Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

I remember the first time I ever made stuffed shells. I was young and I wanted to make something special for a new boyfriend I wanted to impress. I remember seeing the box on the grocery store shelf and thinking, how cool are these?  I can probably stuff these with something!  And then I read the box and learned that this is a traditional Italian recipe that's been around forever. I made the recipe with extra spices and a lot more cheese and they turned out great.  My guest was very impressed. And I was too! 

Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

1 (12 oz.) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells

15 ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1 egg

1 (26 oz.) jar Ragu Chunky Tomato, Onion and Mushroom

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions for al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, Romano, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, egg, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Set aside.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Not too deep just about 1/3 cup will be fine.  Fill each shell with the cheese mixture and place open side up, in a single layer, in prepared pan. Pour more sauce over the stuffed shells. I like just a little sauce but you can add as much as you want.

Loosely cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

During last 5 minutes of baking, remove foil and sprinkle more Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top if desired. Bake 5 more minutes. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

For Crockpot:  Follow the same directions as above. Cover and cook 1 1/2 hours on high or 3 hours on low OR until hot all the way through. 

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Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Potatoes in Onion Gravy

Sometimes you just don’t want all those veggies with your pot roast.  I’m a true meat and potatoes kind of girl and so now and then I like to just make a pot roast with potatoes as my only vegetable….oh and onions…You have to have thick and rich onion gravy to make it the best pot roast you’ve ever tasted!  I decided to try something different with my gravy this time so I used a couple of those little McCormick gravy packets.  I only had the pork gravy and not the beef but I decided to give it a try.  OH MY GOODNESS.  This turned out to the one of the best pot roasts I’ve ever made!

Slow Cooked Pot Roast with Potatoes in Onion Gravy

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 (4-5 pound) chuck roast

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 cups of beef broth, unsalted or low sodium

1 small bag of new potatoes

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Carefully place it in the pan and sear it on all sides until golden brown.  Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

Add sliced onion to the skillet and sauté over medium heat until they are lightly caramelized and golden in color. 

Spray a 4 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Place the seared roast in the pot and place the caramelized onions on top. Add chopped garlic. 

Pour beef broth over roast.  Set temperature to high, cover and cook for about 4 hours. After four hours, remove the lid and place baby potatoes on top and around roast.  Cover and cook another 90 minutes to 2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Remove the meat and potatoes to a platter and cover with foil.

Gravy

Juices from crockpot

2 packages of McCormick Pork Gravy Mix

¼ cup of water

¼ cup heavy cream

1 small can cream of Onion soup, (undiluted)

Carefully pour the juices from the crock pot into a medium sauce pan.  Add two packs of Pork gravy and stir well.  Add the can of soup, the water and the cream and whisk until smooth. 

Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow gravy to thicken, stirring occasionally.  Once gravy is thickened, remove from heat and pour over meat and potatoes and serve! 

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Salted Caramel Brownie Bites

These Salted Caramel Brownies are going to take your brownie game to a whole new level.  Deliciously moist and fudgy brownies topped with ooey gooey melted caramel and chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped pecans.  YUM.

Turtle Brownie Bites

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon instant coffee

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt 1 2/3 cups chocolate chips, divided

30 soft caramel candies

1 tablespoon milk

¾ cup finely chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pans with liners or baking cups. 

 

 

Stir sugar, butter, oil and coffee in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thick; remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. 

 














Stir flour with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl; stir into egg mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pans.

Heat remaining chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM (50%) for 40 to 50 seconds; stir until smooth. Heat caramels and milk in another microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%), stirring every 30 seconds, for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. 




 



















Spread an equal amount of warm caramel onto each cupcake. Then pour melted chocolate over each cupcake and sprinkle with pecans. Let stand until set.

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Ham and Egg Cups

 

 

 

I mean seriously…how simple can it get?  So simple and quick and delicious! This is the perfect breakfast when you are short on time.  Love this recipe.

Ham and Egg Cups

Non-stick cooking spray

6 slices deli ham

1 cups shredded Cheddar

6 extra large eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 6-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

 

  

Line each cup with a slice (or two depending on thickness) of ham and to with shredded cheese. 

 

 

Crack an egg in each ham cup and season with salt and pepper. 

           

 

Bake until eggs are cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on how runny you like your yolks). Garnish and serve.

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