With the new year, I thought it was a perfect time to start one of my dreams of creating a cooking blog. It might grow into more later on but for now, cooking will be the theme here in "Music in the Kitchen." :)
The name "Music in the Kitchen" (aka "musique dans la cuisine") comes from my loves of cooking, French and music. What better way is there than playing music in the kitchen while you cook? Not only will I provide you with recipes and pictures of the meals I create; I plan to provide you with the soundtrack of that meal as well.
Here's my specialty dish; a dinner requested by my family for the first dinner of 2012.
Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 box of Jumbo Shells (I use Barilla)
- 2 eggs
- 32 ounces of Ricotta cheese
- 5 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons of dried Parsley
- 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
- 3 jars of spaghetti sauce (or you could use 2, depends on how saucy you want it - 1 jar is not enough)
Directions
1) Cook your shells according to the directions on the package and then drain when al dente. I recommend starting to cook your shells while you prepare the cheese mix for them.
2) Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray the sides & bottom of a glass baking dish. I end up using 2-3 dishes myself because of the volume of the ingredients to the size of my dishes.
2) Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray the sides & bottom of a glass baking dish. I end up using 2-3 dishes myself because of the volume of the ingredients to the size of my dishes.
3) Take about 1-2 cups of spaghetti sauce and spread it out
on the bottom of the dish, lightly covering it.
4) In a large mixing bowl, crack the 2 eggs and beat them. Stir in your 32 oz. of ricotta cheese, 3 cups of mozzarella cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan and add your parsley &
Italian seasoning (depending on your personal tastes, you may add more or less).
5) Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
6) Once your shells are cooked, set them on a plate to cool slightly.
Then, with your cheese mixture ready, take about a big spoonful
and fill each shell with the mix.
7) Arrange the shells in your baking dish once they're filled with the cheese mixture.
8) Top the shells with about a cup of spaghetti sauce, then a layer of mozzarella
and a layer of Parmesan cheeses. Add more sauce and cheese if desired.
9) Cover your dish with foil and bake in the oven at 350°F for approx. 60 minutes.
10) Uncover after approx. 60 minutes and continue cooking
the dish without the foil covering for about 5 minutes.
For tonight's dinner music, I chose Lifescapes' Afternoon in Tuscany.
Quiet, fun and soothing for dinner.
Bon appetit!
