Mex-Tal Stuffed Shells

Does your family often argue over the dinner menu? The dish I have here today will cover the fight for both Mexican and Italian in one easy dish. I have always been afraid of trying to produce the perfect stuffed shell. Good thing for this recipe! The ooey-goodness of the melted cheeses and sauce cover any flaws that happen when you fill up the shells.

(See, you can't see that a shell was split in half while being stuffed!)

15 Jumbo Pasta Shells

1lb Ground Beef

1 (10 ounce) can Enchilada Sauce

8 oz Tomato Sauce

1 teaspoon Minced Garlic

¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/2 teaspoon Dried Basil

¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin

½ cup Refried Black Beans

1/8 teaspoon Cayenne

1 cup shredded Italian Blend (or Mexican Blend) cheese

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat brown ground beef until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. Stir in garlic, oregano, basil, and cumin. Stir in 1/2 can of the enchilada sauce. Stir in refried beans. Set aside.

3. Fill each cooked pasta shell with the beef mixture. Coat an 11 x 7 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and pour the remaining can of enchilada sauce with can filled with water evenly over the bottom.

 Place each shell into the bottom of the dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the tops of the shells. Sprinkle with cayenne over top.

4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. During the last few minutes of cooking, uncover and sprinkle the tops of the shells with Colby-jack cheese. 

Bake until the cheese has melted. Let rest 5 minutes before digging in.

Shrimp Arrabbiata ala Terri

I bet you all thought I had forgotten about you. You were mistaken. I have just been so busy working at the new Bistro that I barely see my computer much less my own kitchen! I have completely run out of my freezer foods I had stocked up. And with my current one day a week off I do not see it getting replaced anytime soon. But, never fear, I plan on cooking up at least one meal a week now and getting them posted for all to enjoy.

This recipe is a HUGE winner today with my hunny. Allergies prevent me from even tasting it due to the shrimp, but he does have a great pallet so you can take it from him that it is something that will be cooked often in our home. Its quick, easy and uses canned and dried foods most people already have in the kitchenns. The sauce is pretty versatile as long as you do not mind spicy foods. I'm betting it would go great with some Chorizo or Linguisa!

16 oz Angel Hair Pasta, dry
1 tsp Garlic Salt
16 oz Tomato Sauce
4 oz Tomato Paste
2 tsp Oregano, dried
2 tsp Basil, dried
1lb Shrimp, deviened and shelled
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup White Onion, chopped
2 tsp Garlic, minced
2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
Garnish Parsley Flakes 
Garnish Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook pasta to package directions, adding garlic salt and 1 tsp basil to water.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet over med heat, add 1-2 tbsp oil and saute shrimp for 2 minutes each side. Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

3. In saucepan add tomato sauce and paste and stir in oregano, basil and red pepper flakes. Heat to just simmer and remove from heat.

4. Meanwhile, in same skillet add 1 tb evoo and saute onions 3 minutes and add garlic, saute 1 minute then add the tomatoes and saute two minutes more. Pour in tomato sauce mixture and remove from heat.

5. To serve, place herbed pasta on plate, then shrimp, then sauce and top with parsley flakes and Parmesan cheese.

Italian Crescent Rolls

Since I cook for mainly just my hunny and me, most of the time I cut down the recipes I post here. I simply run out of room in my freezer when I don't. So my latest creation, "Italian Chicken Stuffed Crescent Casserole" was no different. But I had 2 extra crescent rolls to use up. I decided to deck them out a bit so they would marry well with dinner. Simple and easy, its something anyone can do to give dinner rolls just a little more umph.

1 pkg Crescent Rolls
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Garlic Powder
Oregano

1) Heat oven to package directions. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil spray (such as Pam).

2) Unroll crescents. In order as above, sprinkle each roll with the ingredients using as much or as little as you prefer. Remember a little dried herb goes along way, especially the garlic! Roll up starting with thickest end.

3) Place seam side down on prepared cookie sheet and sprinkle again with just a bit of the parmesan. Bake according to package directions.

Italian Chicken Crescent Casserole

We've all done it. Go to the store after viewing a recipe online thinking you only need just a couple of ingredients to make this dreamy new recipe. So sure of your self you just KNOW you don't need to check your cupboards to verify the list. Nope, you just trot on down (in my case its an eighty mile round trip trot) to the grocery store and run back home... only to learn how wrong you are!

That's just what happened when I tried making this dish I found over on Taste Book's site. I stood in my kitchen realizing I didn't have two of the three cheeses it called for as well as the main liquid ingredient, the Cream of Chicken soup. Never fear my brave followers! I simply improvised! The dish below serves about 6... about 1 roll per person.

PS... if you cut back this recipe to feed less folks, click here to see what I did with my leftover rolls!

1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated Crescent Rolls

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of Tomato soup, undiluted

3/4 cup grated Mozzerella cheese 

1/2 cup Half & Half Cream

1/4-1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

FILLING

4oz Cream Cheese, soft

4 tbsp Butter, soft

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 cups Chicken, cooked and diced

1 cup Spinach, fresh and chopped

3/4 cup Colby Cheese, shredded

2-4 tbsp Mayonaise

1 cup Colby Cheese, shredded

1/2-1 cup Mozzerella, shredded

Paprika (Optional)

Basil (Optional)

1) Preheat oven to 350. Butter casserole dish large enough to hold 6 rolls.

2) In a saucepan, mix half & half with the 3/4 cup of mozzerella and heat over medium low until the cheese begins to melt. DO NOT boil. Add soup and cayenne, stir to incorporate.

Filling

3) In a medium bowl and using hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the garlic and stir. Add chicken, spinach and 3/4 cup Colby cheese and stir together to combine. Depending on how "dry" your mix is, add a tbsp at a time of the mayo. At this point you can season with salt and pepper to taste.

4) Drizzle enough of your soup mixture to cover the bottom of your casserole dish.

5) Unroll the crescents. Place 1 heaping tbsp of chicken mixture on the thick end of each roll. Starting from same end, roll up. Place seam side down in casserole dish and continue with remaining rolls.

6) Evenly our the remaining of the soup mixture over the rolls bring soup level about 3/4 of the way up the rolls. Top with remaining cheeses. Dust top with paprika and basil.

7) Bake 30 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Almost Ina's Wedding Soup

A couple of weeks ago one of the only good places to eat at in my area closed it's doors. Not for lack of customers, the owners were just tired and had no buyers (it had been up for sale a couple of years). Now, I do not often eat out but when I do, I always loved going there just for their Wedding Soup. It was simply delish!

You know what I had to do then... hit the internet for a recipe to make this soup at home. I finally found something that came close when I was watching Food Networks Barefoot Contessa last week. Of course, I was unable to purchase the chicken sausage in my neck of the woods, as well as decent fresh herbs. But I think it still came out really well. It must be nice to have a butcher near by. Since I was unable to buy my meats in the amount she called for, I had to improvise just a bit. Same with the cheese. Although I was able to find the cheese, I was not about to pay their asking price. Remember, things out here cost 2-3 times as much as in a big city. But it came out great with all the extras after all!

The recipe below serves about 8 but with the extra meatballs, you will have your next Italian meal half way finished!

12 oz Pork Sausage
12 oz Ground Chicken
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Parsley, dried
4 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4-1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 cup White Onion, chopped
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
5 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup White Wine
1/2 cup small Pasta (stars, orzo or any other type of small/tiny pastas)
3 tsp Dill, dried
2 cup Spinach, fresh

1) Preheat oven to 350. Line  two cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2) In large bowl using a fork, mix together the pork and chicken. Add bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and parmesan; mix well. Next, add the egg, salt and pepper and mix to incorporate all.

3) Using melon baller or teaspoon measuring spoon, make small, rounded meatballs and place on prepared cookie sheets.

(Make 1 sheet small and the second sheet half small and half use a tablespoon measure to make larger meatballs to freeze for later speghetti dishes.) Bake for 30 minutes. Check larger meatballs at 30 minutes to make sure they are cooked in the middle.

4) Meanwhile, In soup pot add oil and heat over medium. Add onion, celery and carrots and saute for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently until crisp tender. Add broth, wine and pasta and stir to combine. Let cook until meatballs come out of oven, then add about 30-40 meatballs to soup. Let simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add dill and simmer another 5 minutes. Add spinach, stir and serve.

Cowboy Cacciatore

While I was surfing the web yesterday morning I came across a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore that had my mouth salivating. So off I ran to the kitchen to whip it up to have it in time for my dinner. But of course I wouldn't have all the required ingredients in my cupboard! After all, this was two days before market day. Why would I have the things I needed? 

Oh, not to fear! I whipped up this dish instead! It tastes like a cross between a chunky red sauce and chili. It is great being creative! 

Thanks to the Crock Pot site! This recipe makes about 6 servings. Don't forget to see what recipe I started with and how it ended up!

(I used Ziti Pasta in this)

6 Chicken Thighs, boneless & skinless (breasts will work too)
2 tbsp Olive OIl
24oz Jar Spaghetti Sauce (any variety)
8oz can Tomato Sauce
1 can Tomato Soup
1 tsp Basil, Oregano, thyme, dried
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1 White Onion, diced fine
1 can Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilis (chili starter)
30 Pepperoni slices, quartered
6oz Sliced Mushrooms
1/4 cup Red Wine

1) In large skillet heat oil and brown chicken on both sides.

2) In large Crock Pot lay chicken on bottom and fill with remaining ingredients. There is no order to this, You can even mix it all in a seperate bowl before pouring over the chicken.

3) Cook for:
Low 5-7 hours
High 2-3 Hours
Best served over hot cooked pasta.

Ziti Pizza Bake

One night I was just too tired to make dinner. Yes, truly its so! I had found some personal sized pizza shells on my last shopping trip and thought to pull those out and make us a quick treat. I loaded up one with lots of pepperoni for my guy, but none for me since I'm allergic to the pepper part. Which means I had LOTS of pepperoni left over. So, I came up with this great baked pasta dish that was yummy and flavorful. Not to mention how quick and easy it was!

This recipe makes about 6 servings... unless my hunny is around then it drops to about 3.

1lb Ziti Pasta, raw

1 cup Speghetti Sauce

1/2 cup Pasta Water

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 tsp Garlic, minced

30+ Pepperoni Slices, sliced in half

1 cup Spinach, fresh and stemmed

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Salt & Pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 350. Line casserole dish in foil and spray with live Olive Oil.

2) In large pot cook pasta, drain (reserving 1/2 cup of the water) and set aside.

3) In same pot, whisk together the sauce and pasta water, add in peppers and let cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add in garlic and pepperoni and stir. Add in pasta and and spinach, toss to incorporate all ingredients and pour in prepared casserole. Sprinkle with parmesan and then mozzarella.

4) Bake, uncovered about 10 minutes until cheeses are bubbly. Then plate up!

Chocolate Walnut Biscotti

Here is the "To Die For" biscotti recipe. For those of you on facebook who read that I was making it for my trip down to Bastrop, sorry it took so long to get it posted. I'm going to try and get another post or two up while Im here but if not, everyone deserves a Christmas Holiday!

3/4 cup Walnuts, whole
2/3 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon 
1 3/4 cup Flour 
1 cup Chocolate Chips

1) Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

2) Pour walnuts onto baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes, just until you begin to smell the nut oils. Take out and chop.

3) In medium bowl beat eggs and sugar together until they become pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well to incorporate.

4) In a large bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon  salt and baking powder. Pour in egg mixture and beat until combined. Fold in nuts and chocolate. At this point you might want to flour your hands and use them to blend in the last ingredients.

5) While still in the bowl, begin to form a log about 12x3" and finish it on the parchemnt paper. Place in oven and bake 25 minutes until it is firm to the touch. Reduce oven to 325. Let cool 10 minutes!

6) Using a bread knife, cut diagnal slices about 3/4" thick. Lay them out on the parchment, cut side down and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip each slice and bake another 10-12 minutes until its baked through but not brown. Let cool before eating!

Shrimp Scampi ala Texas

1 lb Spaghetti, cooked al dente, drained
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Butter
1 lb Shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 tbsp Parsley, dried
1/4 cup White Wine
1/8 cup Lemon Juice

1) Heat oil in large skillet and melt the butter. Add shrimp and saute 1 minute. Add garlic and red pepper. Let saute 2 minutes or until shrimp turns a nice pink color.  Sprinkle in the parsley.

2) Stir in the wine and lemon juice and let simmer 3 minutes then drop in the pasta. Let cook until the pasta absorbs the liquid and serve while hot!

Pesto Bread

I love bread. All kinds of breads. Back in the big city I was able to hit the bakery whenever I had a hankering for some that was fresh out of the oven. Living here, all the bread I can get my hands on has been shipped across the state to arrive wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. Not very appetizing and only your basic varieties. So, I have learned how to make various types of bread right here in my mountain home. Below is a recipe that is a wonderfully flavorful bread that goes great with any Italian meal you plan to make... or by itself with a Pesto Dip.

3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbs (or 2 packets) Dry Active Yeast
2 tbs Course Salt (I prefer Sea Salt but Kosher works too)
6 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Pkt Dry Pesto Sauce

1) In large bowl ( I used my crock pot for this), mix water, yeast and salt until yeast dissolves. Mix in flour. Batter will be wet and loose. Transfer to a bowl that has a lid or cover tightly with plastic wrap and poke a small hole in it. You want the gasses to escape.

2) Now set it on top of your refrigerator for about 2 hours to let it rise.

3) Place bowl in refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Dough works best after it's been chilled.

4) Prepare Pesto Sauce to package directions.

5) Place about a 1/4 of the dough on a floured surface and roll out to a rectangle about 12x9 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. Spread with pesto sauce entire surface. Gently roll up as you would a jelly roll and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.

6) Let rise, uncovered, about 30-40 minutes (this is where you put it back on top of your refrigerator again). Its OK if it doesn't rise too much, it will rise in the oven.

7) Preheat oven to 450. If using a toaster oven drop the temp to 400 and do not use the fan. This will burn it. Place a separate pan filled with water on the bottom rack of oven.

8) Pour water in heated pan (the steam will help to brown the loaf) to fill it and place bread on rack over it. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, turning loaf pan half way through.

9) Now, let this cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before you tear into it.

Hearty Italian Chicken & Veggie Soup

Here's another soup recipe made just for snowy weather. I was so surprised to find such pretty veggies here in West Texas that I had to through them all together in one pot! As it is, this recipe makes a thin broth. But if you like it to be a bit thicker all you have to do is mix 2 tsp corn starch in about 1/4 cup of water and pour it into the soup about 10 minutes before you serve it.

2 tbsp Olive OIl
1 lb Chicken breast, cut up
1 cup Fresh Green Beans, cut into 1" pieces
2 Carrots, peeled and sliced
2 Celery Stalks, sliced
1 cup Broccoli Florretts
1 Zucchini, halved then sliced into half moons
4-6 Mushrooms, sliced
1 can Itallian DIced Tomatoes (with garlic and olive oil)
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tbsp Parsley, dried
1 tbsp Oregano, dried
1 tsp Basil, dried
2 tbsp Chalula Sauce (or Tabasco)
1 box (32oz) Chicken Broth
2 Chicken Boullion Cubes
Water

1) Heat oil in large pot. Add chicken and brown pieces on all sides.

2) Add in remaining ingredients except water. Stir well.

3) Fill empty broth box with water, shake to get all flavor out and pour in pot to cover veggies.

4) Cook for 30 - 40 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender.

Chicken and Portabella Mushroom

Unlike in the big city, finding pre-made items at the local grocery store is almost impossible. Take ravioli for instance... if I like Chef Boy Ar Dee, I wouldn't have a problem. Unfortunately, my taste buds would go on strike for eating something like that out of a can. So what's a girl to do??? Hunt down some great recipes and twist them up to make her own dish that screams West Texas!

This turned out so well that one of our birds, Greedy Gut (yes, that really is what I call him), had to have some too. He paced on the bottom of his cage, squeaking to get our attention. When that didn't work, he climbed to his perch and began pacing again. I felt so bad for him I finally brought him a part of the dough. Want to see what a bird looks like after eating this? Just scroll on down to the bottom.

For the Dough:


2 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Hot Water


For the Filling:


1/2 large Portabella, diced small
1/2 cup Mozzerella, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp Basil, dried
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 cup Chicken, cook (such as Rotisseri)
2 Eggs, seperated

1) In large bowl mix flour, salt and water with a spoon. The batter will be crumbly. Transfer to a floured surface and knead with your hands until it begins to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge for about 20-30 minutes.

2) While dough rests, shred chicken and place in large bowl with remaining ingredients, except one egg. Mix thoroughly.

3) In small bowl, beat remaining egg and 1 tbs of water to make a wash.

4) When dough is ready, Pull off a small amount and roll out flat until it is about 1/16th" thick, and in a rectangle about 12x4". Brush with egg wash.

5)  Place a spoonful of mixture in three seperate heaps, gently pull dough to cover them, and press down around mounds to seal. Trim off excess dough and set aside. Finish with the dough and mixture.

6) In a large pot of boiling salted water drop the ravioli in a few pieces at a time and boil about 5 minutes. I like to let mine float to the top and leave them about another minute, just to make sure the inside is heated through. Remove ravioli to plate and keep warm.

7) Now all you have to do it smother it in your favorite sauce or eat it plain!

Herbed Potato Gnocchi

The first time I went looking for pre packaged Gnocchi, I had the store attendant stand there looking blankly at me. Never before had this store in far West Texas ever heard of this classic Italian staple. After shopping in 3 different stores... in two different towns, I did finally find some... at a HUGE price. Almost 5 dollars for a pound! This just simply won't do. After all, it has all of 3 main ingredients.

Back to the internet for me. I found many versions of it, but none that had my mouth watering, so I finally figured I was going to have to come up with my own, Texas version of it. The recipe below makes about 4 servings.

2 Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp Basil, chopped or dried
1/2 tsp Sage, ground
1 tsp Rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp Thyme, ground
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried

1) Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain, mash and let cool completely.

2) Combine cooled potatoes, flour, egg and spices. Knead until dough begins to hold form. Add more flour as needed.

3) taking only small amounts of dough, begin shaping into long "snakes" by pressing from the center out. You want it to be about 1/2" across the top by about 1/4" thick. Then slice into 1/2" pieces.

4) Bring a pot of salted water to boil and drop in enough gnocchi pieces to cover the bottom in one layer. Let these boil for 3-4 minutes until they float to the top. Remove one and cut into it to make sure it has cooked through.

I serve this with an Italian Red Sauce, Pesto Sauce or plain Garlic Butter. Enjoy!