spinach-ricotta manicotti

i think i've always had this perception that stuffed pastas were sooo fancy, and therefore, must take a LOT of time to make.
 

this is definitely not true! :)

thanks to this super-easy, super-fast recipe, i made stuffed pasta for my 1st time tonight (and oh baby, was it good!) :) :) :)

Spinach-ricotta Manicotti with Vodka Sauce

ingredients:

• 8 manicotti pasta shells
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• one 15-ounce container ricotta cheese (I used lowfat!)
• 1/2 cup grated Parm
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (choose your measurements; make it how you like it)
• one 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed **dry**
• 2 cups whatever red pasta sauce you like (NOTE: I used Vodka Sauce and it was UHH.MAY.ZING)
• more Parm on the top, before you stick it in the oven (perhaps 1/2 cup?)

***Confessions*** ***Read before starting............. :)

*the "olive oil" is totally just for greasin' up your baking pan. I totally skipped this and used "Pam" to spray my dish

*i NEVER use the green plastic can of "Kraft: Grated Parmesan cheese" when I cook--- I always, always, always use REAL Parmeggiano-Reggiano from ITALY. However..... this recipe called for a LOT and I knew Parm didn't have to be the front-runnin' show-stopper of the dish. SO, being on a *budget*!!... I broke down and bought the can o' kraft. PLEASE don't be offended by my soap-box statements if you normally use this for your Parm... i just lived in Italy for 2 years and it's hard for me to use that green can for everyday sprinkling purposes when the real stuff is so DIVINE.  but for this recipe, the green can is PERFECT. ;)

*with the red sauce-- i DID use Vodka Sauce. Emeril Lagasse's Vodka Sauce from the grocery store, actually. ...AND to be honest- I only had about half a jar left in the fridge----- SO i had a tiny 8-ounce can of plain Tomato Sauce that I mixed with the leftover Vodka Sauce... and VOILA---- **the perfect** sauce to brighten up the spinachy-cheesy manicotti. :)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large pot of boiling *salted* water, cook pasta shells according to package instructions (mine were Barilla brand, I cooked them for 7 minutes! PERFECT).  

While the pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parm, and lemon zest. Stir in spinach (that was squeezed dry!!!) and add salt & pepper (to taste!). Carefully scoop filling to a quart-sized plastic bag. Twist and squeeze bag so filling is in one corner, and snip a hole in one of the corners (probably 3/4 to 1 inch).

 

When your pasta timer goes off (again, mine was only 7 minutes-- even *before* al dente *but* this was because they finish cooking in the oven) :) ... drain the pasta well and arrange in a single layer in a baking dish (I used one that was probably... 9" x 10"? something weird like that but it was the PERFECT size-- you could use a square pan and it'd probably be great!) 
 

Pipe filling into both ends of each pasta shell. (You might have to get your fingers in there to help it along! And if you notice that the hole in your bag is too small for some of the larger spinach pieces to pass through--- just make it a little bigger!) :) Put the stuffed shells back in your baking dish, until all are filled.
 

Pour whatever red sauce you are using evenly over the manicotti and top with more Parm (I just sprinkled mine from the jar... Martha Stewart suggests 1/2 cup.).  Bake until sauce in center of dish is bubbling and Parmesan is browned in spots, about 30 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

BUON APPETITO!!!! it's WONDERFUL! <3 :)

source: Martha :)

showstoppin' guac

my husband looooves guacamole.  we can go through phases in this house where we eat guac by the bowl-full.

where we live, there are a few ways to get great guac: you can buy freshly-made, really good guac at a local grocery store for $9.99 a pound (YIKES)...  pay a hefty amount for some of Chipotle's awesome guac... OR you can make it yourself-- for WAY cheaper.  Obviously, you know what I opt to do! = the homemade route! :)

here are the ingredients needed for show-stoppin guac. in all of my experimenting, i've used a huuuuge spectrum of different types of tomatoes, onions, etc.. {one time, i even tried the "Florida avocados" you can sometimes find at the grocery store-- they are usually bigger than Hass ones and instead of the bumpy, dark skin, they have a shiny, green skin} ... **but** the list below are my *fave* ingredients which, after alllll my trial runs, these (in my opinion) are the best for making the most legit guac this side of the border.

 

ingredients:

{and remember, type matters!}

• Hass avocados
• Roma/Plum tomatoes
• Red onion
• Fresh jalapeno (if desired for spiciness; in my opinion, this is 1 thing you can leave out)
• fresh garlic cloves
• Lime juice/and or zest
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt
• Black pepper

example amounts I used from one little batch I just made:

2 Hass avocados {for an instructional video on how to cut an avocado, here's a great & quick one!)

1/2 fresh Roma tomato, diced (it was pretty big, if it was smaller, I probably would have used the whole thing)

1 Tbsp. (?) Red onion

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

a few squeezes of lime juice (maybe 1 tsp?)

several pinches of salt

a few cranks from the pepper grinder

*i left out the jalapeno today; i had a weird stomachache last night and didn't wanna add any spicy to my life today :)..... but if you want some, obviously just chop finely, remove the seeds, and add what you want

fiddle with the amounts, and enjoy this DELISH combo of ingredients to make the PERRRRFECT, show-stoppin' guac!!!! :)

blueberry buttermilk cake

i grew up watching my dad drink buttermilk.  he always tried to get me to drink some, but one whiff of the sour/weird/this-smells-like-bad-milk smell always sent me running the other direction.

as i grew older, however, i learned the joys of at least cooking with buttermilk.  our family's cutout Christmas cookie recipe uses buttermilk, so do my grandma's famous amish sugar cookies (which are like pillows of melt in your mouth MAGIC... golly, i should do a post on those!).

anyway, i had some leftover buttermilk in my fridge from cooking over the holidays, and i am craving something delicious/want something yummy in the morning for breakfast, so i decided to make something i found thanks to pinterest (my new potential time-waster/but trying hard to have tons of self-control!!! lol).  i modified the recipe though, to include wayyy more buttermilk, less sugar, and maple syrup (if this is a breakfasty type cake of COURSE it needs maple syrup!!!!!!) ;)  hope you enjoy this recipe :)

blueberry buttermilk cake

adapted from alexandra cooks

ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temp. (aka 1 stick)

1-2 tsp. fresh lemon zest (i zested most of a smallish lemon)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour (separated into 1/4 cup flour and then the rest: 2 and 3/4 cups flour)

1 pint fresh blueberries (rinsed and drained)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2ish teaspoon salt

1 scant cup buttermilk (shake it WELL before you pour it!)

1-2 Tablespoons of demerara sugar (the fancy "sugar in the raw"/natural sugar type)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and butter an 8x8 inch square pan (or whatever smallish pan you want to use).

cream together the butter, lemon zest, and sugar in a large bowl.  add in maple syrup, beat.

beat in egg and vanilla.

in separate small bowl, mix the 1/4 cup of flour with the blueberries; toss to coat them. set aside.

in a different small-ish bowl, sift together the rest of the flour (2 and 3/4 cups) with the baking powder and salt.

incorporate the flour mixture and buttermilk into the big batter bowl by alternating each item.  

 **note** the original recipe called for 1/2 cup buttermilk, so start there to be safe. when my batter was completed, i thought it looked too thick, so i felt the freedom to add more.  the reason i wrote "scant" is cause, in my typical style (which is SO not appropriate for baking!!) i just poured the extra buttermilk out of the jug and didn't measure it.  wah wah.  BUT i bet i poured in.. oh.. at least another 1/4 cup.. maybe another 1/2 cup? (on top of the 1/2 cup that was already in the batter)-- so that's why I said SCANT cup.  just pour to your liking.  feel the freedom.  (baking doesn't always have to be serious!...... if it HAD to be.... i wouldn't do it.)  :)

 

when your batter is completed to your liking, gently fold in your flour-dusted blueberries.

 

pour batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle the whole cake with the demerara sugar. (if you don't own demerara sugar, NOW IS THE TIME to get some!! soooooo worth having in your kitchen!! (i buy it for our little sugar bowl---- it's one of my fave simple things to sweeten coffee [and tons of other stuff]) :)

 

 

pop in the oven for...... okay, again, i have failed----- i didn't set a timer and didn't pay attention as to when exactly i put the cake in the oven.... but the original recipe called for 35 minutes at 350-- so start there, and just check it with a toothpick for doneness. but fyi: i bet mine cooked for more like 45-60 minutes.. yeah. 

 

sorry it's all crumbly-- it was still SUPER warm when i cut this piece; i was just soooo hungry i couldn't resist!  i promise if you let it cool your piece won't fall apart like this. :)

fun with Legos :)

my dear husband, being the "doctor" referred to in this blog's title, received a Lego set for Christmas from my family because we thought he needed something FUN and not "serious" to think about. you know: a BREAK!

enjoy these photos from our recent evening of putting the Star Wars spaceship together. (it was my **first time** putting together Legos, and SO FUN!) :)

what a fun storm trooper-- cape and all

he's just loving this. :)

it's so crazy how these kits come with such neat figurines/Lego people/whatever they're called :)

oh, hello there, Pity Jane :)

ship, in-progress

some of the pieces were sooo small

almost done!

snapping "obi-wan" into his seat, lol

finished!!! ---a truly FUN date night :)