Italian Stuffed Jumbo Shells

This is another one of my family's favorites that is pretty quick & easy. Not to mention, inexpensive! This is basically a pantry meal for us as I always have pasta & red sauce on hand and usually have some hamburger in the fridge or freezer. First, I cooked the 1 lb of hamburger with some dehydrated garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, all to taste (this is a total pantry dish but feel free to use fresh garlic and onions if you have them on hand). Once all the pink is cooked off, drain excess fat and set aside to cool. Then pour about 1/2 cup of red sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. I make 2 8x8 pans of this to freeze one but feel free to use a 9x13 pan and use 1 c of sauce instead..all depends on your family size.



Then I mixed the hamburger, one container of reduced-fat ricotta, 1/2 c Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper to taste. I should have told you to cook your shells according to the directions while hamburger is cooking as well. Reserve 1/2 c pasta water and then drain pasta. You are now ready to stuff the shells.



Pour remaining red sauce and top with shredded mozzarella. I used the skim milk variety, trying to cut some of the calories. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Delish!



I served this with garlic bread and a mixed salad. Enjoy!

Fancy Dancy Dessert...but easy to make!

So, I made this dessert last night on a whim and it turned out so pretty! Very inexpensive and SO easy to make. I found these neat little chocolate cups from Archer Farms (Target) for $2.99 for a package of 6. They also have a skinnier, slightly taller version but I went for these because they were $1 cheaper. Same brand.



Then I simply chose a pudding mix from the same grocery aisle. I was looking for a quick custard mix but had no luck so I went with Jello French Vanilla. I suppose you could use any but I went for this one. I made it by the instructions and it was ready in 5 minutes!!



I then added fresh red raspberries and blackberries to the tops. Voila! Isn't it perfect?!! I displayed them on a glass cake stand with a gold foil doily. Ready in literally 10 minutes or less and cost about $5 for six.

San Jose Weekend 1.27.09

So Funny Man and I took a little trip to San Jose, CA this past weekend. We spent a day sightseeing as I have never been to SJ before.





We spent the day by the Bay at Pier 39. We had a little lunch, checked out the shops, held hands...it was a sweet day! We never really get a chance to just be our silly, honeymooner selves so this weekend was our chance. I love spending time together!



We stopped and had lunch here...talk about fresh and delicious! I had what they call, "A bucket of boat trash"...everything you can imagine and deep fried. Did you know, vacation calories count as zero?!!


Alcatraz was interesting to see. I can't believe I got a picture of Alcatraz and not one of Golden Gate Bridge. Lol!



The sea lions were fun to watch. You could hear AND smell them before you saw them. And now I will leave this post on a "Funny Man" note.....I took this pic for his sister :) Love you, Honey!

Citrus Grilled Chicken & Shrimp

Ingredients

For marinade:
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice, from about 5 lemons
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons smoked salt, or kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

For grill:
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 ears corn, husked and cut into thirds
• 1 red bell pepper, halved and cored
• 1 yellow bell pepper, halved and cored
• 1 orange bell pepper, halved and cored
• Saffron Orzo, recipe follows

Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the marinade ingredients.
In a large bowl, combine half the marinade with the chicken breasts and shrimp. Toss to combine. Cover and let marinate for at least 1 hour. If marinating for longer than 1 hour, make sure to refrigerate. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the corn with reserved unused marinade and wrap in foil. Grill the chicken breasts to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 7 minutes a side. Grill the corn inside the foil, for about 5 minutes a side. Grill the peppers for about 5 minutes a side. Grill the shrimp about 2 minutes a side. Brush the grilled peppers with the last of the reserved unused marinade. Slice the peppers, if desired. Arrange grilled meats and vegetables over the saffron orzo on a large platter and serve immediately.

Saffron Orzo:
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 pound dried orzo
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, bringing the stock to a simmer. Add the saffron, stir, and allow the saffron to bloom, about 5 minutes. Return the heat to medium and the stock to a boil, then add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain orzo and transfer to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Toss to combine.

I also trimmed and grilled a couple artichokes..about to minutes on each side on medium heat. I made a yummy dip to go along. No measurements really, just to taste. 1 c. Mayo, handful fresh basil, juice from half a lemon, salt & pepper. Keep refridgerated. Enjoy!!

Pistachio-Cranberry Icebox Cookies

These are cute little cookies you can make just in time for Valentine's Day! The picture doesn't do them justice. These were so quick & easy to prepare and taste fantastic! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp. finely grated fresh orange zest
½ cup shelled pistachios (2¼ oz, not dyed red)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (1¼ oz)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup decorative sugar (preferably coarse)
Special equipment: parchment paper

Directions:

Stir together flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter, granulated sugar and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about three minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until dough just comes together in clumps, then mix in pistachios and cranberries. Gather and press dough into a log about one-and-a-half inches in diameter. Square off long sides of each log to form a bar, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until very firm, at least two hours. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush egg over all four long sides of bars (but not ends). Sprinkle decorative sugar on a separate sheet of parchment or wax paper and press bars into sugar, coating well. Cut each bar crosswise into one-quarter-inch thick slices, rotating the bar after cutting each slice to help keep square shape. If dough gets too soft, freeze bars briefly until firm. Arrange cookies about one-half inch apart on lined baking sheets. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 15 to 18 minutes total. Transfer cookies from parchment to racks using a slotted spatula and cool completely. Recipe makes about three dozen cookies. Dough bars can be chilled for up to three days or frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil, for one month. Thaw frozen dough in refrigerator just until dough can be sliced.

Sedona & Flagstaff

We had a wonderful day in Sedona & Flagstaff. It was nice to get out of the hustle & bustle of Phoenix and just relax. We drove up to Sedona and had lunch at Oaxaca. Great Mexican food. We then drove another 40 minutes to Flag where we found SNOW!! It was great! The boys had a blast! Can you see Charlie, the dog? It was such a sweet little holiday for the family.

French Kiss Onion Soup

Ingredients:
3 cans Campbell’s French Onion Soup
2 tbs dry Sherry (optional)
2 cups water
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp butter
1 baguette
4 oz gruyere cheese

First, slice baguette on a 1 inch slant. Broil until lightly brown on both sides. Set aside. Next, sauté butter, onion, and salt & pepper on medium heat until translucent. About 10 minutes. While cooking onions, combine water and canned soup in a separate pot and heat on medium-high heat. Once onions are transparent, add sherry and continue cooking until sherry is reduced. Combine with soup mixture and stir. Ladle soup into individual oven proof soup bowls, top with baguette slice and cheese. Broil until cheese is gold & bubbly, careful not to burn cheese. Serves 4-6. Enjoy!

Love is Universal

Fudge!!! Perfect treat to give as Valentine's gift.

Easy Fudge
Estimated Cost: $5.00

Use your big bag of Costco chocolate chips and you'll save a fortune.

3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup add ins-such as crushed peppermints, frozen marshmallows, chopped nuts, dried fruits, chopped cookies, etc...
Line a 8 by 8 inch square pan with foil. Place chips, milk and vanilla in microwaveable medium bowl. Zap for one minute. Stir. Repeat until chips and butter are melted. Stir with wooden spoon until shiny. Add vanilla and any optional add ins. Pour into prepared pan. Chill for at least two hours.

For White Oreo Fudge:
Follow above directions, using white chocolate chips and reducing butter to two tablespoons. Generously grease foil lined pan. Leave out vanilla and add 20 crushed oreos.

Picture & recipe courtesy of Prudence Pennywise. She has the best blog!!

Mango Salsa

Here's an easy recipe to use for salmon, fish tacos, even beef...yummy!

Mango Salsa Recipe

Ingredients
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup), 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped1 Jalapeño chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice, Salt and pepper to taste. Also good with diced red bell pepper and jicama.

Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado. If I am serving with beef, sometimes I will add a can of drained, rinsed black beans. So pretty!