Basic Stuffed Shells

My posts have been few and far between lately. At least compared to the last two years of running this blog. I guess that's what happens during the first trimester of pregnancy when you write a blog about food.

When all you really want to eat is beef and pretzels for three weeks it's not that exciting to blog about. I had no motivation or inspiration to develop recipes, nor the energy. My days were filled with work and sleep, plus more sleep (And crazy excitement about having a baby!).

However, I am now joyfully emerging from the first trimester and have left those struggles behind! No more sickness, not near as much napping, and I'm back to my normal eating habits with the addition of a little more ice cream.

So please take my sporadic blogging in stride as I attempt to take pregnancy in stride.

Having said all of that, I do have a new recipe for you today. It's not gourmet, it's not original, but it's a pretty quick and tasty dinner that you've probably all heard of, and this is one of it's most basic forms, which I happen to love.

Basic Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

6 oz. jumbo shells (18-20)

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese

1/2 lb. ground Italian sausage

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed

2-3 cups marinara (I used leftover homemade sauce)

Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook shells until al dente. Drain and set aside on a kitchen towel for them to cool and dry. Meanwhile, cook the sausage breaking it up into small pieces. Drain on a paper towel and place in a large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese and thawed spinach and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Ladle a spoonful or two of sauce into a 9x13 pan to lightly coat it. Take one shell at a time and stuff it with 1-2 tablespoons of the filling. Place in the pan and repeat until all the shells are stuffed. Top evenly with the rest of the sauce, and bake in the oven until heated through and sauce is bubbling, 15-20 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. Alternatively, you could use mozzarella cheese and add it to the tops of the shells for the last five minutes of baking.

I hope you enjoy my simple version of this great dish. I have a completely different version of stuffed shells coming your way soon! : )

Salsa Chicken - A Quick and Easy Delicious Dinner

I haven't posted a recipe in so long! This almost seems like cheating to me because this is a recipe I have been making for years and just never thought about posting. But when you've been making something for years there's usually a good reason! Besides being really tasty, this recipe has only 4 ingredients and takes only a few minutes of hands-on time.

I almost always serve this with rice and peas as seen in the photo below. The excess salsa and cheese from the pan can be poured over the rice as a sauce. Definitely kicks plain rice up a notch (or two!).

My favorite way to cook is without a recipe. That can either mean I have the recipe memorized, or that it's a recipe that is totally customizable. This dish kind of falls into both categories. I never change what ingredients I use, but I never measure anything for this, so how much of each ingredient I use does change. I gave my best estimates for the recipe, but everything should really be done according to your liking, and you'll figure out just how you like it after making it a few times. Other cheeses could definitely work here, but after trying a couple Marshall and I much preferred the Colby Jack so now I stick with that. 

This is one of those quick and easy dinners that is delicious and special enough for guests. I have served this to many a guest all of whom enjoyed it.

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts - as many as you would like to make

Taco seasoning - about 1 tsp. per chicken breast

Salsa - 1/4 - 1/3 cup per chicken breast

Colby Jack cheese - about 1/4 cup per chicken breast

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast with taco seasoning and place in a large enough oven-safe dish. Cover each chicken breast with salsa and bake for 25 minutes. Spread cheese out evenly on top and place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Of course the cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts. The chicken breasts I buy are generally on the small end, so adjust your time accordingly.

Enjoy!

Another Menu

Monday - Chinese food made by our friend, Tim -- He's a great cook and makes authentic Chinese food. Looking forward to it!

Tuesday - Stuffed shells -- I have wanted to make these for a long time but somehow never managed to get around to it. I'm going to stuff them with ground sausage, ricotta, and spinach, and I have leftover homemade spaghetti sauce from the weekend that I will cover them with.

Wednesday - Homemade gnocchi (from the freezer) with lemony butter basil sauce

Thursday - Quesadillas

Friday - Maple Dijon chicken 


Guess what?! I actually have a recipe to post later on this week! : )