Cheesy Stuffed Shells

This recipe was actually shared with me by Aubrey Horner, and our family loved it. Liked it so much that it has since entered our rotation of meals, and better yet, I make a large batch of it, then package the supplies together and freeze for a fast meal during the week.

Ingredients:

1 16oz container of low fat cottage cheese
1 10oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach (for our family we omit the spinach)
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 26oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato chopped

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 c. mozzarella, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning, spoon into shells. Mix sauce and tomatoes spoon 1/2 into 9x13 dish. Add filled shells, top with remaining sauce. Cover and bake 25 min. Top with remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 2 min.

Pop Tarts

Okay, it's true, my kids LOVE poptarts, with all their heart and soul. But I can't bring myself to buy them anymore, first off they are the furthest thing from a "healthy" breakfast, and they are kinda priciey when you're talkin one box feeds for only one meal. I've been dreaming of a homemade type version and finally today, the first day the kdis are in school I remembered to google for homemade poptart recipes. This girl had one and they look like a delight!



Homemade Pop Tarts
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Pastry
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk

1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

Cinnamon Filling (enough for 9 tarts)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

Jam Filling
3/4 cup (8 ounces) jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

Alternate fillings: 9 tablespoons chocolate chips, 9 tablespoons Nutella or other chocolate-hazelnut paste or 9 tablespoons of a delight of your choice, such as salted caramel or a nut paste

To make cinnamon filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

To make jam filling: Mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.

Make the dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.

Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately (see Warm Kitchen note below) or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Assemble the tarts: If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.

Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Charming tip from King Arthur: Sprinkle the dough trimmings with cinnamon-sugar; these have nothing to do with your toaster pastries, but it’s a shame to discard them, and they make a wonderful snack. While the tarts are chilling, bake these trimmings for 13 to 15 minutes, till they’re golden brown.

Bake the tarts: Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.

Whole Wheat Variation: I was itching to swap out 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour. I am sure it would make it more deliciously breakfast.

Pop Tart Minis: The biggest struggle I had with these was the size. I actually like my baked goods on the tiny size, thus I think this could make an adorable batch of 16 2 1/4″ x 3″ rectangles.

Savory Pop Tarts: Nix the sugar in the dough and halve the salt. Fill with pesto, cheese, ground nuts or olives, or any combination thereof. Brush the tops with additional egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Please invite me over.

Do ahead: The sweet versions should keep at room temperature in an airtight container for a week. If you’d like to make them further in advance, I vote for freezing them unbaked between layers of waxed paper, and baking them as you need.

Warm kitchen warning: Guys, I live in an inferno, so between the heat and the  humidity, me and this dough were struggling. To keep it from being too warm and soft, I was stuffing the trays of dough in the freezer for 10 minute shifts almost every time I worked with them. If you find yourself in an overly warm kitchen working with dough that gets soft too quickly, just keep using your freezer. The 10 minutes here and there that you extend this project will save you many gray hairs as the dough becomes easy to work with again.

Blueberry Freezer Muffins

Alright, so I have really enjoyed making these up lately and then having some quick muffins stashed away in the freezer, so awesome! Ooh, these also come in other varieties, not just blueberry!

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine


Muffins
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh, canned (drained) or frozen blueberries





Directions:


1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line 12 regular-size muffin cups with paper baking cups, or spray bottoms only of cups with cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, stir 1/4 cup flour, the brown sugar and cinnamon until mixed. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture is crumbly; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat milk, oil and egg with fork or wire whisk until blended. Add 2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt all at once; stir just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon streusel.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. If muffins were baked in paper baking cups, immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. If muffins were baked in sprayed pan, leave in pan about 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm or cooled.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons.


Nutrition Information:
1 Muffin: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 25mg; Sodium 210mg; Total Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 15g); Protein 4g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 8%; Iron 8% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.


Variations:

Apple-Cinnamon Muffins: Omit blueberries. Beat in 1 cup chopped, peeled apple (about 1 medium) with milk. Stir in 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon with the flour. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Banana Muffins: Omit blueberries. Decrease milk to 1/3 cup. Beat in 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium) with the milk. Use packed brown sugar for the sugar.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins: Omit blueberries. Beat in 1 tablespoon grated orange peel with the milk. Fold 1 cup cranberry halves into batter.

Rasperry Muffins: Replace blueberries with frozen or fresh raspberries.


Freezing Directions:


Okay, so I like to make up a double batch, since it's "like" the same amount of work, or nearly. and we can't eat very many muffins very fast around here. So I fill cups, paper ones work, but I do like the metal liners for this. and then I scoop into a snack size baggy the right amount of struesel topping. I freeze the filled muffins while still in the muffin pan --so they hold shape better.




Then, after they are frozen, I package 6 together at a time (one pan's worth). This way I can just grab some out in the morning and pop them into the oven. I don't dethaw them first, although you could if you wanted or had time. I just set the time for regular time, and then check them. They usually need a few extra minutes, since they started frozen. Oh, I also write on the outside of my vaccuum package what temperature and how long they need to bake for, along with the date they were made.

Savory Breakfast Muffins

I found this recipe at www.freezehappy.com and TJ loves them!

1 lb chorizo sausage or bulk breakfast sausage (I used left over ham, but want to try them with bacon too.)
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup cornmeal
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 c. chopped green or red bell pepper
1/2 c. finely minced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese



To Prepare

1. Line muffin tins with paper liners, and set aside.
2. Fry, crumble and drain sausage. (omit this step if using ham)
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Mix together bisquick, cornmeal, eggs, garlic powder and milk.
5. Add drained sausage, diced peppers, onions and cheese. Stir well. (You may choose to saute the peppers and onion with your sausage for a milder taste).
6. Ladle the filling into the prepared muffin tins, filling almost to top.
7. Bake for 11-15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.


To Freeze

- Store in freezer in a large airtight container. Or place each in a sandwich bag, and then place a dozen in a large ziploc bag.


To Serve

- Microwave on high for approx 90 seconds.

Chicken Pot Pie

I've been on a search for Chicken Pot Pie recipes. I found this one, kind of changed it, it was pretty good. I think it could be great with a little perfecting....

INGREDIENTS
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from 17.3-oz package), thawed ~I made my own pie crust.
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 cup quartered ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots (5 to 6 oz)
3/4 cup Green Giant® frozen sweet peas (from 1-lb bag)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 jar (12 oz) chicken gravy ~I made my own by melting butter, browning in flour, then adding Chicken broth and boiling until it got thick.
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (and maybe I should have added that, so it wasn't bland?)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten, if desired

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. On lightly floured surface, unroll puff pastry. With rolling pin, roll out into 11-inch square. Cut off corners to make an 11-inch round. Cut slits or small designs in several places in pastry; set aside.
2. In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until no longer pink in center. Add onion and carrots; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat; stir in peas.
3. In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients except egg with wire whisk until well blended. Stir into chicken mixture in skillet. Spoon into 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Place pastry over filling allowing to hang over edge.
4. Bake 20 minutes. Brush crust with beaten egg. Cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.