oh so delicioso! It is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe that came out of my little Pyrex cookbook.



1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt, plus additional to taste
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus additional to taste
3 tsp. olive oil
12 pieces of manicotti (from 8 oz. box)--I used all 14 pieces in the box
1 1/2 c. Marinara Sauce (previous entry)
1 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

1. Heat a medium-size, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix ricotta, 1 c. mozzarella, 1/4 c. Parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in the meat mixture and set aside.
3. Brush 1 tsp. of live oil over a large baking sheet. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, add the manicotti and cook until softened but still firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the prepared baking sheet and let cool.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the remaining 2 tsp. of oil over a 9"x13" baking dish. Spoon 1/2 c. of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture, arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish. Spoon the remaining cup of sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese and then the remaining 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese over the manicotti. Dot the top with the butter pieces.
5. Bake the manicotti uncovered until it is heated through and the sauce bubbles on the bottom of the dish, about 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand for 5 minutes and serve.

6-7 servings, 2 pieces per serving

NOTE: This dish can be prepared up to step 4, 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Marinara Sauce

Jarom bought me a new Pyrex set. With Kohl's sale and Jenna's discount he got it at quite an awesome price. With it, came a little cookbook with recipes from Giada De Laurentiis. Tonight, I wanted to make her Beef & Cheese Manicotti, but first I needed to make her Marinara Sauce.



1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus additional to taste
2 (32 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add carrots, celery and salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.

Makes 2 quarts (8 cups); 1 quart serves 4 over pasta.

This sauce can be broken up into 2 cup portions and frozen for up to three months.

Cinnamon-Apple Cake

Here is another Weight Watchers dessert from Weight Watchers magazine All Things Sweet cookbook. There is plenty for everyone with 12 servings and 6 points per serving.



1 3/4 c. sugar, divided
1/2 c. (stick) margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened (I used a full 8 oz. pkg.)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 c. peeled chopped apples (about 2 large)
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat 1 1/2 c. sugar, margarine, vanilla and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
3. Combine remaining 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon; stir well. Combine 2 tbsp. cinnamon mixture and apples in a bowl; stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides. Let cook completely on a wire rack; cut with a serrated knife.

12 servings

Sirloin Steak with Moroccan Onions

This is another great recipe from my August/September 2009 issue of Cooking Pleasures. The recipe is by Dana Jacobi.



4 tsp. olive oil
1 1/4 lbs. onions, thinly sliced (about 6 c.)
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. tomato paste (I used 6 oz. to make it thicker)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp. caraway seeds
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into 4 pieces

1. Heat 3 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook onions and 1/2 tsp. of the salt 4 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring once.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except steak and remaining oil and salt; cook 3 minutes or until water has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium; cook 15 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring frequently.
3. Meanwhile, heat grill. Brush both sides of steak with remaining oil; sprinkle with remaining salt. Grill, covered, over medium heat or coals 8-10 minutes, turning once. Serve topped with warm onions.

4 servings

Chamomile Cauliflower Soup

I have not made this recipe and I never will. Not only am I not a fan of cauliflower but neither is my family. Once in a blue moon, I will much a piece or two if it is fresh, but cooked cauliflower is about as appealing as having a tooth pulled to me. However, I know many of my family and friends enjoy cauliflower and this recipe may just be right up your alley.

6 Celestial Seasonings Chamomile tea bags
3 c. water
1 lg. head cauliflower, cut into 3-inch pieces
1/4 c. onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tbsp. butter
Salt & pepper, to taste

1. Boil water and tea bags in a large saucepan for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags, squeezing the excess liquid into the pan. Add the cauliflower to the tea, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
2. In a plan pan, saute the onions and celery in the butter until the onions are clear. Put in a blender with the cauliflower, salt, pepper and reserved liquid. Blend until smooth and serve. For a thinner soup, reserve and add more liquid; for thicker soup reserve and add less.

4 servings

Source: Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger Herbal Tea. 2002. Hain Celestial Group, Inc. Original recipe from Cooking With Tea cookbook. Siegel, Jennifer & Mo.

Lemon Grilled Chicken with Garlic-Ginger Corn

Just about all my recipes for dinners the rest of September and half of October are from my August/September 2009 Cooking Pleasures magazine. I say just about all because the majority of my desserts this month are from one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks. Cooking Pleasures is a magazine put out every other month by the Cooking Club of America. I love to try new recipes and keep variety in our meals so I love to get this magazine. Since it doesn't come every month it gives me plenty of time to try everything in the magazine, if I so choose.

I enjoyed this meal, but I didn't really taste the lemon. I will just have to play with the measurement next time. The chicken was nice and juicy and the vegetables were savory and crisp. Yummy!



2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
8 oz. sugar snap peas (about 2 cups)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic gloves, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used canned corned, but I rinsed it with water)
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1. Combine 1 tbsp. oil, lemon juice and lemon peel in a small bowl. Place chicken in a small baking dish; brush with lemon mixture. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. each of the salt and pepper, turning chicken to coat both sides.
2. Heat grill; oil grill grates. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or coals 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink in center, turning once. Remove chicken. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook and stir peas, green onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add corn, ginger and remaining 1/8 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 2 minutes. Serve chicken with corn mixture.

2 Servings



Source: Cooking Pleasures magazine. August/September 2009. Cooking Club of America, p. 48.

Italian Baked Chicken

Such an easy dish, but very good and juicy.

4 chicken breasts
Olive oil
Thyme
Lawry's Season Salt
Minced Garlic OR Garlic Powder

1. Spread about 1 tbsp. olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with thyme, season salt and garlic.
2. Place chicken on top and brush olive oil on top of each piece of chicken. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with thyme, season salt and garlic.
3. Place in oven at 350 degrees for about an hour or chicken is cooked through.

Italian Roasted Tomatoes *UPDATED 9/24/09*

Okay, there is nothing exact here, so you may have to adjust the seasoning if you wish the taste to me stronger or weaker than what I did.

3-4 Orange tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
3-4 Yellow tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
2 large Red tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. thyme
2 gloves minces garlic OR 1 tsp. garlic powder

1. Cut up tomatoes (gutting them) taking out the centers and just leaving the outer part of the tomato and cut into bite-size pieces. (I cut them first in quarters, gutted them, and then slice into bite-size pieces.)2. Place all ingredients in a casserole dish and mix well. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hours. Be sure to stir once after first 30 minutes.

Banana Trail Mix Muffins

I saw this recipe and just had to make it. They are really good but I added some ingredients that weren't in my trail mix. I took out the chocolate pieces, added some dried cranberries, extra pecans and almonds (my trail mix had various seeds, peanuts and raisins).

1 3/4 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. mashed banana (about 2 large)
1/3 c. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. trail mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper cups of spray with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
2. Combine banana, butter and eggs in medium bowl. Beat into dry ingredients at medium speed until combined. Stir in trail mix until well-blended and spoon into muffin cups.
3. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 12-14 muffins.

NOTE: Recipe notes that if your trail mix does not have chocolate pieces to add 1/4 c. chocolate chips. However, I chose to take out our chocolate pieces and replace them with dried cranberries. This is strictly a personal choice.

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta Salad with Parmesan Curls

I fixed this dish this evening along with our grilled pork chops. It was pretty good, but I didn't buy enough zucchini for the recipe. I made one change and actually sauteed the zucchini with the garlic, lemon juice and peeel and pepper in just a tiny bit of olive oil, but I think next time I won't and it will be just as good and refreshing.

3-4 Medium Zucchini
2 garlic gloves
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. extra virgin Olive Oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 oz. refrigerated Fettucine
1/3 c. fresh julienned basil
1 tbsp. grated lemon peel
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved into curls (I used shredded)

1. With vegetable peeler, shave zucchini lengthwise into long thin ribbons.
2. With the side of a chef's knife, mash garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt into a paste (I just minced my garlic, it was easier). Combine zucchini, garlic, oil, lemon juice and pepper in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight (yeah, I skipped this step).
3. Cook fettucine according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
4. Toss zucchini mixture with half of the basil, lemon peel and remaining salt. Add fettucine, toss. Add half of the cheese curls and toss. Serve topped with remaining cheese curls and basil.

Serves 6, 1 serving = 1 cup.

Fish & Chips (Authentic English Style)

Jarom isn't one for fish really unless it is breaded and fried, so I decided, even though it is not healthy at all, to make Fish and Chips. I went online for an Authentic English style recipe. It turned out good, but it took me a couple days. I was supposed to make them Thursday and we ended up at the dealership getting a new truck all night and skipped dinner. Friday I was going to make them and Jarom got home and said he was going to bed, so I wasn't going to cook if no one was going to eat, so Saturday was the day. I just wish I had two deep fryers so that I could have the potatoes going at the same time. I found the recipe and directions on the internet written by Mark Knowles at http://hubpages.com/hub/Perfect-Fish-n-Chips-.

FISH
Ingredients:
4 pieces of Cod or Haddock roughly 1/3 rd lb each
1 sprig fresh parsley

For the batter:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup heavy beer (Guinness is best but any heavy beer will work)

INSTRUCTIONS:
First, make the batter and let stand. In a bowl, sift the flour and salt. Next crack the egg into the bowl and whisk the mixture. Next, slowly add the beer, whisking all the time. Keep adding the beer until the batter is a thick consistency. Set aside.

Place the oil in the pan, no more than a third of the way up the side. If you are using the oil you just cooked chips in, allow it to reheat. When the oil is hot, place the frying basket in the pan.

Now, wash and chop the parsley finely. Next, sprinkle some flour on the cutting board and sprinkle the parsley over the flour.

Next, wash the fish under cold water and roll in the flour/parsley. It should now be coated in flour and parsley. Make sure the oil is hot. Dip the fish pieces, one at a time into the batter and drop into the oil. Do not put the fish in the basket and lower th basket in, because they will stick to the basket. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove with the basket, place on a paper towel to drain and serve immediately. These will not stay crispy and must be served straight away. Serve with chips, salt and vinegar or tartar sauce. If you want to be really old fashioned, serve them on paper. Not newspaper, even in England, that’s illegal now.

CHIPS
Ingredients:

Potatoes
Oil – Peanut oil is best.
Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
That’s it, no other flavorings. If you really want to make them English, a bottle of malt vinegar is needed. Absolutely no other vinegar will do! It has to be malt vinegar. In fact, it has to be Sarson’s Malt Vinegar as far as I am concerned.

First, peel the potatoes and slice them into chips. Cut them lengthwise, about ½ inch thick, and then cut them into slices about ¼ inch wide. Fatter is healthier. Put the sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water to cover them We will wash the excess starch off in the water. Leave them to soak while the oil is heating.

Now, pour the oil into the pan, making sure that it doesn’t come more than a third of the way up the pan. This is also important – If there is too much oil in the pan, there is a risk of the oil bubbling over the top. This we do not want.

Next, heat the oil on a high heat to around 375F. If you do not have a thermometer, just drop a small piece of potato in the oil – when it floats, the oil is hot enough.

When the oil is hot, dry the potatoes thoroughly, place in a frying basket and lower them into the oil slowly. When the chips are covered, and the bubbling has stopped, cover the pan and cook the chips for about 6 minutes. This is to blanch the potatoes and do the actual cooking. They should not be brown when you stop this, just cooked. Now take the chips out of the pan and allow the oil to heat back up to around 390F. When the oil has reheated, put the chips back in the pan to brown. This should only take a couple of minutes. A soon as they turn golden brown, remove them and place on paper towels in the serving dish. After a few seconds, the excess fat will drain of into the towels. Remove the towels, sprinkle the chips with a little salt and serve hot. They must be served immediately, or they will go soggy. Serve with battered fish, and salt and vinegar for authentic English Fish ‘N” Chips.

NOTE: All the words, except for the introduction is straight fromt he website and in Mark's own words.

Frozen Strawberry Dessert

Another Wieght Watchers recipe and I can't wait to give it a try.



1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1 c. boiling water
1 quart vanilla frozen yogurt, soft
1 (8 oz.) unsweetened crushed pineapple

1. Combine strawberry gelatin with boiling water and mix until dissolved. Add frozen yogurt and crushed pineapple, stirring until yogurt melts. Pour into 9-inch square baking pan. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm. Let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares.

12 servings

New York Cheesecake--Weight Watchers style

Yep, you guessed it! It's a Weight Watcher's recipe and this particular one come from Weight Watchers Magazine's All Things Sweet. As a bonding activity, I taught my sister-in-law how to make it and she did very well for her first time. It was a little over mixed so it cracked around the edge, but just as good as any. And that chocolate sauce I made last week, will be great on top, too! MMM! MMM!! MMM!!!


CRUST:
2/3 c. flour
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. chilled stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp. ice water
cooking spray

FILLING:
3 (8 oz.) pkg. fat-free cream cheese, soft
2 (8 oz.) pkg. light cream cheese, soft
1 3/4 sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
5 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. For crust combine flour and sugar in food processor and pulse 2 times or until blended. Add chilled margarine and pulse 6 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With food processor on, slowly add ice water through food chute; processing until blended but don't allow it to form into a ball. Firmly press mixture into bottom of 9-inch spring form pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes; let cool on wire rack. Increase temperature to 525 degrees or highest oven setting.
3. Place cheeses in large mixing bowl and beat at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add sugar, flour, vanilla and salt; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each additional (do not over mix or cake will crack). Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan and bake at 525 for 7 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until almost set (cake will still jiggle in center but will firm up as it cools).
4. Remove cheesecake from oven; run a knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Garnish with citrus slices, strawberries, cherries, chocolate sauce or topping of choice.

16 servings; 6 points per serving

Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

I made this dish for dinner this evening. The only thing I would do next time, is add a little more orange juice. It was a little on the light side and I couldn't really taste it. I found this recipe in an issue of Kraft Food & Family.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 c. Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing
1/4 c. orange juice
3 c. frozen stir-fry vegetables
3 c. hot cooked long grain rice
1/4 c. peanuts, chopped

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry 5-7 minutes or until done and cooked through.
2. Stir in dressing and juice and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and cook 5-7 minutes or until heated through; stirring occasionally.
3. Serve over rice and sprinkle with peanuts.

Serves 4; serving = 1 3/4 cups.

Strawberry Muffins

I had some strawberries that I needed to use up that I took out of the freezer. I deliberately went searching for a strawberry muffin and found it in the first cookbook I took out-my Cupcakes & Muffins cookbook.



1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. uncooked old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 12 c. muffin pan cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir in oats and sugar. Combine milk, butter, egg and vanilla in small bowl until well blended; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in strawberries. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full.
3. Bake 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned and toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan to wire rack; cool 10 minutes before serving or in airtight container.

12 Muffins

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

This wonderful little cookie is Weight Watchers friendly at 2 points each and they are so soft. YUMMY!



1 c. flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. margarine
1/4 c. cream cheese, soft (I actually used all 8 oz.)
1 egg white
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
24 caramels, unwrapped
24 pecan halves

1. Mix flour and cocoa in a small bowl, set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, mix sugar, butter, cream cheese, egg white, milk and vanilla. Add flour/cocoa mix gradually, mixing well. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If cookie sheets are not non-stick, spray them with cooking spray.
4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place them 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Slightly flatten each caramel and lightly press into cookie. Top each caramel with a pecan half.
5. Bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

24 cookies; 1 cookie per serving; 2 points per cookie.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

I needed and ice cream topping for our vanilla ice cream and when I came across this recipe while looking for another recipe, I decided I had to try making this. It is super yummy but very rich, so you don't need a lot. I found the recipe in my Award Winning Chocolate cookbook and the recipe was submitted by Trudy DeFelice of Columbia, South Carolina.

1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. unsalted butter, but into 8 pieces
2 tsp. vanilla

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Add cream and milk; mix well.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat; cool 15 minutes.
3. Add butter and stir until melted. Stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
4. Store, covered, in refrigerator. Stir before serving.

Makes 3 cups

NOTE: I use this sauce to top my ice cream tacos just before adding the peanuts at the end.