Easy and Economical: Stuffed Shells

This was my first time making stuffed shells. While growing up, my Godmother would slave away in the kitchen. She would say how hard stuff shells and manicotti was to make. We would all hear curses and ouches coming from the kitchen. Believing that, I really never ventured to the "stuffed" category. 

Since I make a very MEAN lasagna, my mother suggested stuffed shells. I put some thought into it and couldn't come up with why it would be as hard as I remember my Godmother saying it was. You know me, I started playing around basing it off my lasagna ingredients. The results were FANTASTIC. Not only was this cheaper than lasagna...it was such a very easy meal to put together. I've come to the conclusion either my Godmother was a airhead in the kitchen or a total drama queen. Probably both. 

I really love adding the cottage cheese to this. Gives it a great richness and compliments the ricotta perfectly. I did cheat and used shredded Italian cheese. I'm trying to save a little on our food budget and I love the taste of Fontina, Asiago, and Ramano with Italian tomato dishes. No simple Parmesan would do for this dish. I seriously believe I was a rat in my former life. 

Great dish for those families on a budget but don't want to scrimp on flavor! 

Sorry about the poor quality on the pics. I had no time to plate with the kids growling at my feet. 

Stuffed Shells the Homegrown Way

1 box Jumbo shell pasta

1 (80z) package Sargento Classic 6 Cheese Italian Blend

1 (16oz) container Ricotta cheese

1 (16oz) Cottage Cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley

Sauce of choice (basic meat sauce recipe below)*

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add shells. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Pasta should be softened but still firm in the center. Drain and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup Italian cheese blend, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and parsley. Mix well. 

Spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of casserole or baking dish to prevent pasta from sticking. 

Spoon cheese mixture into each shell and place on baking dish. Top the shells with desired amount of meat sauce. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese and sauce is bubbly. Top with remaining shredded Italian cheese. Return to oven to melt. ENJOY!

Basic Meat Sauce

2 medium onions, diced

1 tablespoon oil

2 lbs ground beef

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 (28oz) can stewed tomatoes

2 (5 1/2oz) cans tomato paste

5 cloves garlic

1/4 cup white wine

In a large pot, saute onions in oil. Add ground beef and brown. Drain and return to pot. Add tomato paste, stewed tomatoes, pepper, salt, garlic cloves, Italian seasoning and wine. Cook on low for two hours. 

Simplicity at its BEST... traditional chocolate cake

Don't you always just drool over the cakes you see on TV or in bakeries? They are always so beautifully decorated and look like mini sculptures. You just know they are a chocolate lovers equivalent to Red Bull...they come with 4o million fillings and twice as many frosting choices. You sink your teeth into them with relish...then discover...its not as good as grandmas. Then you regret selling your first born child to afford the upscale bakery cake. 

Let's head back to a simpler time. A time where good cake was just cake.  No sugar roses or raspberry cream filling. Where all cakes were just good ole fashioned goodness. 

This is one of those recipes. Traditional and just perfect. It's light and EXTREMELY moist. And OH so very RICH. It really is the perfect chocolate cake recipe. And guess what, its easy....no...I'm serious, it take just a few minutes longer than your average box mix. Make this and you will never buy a box mix again. 

Basic Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

2  1/2 cups sifted CAKE flour*

3/4 sifted baking cocoa powder

1  1/2 baking powder

1  1/2 baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup boiling water

Note* Cake flour makes cakes light and fluffy. If you want a denser cake substitute all-purpose flour by subtracting 2 tablespoons per cup of cake flour. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour, two 9 inch cake pans or 13x9 inch pan. Do not use 8 inch pans. Cake will over flow. 

In a large mixing bowl shift combine all dry ingredients. 

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and beat on medium for approx. 2 minutes and batter is well blended. Do not over beat. 

Gently fold in boiling water (batter will be thin). 

Transfer to prepared cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes for 9 inch round pans or 40 minutes for 13x9 inch pan or until wooden pick comes out clean. 

Let cool 20 minutes before transferring to wire rack or cake plate. 

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting (VERY EASY)

This is a WONDERFUL frosting. Not the greatest for decorating, but I guarantee the taste will make you forgive its culinary fashion fau' paux. 

1/2 cup softened butter (real butter, no substitutions)

2 2/3 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1/3 cup milk 

1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup sifted baking cocoa powder

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream butter.

Blend in cocoa powder, vanilla, sugar and milk. 

Beat until desired texture is achieved. 

NOTE* freezes well 

Economical Dinner Party Recipe~Chicken Parmesan

Short notices from family or friends can cause me to rush around in frustration trying to find ways to entertain. Luckily this time I had more than 24 hours notice. Still...it's a daunting task to plan a small dinner party within a small time frame AND still keep it economical and easy. 

So how do you plan a fabulous dinner party on short notice and still remain in your weekly budget? First, you quickly raid your pantry and refrigerator for items on hand. Unfortunately, beyond baking items and staples, I'm not very savvy at keeping a stocked pantry. It's something I strive to improve. This time however, the news of impending guest struck at the right time. What I had...chicken breast, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, herbs, various shredded cheeses, pasta, and of course salad items. The results, delicious and easy Chicken Parmesan. 

This may not be a traditional Chicken Parmesan but its pretty awesome and received multitudes of raves reviews from our guest. I doubled this recipe for a party of 12.

*Note* I strive not to use prepackaged items, but in a bunch this is what I had on hand for quick dinner fixes in the pantry. Please substitute the jarred sauce for homemade if you will. 

Easy Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

6 cups Italian bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

5 large eggs

3 tablespoons milk

Oil  for frying (I used vegetable)

Olive oil

2 jars prepared Marinara Sauce, your preference

16 oz package of Italian shredded cheese

14 oz package of Mozzarella cheese, finely shredded

 

Cute each piece of chicken in half, then pound each chicken half between two sheets of plastic wrap until its approximately 1/3 inch thick. This helps cut back on messy counters and raw chicken spatters while tenderizing the chicken.

 

In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper and bread crumbs.

 

In a pie dish or large bowl whisk the eggs and milk. *I prefer to use a pie dish for this because it gives you more area room for the meat yet still contains the over spill.

 

Place flour in a plate (*pie dish).

 

Dredge a chicken breast in the flour and shake off any excess. Then dip the chicken piece into the egg/milk mixture and then dredge in the Italian breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any of the excess breading and place to a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

In a large skillet, pour your frying oil until it is 1/2 of an inch deep. Heat over medium heat. Once the oil is heated (sprinkle a tiny drop of water into the oil, if the drop sizzles it is heated, if the oil pops turn down the heat). Fry two breast at a time until golden brown on both sides. Place on paper towels to drain off excess oil.

In a large baking dish, brushed with a small amount of olive oil, pour 1 jar of marinara sauce and cover the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange chicken over the sauce, side by side making sure not to overlap. Sprinkle the Italian shredded cheese over the chicken. The cover with remaining jar of sauce. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until your sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle your mozzarella cheese on top. Place back into the oven just enough for the cheese to melt and slightly brown.

Serve with your favorite pasta, bread sticks and salad.