Easy Home made Manicotti

So I love manicotti but stuffing all those pasta tubes takes time and they ripe and its just a mess.  This one is much simpler because you roll lasagna noodles like you would with Enchiladas.  If fact that's what I told my husband when he asked me what manicotti was.  Italian Enchiladas.

Doesn't that look good.  (I forgot to take a pic with it on a plate.
Here is what you need for the sauce.  1 medium yellow onion, 2 cans crushed tomatoes, 1 T of tomatoes paste, 1 package of pepperoni, 1/2 lb ground sausage, 1/2 lb ground beef, 4-5 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, a few red pepper flakes, and Italain seasoning to taste.
The manicotti: Ricotta cheese (you can use cottage cheese if you like but this is better) 2 cups shredded whole milk manicotti, a couple cups of shredded provalone (my store didnt have bricks of it so I boughed sliced and diced it) 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (it is wonderful) 1 egg, 1 package of no boil lasagna noodles, and salt and pepper to taste.

Sauce:

Quarter onion.  Place pepperoni and onion pulse in food possessor until finely diced. My food prossessor is very loud Chris makes jokes about needing ear plugs. 

If you have a standard sized food processor you can prossess the ground sausage and beef too to break it up but mine is a smaller one because it uses the same base as my blender so as a result it is slightly smaller.

Add mixture from the food possessor to a hot large skillet (add ground meat too if you didn't) process.  Brown and break it up as you go into small pieces.

Mix in the tomatoes paste, pressed garlic, and a few red pepper flakes.

Save 1 cup of the meat mixture if you want for sprinkling on the top. 

Add the cans of crushed tomatoes and let simmer for a few min to slightly thicken and season to taste with salt and pepper and Italain seasoning.  Be sure to cover while simmer because it till splatter and then you will have to clean your stove like I did.

Filling: 
Soak noodles for 5 min in boiling water so they will be soft enough to roll.
Chop the basil, shred/dice cheese (depending on your provolone)

 Place 1 pint of ricotta, basil, 2 cups of mozzarella, and 2 cups of provolone, and the egg in a bowl and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Its going to be a big goopy mess but it will taste so good.

Now comes the Enchilada part.  Spread about a cup or two of the sauce on the bottom of the pan so the noodles don't stick.

Place a spoonful/handful of the filling and roll up like an Enchilada.  I found it was easier to use my hands.  A standard package of lasagna noodles comes with 16.  So you should end up with two rows of 8 in a 9x13 pan.  I had a couple that broke but its okay I used them anyway.  I a had a little of the filling left over so I spread it over the top.  You can never have too much of a good thing.

Spread the sauce on the top. Sprinkle about a cup of mozzarella and a cup of provolone and the remaining meat on top.  I paced slices of provolone and shredded mozzarella since that was easier. Bake covered for about 40 min at 375.  About 10-15 min before its done remove cover so the cheese can get golden.  Remove from the over and let rest for about 10 min.  This is important so its not too runny.  It will still be running but more manageable.

Stuff Pizza Rolls

My husband loved these and ate them and said the mushrooms added nice flavor perhaps I am making progress in my fight against mushroom hatred but we will see.  The true victory is if he will like the mushroom pasta sauce that I want to make some day but we will see.  Any way these are super easy, quick and can be made in a lot of variation depending on the kind of pizza toppings you use/like.

Here's what you need.  Whatever pizza toppings you want.  I used mushrooms, pepperoni, and olives but whatever you like is great and a couple cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and pizza dough.  You can make your own or use refrigerated.  Usually I make my own but I was running late after work so I bought some.  I have found that whole milk mozzarella cheese is best but the thing that makes the most difference is shredding it yourself because when you buy the per-shredded cheese it is coated which prevents good melting. 

Start by rolling out the dough its okay if you have a few wholes you can patch them up.  Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares.  Depending on the number of toppings you have you will want the smaller or larger.  My squares were about 4x6.

Place a little of each topping and cheese on each square or make a variety depending on what your family wants.  I used two tubes of dough so I rolled it out twice.  I ended up with a few leftover that did not fit in my baking dish so I put them in a small casserole.

Pull the dough from all four corners over the toppings and place with the seam down in a baking dish.  They will not all be all neat and tidy but they will still taste good.  Plus that's how life is its not all neat and tidy there is a lot of messy bits in everything.

Brush will some melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and some mozzarella and Parmesan (once again shred your own cheese).  Bake according package directions.  I baked mine for about 10-12 min at 375 but it depends but that's a good base to start from.

While they were baking a made a simple tomato sauce but you can use bottled if you like.  I used a can of tomatoes paste, two cans of water, a couple cloves of pressed garlic, Johnny's salt, fresh ground black pepper (from my cheap Costco pepper mill) and Italian seasoning to taste. 

Boy does that look good.  The picture is making me hungry.  Let it rest for a couple min if you can manage it.

Serve up with dipping sauce or not if you like and enjoy.  These are super easy and make a great snack, lunch, dinner, or appetizer.

Homemade chocolate pudding with no mix

Here is what you need, 1/2 cup of sugar, 5 tbs of unsalted butter, 2 1/2 cups of milk, 3 egg yolks, 1/4 tsp of salt, 3 tbs of coca powder, 1/2 cream, 4 oz bittersweet chocolate chips, tbs vanilla, 1/2 tsp espresso powder, and 2 tbs cornstarch.

Mix vanilla and espresso powder and set a side.

In a cold pan put cocoa powder, salt, sugar, cornstarch

Whisk together until evenly combined

Add egg yolks and cream

Evenly mix

Add milk

Heat the mixture on medium stirring constantly untill thick and bubbling and cook 30 seconds

Remove from heat

Add butter and chocolate chips whisk in until smooth and melted

It will be smooth and glossy

I like to eat mine warm

If you like it cold chill for 4 hours and whisk before serving and top with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings if you want.

Lime chicken tortilla soup

Here is what you need.  2 jalapenos, an onion, garlic, chicken, salt, pepper, diced tomatoes, cilantro, chicken broth, white wine, and cajan spice but you can use chilli powder, a bag of frozen white corn and navy beans.

Start my soaking beans overnight and then simmer for about an hour and drain and set aside

Steam chicken breasts I added some cajan spice to mine but it isnt nessessary

Dice jalapenos and be sure to remove all seeds and white membrane because that is where the heat is kept. Dice one large yellow onion too.

Saute onion and jalapenos in hot oil looking for brown bits to form on the bottom of the pan ( they will give nice flavor until translucent.

Mince 4-5 large garlic cloves and add to pan

Add corn and continue to saute till a little color forms

Add a little Cajan spice

Add 2 cups of chicken broth (I use better than boullion)

Add one cup white wine

Shread hot chicken but putting it in the mixed with the paddle on low keep the liquid from steaming the chicken for more flavor for soup.

Add chicken and liquid and beans too soup and a little mince cilantro and juice from one lime

Mix and simmer for a little while add some more Cajan spice or salt and pepper to desired taste.

Sprinkle a little corn starch to thicken if desired.

Shred some montery jack cheese

Roughly chop some cilantro and microwave a lime for 30 seconds on medium to get more juice

Squeeze on some lime juice and top with cheese sour cream and little cilantro and serve with chips.