Author: Claire

Pumpkin & Ricotta Stuffed Shells

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Pumpkin & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Recipe Type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian, Pasta bake
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
A cheesy, gooey pasta recipe to try out this holiday season! These jumbo shells are stuffed with a mixture of pumpkin, spinach, and ricotta, garnished with just a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and drizzled with alfredo! An easy weeknight dinner for any time of year (if you can find pumpkin, that is!).
Ingredients
  • 1 box jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
  • 1 10 oz box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1 32 oz. carton of ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 jar good Alfredo sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
  2. Boil water. Add shells and cook according to package directions, minus 1-2 minutes or when shells are al dente.
  3. Drain pasta and cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, drizzle about 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish or disposable roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray.
  5. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, spinach, ricotta, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.
  6. When shells are cool enough to handle, fill each one with about 2 tbsp pumpkin ricotta mixture.*
  7. Line up stuffed shells into bottom of the casserole dish or roasting pan. Sprinkle generously with 1 to 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Drizzle remaining Alfredo sauce on top.
  8. Cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake uncovered for remaining 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
  9. Garnish with pumpkin seeds if desired! Serve with a side salad. Happy Pumpkin Season, ya’ll! 🙂
Notes
*You can also spoon the filling into a large Ziplock storage bag, cut off one of the corners, and “pipe” the filling into each individual shell, but I found this to be way more work than it needed to be (and actually a lot messier!). A plain old spoon worked just fine for me.

 

 

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“Made With Love” Quiche

For some reason I never thought that a pie plate would be a key kitchen item to register for before our wedding almost two years ago. I was wrong. Ya’ll, the number of times I’ve wished I owned one can be counted on more than two hands. And yet, even though Pyrex pie plates cost all of ten bucks at Kroger, I’ve never gotten one. I’ve used every alternative under the sun for my cakes, pies, and quiches- from cake pans to disposable foil pie plates- and dealt with everything from burning crusts to overflowing eggy messes in the bottom of my oven. I guess I’ve been holding out hope for someone to give me a real pie plate as a gift one day… (hint hint).

My hinting apparently worked, because that day finally came! I received the cutest fall-themed package when my parents came down to visit Durham a few weeks ago, filled with yummy snacks, yellow and orange-leafed garlands for our mantel, little squash decorations, and best of all- this sweet ceramic pie dish! I love how it says “Made With Love” at the bottom with a country-style heart and a note that says “2 cups of sweetness, a pinch of sugar, smiles & kisses, mixed together with love!” My mother would catch her eye on something like this. Like mother, like daughter. I think it’s absolutely adorable. I had to inaugurate it into my baking dish collection. But what to choose from my growing list of apple pie and cobbler recipes to try out? I decided on a quiche, because it reminds me of my mom. Apparently, after her wedding, the only thing she knew how to make was quiche, and so she made it for my dad every night for a month until he had to beg her one night to get Chinese take-out. So the story goes.

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Anyway, I decided on this half made-up recipe for a veggie quiche with corn, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, and leftover scraps of ham. I also added some cottage cheese since that’s the way Mom always makes it! Throw in some shredded cheese, stick it in the oven and an hour later enjoy the results! Easiest recipe ever! Not to mention a GREAT way to use up leftover scraps of vegetables and cold cuts.

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“Made With Love” Quiche
Recipe Type: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Easy quiche recipe to use up all those scraps of leftover veggies and cold cuts that are taking up precious room in your fridge! Easy enough for a weeknight dinner with lots of leftovers for lunch the next day!
Ingredients
  • 1 refrigerated pie-crust
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup lowfat milk
  • 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2-3/4 cup chopped broccoli and cauliflower
  • 4-5 slices diced ham or shredded leftover deli-sliced ham (add more to your liking)
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (I used a cheddar and monterey jack mix); divided in half
  • 4 slices tomatoes
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg (I don’t know why this makes it so good- it’s kinda random- but my mom always did it so I do too!)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 deg.
  2. Unroll pie crust and place in a oiled pie plate, pressing down firmly into plate and cutting away excess crust along the top.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cottage cheese, frozen spinach, corn, broccoli/cauliflower, ham, and half of the shredded cheese. Add spices and mix thoroughly.
  4. Pour into prepared pie crust and place sliced tomatoes on top of mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese over the top.
  5. Pinch edges of pie crust around edges for that classic scalloped look.
  6. Bake at 375 deg for 45-55 minutes, until a fork inserted into the center comes out clean. It may appear a little liquidy when you first take it out!
  7. Cool for at least 10 minutes to allow quiche to set! Serve with a salad on the side.

 

Claire1 Comment

Apple & Pear Harvest Crumble

Apple & Pear Harvest Crumble
Recipe Type: Fall Desserts
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
I made this sweet, light fall recipe adapted from Chow.com in honor of my mom’s birthday on their brief visit down to Durham! I also decided to add raisins to the baked fruit and some nuts on top of the crumble to add some extra texture. Served warm with a generous scoop of Stonyfield vanilla frozen yogurt!
Ingredients
  • 4 medium sized red apples (I used organic Macintosh) peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 2 small, firm pears (I used organic Bartlett)
  • 1/2 cup baking raisins or dried cranberries
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces, plus more for coating the dish
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter.
  2. Combine the apples, pears, raisins, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl and toss to coat. Place the apple mixture in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
  3. Using the same bowl as for mixing the fruit, mix together the brown sugar, oats, flour, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt until evenly combined. With your fingertips, blend in the butter pieces until small clumps form (about 2 minutes)
  4. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples. Sprinkle nuts over top. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake until the streusel is crispy and the fruit are tender, about 50 minutes. Remove tin foil for last 10 minutes to crisp up the top! Allow crumble to cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with a big scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt!

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Recipe adapted from http://www.chow.com/recipes/11416-apple-crisp-with-oatmeal-streusel

Claire3 Comments

Lately

Thought ya’ll would enjoy a post of my most recent experiments! I’ve been able to do a lot of dreaming lately, and a lot of leftovers to be used up in our house! Here are a few of my favorite “latelies…”
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“Crunchy Pumpkin Parfait” with crumbled Quaker Oat Squares, raisins, almonds, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips!
chickpea burger salad
“Chickpea Burger Salad” with roasted veggies, sweet potatoes, and kale. Topped with goat cheese and leftover apple and pear skins (from my Apple & Pear Crumble!) and served over quinoa.
chai tea latte
“Spiced Chai Latte” with frothed vanilla almond milk from my new Ikea milk frother! Sprinkled with cinnamon and honey.
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Apple & Pear Harvest Crumble with juicy raisins and chopped walnuts, served with a scoop of Stonyfield frozen vanilla yogurt 🙂

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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Crock-Pot Chili

Why do I crave soup every night? Seriously, ya’ll, there must be something wrong with me. I just loooooooove a big hearty stew when the weather starts to get chilly (okay, I’d probably eat it in the summer too… have I mentioned gazpacho is my weakness? but I digress.) and there’s something about a loaf of crusty bread or handful of tortilla chips or wheat crackers to dip, until they get just chewy enough to pick up with a spoonful of hearty goodness.

The best part about stew is that you can honestly add any ingredient you want and completely custom-design! (Sometimes that’s also a problem for me. Note to self: sweet potatoes, peas, and dried mint don’t mix well. Literally.) I usually raid my pantry for canned beans and veggies that I can find in there, and use a 1:1 veggies to beans ratio in most of my stews. Two cans beans, a can of corn and a can of tomatoes, and some chicken broth (Better than Bullion is my favorite)… throw ‘er into the crock-pot AKA mostingeniousinventioninthehistoryofmankind with some kind of protein and spices, set to high, and in a few hours your work is done. Oh, the smells that will waft through your nostrils when you walk through the door after work or an afternoon of errands.

I have to admit this one is probably my absolute favorite stew recipe. I make it so much that it’s a wonder Ben doesn’t plead with me to stop. But he seems to like it too. It must be the sweet potatoes. No, the turkey sausage. Black beans and cumin combo? I don’t know what it is, but just try it. You won’t be disappointed. I do have to say, though, that I think the deal-breaker in this one is the Latin Style Black Bean Soup base from Trader Joe’s that I used in place of chicken broth. A few extra calories, but the creaminess is definitely worth it. And you can still add more water or broth if it’s too thick for you!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Crock-Pot Chili
Recipe Type: Stew/Chili
Cuisine: Mexican
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
A hearty, “warm up those bones” stew that will leave you completely satisfied! I altered the original Real Simple recipe (see link below) in order to use up some of the Trader Joe’s black bean base I had in my pantry, which turned out to be JUST the right thing for this stew to thicken it up and add a little bit of sweetness! Serve with cornbread or tortilla chips, and a dollop of plain greek yogurt to mix in.
Ingredients
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 cup white mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 4 links fully cooked turkey sausage (any variety), thawed and sliced into 1/4″ slices
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • salt and black pepper
  • 2 14.5 oz cans peeled or diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 14.5 oz cans black beans, rinsed
  • 1 14.5 oz can kidney beans, rinsed
  • 2 cups frozen yellow corn kernels
  • 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 28 oz carton Trader Joe’s Latin Style Black Bean Soup (http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=1022)
  • Plain greek yogurt, tortilla strips, shredded cheddar cheese or cornbread for serving
  • Dried parsley for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a saute pan on medium-high heat, add oil until hot. Saute onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic until just tender- about 5 min. During last minute, add sliced turkey sausage and stir until the sausage is nicely browned on both sides.
  2. Add mixture to a large crock-pot. Add chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
  3. Add tomatoes and their liquid, black bean broth, sweet potato chunks, and all beans. Add 1 cup water to thin stew a bit and stir together.*
  4. Set crock-pot on high heat for 4-5 hours.
  5. About 30 min before serving, add corn kernels.
  6. Serve with plain greek yogurt or sour cream, tortilla strips, or cornbread. Garnish with a little sprinkle of dried parsley, too!
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups chili (does not include the optional cheese/yogurt/tortilla chip toppings) Calories: 263 cal Fat: 2 g Carbohydrates: 49 g Fiber: 14 g Protein: 14 g
Notes
*Edit (1/10/14): Some of you have decided to try this one and have given me great feedback that you’ve had some issues fitting everything into the crock pot. I admit, I had this same problem. And so I decided it was time to be honest with you, my dear readers… when I made this in my little crock pot, instead of trying to shove the top of the crock pot on and sit on it, or tape it down with duct tape or something, I reserved half of the mixture (uncooked, without additional water added) and froze it in a gallon-sized ziplock bag for later. This helped ensure that the pot stayed only about 3/4 of the way full to ensure faster and more even cooking (“crocking?”). I also had another batch of soup ready to throw into the pot a few weeks later! (It was like I planned it that way or something!)

Original recipe adapted from RealSimple.

Black bean sweet potato stew

 

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