Stuffed Shells

I love pasta, but my husband doesn't enjoy having Spaghetti or Lasagna for dinner. He will eat these stuffed shells though. Good thing because I love them! Pasta and cheese, two things that were meant for each other.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook! Soggy shells are hard to work with.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
5. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

Homemade Tortillas

That's right my friends, homemade tortillas. They are much tastier and cheaper than store bought. I will admit that it takes some muscle to roll them out. Once you realize how delicious they are, the effort makes it worth it every once in a while. Then you'll hate using store bought tortillas. You'll start to covet a tortilla press. Once you get one you'll pop out tortillas like crazy with hardly any effort involved. A tortilla press really isn't all that expensive ($20) and you'll save money in the long run. No more store bought tortillas!


2 1/2 c flour
3 T butter, shortening, or margarine
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water (make it as hot as you can stand to touch with your hand)

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening to resemble cornmeal. Add water slowly, mixing with your hands to make a soft dough. You may not need all the water.


2. Divide into small balls the size of golf balls. Cover with damp towel to keep balls moist. One by one roll out into size and thickness you prefer. This is where a tortilla press can come in and make life easier. Cover waiting dough balls with damp towel to prevent from drying out.

3. Cook on top of stove over medium-high heat using a cast iron grill or heavy skillet until top is slightly bubbly then turning on opposite side for a minute or two. If you over cook them they will become hard. A very thin tortilla will take less than a minute on each side.

4. Keep stacked and warm inside a clean, lightly damp dish towel. This will help keep them soft.


Store in plastic bag. Heat in microwave for 5-10 seconds to soften tortilla when ready for use.

Chili and Cornbread

I love cornbread. I'm always looking for an excuse to make it. I don't like to make Chili, so I just use the canned kind. Really, it's all about the cornbread.



Chili:
Canned :)

Cornbread:
1 1/2 c cornmeal
2 1/2 c milk
2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil

1. Combine cornmeal and milk in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile combine together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
3. Combine dry ingredients and cornmeal mixture. Add eggs, and vegetable oil. mix together well.
4. Bake in a 9x13 greased pan at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned and golden.

Meatball Subs

The key to a good meatball sub is all in the meatballs. I have found this mixture to be tasty.

1 pound ground beef
3/4 c bread crumbs
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chopped fresh parsley
2 T Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten

4 Sandwich/Hoagie Buns
Sliced Provolone Cheese
1 C Spaghetti/Marinara Sauce

Kneed all meatball ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Roll into 16 meatballs. Place in shallow, lightly greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

While meatballs are cooking, warm spaghetti/marinara sauce in saucepan. Add cooked meatballs and stir carefully to cover meatballs in sauce.

Prepare subs by slicing open (don't cut all the way through, make it into a pocket) and placing Provolone Cheese inside each "pocket." Add 4 meatballs to each sub. Broil until cheese is melted and sub is toasted.


***Meatballs can be frozen and reheated.