Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I tried THIS recipe yesterday. I liked it, but I also reduced the amount of spinach by about 75%. I just couldn't bring myself to put it all in...and what I put in, Ryan picked out of his serving. I really like fresh spinach, but the frozen kind is kind of gross to me. Next time I might just leave out the spinach altogether and just serve with veggies we like on the side. :)

Hearts

Valentine's Day means heart-shaped food around here. I made heart-shaped cinnamon rolls (didn't turn out quite as well as last year, but still tasty!), heart-shaped pizza, and a heart-shaped jello dessert. Ryan and Riley made waffles on our heart-shaped waffle iron!

Here is a picture of the JELLO DESSERT. Topped with a little whipped cream, it was cute and yummy!


And here's a picture of the personal-size pizzas I made for Ryan and me. I make pizza basically every Saturday night, so if you want the recipe (it's my mom's) I can post it or email it.

chocolate mint dessert

a friend & coworker made this amazing dessert last week and i just got the recipe.

Hershey's Double Chocolate Mint Dessert

trust me... HEAVENLY! as we all agree, you can't go wrong with mint & chocolate! and the presentation is super nice. unfortunately no picture on this site. sorry.

oh, just kidding. found it on the hershey's site with a picture! :o)
hershey's site recipe

valentines pb smores

made the pb smores again last night... for our 'soup day' valentines luncheon at work today.

I want to...

I really want to make THIS recipe!

But I doubt I will (anytime soon).

"Why" you ask?

It's not the healthiest of recipes AND I'm pretty sure Ryan and Riley would find it disgusting.

*Sigh*

But it looks so good!!

peanut butter smores

thanks to BAKED PERFECTION.... peanut butter smores
these are just as heavenly - if not more so- than they look. my new favorite dessert.

and tim enjoyed them as well... which is amazing b/c he is not a dessert person!

chicken, green bean, and cucumber salad

recipe from FOOD everyday (martha stewart magazine)

Jan/Feb 2010 issue

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon each finely chopped fresh parsley and basil, and 1 tablespoon capers [didn't use], drained and chopped.

Boil 4 ounces green beans, trimmed, in salted water until crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water; drain and add to bowl along with 1 poached chicken breast half (recipe below), cooled and torn, 1 small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced, and 2 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds [i used slivered almonds].

Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. SERVES 4.

per serv: 134 calories; 6.7 g fat (1.1 g sat fat), 14.7 g protein, 4 g carb, 1.7 g fiber

my thoughts: i served this with brown rice. i think its a great summer dish. i made the mistake of trying this out on a winter day. its definitely tasty, but i'll wait to make it again until its a nice warm day & i'm in the mood for a chilled main dish.

BASIC POACHED CHICKEN recipe (from same source as above)

1/2 medium yellow onion, halved

1 medium carrot, cut into thirds

1 celery stalk, cut into thirds

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 lemon, sliced (optional)

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

3 sprigs thyme or parsley

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each)

In a large, straight-sided skillet or pot, combine all ingredients except chicken; cover with water by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high. Add chicken and return to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, then cover skillet and remove from heat. Let stand until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove chicken from poaching liquid immediately.

tip: i don't think i cut the chicken breasts... and probably should have so it soaked in more flavor.

BBQ ckn pizza

this is so super simple. i used the 50 cent package of pizza crust (yes, the just add warm water). make/bake as directed. i cooked for about 10 minutes before adding topping because i like it crispier.

spread about 1/3 cup bbq sauce. i LOVE sweet baby ray's bbq sauce, but any should do.
thinly slice 1/4 medium red onion (use as much or little as you'd like). i cook on the stove for a couple minutes to soften them up. you can also add thinly sliced red peppers but i didn't have any on hand. cook 1 to 1.5 thinly sliced chicken breasts, then place on top of the sauce. sprinkle with ~1 cup mozzarella 2% cheese. bake as directed on packet above. yes... this really is kind of a throw it together kind of pizza... but we love it. one tip would be to go lighter on the bbq sauce than you might think.

omelet

i know i've mentioned it before, but i LOVE breakfast for dinner. the other day we didn't really have anything in the house. then i saw eggs... milk and cheese.

crack 3 eggs into a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons milk (i never measure - i just see how it mixes). add a couple dashes of Mrs. Dash - original. put this into an omelet pan... greased or sprayed with PAM. once the eggs start to set, sprinkle about 1/3 cup shredded cheese (usually use mild cheddar or monterey jack). the throw in about 1/4 cup diced red/yellow/green peppers and onion. cook for about 2-3 minutes on stove beforehand for softer-cooked taste.

cook until your desired doneness... mine is ALWAYS super done. if you have breakfast potatoes on hand, throw some of those in the omelet. that makes it extra tasty!

I'M RATHER EXCITED. TIM & I finally bought real pans. non-stick pans/pots. these omelets actually turn out now (unlike the picture above!) we have used the cheaper pans that we got from our wedding back in 2001. they've been beat to hell and back though...so we are super excited to cook because things are turning out now! :o)

okay, enough vague recipes... one 'real' one coming up.

potato skins

IF i was having a superbowl party... i'd DEFINITELY be whipping these things up. they look heavenly - and easy too!

LOADED POTATO SKINS

three cheese ckn penne pasta bake

this is a kraftfoods.com recipe...

1 1/2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked (we used 2 cups)

1 package (9 oz) fresh spinach leaves (we used about 3 oz)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 jar (14 1/2 oz) spaghetti sauce (i did not see jars in this size, so just used part of a bottle of ragu 'light')

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

2 oz (1/4 of 8oz pkg) Neufchatel cheese, cubed

1 cup 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

heat oven to 375*. cook pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water for the last minute.

cook chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 minutes. add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes and bring to a boil. simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is done. stir in neufchatel cheese.

drain pasta mixture; return to pan. stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. spoon into 8-inch square baking dish. bake 20 minutes. sprinkle with remaining cheeses (mozz & parm). bake 3 minutes.

i'd recommend serving with french bread to dip in sauce... unless you're watching the carbs.

to follow up the no sugar thing...

what better than...

Smore Cookie Bars?! hehe

No More Sugar for Ellen

No More Sugar for Ellen

check it out!

EVERNOTE

One of the best tools I've ever found is called EVERNOTE. I love it and I use it ALL THE TIME! Maybe you've already heard of it and this isn't news to you. :) Basically you can "clip" anything you find online and save it to your evernote files. You can create different folders and keep it all organized. For instance, I have folders for craft ideas, sewing projects, and then I have lots of recipes subdivided into different categories. I love having a place to neatly save all of the great ideas that I come across online! I highly recommend it!