Fruit Crisp In Minutes!

I have a love for brownie in a mug and thought what about crisp in a mug.  After figuring out the "recipe" I figured a mug wouldn't work.  So I used a soup bowl. I am sure a salad bowl would work, too or whatever.

I figured the topping would spread more evenly in a bigger container. 

3/4 to 1 cup fruit - 1 peeled, cored, sliced and chopped apple

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 TB brown sugar

2 1/2 TB sugar, divided

2 TB flour

cinnamon

1 TB butter

Place the fruit in the bowl. Sprinkle 1-2 TB sugar onto apples with vanilla. 

In another bowl combine brown sugar, remaining sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter.  Use a fork and mix until crumbly.

Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Top with vanilla ice cream.

The hubby was impressed. He couldn't believe how great it tasted, especially since it took about 5 minutes to make.  He asked how I did it. Magic! Pure and simple.  

It was definitely something I will be making again and again!  Super easy and super yummy!

Till next time...

Mostaccioli and Sausage

I was at Sam's club and they had turkey sausage on clearance.  There is something about a neon orange clearance tag that makes me feel the need to buy, buy, BUY!   So I bought. Only one.

Then I was hemming and hawing about what to make. I first thought a tomato-ey Mexican thing.  But, then I re-looked at the package and it said "mild Italian."  Not very mexican-ey.

And per usual I grabbed a Mr. Food cookbook.  Mr. Food's Italian Kitchen to be exact.  I looked up sausage and found "Mostaciolli and Sausage" on page 129.

I didn't have a box of mostaciolli pasta and had to settle for campanelle.  That was the weirdest one that I had on hand.

• 1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, sliced about 1-inch thick
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped (I used dried, minced.)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (or not)
• 2 (28-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I used one jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of crushed tomatoes.)
• I also added some Italian seasoning and garlic powder
• Can of sliced mushrooms (I added these because I didn't have any pepper)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound mostaccioli pasta

What To Do:

1. In a large pot, brown the sausage over medium-high heat; drain off the excess liquid.
2. Add the onion and green pepper cook, stirring, until tender. (I didn't have any pepper and was too lazy to get an onion out. I used some dried minced onion.)
3. Add the spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Meanwhile, cook and drain the pasta according to the package directions. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately.

It was another hit. I also bought bakery baguette bread that was equally delicious.

Now I just have to think of what to make with the rest of the sausage.  Hmmmmm......

Till next time...

Stuffed Shells

Ricotta cheese was on sale and since I was feeling "adventurous" I bought some. And upon returning to my humble abode I happened upon a box of jumbo pasta shells.  I could not remember the last time (if ever) I made stuffed shells.

I was kind of a dunce and didn't read the directions properly and put the cheese on first - instead of the sauce. Andddd when I was removing the foil, one of the shells insisted on being attached and upended itself (see center.)

I grabbed my trusty Mr. Food's Italian Kitchen and turned to page 136.

The recipe looked easy enough and so I asked if C#2 would like to make them.  She agreed. Put on an apron and commenced.

• 1 (12-ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 (32-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook shells according to package directions; drain.

2.In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, the eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper; mix well.

3.Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce evenly over bottom of prepared baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture into a pastry tube or large resealable plastic storage bag with a corner snipped off. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each shell; place filled shells in baking dish.

4.Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over filled shells, cover with aluminum foil, and bake 40 minutes.

5.Remove foil from dish, and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake 10 to 12 more minutes, or until shells are heated through and cheese is golden and bubbling. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

I didn't change anything. Which is highly unusual.  I almost never have ricotta cheese and would have used cottage cheese in a pinch.  

C#2 and I worked great as a team. Especially for the "shell stuffing" part.  I asked the hubby to go fetch my camera and then he obligingly took pictures without being asked!

We used a medium sized cookie scoop to fill the shells. It worked perfectly!  Of course, four hands worked better than two in this endeavor.

This recipe was a definite hit.  C#2 even wants it in her lunch tomorrow.  We will be making this, again, for sure!

Till next time!

No Snow Day?! I Am So Sad For You...

Last night's weather was creating a (false) hope for a snow day today.  3 to 6 inches of snow with some ice and nastiness mixed in. But, alas, it didn't really happen -- at least not here.

I found my school closing information and lo and behold there was school and it WAS on time. No closing. No delay.

I meandered into the kitchen to start breakfast and pack lunches and C#1 showed up.  I informed him that there was school, so he needed to get ready a.s.a.p.  He responded with, "I HATE SCHOOL! I DON'T WANT TO GO!  BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH!!!!!!"  (there was some slight "yell-age" -- so the caps are for real.)  I informed his royal highness that he would be going to bed early for the rest of the week, since he apparently isn't getting enough sleep.  Like it's my fault there was school.  And after looking outside they very clearly needed to go to school. The roads/weather was just fine.  And C#1 needed today's education -- I just know it!

He stomped to his room and proceeded to get ready for the day.  Thankfully C#2 wasn't so "colorful" this morning.

I should state that I hate delays. A one hour delay is okay. But, a two hour delay. UGH! It messes up the entire day.  You might as well just forget whatever you were planning to do.  There isn't even enough time to go back to sleep.  Unless you are like C#2 and can sleep through all the clanking and banging and can actually get those two extra hours of sleep.  

That's it for today. Till next time...

Pimento Cheese Pasta Sauce

I have this undying love for pimento cheese sandwiches. I thought perhaps I could incorporate that into a dinner meal.  So I did.

Saute 1/4 cup onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1-2 chicken breasts cut up into cubes. Cook until meat is mostly white.   Add 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 - 1/2 package of cream cheese, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 - 4oz. jar of pimentos . Whisk until smooth.  Add black pepper and garlic powder.  Cook until chicken is fully cooked. Add cooked pasta to the mix. Stir then serve.

It was yummy, creamy goodness! 

Till next time...

Dark Chocolate Truffles

I always have a hard time thinking of birthday presents. I tend to give the same item over and over -- especially for women. Bath stuff, candles, more bath stuff...  Then it occurred to me that homemade candy gifts - especially chocolate candy gifts might be just the ticket!

I perused Mr. Food Simply Chocolate cookbook and found "Truffles" on page 146.  I then thought dark chocolate might be better and as luck would have it, I had a package of those yummy morsels in my stash!

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (I did not have instant coffee, but, instant latte worked just fine.)
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate or white baking chips (I used a package of dark chocolate chips)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds (I toasted some coconut and used that instead.)

What To Do:

1. Recipe Instructions: In a small heavy saucepan, combine the evaporated milk and sugar; heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from the heat.
    
2. In a cup, dissolve the coffee in the hot water; add to the milk mixture along with the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
    
3. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls, then roll in the almonds (coconut). Place on a cookie sheet, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours, or until firm.  I found that the hardened mixture, too hard to get out of the pan.  I put the pan back on the stove for a few seconds and it was then more pliable.

I was able to actually try one, since they didn't all fit into the container. Lucky for me! And they were delicious!

Till next time...

Chocolate Covered Matzo

Last year C#2 was hanging out with her Jewish friend and she decided that she likes matzos. I have had a matzo or two back in the day.  One of my favorite matzo treats that my Mom made was chocolate covered matzos.  There was no special trick to it, according to her -- just melt some chocolate chips, spread, let harden and eat.

Wellllll, C#2 had Hershey kisses on the brain and thought that might work.  But, alas there were no more kisses, but, we did find a package of Hershey bars.  

She unwrapped the bar and then evenly spread them across the matzo.  We then microwaved the matzo and chocolate for 30 seconds.  The chocolate wasn't soft enough, so we plunked it into the microwave for 30 more seconds. I then took a fork and smeared the chocolate all over. We then put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Viola!!

C#2 removed the top part, since she has nooooooooooooooooooo patience to wait for a picture.  Let me just say it was delicious. And I definitely remember why I liked it.

This week I had a lovely encounter with one of the teachers. I am not going to get into that issue. This was the same teacher that was surprised at how smart C#1 was because he did not believe in evolution.  

I guess the "progressive" way if thinking is evolution = smart, creationism = dumb or not so smart. Last I knew, evolution was just a theory, not a definitive science.  Hmmmmm... That kinda irks me.  I should say the teacher is nice enough and I am sure she wasn't trying to be insulting. 

And this is why the daily "re-education" at my house must continue.

Till next time...

Well That's Not Fair! A Food Gripe.

So, apparently the economy is taking a dive (well it has been for a long time.) And throughout this lovely adventure, everything price wise is going up. Gas, clothes, everything...

My current gripe is the food aspect. Not only have the prices been going up, up, UP!  The sizes of some items are going down.  Don't believe me -- I have two examples with pictures. I did have a third, but, we must have eaten all of the "old" batch of that food item.

Hunt's Pasta Sauce:  See above, old packaging and new. The new is one serving less than the old. And it is the same price. I guess I should be grateful for that, right?!? (sarcasm - in case you missed it.)  It still costs .99 at Walmart or if you're a sucker on a "sale" week 10 for $10 at the other grocery stores. But there is still less in the new packaging. Sheesh!  I will still buy it, since, it's one of the cheapest and it tastes just as good as those glass containered pasta sauces that are $2.00 plus for the same size.

And onto the next one...

Maxwell House coffee:  I know these aren't the same kind, but, believe me the sizes are ALL same. Of course, I bought a few extra when the old packaging was around and have since bought some newly packaged ones.  Old packaging 2 lb 2.5 oz., new packaging 1 lb. 28 oz.  That seems like a big difference to me!

And look how they get all tricksy on the back of the container. They take a huge gaping section out of the new packaging. The old package makes up to 270 cups and the new package makes only 240 cups. What you say?!?!  Yup! You have lost 30 6 oz. cups of coffee with the new packaging. Grrrrrr! Aaaarghhhh!

I know there are other things out there that have done the same thing -- namely Rice-a-Roni.  But, I didn't want to take the time to search it out.  

So there you have my rant for the day. Till next time...