Spinach & Mushroom Frittata
You are less than a 1/2 hour away from a delicious & healthy breakfast made to please! Use all those fresh veggies you have from the market, or the garden and enjoy a breakfast to thrill.
teacher by day - chef by night
You are less than a 1/2 hour away from a delicious & healthy breakfast made to please! Use all those fresh veggies you have from the market, or the garden and enjoy a breakfast to thrill.
To sum up these chocolate cups with peanut butter mousse: my dad (my most honest and pickiest critc) said [mumbled] “you can make these whenever you want” through his full mouth, to which my mom responded with just a really extreme head nod since her mouth was full and she’s a lady! So what are you waiting for!?! Get off the computer and start making these (or pencil these in for the next event on your calendar where you want to impress)
I originally made these as stuffed shells but had some manicotti in the house and returned to this filling since it was so tasty!
Stuffed Shells and Manicotti were not an Italian food that I grew up with (or had ever made before this year), probably because they are not as easy as most other pastas. With just a little bit of time (assemble the night before – the way you would lasagna) you can have the awesome flavors you want and crave with the beautiful presentation you deserve!
So next time manicotti OR large shells are on sale, pick up a box and try this filling out for yourself, I promise you’ll be happy you did! (and feel free to use as many or as few containers to prepare this in like I did – you can even make more than one night’s dinner ready to go and just leave in the fridge or freezer)
[adapted from Handle the Heat & Two Peas and their Pod]
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray Pyrex 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray and put about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onion, cook until soft. Add in garlic, mushrooms. Remove from heat and cool. Meanwhile: in a large bowl combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, stir well. Add in the egg, spinach, basil, crushed red pepper, salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Mix well until creamy. Then, add the mushroom, onion, red pepper mixture.
Place the cooked manicotti/shells in the pan. Make sure they are spaced out evenly. Stuff each manicotti/shell with cheese/veggie mixture. Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells. Add the leftover mozzarella and parmesan. (refrigerate with saran & foil at this point if making the night before, and add about 10 minutes to baking time – just go ahead and put your cold pan in cold oven and then start the timer once you are preheated and your pan is up to temperature!)
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes – manicotti/shells should be bumbling and irresistible! Let cool for a few minutes and serve burn – your – face – off warm.
Yet another Birthday Celebration this month (and we wonder why I have trouble not keeping a consistant weight!). My Grandmother (Hi Grandma!) loves to read my blog and always whines that she doesn’t get to taste more of what I make, so I wanted to …
A few years ago I made Pickled Beets and my parents told me that they hated pickled beets, but since through the years I was forced to try lots of things that I said I didn’t like – I told them they had to try it. Guess What… they liked it! I figured since at Passover (or Easter!!) we always have hard-boiled eggs and my whole family now likes pickled beets, why not combine the two!?
I grew up working at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm (and am still very involved as a Board Member, group leader, newletter editor, etc) where I was first introduced to pickled eggs (and pickled beets for that matter) and have not had them for a while. The method (especially when making these from canned beets, which actually made my dad ask if I had used fresh!) is really easy. Just be warned that when eggs get pickled their texture does change a bit, but they taste awesome and are a beautiful addition to any table!
Pickled (and Deviled) Eggs
feel free to just Pickle these eggs OR pickle and then create your family’s favorite deviled filling, this version is from Eye Candy.
Make hard-boiled eggs and peel them. (My method is: cold water and eggs on the stove until a rolling boil. Then turn off the heat & let sit in the hot water with the lid on for 12 minutes. Rinse in cold water and let sit in cold water until you are ready to use them or refrigerate)
Combine beets, vinegar and sugar. For best results: bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool down for a bit, but leave warm (I often skip the boiling – especially. if using canned beets like I did this time) Fill a container that’s large enough with the eggs AND the liquid. Seal and store in the refrigerator.
After about 2 days, the eggs will be ready. Take them out and rinse them shortly with cold water. Enjoy here or devil them 🙂
To pickle: Slice the eggs lengthwise and carefully remove the egg yolks. Mash the egg yolks with a fork and mix them with mayonnaise and mustard. Fill the egg yolks into the egg halves with a piping bag. Done!