Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

This is a recipe from Giada de Laurantiis from Food Network. I make the whole recipe, but cook half that night and freeze the other half for another time. Half the recipe is enough for Eddie and I plus leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 jar of marinara sauce
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Directions:


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of marinara sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

A friend of mine found this recipe on allrecipes.com and made it for Brady and I when she was here visiting a couple of years ago. In addition to being a delicious and healthy dessert, it's easy to make and can easily be adapted using whatever fruit you have in the house. (The combo of the apples and berries is especially delicious, though.) Last night we made it with mangoes, Red Delicious apples, and frozen raspberries and blackberries. It was fantastic!

Fruit Salsa

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  
• 1-2 tablespoons white or brown sugar
• 1-3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Cinnamon Chips

• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 1-2 cups cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, and strawberries. Add lemon juice and toss. Add sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 10-15 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

This is Karena's favorite food. She actually let John pull her very loose tooth just for seconds of this chicken. I adapted it from this recipe.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

Boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (I usually have enough for 1 1/2 for everyone. Also, if you have bone-in, skin on that's fine, too. Just take the skin off first.)
1 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning (It is a spice blend found in the Mexican food section. You can also just use a combination of Salt, Pepper, and Garlic)

Preheat oven to 425° F.

On a pie plate mix together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Pour ranch dressing onto another pie plate. Dip each chicken thigh into the dressing and then into the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and repeat until you have all of the chicken thighs on the cookie sheet. Place in 425° F oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Enjoy!

I like to serve this with a salad and steamed broccoli.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

From Taste of Home magazine, April/May 2010, with additions by Brady. We ate it with cornbread and it was delicious, also good with tortilla chips!
Spicy Black Bean Soup

1 large red onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) green chiles
dash cumin
dash salt
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (optional)

In a Dutch oven, saute onion and peppers in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the beans, broth, tomatoes, chopped green chilies, cumin, salt, and lime juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Add cilantro, cook 5 minutes longer.

Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place half of soup in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Return to the pan and heat through. Top each serving with cheese and sour cream.

*Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 150 calories, 3 g fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 667 mg sodium, 23 carbohydtrate, 5 g fiber, and 7 g protein.

Instructions to Authors-What this Blog is about

What this is all about:

We are" foodies." See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodie for more information on what that means. It is different than a food snob, although we have been accused of that before. We love trying new recipes and try to avoid doing the same old thing every time. We hear from many friends and family about great new recipes that they have tried that they loved. We also remember great recipes our moms' made for us when we were young, but always have to call them up to get those recipes.

So here is our plea to share recipes with us. We'll share recipes as well. So we encourage you to check out each post and EAT THIS!