Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I made this friday night for our company and they were delicious. Found it in my most recent country living magazine. A must try for the fall!

Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Makes 8 servings

24 jumbo pasta shells
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
22 ounces ricotta cheese
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 large egg white
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 jar (26 ounces) purchased tomato sauce

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, pumpkin, 3/4 cup Romano and all remaining ingredients except tomato sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread sauce in bottom of 13-by-9-inch pan. Fill each pasta shell with pumpkin-ricotta mixture. Arrange in pan. Cover pan with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle shells with remaining Romano. Bake 15 minutes longer

Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese icing

Ok so this is AMAZING.........
made it friday night and we are hoping it never runs out, I will definitely be making this all fall season, forget that whole diet thing that I was thinking about starting......

Found on pinterest and copied the recipe from this blogpost:
http://bakeitandloveit.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumpkin-bars.html

Pumpkin Bars

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg *
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 and 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 can (15oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)


Directions:


Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & soda) and set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients, gradually. Mix well.


Spread batter in a greased 15x10x1 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.


Frosting:


1 8oz. package of cream cheese *
1/3 cup softened butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk


Cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix on high speed until smooth creamy.

* i added nutmeg to the recipe because i think pumpkin + nutmeg belong together

* the original frosting recipe only calls for 3 oz of cream cheese. i like a good frosting to bar ratio, so i made a large batch of frosting + included it in this recipe

Crispy Popcorn Chicken

(photo from Real Simple.com)


Crispy Popcorn Chicken

Ingredients
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup canola oil
4 ears corn, shucked
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the buttermilk in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a second shallow bowl. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk (shaking off any excess), then in the flour (tapping off any excess).
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the chicken until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with ¼ teaspoon salt.
Meanwhile, add the corn to the boiling water and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with the chicken and barbecue sauce.
(By Charlyne Mattox, August 2011)

Balsamic Garlic Crusted Grilled Pork Tenderloin

This is awesome - you should definitely try it if you like meat :)

4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ pounds each)
2 tablespoons canola oil (if preparing in oven)
Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over pork. If you like or have the time, marinate overnight. If not, no worries, it will still be great!

Grill preparation:

Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Try to let it rest before slicing.

Oven preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat canola oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven. Roast pork, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and try to let it rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Got the recipe from pinterest and its from here: http://kitchenconfidante.com/if-you-cant-stand-the-heat-part-ii

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Recipe adapted from Nestle’s Very Best Baking
Makes 40 brownies as adapted

1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.


Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.


Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

These are SO good, just made them a few nights ago. They are good warm and even better cooled!

Got this recipe from this fun blog: http://homeawaitsus.blogspot.com
She is also the one who I learned about Pinterest from!

Cheesy artichoke dip

So...we've been a little slow in sharing our recipes as of recent. My excuse is that in the first couple months of pregnancy, the mere thought of food can send me into a downward spiral of morning (who am I kidding--all day) sickness. So I've just opted to avoid it all together--except crackers, chocolate milk, and strawberries of course... But I'm hopefully (if I were superstitious I'd be knocking on wood right now) on the tail end of that portion of these 9 months--so Ken, here's a quick, easy and delicious recipe for an appetizer! I hope you enjoy it (and if you're at all balking at the idea of artichokes, which I know lots of people do, just try it. I'm sure it will make a believer out of you...). Oh, and sorry I don't have a photo for you.

8 oz. block of cream cheese

1 cup mayo

1 cup freshly grate parmesan cheese

1 can artichoke hearts

Cream mayo and cream cheese together. Chop artichoke hearts and add along with parmesan cheese. Mix together and spread in small/shallow oven safe dish (or 9x13 if you double it). Sprinkle a little extra parmesan on top. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with chips or crackers.

Help!

I need an appetizer dish to bring somewhere....any good ideas?