Shrimp Florentine

I saw a commercial the other day for some kind of pasta Florentine.  I've never made Florentine before, but it seemed like as good a time as any to try.  I like shrimp, so I thought I would make my Florentine with that.  I know that Florentine is supposed to have spinach in it, but I had swiss chard so I decided to use that instead.  The cheese tortellini combines well with the cream sauce to calm the swiss chard and shrimp flavors down.  It's nicely balanced.


Serves 4

1 package cheese tortellini
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
30 leaves swiss chard, chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. In large skillet,  heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic until soft.  Add swiss chard and continue sauteing until swiss chard wilts.  Add shrimp and cook until no longer opaque.  Toss tortellini with shrimp mixture.  Leave on very low heat while you make sauce.
3. In saucepan--it can be the same one that you used for the pasta--whisk flour, milk, basil, and garlic salt together.  Place on medium head and stir constantly until it simmers and thickens.  Turn off heat and add cheeses.  Pour sauce over pasta and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper to serve.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti with Cherries

I've made biscotti a couple of times before, but usually it's for a pretty specific occasion.  Where I live is transitioning between summer and fall now and somehow biscotti sounded good.  The combination of chewy cherries with crunchy almonds with crumbly biscotti dough, I think, is a good one and the chocolate is really just the icing on the cake.  The cookies are good on their own, but they are made for dunking in coffee or milk so plan your enjoyment accordingly.

Makes about 25 cookie slices

3/4 cup whole almonds
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup dried cherries
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks if a bar
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Toast almonds in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or at high power in a microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until combined.  Add extracts and eggs, then beat well.  Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder. This will create a thick, sticky batter.  Using a sturdy spatula, fold in almonds, chocolate, and cherries.  Distribute ingredients as best you can.
3. On a floured surface, turn out batter.  Knead a few times to decrease the stickiness and to distribute the whole ingredients fully.  Divide dough in half and form each half into a log that is about 10 inches long.
4. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place each dough log on the parchment paper, spacing so they are about 3 inches apart.  In a measuring cup or small glass, beat the 1 egg until frothy.  Brush egg over dough logs using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle logs with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
5. Bake logs for about 25-30 minutes or until they are golden and firm.  Pull parchment paper off the cookie sheet and transfer it to a cooling rack.  Allow logs to cool until they are warm and you can handle them easily, about 20-30 minutes.
6.  While your logs are cooling, fit the cookie sheet you were using with a cooling rack that can go in the oven.  Set aside.
7.  Remove cookie log from the parchment paper to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut logs at an angle into 3/4 inch slices.  Each log will make about a dozen slices.  Place cookie slices on the cooling rack you placed on the cookie sheet.  Cookies can touch because they won't change shape at all.  Once you have cut one log and placed it on the rack in the cookie sheet, cut the other log in the same manner.
8. Bake cookie slices in a 300 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Cookies will get slightly more brown on the edges, but you will know they are done when they don't give as you poke them.  Leave cookies on the rack in the cookie sheet to cool completely.  Moisture is the enemy of biscotti, so store it in an airtight container for up to a week.

Oatmeal Cookies

Whenever fall rolls around, I tend to want oatmeal.  I really like oatmeal cookies, but they always cause a bit of a controversy in my house.  I love oatmeal raisin and like oatmeal chocolate chip; but Husband hates raisins and isn't real fond of chocolate chips in his oatmeal cookies.  So in my house, oatmeal cookies mean just oatmeal.  The problem with this is that there are very few oatmeal cookie recipes without something in them and--I say through years of experience--taking the something out usually results in sub-par cookies.  So I invented this recipe. The abundance of flavors helps cover up the lack of somethings, making a cookie that is very wonderfully simple.

Makes 36 cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon molasses
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups quick-cook oatmeal
2 cups flour

1. In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until combined.  Add vanilla, molasses, and eggs.  Beat at medium speed until fluffy.  Scrap sides and add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and whole-wheat flour.  Stir at low speed until all are incorporated.  Scape sides again and add oatmeal, then flour.  Beat just until incorporated.
2. Grease a large cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.  Spoon cookie dough by tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheet.  Bake cookies in a 375 degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until edges and bottoms of cookies are deep golden.  Cool before storing.  Store cookies in an airtight container with waxed paper between any stacked layers to prevent cookies from sticking together.

Chocolate Almond Trifle

I wanted to make some different kind of chocolate dessert this week, so I started thinking trifle.  I thought that brownies would make a good base, but the rest of the ingredients threw me.  For only planning on something creamy and something frothy, this trifle came out amazingly good.  The chocolate is rich and bittersweet, the almond is sweet and smooth.  It looks much harder than it is, which I consider a nice bonus.

Serves 8

3/4 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto
4 oz Cool Whip

1 package chocolate mousse mix, made according to package directions

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. In heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together.  This will take about 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds.  Once mixture is smooth and melted, allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Stir sugar into chocolate mixture.  Add eggs, one at a time, until smooth.  Stir in extracts and flour.  Stir in 1/2 cup almonds.
3. Grease an 8-inch square pan.  Pour brownie mixtures into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.
4. Once brownies are cool, cut them into small squares.
5. In mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Once smooth, beat in amaretto.  After amaretto is incorporated, fold in Cool Whip.  Set aside.
6. Prepare chocolate mousse according to package directions.  Set aside.
7. In large glass bowl, place a scant half of the brownies.  Smooth half of the amaretto cream mixture on top of the brownies, then smooth half of the mousse over it.  Sprinkle mousse with half of the toasted almonds.  Repeat layers of brownies, cream, and mousse.  Sprinkle with any remaining brownie bits and remaining toasted almonds.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Chicken Marsala

This is one of those dishes that I love, but I never order at restaurants.  I like the way that I make it and apparently not many other ways.  It's not a terribly difficult meal, but it tastes pretty fantastic.

Serves 4

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup marsala wine
3 cups farafalle pasta

1. Put water on for pasta.  Leave to heat while you complete the rest of the steps.
2. Heat oil and butter in a skillet with a lid.  When butter melts, add garlic and onions.  Saute until they just begin to turn golden, then add mushrooms.  Continue sauteing until the mushrooms put off liquid and garlic and onions are soft.  Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. On small plate, mix marjoram and flour.  Dunk chicken breasts in flour mixture until evenly coated.  Saute coated chicken breasts in skillet until golden brown,flipping as needed.  Top chicken with garlic mushroom mixture.  Reduce heat to low.  In measuring cup, combine broth and wine.  Pour broth wine mixture over chicken and cover skillet with lid.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4.  While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta until it is slightly undercooked.  After chicken is done, remove from skillet but leave liquid.  Toss pasta with liquid in skillet and bring pasta to a simmer in sauce.  Remove skillet from heat.  Serve pasta with chicken breasts.

Week 16 Box

Apparently next week we will be box-less, so they really overloaded this week's box. Many of the things listed were in bulk.

• Potatoes
• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Garlic
• Onions
• Edamame
• Green beans
• Rosemary

Baked Penne

I still had marinara sauce from the last time I made some, so I thought I would make something different with it.  I have made something like this before, but I wanted to try it with a few new things added in.  It still tastes delicious, even more so with the changes.  Notice that the tags include ingredients from the marinara.

Serves 4-6

3 cups uncooked penne
3 cups meatless marinara, homemade or jarred
5 oz Italian sausage
1 cup chopped swiss chard
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, undercooking slightly.  Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a small skillet.  Add swiss chard and cook until chard is wilted.  Set aside.
3. Also while pasta is cooking, mix ricotta and egg together in small bowl.  Add Parmesan cheese and garlic salt and stir well.  Set aside.
4. Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish and set aside.
5. In pasta saucepan, mix cooked pasta with sausage mixture and marinara.  Pour half of the pasta mixture into the greased baking dish and smooth.  Dollop ricotta mixture over pasta and smooth into an even layer over pasta.  Top with remaining pasta and smooth this pasta layer to hide the cheese.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over pasta.
6. Bake penne in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve hot.

Beef Stew

I love the convenience of the slow cooker.  Even though it is still in the 80s here, I decided it was close enough to fall to justify beef stew.

Serves 4

2 lbs round steak, cubed
6 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste
4 red potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup baby carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. In slow cooker, mix together beef and broth.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, red wine, thyme, and bay leaf.  Season to taste.  Cook beef and liquids on low heat for 8 hours.
2. Stir potatoes and carrots into slow cooker.  Remove bay leaf.  Raise heat to high and cook for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are done.  Serve hot.

Shrimp and Grits

A restaurant here in town served shrimp and grits for a short time.  I never had them there, but I found the idea intriguing.  The sauce seemed to be tomato-based, which I like in general, but most of the recipes I found were cheese-based and that did not sound good.  I had bits of CSA stuff and I ended up throwing a lot of things together.  It was actually remarkably good and not as heavy as Southern Sunday normally is.

Serves 2-3

1 lb shrimp (60-80 size)
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Splash Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Salt and garlic salt to taste
Cheese Grits

1. Shell and de-vein shrimp.  Set aside.
2. Mix together tomatoes, pepper, and onion.  Stir to combine and set aside.
3. Mix cornstarch with shrimp.  Set bowl aside again.
4. In skillet, heat butter and oil.  Saute garlic until soft.  Add shrimp to skillet and saute until shrimp is cooked.  Drain any liquid from tomato mixture and pour over shrimp in skillet.  Cook until tomatoes release juices and those juices thicken.  Season with Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, and garlic salt.  Serve over grits.

Chocolate Chip Cake

I love yellow cake with chocolate frosting, so adding chocolate chips seemed like an awesome plan.  I was not impressed, though, by the recipes all seemed like a lot of work.  I like to make cake from scratch, but the recipes that beat egg whites separately and fold them in is a little more work than I like to do.  Behold the easier--yet still unbelievably tasty--chocolate chip cake.  It's rich, dense, and decadent.

Makes one layer cake

1 1/2 cup flour, divided
1 1/2 cup cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1. Measure 1 cup flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl.  Stir together until combined.  Set aside.
2. Place miniature chocolate chips in small bowl.  Pour remaining 1/2 cup flour over chips and toss to coat.  Set aside.
3. Grease and flour round layer cake pans.  Set aside.
4. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Stir in vanilla and whip until fluffy.  Stir in half of the flours/powder/salt mixture and beat well.  Stir in half of the sour cream and mix well.  Add remaining flours mixture, then remaining sour cream.  Mixture might appear curdled at this point.  Stir in chocolate chips/flour mixture just until chips are distributed.
5. Divide batter evenly between cake pans.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes.  Allow to cool on a wire rack before removing from pans and frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

I have had a really hard time finding a good chocolate frosting that was not buttercream.  I wanted something that was more fudgy.  This one was a modified recipe from a few I found.  I was amazed at how easy it was and yet how good.

Frosts one layer cake

2/3 cup butter
4 oz unsweeted chocolate
4 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

1. In microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter together.  This will take about 1 minute on high, stirring every 30 seconds.  Set aside.
2. Place powdered sugar in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer.  Pour butter chocolate mixture over powdered sugar. Beat until crumbly.  Add vanilla and half of the milk to crumbles and beat well.  Add enough of the other half of the milk to make the frosting a spreading consistency.  Allow to sit at room temperature until ready to use.

Stromboli

I was watching a show about travel and food a few days ago.  I am very suggestible when it comes to food, so I decided to try making Stromboli myself.  I don't really know much about the dish other than what I saw on the show, so this is basically my best stab at it.  I was pretty pleased with the outcome, though.

Makes 2 large Stromboli

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2-3 cups flour
3 tablespoons pizza sauce
1 cup pizza cheese
1/4 cup ricotta
Pizza toppings to taste
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. In bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast and sugar.  Pour hot water over yeast and sugar, then mix with a spatula until yeast is dissolved.  Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy.
2. Stir salt and garlic salt into yeast mixture.  Add one cup of flour to mixture and stir until smooth.  Add another cup and place bowl in electric mixture with dough hook affixed.  Use dough hook to incorporate the cup of flour.  If dough is still sticky, add additional flour--up to one cup--until a stiff dough begins to climb the hook.  Use the spatula to shape dough into a ball.  Cover bowl with a wet towel and let rise for at least 30 minutes. 
3. While dough is rising, prepare your pizza toppings.  Stromboli fillings need to be pre-cooked, so take this time to cook meat, caramelize onions, or saute vegetables.  I made mine in four meats (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, leftover sausage, and a strip of bacon cooked and crumbled) and in kale with Canadian bacon. 
4. Divide puffed dough in half.  Grease your hands and grease an area to roll out the dough.  Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
5. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 10 inches long and 6 inches wide.  Top with half of the ricotta cheese; spread out but leave a rim around the edges of the dough. Spread half of the pizza sauce over cheese, leaving a rim again.  Top sauce with pizza toppings, layering your selected toppings with half of the pizza cheese as you go.  Pull one long side up over the toppings, trying to cover as much of the toppings as possible.  Bring short sides up over your previously-folded side.  The Stromboli should now look like an open envelope.  Bring the last long side up and press to seal all seams.  Using your hands, pick Stromboli up and flip it over--seams side down now--onto cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Repeat step 5 with remaining dough and toppings.
7. Bake Strombolis at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot with additional pizza sauce.

Week 15 Box

I neglected to pick up the box from the person I share with last week, so you might have noticed that there was no post for what was in the box.  I still had produce from the week before, though, so it was nice to use that up before getting new.  This week, though, I have the box all to myself so I'm going to have to work hard to use up all the stuff.  Fingers crossed.

• Swiss chard
• Kale
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Thyme

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

I thought that something summery was in order for Labor Day.  I really like strawberries and I really like Bundt cakes, so I thought I would try to combine them into one.  Sweet, rich, and flavorful, this cake really fits the bill.  It has the added bonus of being made in one bowl and not requiring frosting, so isn't as hard as cakes sometimes can be.

Makes 10-inch fluted cake

1 pound fresh strawberries
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 scant teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups cake flour
1 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 egg whites
Whipped cream or Cool Whip, for serving

1. Clean the strawberries.  Hull the berries and dice them into a measuring cup.  When all of the berries are diced small, you should have 2 cups of cut berries.  Set aside.
2. Coat fluted cake pan with baking spray or grease with butter and sprinkle with flour.  Set aside.
3. Combine butter and shortening in mixing bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat until they are combined.  Add sugar and beat well.  Scrap sides of the bowl and add salt, baking powder, and cake flour.  Beat until mixture forms crumbles.
4. In measuring cup, combine milk and vanilla.  Pour into crumbly batter all at once and beat well until crumbles dissolve.  Scrap sides and bottom of bowl.  Add egg whites and beat well.  Mixture might appear curdled at this point.  Use a spatula to fold strawberry pieces into cake batter.  Spoon cake batter into pan and smooth with spatula.
5. Bake cake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until cake tests done.  It will likely rise to the top of the pan, then fall shortly before or after you take it from the oven.  This makes the cake dense.
6.  Remove cake from oven to a cooling rack.  Allow to rest in pan for 30 minutes.  Lift the cake in the pan and shake it to loosen cake.  Invert cake onto cooling rack, removing it from the pan.  Allow cake to cool completely before slicing and serving.  Serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

Pesto Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

My mother-in-law had an overflow of cherry tomatoes, so she gave me a fair number of them.  I am going to a barbecue for Labor Day, so I decided to try and make stuffed cherry tomatoes.  I like pesto and I had a package of basil, so making them pesto seemed like a good plan.  They were surprisingly easy, once I got the cherry tomatoes ready to be stuffed.

Makes 25 stuffed tomatoes

25 cherry tomatoes
2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. Clean cherry tomatoes.  With a paring knife, cut the top off of the tomato.  Use the tip of the paring knife to loosen the center of the tomato, like the hull of a strawberry.  Working over a bowl or garbage can, remove the seeds and liquid from the center of the tomato with the tip of your finger.  Set tomato cut-side down on a paper towel to drain and repeat process with remaining tomatoes.
2. In sandwich-sized plastic resealable bag, combine the cream cheese and mayonnaise.  Add basil and garlic salt to bag.  Close bag, squeezing out excess air.  Squish the bags between your fingers until ingredients are combined.  Cut 1/8th inch corner off of the bag.  Squeeze filling from plastic bag into tomatoes as if from a piping bag.  Sprinkle filled tomatoes with Parmesan cheese.  Store tomatoes in an air-tight bag until you are ready to serve them, up to 24 hours.

Breakfast Pizza

This breakfast pizza is like an entire breakfast on a crust.  I use a whole wheat crust because I think it tastes like toast, then top it with all the breakfast things I like most.  It might sound like it takes a long time, but a lot of it is baking time.  I like to make it on days when I intend to be home in the morning--Labor Day this time, but I have also made it for New Year's Day or Christmas--so the time is less of an issue.  Notice that the tags of this recipe include the ingredients in the gravy.

Serves 4-8

1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 batch sausage gravy
1 raw potato
4 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded pizza cheese

1. In large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in water.  Allow to puff for 5 minutes.  Add oil and whole wheat flour.  Stir well to form a batter.  Add enough of the all-purpose flour to make a stiff dough.  Turn onto floured surface and knead until it is smooth and hard to fold.  Cover with inverted bowl and allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. If gravy is not made, make gravy.  Set aside.
3. Shred potato into very cold water.  Remove shredded potato to paper towels and cover with more paper towels.  Apply pressure to squeeze out excess water.  Set aside.
4. Scramble eggs with the 2 tablespoons water.  I do this in a microwave-safe bowl, but you can also do it in a skillet on the stovetop.  Set aside.
5. Grease 16-inch round pizza pan.  Stretch the whole wheat pizza crust dough between your hands until it covers the bottom of the pizza pan.  Bake crust in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes.
6. While crust is still hot, smooth gravy evenly over it.  Sprinkle evenly with shredded potato and scrambled eggs.  Top with cheeses and put back to bake in 375 degree oven.  Bake another 20-30 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.  Allow pizza to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.  Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Sausage Manicotti

With a lot of herbs to use and some free time in the afternoon, a more complicated dinner seemed in order.  The way I made this dish it took some time, but notice that there are substitutions listed.  Making this dish with sausage and marinara, it has a lot of flavor from a lot of different herbs.  It was just a nice bonus that it also got rid of a lot of my excess herbs.  Notice that the tags of this post are for all of the ingredients, including what is in the sausage and the marinara.

Serves 3

1/2 batch fresh sage sausage or 8 oz sausage
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 egg
7 manicotti noodles
1 1/2 cup marinara without meat or canned marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Brown sausage in skillet.  Place crumbles in heatproof bowl and cool for 5 minutes.
2. Stir Parmesan cheese, ricotta, and garlic salt into sausage crumbles.  Add egg and mix well.  If necessary, refrigerate until you are ready to use.
3. Cook noodles according to package directions.  Undercook noodles slightly.  Rinse noodles in cold water and allow to sit in cold water until used.
4. Placing your hand over one end of the noodle, spoon filling into other end.  The filling does not need to reach your hand.  When one end is full, flip and place your hand over full end and fill the other end of the noodle.  Full noodle should be placed in a greased 8-inch square glass pan.  Fill remaining noodles in this manner and place in one layer in pan.
5. When all noodles are full, pour sauce over filled noodles.  Smooth sauce over noodles and top with cheese.
6. Bake manicotti in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown.  Serve hot.

Fresh Sage Sausage

I still had a bunch of fresh sage leftover from last week and from even later.  Fresh sage keeps pretty well, I have learned, but this was really needing to be used.  I chose to brown it in crumbles to use in manicotti and to make more sausage gravy (as I might have mentioned, I plan almost to a fault; I have a plan for each of these) but it can easily be made into patties and served as breakfast.  Without the preservatives, this sausage really shines with herb flavor.

Makes 1 lb

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Generous dash ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound ground pork

1. Toss mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, ground black pepper, sage, and brown sugar together in the bottom of a mixing bowl.  Crumble ground pork over spices and mix until well combined.
2. In large skillet, brown seasoned meat.  If making patties, shape into patties and brown in skillet until done. 

Cream of Potato Soup

It might not be very exciting, but I find that when fall starts appearing I always want potato soup.  I have a lot of variations that I make, but this is the most basic.  It is just simply good.

Serves 3-4

1 tablespoon butter
1 large or 2 medium leeks, chopped small
5 potatoes, cubed
2 cups water
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Dash ground mustard
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add leeks and saute until tender.  Add potatoes and stir until leeks coat potato cubes.  Pour water over potatoes and bring to a simmer.  Simmer potatoes and leeks until potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour and milk together in a measuring cup.  When potatoes are tender, add milk mixture to potato mixture in saucepan and stir well.  Return soup to just a simmer until soup thickens.  Add ground mustard, salt, and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Vanilla Icebox Cookies

Since I used the pod of a vanilla bean to make these custards, I needed something to do with the seeds.  If I had to pinpoint two things that get me into trouble almost daily, it would be my tendency to multitask and to over-plan.  With that in mind, of course I made the dough for these cookies while I was making the custard.  You don't have to, you can actually just soak the pod in the milk for the custard while you are making these cookies.  Or you can just throw the pod away and make these cookies.  They are a lovely simple cookie with a light vanilla taste and, best of all, they are convenient.  Just make the dough, freeze it, and slice and bake when you need cookies up to a month later.

Makes 28 cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
Sanding sugar, optional

1. In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sugar and beat well.  Beat in eggs, vanilla bean, and salt.  Scrap the sides of the bowl and make sure there isn't residue in the bottom.  Add flour and beat until combined.
2. On surface covered with plastic wrap, turn out dough.  Use your hands to compress dough into a log about 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.  Place log of dough in freezer until solid, at least 2 hours.
3. When ready to bake, cut frozen log into 1/4 inch slices.  Place slices on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if using.  Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and cookies are solid.  Allow cookies to cool before serving.  Cookies can be kept in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.