Asian Glazed Drumsticks

Annie passed this recipe along to me and it's delicious. I noticed she didn't post it so I couldn't resist.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks (Skinnytaste.com, Annie)

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 drumsticks • Points: 5 ww pts
Calories: 213 • Fat: 4.7 g • Protein: 27.5 g • Carb: 12.7 g • Fiber: 0.4 g

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed (I used boneless skinless thighs too!)
• Pam spray oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce or garlic chile paste
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8 minutes until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve.

Chap Chee Noodles

We had this recipe again last night and I remembered how delicious it is. Definitely spice up individual portions with chile garlic sauce.

Chap Chee Noodles (Korean) (allrecipes.com)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced (if you're like me, you'll want to use a pound or more)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots, drained
• 1/4 pound napa cabbage, sliced or use some coleslaw mix- I used 1/2 bag
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 3 ounces cellophane noodles (they are clear and really thin), soaked in warm water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, garlic, sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in sliced beef, and marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, then drizzle with oil. Cook beef until evenly brown. Stir in carrots, bamboo shoots, napa cabbage, and spinach. Add cellophane noodles, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until heated through.

Vegetable Fries

After tonight's dinner I feel it my duty to spread the word about how delicious rutabaga is for all of you who have never tried it (like me). My kids loved these fries. I couldn't stop eating them and had a hard time reserving some for my husband for later tonight.

Vegetable Fries (Real Simple Magazine, December 2010)

1 small rutabaga (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2" thick sticks
4 medium carrots (1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2" thick sticks
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the rutabaga and carrots with 2 tablspoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with a big, juicy, sloppy burger!

Sweet Potato and Turkey Shepherd's Pie

A different take on the traditional Shepherd's Pie. I made this yesterday for the first time and loved it. Sometimes there is nothing better than some good old comfort food!


4 strips thick-cut bacon, roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and grated

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium (about 2 1/2 pounds) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 pounds ground, lean turkey
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
10 ounces frozen peas
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 - 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 425. Cover sweet potatoes with water in a medium pot and add a bit of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork-tender. When cooked, drain and return to pot. Mash lightly with a potato masher and stir in about 1/4 cup of the gravy (see below). Salt and pepper to taste.

While potatoes are cooking, in a large saute pan, brown bacon until almost crispy. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and saute until barely tender. Add seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Add turkey to the mixture and brown until cooked through.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook about 1 minute. Pour in the chicken stock and the Worcestershire sauce and whisk occasionally for a few minutes until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the gravy mixture into the vegetable/turkey mixture along with the peas (I didn't want to use all the gravy so I ended up only using about half of it) and remove from heat. Pour into a casserole dish and spread the top with the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top and set on a cookie sheet, to catch any drippings. Set in the oven and cook for about 8 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted. You can also turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to get a bit of a crust on top.

Steak Fajitas with Sweet Potato and Poblano

This recipe is delicious. I suggest you double the yummy sauce- you won't regret it. My family had real fajitas in tortillas, however I put the meat and veggies over crispy romaine lettuce as the recipe suggested can be done with leftovers.

Steak Fajitas with Sweet Potato and Poblano (Real Simple Magazine, November 2010)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼” pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ¼ pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
½ cup sour cream
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (you can find it at Karns)
8 small tortillas, warmed (or serve the steak and potatoes over crispy romaine lettuce)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato, onion, poblano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, heat broiler. Season the steak with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing. (I simply sauted the meat in the same skillet after removing the potatoes) In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and chipotles. Fill the tortillas with the steak, vegetables and chipotle sour cream.

almost healthy cake

This cake is super easy to make, delicious and almost healthy

1 cup soft margarine

1 cup sugar (I've used Splenda and it's just as good)

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup chopped chocolate

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Mix it all together and bake on parchment paper in a tall cake form

Bake for 30-35 min. @ 350 F

Served warm - with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a great dessert.

It's great for dinner parties as you can make the batter ahead and keep it in the fridge until you bake it.

Buttermilk Pancakes and Syrup

Best. Pancakes. Ever. I didn't even like pancakes before I tried this recipe. And now this is my favorite breakfast to cook on the weekends. Amazing. Recipe is from Danielle's cousin.

Buttermilk Pancakes

- 2 C flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp soda

- 3 Tbsp sugar

- 3 C buttermilk

-2 large eggs

- 4 Tbsp butter

Buttermilk Syrup

- 1 C sugar

- 1 C butter

- 1/2 C buttermilk

- 1/2 tsp soda

- 1 Tbsp white corn syrup

- tsp vanilla

Boil all ingredients except vanilla for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and then add vanilla (or other flavor like maple).

Pumpkin Cornbread

We had this with Danielle's Chicken Tortilla soup and both are delicious! The soup was great- the chicken is so tender. My kids do not ordinarily touch cornbread but they made an exception for this recipe! You can scroll down for Danielle's soup recipe.

Pumpkin Cornbread (Real Mom Kitchen)
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup cornmeal
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or freshly cooked and processed)
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 10-inch glass pie pan or 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Sift flours, baking powder, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in cornmeal.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly. Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and molasses.
4. Make a well in the dry mixture. Add pumpkin mixture and blend batter with a few quick strokes.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel.

Citrus Cream Cheese Pull Apart Rolls

This recipe is originally from Cooking Light Magazine but was featured at Home Based Mom. We tried them this morning for the first time and they were a huge hit. I'm pretty sure we just started a tradition for conference mornings.

Citrus Cream Cheese Pull Apart Rolls
1 package frozen roll dough — (25-ounce)
Cooking spray
1/4 cup butter or margarine — melted
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries — (such as Craisins)
OR 1/2 cup dried apricots — chopped
1 cup granulated sugar — divided
2/3 cup 1/3-less-fat cream cheese — (6 ounces) softened (I used the whole 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 cup powdered sugar
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Thaw roll dough at room temperature 30 minutes. (It usually takes longer for them to be soft enough to cut.) Cut rolls in half. Place 24 halves, cut sides down, in bottom of each of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray. Brush butter evenly over rolls. Cover; let rise in a warm place (85º), free from drafts, 30 minutes. Sprinkle with dried cranberries. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, and egg; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over rolls. Combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and rinds. Sprinkle evenly over rolls. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size. (It usually takes longer to double in size.)

Preheat oven to 350º.Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Cover with foil. Bake an additional 5 mintues or until rolls in center are done. Remove from oven; cool 15 minutes. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over rolls.

OVERNIGHT VARIATION: After pouring the cream cheese mixture over rolls, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours. Gently remove plastic wrap from rolls; sprinkle with rind mixture. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. (Depending on the temperature of your kitchen it may take longer to double in size.) Proceed with recipe as directed.

Caramel Apple DIp

I don't know about anyone else but for conference weekend we always like to stay put at home and eat snack-y foods all weekend. This is a great dip for such an occasion. You can also set out a bowl of sprinkles or mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top of the dipped apple slices...just in case you were wanting to amp up the sugar intake.

16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately with apple slices.

*I can't remember for the life of me who I got this recipe from. If I stole it from anyone let me know and I will give you all the glory.

Parmigiano Pumpkin Soup

This soup is pretty fantastic. I wanted to make this for my parents the last time they visited but there was a canned pumpkin shortage so they had to break into their food storage and bring a can with them. They were glad they did!

Parmigiano Pumpkin Soup (American Lifestyle Magazine, October 2009)
3 slices bacon, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, cut into 1/8” dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (about 28 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin
1 quart chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
½ cup cream (at least 10% fat)
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (flat-leaf)

Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until crisp and frizzled. Add the onion and sauté until tender. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, until aromatic. Stir in the pumpkin, broth, nutmeg, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Transfer to a 5- to 6- quart slow cooker, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low. Stir in the cream and Parmesan, and heat through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I haven't made this in a couple of years but I remember it being really tasty and it is from my sister who has the best recipes so I am giving it a go and making it again this week. Makes a huge batch so it would be good for a party, bring to someone or it is a good one to freeze if your feeling stingy and want to stock up on freezer meals like I usually do.

1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves minced
2 Tablespoons oil
2 lbs. chicken
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can Ro-tel tomatoes w/ green chilies
4 cups chicken stock (broth is fine as well)
2 cups beef stock
1 can tomato soup
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt to taste
tobasco to taste

In large saucepan, cook onions and garlic in the oil until soft.
Add next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 50 mins.
Remove chicken and shred or cut up. Return chicken to pan.
Adjust seasonings and serve soup with condiments:
-shredded jack or cheddar cheese
-sour cream
-chopped green onions
-fresh cilantro
-tortilla chips or strips

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Does everyone already know about this recipe? Well someone told me about it a few years ago and since L had dairy and egg allergies when he was younger this was the perfect cookie recipe for him and perfect for me since it requires no effort. Hello people 3 ingredients! Not only easy but they are really, really good.

1 box spice cake mix
1 can (the size of a soup can) pumpkin puree
chocolate chips

Mix all together and drop by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 mins, depending on your oven. I just usually estimate and do the toothpick trick since I have never actually seen a real recipe for this but it is basically a no fail cookie.

The BEST Marinara Sauce

As I am making a double batch right now I just can't help but post this recipe. It's just TOO good not to. It's zesty, which I love.

Marinara Sauce for Pasta (Katie B from Hershey Ward))

½ cup olive oil
1 medium onion
1 small carrot
large handful of fresh parsley or 2-3 Tbsp. dry parsley
3 to 5 cloves of garlic – crushed or finely chopped
1 large can crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried Basil
1 16 oz. tomato sauce
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
3 tsp. capers
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup to ¾ cup of water (used to rinse out tomato sauce cans)
½ to ¾ cup chicken broth

Finely chop onion, carrot, parsley and garlic by hand or in food processor. Sauté chopped ingredients as well as basil and oregano in heated olive oil until somewhat soft. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer very slowly for 1 ½ to 3 hours. Serve over the pasta of your choice with freshly grated (not canned) Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese.
For a change of pace, you may add mushrooms, ground beef, ground Italian sausage, shrimp, etc. I always add lots of ground beef and/or sausage!!

Apple Brownies

We spent a few hours at the apple orchard yesterday so we'll be baking with apples for days and days to come. Here's a recipe I was given at a meal swap. I was hesitant it deserved the name "brownie" until I tried them. We're baking some at this very moment!

Apple Brownies
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 large or 4 small apples, peeled and diced
granulated sugar (for sprinkling on top after baking)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Choose your pan size: either a 9 x 13 pan, two pie pans, or a pie pan and four mini-loaf pans. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and apples. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sugar.

Chicken Salsa Tacos

This is a recipe my cousin recently shared with me. It is SO good and WAY easy. I made it in my crock pot for about 4-5 hours. She suggests flour tortillas but my little family prefers corn tortillas. Mmmm...

6-8 Chicken breasts
Jar of Salsa ( medium sized )
1c. brown sugar

Mix Salsa and brown sugar pour onto chicken breasts and cook. (Either in Crock pot or oven) Shred chicken and serve in soft flour tortillas with regular tacos mixings. (ex. sour cream, lettuce, tomato, olives, re-fried beans, etc.)

Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe

Sorry, this isn't a recipe that you would probably want to eat but it will keep the kiddos busy while you cook. So that counts, right? I think that I made this about every single day when we moved to PA and needed to unpack boxes. The Lukester thought it was the greatest thing ever. Easy and cheap and you've got to love that fun cornstarch texture.

In container add 1/4 cup cornstarch, then 1/4 cup water, about 5-10 drops of food coloring. It might be difficult to mix at first, but it will suddenly come together (remember to put cornstarch in container first).

Grab some paintbrushes and enjoy painting before it gets too chilly!

Two Delicious Summer Recipes

I thought I should share these before the end of summer:

Chicken Kebabs with Creamy Pesto (Cooking Light, September 2010)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pieces of yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
Cherry tomatoes
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Red onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
1 tablespoon commercial pesto (I used Classico)

Combine rind, 1 tablespoon juice, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Toss with bell pepper, tomatoes, chicken, and onion. Thread vegetables and chicken onto four 12” skewers. Place skewers on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray (I did not do this, I grilled mine outdoors). Broil 12 minutes or until chicken is done, turning occasionally. Combine 1 teaspoon juice, yogurt, sour cream, and pesto. Serve sauce with kebabs. Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 kebab and 1 tablespoon sauce).
Calories: 211, fat: 7.3, Protein: 27.9, Carb: 7,

Chicken Dinner Salad (Cooking Light, September 2010)
6 medium beets
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ cup plain 2% Greek-style yogurt
14 cup Sriracha (hot chili sauce, such as Huy Fong)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 shallot, minced (I used 1 tablespoon grated onion)
6 ears shucked corn
6 cups packed fresh spinach
4 ounces goat cheese, cut into 6 slices (I used feta)
6 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans

Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour or until tender. Drain. Cool beats slightly. Trim off beet roots and stems; rub off skins. Slice beets.
While beets cook, place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to ½” thickness using a small heavy skillet. Combine yogurt and chile sauce in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag and seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Combine 2 tablespoons oil (I omitted), ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
Place chicken on grill rack; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done. Cut chicken into 1” strips.
Brush remaining 1 tablespoon oil over corn and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Grill 10 minutes or until lightly charred, turning corn occasionally. Cool. Cut kernals from eats of corn.
Place 1 cup spinach on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with chicken, 1/3 cup beats, 1/3 cup corn, 1 cheese slice and 1 tablespoon pecans. Drizzle 1 tablespoon dressing over each salad.

Big, Soft Ginger Cookies

This recipe doesn't seem seasonably appropriate, however, my family enjoys these all year long...and anything that makes fall feel a little closer is welcome at my house. This recipe is from allrecipes.com.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 dozen.

Oatmeal Crispies

I got this recipe from sweet Susan M. It was sort of embarrassing actually because when she put a plate of them in front of us after a dinner at her house we literally could not stop eating them, I downed at least 5 right there on the spot. They taste like a mix between oatmeal cookies and snicker-doodles. The flavor and texture are just delicious.


Cream Together:
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup white sugar
1 Cup shortening

Mix in,
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups oatmeal

Bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

Beef and Cheese Manicotti

This recipe is in my top 3. It is pure deliciousness. It’s so good, you just sit there and savor. SAVOR people. The first time I made this it seemed a bit time consuming, so naturally I was ticked and swore I would never make it again. But once I tasted it, it was worth it – and now it goes pretty fast. It is a Giada recipe care of Danielle. Huge plus: the manicotti freezes well.

- 1/2 pound ground beef (I use turkey)

- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (from one onion)

- 1 (15 oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese

- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 3 teaspoons olive oil

- 12 pieces of manicotti pasta (from one 8 oz box)

- 1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce (I just use plain canned tomato sauce)

Heat a medium size skillet over medium. Add ground beef and onion and saute until meat browns and onion is translucent (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in the meat mixture and set aside.

Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil over large baking sheet. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook manicotti until softened, about 6 minutes. Transfer manicotti to baking sheet and cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Brush remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over 13x9x2 glass baking dish. Spoon 1/2 cup marinara sauce over bottom of prepared dish. Fill manicotti with cheese-meat mixture. (I put the filling in a ziplock and cut the corner to fill the manicotti.) Arrange filled pastas in a single layer in dish. Spoon remaining cup of sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and then the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese over the manicotti.

Bake uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the bottom of the dish, about 35 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Quick & Easy Tatziki

Plain greek yogurt

cucumber - shredded and squeeze the water out of it, or remove the seeds.

1-2 cloves of garlic

fresh cilantro

lime juice

healthy & so tasty with salads & chicken

Cantaloupe Salad with Lime, Mint & Ginger

4-6 servings

1 cantaloupe, halved, seeded, peeled

3 T. fresh lime juice

3 T. chopped fresh mint

2 t. grated lime peel

2 T. sugar

2 1/2 t. grated peeled fresh ginger

2 t. honey

Cut cantaloupe into 3/4 - 1 inch cubes (or ball them) and place in a large bowl. Add lime juice, mint, lime peel; toss to blend. Mix in sugar, ginger, and honey. Refrigerate until ready to serve, stirring occasionally, up to 3 hours.

Marinated Mushrooms with Blue Cheese

12 servings

1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup vegetable oil (I always use canola oil)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 coup white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
hot sauce to taste (I use Frank's)
2 cups fresh mushrooms, stems removed

In a medium bowl, mix together the blue cheese, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, seasoning salt, sugar, dry mustard and hot sauce. Stir in the mushrooms. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours before serving.

CoCa Cola Frosting

This frosting is amazing. I love it on chocolate cake (see prior post) or brownies. It really jazzes up a box brownie mix. Its like pourable fudge with a Coca Cola kick. So tasty!

- 1/2 Cup butter

- 6 Tablespoons Coca Cola

- 2 Tablespoons CoCoa

- 3 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter. Add coke and cocoa and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and mix into powdered sugar. Add vanilla, mix until smooth and creamy.