Wednesday, April 3, 2013

What's for Dinner Wednesday~

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend with their family.  We enjoyed having these two at home with us...

They make us more proud of them everyday!  Our oldest is pursuing a teaching position, and has been accepted into two prestigious programs here in the Atlanta area where she can earn her degree while teaching (if you recall, she graduated in 2012, EARLY, with a degree in Communications/PR and a minor in Marketing and is still pursuing her Masters in Health Administration).  Her true passion lies with children and coaching cheerleading.  Our youngest will soon finish up her first year as a Speech Path/Audiology and Early Childhood Development major with hopes of providing intervention for babies in the NICU or in the field of Austism.  Where did the year go???

It was back to reality this afternoon, as one flew back to the University this morning and the other is back hard at work.

Since dad has been doing the majority of the cooking lately (his choice), I decided to pull out an old dish he and I both loved, but the girls could not have (they are both lactose intolerant).

Cheese Stuffed Shells!

Ingredients:

12 oz Muellers Jumbo Shells
2 eggs
2 containers (15oz) each Ricotta cheese
2 Cups (8oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 Cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 TBS dried parsley
1 TBS dried basil
1 tsp salt
3 Cups spaghetti sauce (we use our own homemade, recipe below)

Cooking Instructions:

Cook Jumbo Shells for 15 minutes
Drain, cover and set aside
In a medium bowl beat eggs lightly; stir in Ricotta, Mozzarella, 3/4 cup Parmesan, parsley, basil and salt.
Spoon about one tablespoon of cheese mixture into each shell.
Arrange filled shells in a 13X9-inch baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan (I like to add a bit of Mozzarella too)
Bake in 350* oven 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Spaghetti Sauce (Aunt Ann):

Ingredients
1 28oz can Crushed Tomatoes (we prefer organic with basil added)
basil (prefer fresh, but dried works too)
oregano (prefer fresh, but again dried is fine)
crushed red pepper (dried)
minced garlic
parsley (you know the drill, fresh is best, but use what you have!)
olive oil
grated parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, drizzle bottom with olive oil.  Add minced garlic (about a TBS, give or take to your taste), sprinkle in a bit of basil, oregano and crushed red pepper.  Saute for about a minute to infuse the oil with the herbs flavor.  Add crushed tomatoes, and about a 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese.  Stir.  Simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes to infuse the flavors.

This is our go to sauce, easy and fresh!


Pop open a good bottle of wine and enjoy!




9 comments:

Lobster Meets Peach said...

Is it wrong that I would love to eat this right now? Even thought it is only 8am! Yummy!!!

Katie said...

those sound delicious! your girls are beautiful!!!

Jennifer said...

Your daughters are beautiful!

Leslie said...

so glad you had some time with the girls:) those moments are so precious!

This looks delicious and simple to make:)


xxleslie

Preppy Empty Nester said...

Lauren, what beautiful, smart girls you have! The worst part of having my girls home is when they leave. I get so sad. By the way, my #2 is lactose intolerant too and now we found out she is sensitive to soy!So glad you had a great Easter. Have a wonderful weekend.

Amber B (Simple Dwellings) said...

Your daughters are beautiful and look so much like you! It sounds like they have amazing futures ahead of them. No wonder you are so proud! The shells dish looks delicious. I bet a glass of wine went perfect with that. Have a great weekend. :)

Karena said...

Lauren it sounds like you have had a wonderful Easter with the Girls at home. Plus the menu; yum.

I am working very hard with my rehab, still a long road ahead though...
love and Hugs,
Karena

Tara {The Silver Lining} said...

Glad you had a wonderful Easter. Wow, your daughters are both so pretty and doing so well! Glad to hear it. And mmmm that dinner looks yummy!

Brandi said...

Your girls are gorgeous! Wishing them both luck as they pursue their careers.