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Oh so easy and TOTALLY yummy.

3 boxes Annie’s Shells and Cheddar
2 oz. or 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 leek whites and half of greens, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup 1% milk
1 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Prepare shells according to package directions. Set aside powdered cheese.

In small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and porcini mushrooms to a boil. Simmer on medium heat while pasta is boiling.

Saute leeks and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until leeks begin to become translucent and aromatic.

Remove mushrooms from water and chop coarsely. Add mushroom water and chopped mushroom to leeks and simmer until mostly reduced.

Remove from heat and add milk and powdered cheese. Stir well. Add shredded cheese and stir until cheese is well incorporated.

Return drained pasta shells to pot. Pour Sauce mixture over top and incorporate well.

Serve hot and yummy!

Yes, I know. This does not go with the “Be a Better Vegetarian” goal. But I used veggie meatballs. You can use whatever kind of meatballs you like.

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small zucchini, chopped
6 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 TB balsamic vinegar
4 cups tomato sauce
1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni
10 premade, precooked meatballs
salt and pepper to taste

In large skillet heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, saute until they start to soften. Add zucchini and saute until they begin to soften. Add tomatoes and italian seasoning and saute until the tomatoes soften. Add balsamic vinegar and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add meatballs and sauce. Simmer while pasta is cooking (about 15-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Add to skillet and mix together with sauce and meatballs. Serve with fresh grated parmasean cheese.

Big hit with hubby.

Pineapple Coconut Muffins
Courtesy of Art and Orchids Bed and Breakfast

1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle the coconut on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add to it milk, oil, butter, pineapple juice, eggs, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened; do not over mix. Fold in the toasted coconut and pineapple.

Fill 12 non-stick muffin pans two-thirds full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until they test done. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

I used 12/ cup Splenda Banking to replace half the sugar and 1/4 cup non fat baking stuff to replace the oil.

Absolutely yummy!

OMG! This is my new favorite muffin recipe. Courtesy of Cooks.com

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. raisins
1 apple, chopped
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. sugar
1 c. oatmeal

Beat egg. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Very easy. I would suggest a small dice, not a chop for the apple.

OMG! New recipe I made up and MUST share. I love, love, love it!

Too bad I don’t know what to call it…

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced (about 1/8 inch)
6 small portabella mushroom caps, stemmed and sliced (about 1/8 inch)
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped plus 1 tsp of the oil
4 TBS aged balsamic vinegar
1 baguette, sliced on the bias
1 5 oz. package spreadable goat cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning

In large skillet over med-high heat, saute tomatoes, onions and mushrooms until golden brown and starts to get dark around the edges. Add balsamic and saute another minute until most of liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

In small bowl, mix cheese and italian seasoning. Return to refrigerator to set.

Place baguette slices on baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place under broiler 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Flip and bake another 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

Assemble: spread goat cheese on baguette slices followed by a thin layer of veggies. Serve at room temp.

Beautiful and yummy. I got a garlic flavored baguette which really gave it a kick of flavor. Hubby and I argued about whether to leave the veggies whole or chop them. It’s a little easier to manage chopped, but looks prettier with the bigger veggie slices. Your choice.

Now, if anyone comes up with a name… please pass it on.

I’m always throwing whatever is in my pantry or fridge door into marinades. But anything similar to this always works well.

1 lb ahi tuna steak, pierced with fork many times on both sides
2 TB honey
1 TB wasabi powder
1 tsp fish sauce
2 TB soy sauce
1/4 cup stir fry sauce (garlic ginger flavored
1/4 cup sake (white wine would work too
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated ginger

Okay, you know what to do. Wisk all ingredients together. Pour over tuna steak. Allow to marinate at least 15 minutes. Flip.

This would also work in a plastic ziplock. No flipping.

I marinated about 20 minutes.

Grilled to perfection. Rare- medium rare.

Today was a farm day. We belong to a farm CSA (community supported agriculture) and got our first booty of the season today. It included absolutely fresh turnips with the brightest green on top. I stopped at the local farm stand to pick up the accompanying brussel sprouts.

1 lb brussel sprouts, cleaned and cut in half
1/2 lb small turnips, quartered
1 TB olive oil
1 TB butter
1/4 cup vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add turnips, turn up heat to medium-high. Saute for 2 minutes. Add sprouts and do not stir, allowing veggies to brown a bit, about 2 minutes. Stir and let sit again for about 1 minute. Add vegetable stock and cover. Allow to steam 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot. This is a great side dish in spring or fall!

A new favorite

Coconut-Cranberry Macaroon
From Food Network Kitchens
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 cups (about 8 ounces) finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk the sugar, egg whites, cranberry, orange zest, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Toss the coconut with the egg mixture until completely coated.

Moisten your finger tips with water. Form about 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter into pointed mounds or pyramids on the prepared pans, spacing them about 1-inch apart.

Bake until the edges are golden brown and the entire macaroon is nicely toasted and dry, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store macaroons in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: about 24 cookies
User Rating: 4 Stars

I had a horrible cooking disaster last weekend when we had 3 friends over. I was excited to try a new recipe from the Food Network, Herbed Lentils with Spinach and Tomatoes. It looked so yummy. Unfortunately, I made a major screw up and didn’t realize it until it was too late.

As I was adding the herbs, I couldn’t figure out why the lentil were breaking down so much. It just didn’t look right. Then it hit me. These weren’t lentils. I used green split peas!!!!

It was so gross! What the heck is wrong with me???? I was so embarrassed. I had to pull together a last minute pasta dish. But I was so humiliated. Probably because I believe I am such a good cook, that I could not believe I did this.

I’ll have to try it again another time. With lentils!

I know it’s an acquired taste, but I have a recipe that gets rid of all the bitterness that some people don’t like about these little greenies.

Braised Brussel Sprouts with Red Onion

1 half large red onion, peeled and chopped
5 cups fresh brussel sprouts (chop large ones in half to make sure they are all roughly the same size
2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
3/4 cup vegetable stock

Over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until barely translucent. Add butter and brussel sprouts and raise heat to high. Saute one minute until butter fully melted (but don’t let it burn. Pour in stock and cover pan for 3-5 minutes keeping heat on high. When sprouts are bright green in color, uncover and lower heat just a bit until most of the liquid is evaporated. The bottom of the pan should be browned with nice carmelized onion and the sprouts should be just a little carmelized as well. Serve warm or at room temp.

The great thing about the stock is you don’t need to add salt or pepper. It’s totally seasoned.