Beef Stuffed Shells

Eddie has been requesting a stuffed shells recipe with beef inside since I made these Cheese Stuffed Shells a while back. I found a recipe at Recipezaar and modified it to my liking.

BEEF STUFFED SHELLS

18-20 jumbo pasta shells (about half of 12 ounce box)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
1/4 cup sundried tomato pesto (Classico brand)
1/4 cup basil pesto (Classico brand)
1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
1/2 cup red wine (optional, but really good)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta shells according to package directions, drain and cool.

Meanwhile, cook ground beef, onion and garlic in a large skillet until browned; drain well.

Stir crushed red pepper, tomato pesto and basil pesto into the meat mixture.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture into each shell. Arrange in 13 x 9 baking dish.

Combine pasta sauce and wine; pour evenly over the shells. Cover.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Uncover, top with cheese and bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Eddie's Plants Update

So, the crazy tomato thing is actually working to some degree. These two pictures were taken over a week apart. The plants are not growing alot, went through a phase where we thought it would die, but looks pretty healthy as of now. And the one tomato we've eaten from the top plant was delicious!

Pork Loin Roll-Up Sandwiches

It's good to have leftovers!

Eddie's parents were here for dinner Friday night and we made Polynesian Pork Loin and a version of pineapple rice. So, on Sunday night we made these Roll-Up Sandwiches.




Follow this link to the Polynesian Flank Steak... we used the same marinade on the pork loin. Roll up sliced meat with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and the condiments of your choice.

For this version of pineapple rice: Cook package of yellow rice according to package directions. Meanwhile saute diced red bell pepper, diced onion and canned or fresh pineapple chunks. Mix into rice when it's done.

I also made another cute salad! I saw the cucumber and grape tomatoes set up like this on another blog - there's a restaurant somewhere that serves it like this.

Pizza!

We made a couple of pizzas recently, using up some things we had on hand.

I had half a pound of smoked sausage left over from one of the soups I made a couple of months ago. It had been waiting in the freezer to go on this Smoked Sausage Pizza.

I had Eddie grill an extra chicken breast the night before, so I'd have it for BBQ Chicken Pizza.

First, I used an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce (basil, garlic, oregano variety), divided it into 2 separate bowls. In one bowl I mixed in 1/3 cup sundried tomato pesto (like Classico brand) for the Smoked Sausage Pizza. In the other I mixed in 1/3 cup BBQ sauce for the BBQ Chicken Pizza.

SMOKED SAUSAGE PIZZA

1 pre-made pizza crust (I used Mama Mary's? Mia's? whole wheat thin crust)

sauce as mentioned above

1/2 pound smoked sausage sliced thin

1 tablespoon olive oil

red, green, yellow bell pepper sliced thin and cut into 1-inch pieces

onion sliced thin

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on high heat. Add onions and bell peppers and sauté for about 2 minutes.

Spread sauce on pizza crust. Top with sauteed vegetables. Add sliced sausage. Top with cheese.

Cook according to crust package directions, maybe a little longer to due heavy toppings.

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

1 pre-made pizza crust (same as above, I can't remember the exact name)

sauce as mentioned above

1 cooked chicken breast shredded or chopped

Hormel bacon pieces

BBQ sauce (I use a vinegar based sauce)

red onion sliced thin (usually, but not this time)

shredded cheddar and mozzarella (smoked gouda is really good too)

Spread sauce on crust. Add chicken and bacon pieces. Drizzle extra BBQ sauce on top. Add onions at this point is using. Top with cheeses.

Cook according to crust package directions, maybe a little lonter due to heavy toppings.

Jerk Shrimp & Cuban Black Beans

Nothing new here, just favorites in a new combination.

Follow the link for the Cuban Black Beans recipe. This time served over seasoned yellow rice.

I sauteed the shrimp in McCormick Perfect Pinch Jerk Seasoning.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Pineapple Salad

Grillin' and chillin', eating outdoors on the deck...

Eddie grilled this nice pork tenderloin.




I amuse my husband by arranging the salad ingredients. I like pretty food, don't you?



PINEAPPLE SALAD

Romaine and iceberg lettuce
Cucumber slices
Red bell pepper strips
Diced fresh pineapple
Sunflower seeds
Marzetti citrus poppy seed dressing

Arrange ingredients in desired portions and proportions. Make it pretty! Top with dressing.

Tortellini Salad

I'm back.

School became very time consuming for a while. My speech class required alot of time in research and rehearsal. But, it paid off with an A.

Of course, the anatomy class took lots of time, too. I still have a final exam to take this Tuesday. Then I'm done with school for a few weeks.

I have one class this summer, it only meets one day a week. I'll have to find some other things to occupy my time and not get too lazy!

Here's one of my favorite summer pasta salad recipes.

TORTELLINI SALAD

1 (16 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons prepared pesto
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I added an orange pepper, too)
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 (6 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half


Cook tortellini as label directs. Drain and cool by running cold water over. In a small bowl, mix vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper and pesto. Combine green and yellow peppers, tomato, artichokes and tortellini in a large bowl. Pour dressing in; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.