Italian Manicotti with Meat Sauce

 Italian Manicotti  with Meat Sauce is rich and cheesy, you can make it without the Meat or use Italian Sausage if you like. This is so good you need to make it

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6 servings

What you Need:

1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
Kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
12-14 manicotti shells(depends on brand)
3 cups meat marinara sauce, recipe follows
1  cups ricotta cheese (about 1 pound)

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we like it thicker so we use more of this cheese)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a mixture of half Pecorino and Parmesan
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.

In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain and pat dry. (I cook the pasta about 7 minutes so it's firm to stuff)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shell and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and dot with the butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Meat Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh basil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Steps to make it:

chop your veggies up, 

I have frozen spinach to add(optional

The cheeses

How to mix your cheese

put cheese into a baggie, cut the corner off to fill shells

Extra Crispy Spicy Fried Chicken

One of the Best Crispy Fried Chicken ever with A little spice which can be optional

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What you need:

3 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup hot red pepper sauce (I like Franks' Red Hot)
3 cups flour
1 cup corn starch
2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon paprika
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 quart buttermilk (optional)
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder (to taste)
1 (1 to 2 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
Peanut Oil, for frying

How to Make it:

Place cut-up chicken in a large bowl, and cover with buttermilk. Cover and chill for two hours, or overnight. This is an optional (but recommended) step.

In a large bowl, add eggs, water, and red pepper sauce. Whisk until combined.

In a large gallon freezer bag, mix flour, pepper, paprika, and cayenne.

Remove chicken from buttermilk (if marinated) and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Place all chicken pieces in freezer bag with flour and corn starch mixture. Shake until all pieces are evenly coated.

Remove chicken pieces one at a time, shaking excess flour. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, and return to bag of flour. After all pieces of been dipped in the egg mixture and put back in the bag, give it a second shake to coat chicken pieces again.

Heat oil in deep fryer or deep pan to 350 degrees. Working in batches, drop each piece of chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasionally if oil does not completely cover chicken. Keep in mind that dark meat chicken takes longer to cook than white meat. Watch your wing segments, as well; these will finish cooking first.

Pita Pocket BLT's

 

Pita Pockets are a different way to serve sandwiches, today we made Pita Pocket BLT's

Turned out really good, it gets boring using bread for sandwiches.

#lunch #brunch #dinner #snacks #baking #Ilovetobake #desserts #recipeideas #Ilovetocook #recipeideas #whatsfordinner #Ilovetocook #whatsforlunch #cooking #goodfoods #makeithomemade #marshmallowtreats #smores #smorestreats #smorescerealbars

Smores Marshmallow Cereal Bars are yummy and easy

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What you Need to make them:

Serves 2

Pita pockets-there are many kinds to try

A package of thick cut bacon(you can use any type)

1 large tomato or roma(depending on how many sandwiches you need)

Romaine or leaf lettuce

mayo or salad dressing you like

Dash salt and pepper, everything bagel seasoning(all optional)

How to make them

First slice your veggies for sandwiches

Slice pita pockets in half then gently open them

Cook bacon till as crispy as you like(I like thick cut bacon, and I sprinkle it with cracked pepper and sometimes brown sugar when cooking, I may cook it in the oven instead of skillet too, drain)

Open pita pockets spread your mayo in there lightly as you like,  and stuff with the veggies and bacon and sprinkle your seasonings in there or top the tomatoes before stuffing into pita.

You can make so many creative sandwiches using pita pockets: BBQ, deli meats and cheese with veggies, chicken roasted or baked is good.

Then I use all different kinds of dressings with each one, I experiment trying different flavors and seasonings, along with veggies. Don't be afraid to try things.

Enjoy

Smores Marshmallow Cereal Bars

 

These are really tasty, quick to make and everyone likes them around here I bet your family will too.

I use this cereal to make them

They turn out so good

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This recipe makes a large 9 x 13 pan, but I usually double this recipe and make a deeper pan, so if you do be sure to use the deep 9 x 13 pans

what you need:

1/4 cup butter

4 cups miniature marshmallows (any flavor)

5 cups marshmallow smores cereal

 

How to make them:

Melt butter in large sauce pan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and well-blended. Cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly and firmly in buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Cut into 2 x 2 inch squares when cool.

Southwest Potato Salad

 

Southwest Potato Salad is a great twist on old fashioned potato salad, with just a little spice but not too much, you can spice it more if you like it hot. The dressing for this is amazing, it also would be good on tacos, pitas, sandwiches and more.

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Serves about 6-8

What you need:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 celery ribs, chopped(I like to use the ones with the tops chopped)

4 hard-cooked eggs, chopped(I save half for the top)

4 green onions diced fine(I save half for top)

1/2 cup chopped onion(I used red)

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 small mini sweet peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 dill pickle or sweet pickle(optional if using sweet pickles I use 2)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

2 teaspoon sugar(optional but it really boosts the flavor)

3 teaspoons hot pepper sauce(I use Franks, it's the best)

1/4 teaspoon dill

1/4 teaspoon parsley(dried or fresh chopped fine)

1/4 teaspoon cumin(optional)

1/4 teaspoon bbq seasoning(like big country or your favorite)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper

How to make it:

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool to room temperature.

Also boil your eggs now rinse and let cool, peel

In a large serving bowl, combine the potatoes, celery, eggs, onion, jalapenos, mini bell peppers, half the green onions

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, hot pepper sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Pour over potato mixture and toss gently to coat. Top with the rest of the eggs and green onions Sprinkle with Paprika  Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight. 

Pita Pockets Stuffed with Sausage, vegetables with Sweet Chili Sauce

 

Sautéed Sweet Italian Sausage and Vegetables in Pita Pockets then topped with fresh vegetables and cheese then drizzled with Sweet Chili Sauce  YUM

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What you need:

4 Italian Sausage cut into large chunks

4 medium potatoes diced 

1/2 onion(any will do, I used red tonight)

Mini sweet peppers, sliced thin

8 oz Mushrooms Sliced thick

3-4 cloves of garlic minced(we like lots of garlic)

season how you like(I use a little salt, Pepper, garlic, onion powder and Head Country)

For toppings, I used sliced tomatoes, fresh spinach, some cheese and sweet chili sauce(MILD)

How to Make it:

First chop, dice and slice your vegetables, cut sausage into chunks

Heat up a large skillet with about 4 tablespoons of oil till nice and hot

First add the potatoes as they take the longest to cook, then add the sausage

Cook for 7-10 minutes do not stir or flip until at least 5 minutes, to give it

time to crisp up. After 10 minutes 

Add vegetables in order of how quick they cook (I did onions, sliced peppers, cook about 3 minutes, then add garlic and mushrooms cook just till tender.

Now all should be crispy brown and delicious\

Turn off heat, quickly heat up pita pockets

Fill partially with the cooked mixture, top with fresh veggies(I used tomatoes and spinach, a little cheese), drizzle sweet chili sauce on and serve warm.

Easy Homemade Donuts

Easy Homemade Donuts

Tasty and Fun to make

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What you need:

1 can ready to bake biscuits

oil for frying

sugar for topping, powdered or granulated

or you can make a quick glaze or fill with jelly(recipe below)

How to make them:

Place about 1 inch oil in a pan, heat on medium to about 300 degrees.

While oil is heating, crack open your biscuits. Separate the biscuits so they can warm up a little (just take the chill off) while your oil is heating up.

Once oil is to temperature, place 2 or 3 biscuits in your oil, carefully.

Cook for maybe a minute, these cook really fast, till golden, then flip over to cook other side.

If you want traditional donuts, poke a hole in the middle of the biscuit before placing in the oil. Cook second side about a minute, till golden, then remove to paper towels to drain.

It will take you less than 5 minutes to cook an entire can.

If you are filling your donuts, let them cool for 5-10 minutes.

Now you can fill with jelly or cream filling, using a pastry bag with the filling tip.

Sprinkle a little sugar over the tops

What you Need:

Cream Filling Sweet

This cream filling is great for filling cupcakes or donuts. You can make ahead of time, and refrigerate till ready to use, just let it come back to room temperature for easy filling!

3 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to  make it:

Whisk together the flour and milk and cook in a small saucepan over medium heat until thick. This will only take a few minutes. Stir continuously to prevent the mixture from clumping and do not bring all the way to a boil. When thickened (consistency will be that of a thin pudding), strain with a mesh strainer into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely to room temperature.

When the milk mixture is cool, cream the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl until light. Add in the milk/flour mixture and vanilla extract and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 7 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Flavored Honeys

Luckily, flavored honeys are very easy to create, and they make wonderful gifts, too. You can use many different herbs and spices, alone or in combination, but do make sure that none of it has been sprayed with something noxious.

Here are some ideas to play with. To each cup of pasteurized honey (light or dark–your choice), use one of the following herbs, in the approximate amounts suggested. You can combine herbs, of course. If you do, reduce the amounts proportionally. For example, if you combine basil and cinnamon, use 2 basil leaves and 2 cinnamon sticks. Rinse and dry the plant material.

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To a cup of honey, add one or more of these flavorings:

• 1/2 cup fragrant rose petals

• 4 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers

• 3-4 lemon or rose geranium leaves

• 3 sprigs rosemary

• 3 sprigs thyme

• 4 basil leaves

• 4-5 cinnamon sticks

• 1/4 cup chopped ginger root

• 3 teaspoons orange zest or lemon zest

In a non-reactive saucepan, heat the honey to 180 degrees. Put the herbs in a clean jar and add the warm honey. Cap tightly and let sit for a few days before using. Wonderful on waffles, pancakes, toast, ice cream, and fruit. Please remember: it’s never a good idea to give honey to an infant.