Shells Stuffed with Spinach, Mushroom, and Ground Pork

Here are some pasta shells that I made a few weeks ago. I froze some of them and just enjoyed them again this week. I used several recipes from the Joy of Cooking to make them. Below is approximately what I did. What I have written below is about half of the original stuffing recipe modified. This made enough stuffing for a whole box of shells which filled one 9x13 baking dish and one 9x9 baking dish. I think I was more generous with the tomato sauce and cheese than the recipe calls for.



Stuffing

Heat in a very large skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides:
3 tbsp butter

Add and cook, stirring, until wilted:
1/2 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

Squeeze almost dry:
One 10-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Stir into the vegetable mixture and cook until all the liquid is evaporated and the pan looks dry.

Turn the mixture into a large bowl and stir in:
3/4 pound ground pork, cooked
1 c. fine bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely chopped parsley
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese


Jumbo Shells

Have ready:
3 c. Tomato Sauce
Stuffing Filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender:
8-10 oz. of jumbo shells

Drain. Using a small spoon, fill the pasta with the filling. Arrange the pieces side by side in the baking dish. (At this point, the dish can be covered and refridgerated for up to 24 hours.) Spoon the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with:
1 c. shredded mozzarella
6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

The Living Room is done

Well,it is complete and I am enjoying the comfyness of the new furniture and rug. I have had two breaking ins of the room. This weekend the boys will come and camp out over night. We'll see how it holds up to 3 boys.

Italianamerican

I had a good time visiting Laura and I will try to post some pictures of that soon. Laura reminded me of a documentary that I have told many of you about, and we found it on YouTube. It is of Martin Scorsese's parents in 1974. You will all really enjoy it.

It is 49 minutes long and the first part is embedded below. There are links below to the next 4 parts, but you will probably just be able to find part 2 along the bottom of the video when the first part ends.



Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzVGuCUj4yY

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gonQKFbtec&feature=related

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBVeHIFsbE&feature=related

Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JZX71w2DOA&feature=related

Claire in her letter jacket

Claire came home with her jacket today so I took some pics so you could all see. Sounds like the kids trip to Boston was fun. Laura the Panama pics are very nice. Tonight we are going to celebrate Marie's 9th birthday!

This is are building site in Panama. We put up 15 timber columns with cross beams in 5 days of work. The people who live on the land are very skilled builders. They cut the timber with chainsaws, we mixed the concrete with shovels. It was a alot of work, but a lot of fun. The Soto family (ten kids) taught us how to build, and we taught them some card games and how to make bracelets. Kind of like camps! The cabin will be used for tourists to come visit the waterfalls. Here are some pics.

John & Katherine in Boston - Day 3

Day 2 did not yeild any pictures, because there was lots of rain. We decided not to walk to the USS Constitution and saw Despicable Me in 3D. Very cute.

Today, we went to the New England Aquarium and took over 200 pictures on my camera alone. We have quite the young photographers in the family. Below are some of the many pictures.

A day without the Kids

Dear All, As readers know, John and Katherine are with their Aunt (oops!) their cousin Kellie for the day in Boston. We've taken advantage of the alone time by taking Bob Barry and his wife to Cafe Andiamo (we owed him for picking us up from Boston). Today we went to Little Compton (the best shoreline town Rhode Island has to offer) and had a great time despite the cold, windy, and wet weather. At the moment we are watching a movie.

John & Katherine in Boston - Day 1

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday, we went to the Public Gardens and rode on the Swan Boats and fed the ducks. We saw the island of Make Way for Ducklings fame and the statues of the ducks.








After dinner we went to Copley Square where we took pictures and played in the fountain. There are also some Tortise and the Hare statues. Katherine also worked on her yoga.

Then we went home, watched Ice Age, and ate popcorn and M&M's. We had one mishap when Kellie tried to run 3 major appliances at the same time and the power went out. We all trekked downstairs to flip the braker and everything came back on. We will have to be more careful.

Much love to you all and talk to you soon.

Pork and Kimchi Dumplings

For a while, I have been meaning to upload these dumplings that I made. The grocery only had dumpling wrappers past their expiration date, so I had to buy wonton wrappers. They worked out fine. I ended up making them twice because there was enough ingredients. Below is the recipe for the dumplings and the kimchi from MyRecipe.com:

Dumplings

Ingredients
Dumplings:
1/2 cup finely chopped shiitake mushroom caps
1/2 cup finely chopped Shang Kimchi
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
4 ounces ground pork
24 gyoza skins
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Cooking spray

Sauce:
1 tablespoon minced green onions
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Preparation
To prepare dumplings, combine first 10 ingredients. Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to prevent drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place dumplings, seam sides up, on a baking sheet sprinkled with 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cover loosely with a towel to prevent drying).
Arrange half of the dumplings in a single layer in a bamboo or vegetable steamer coated with cooking spray. Steam dumplings, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove dumplings from steamer; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining dumplings.
To prepare sauce, combine 1 tablespoon onions and remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with dumplings.

Kimchi

Ingredients
14 cups coarsely chopped napa cabbage (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 1/2 tablespoons sambal oelek or Thai chile paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

Preparation
Place cabbage and salt in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine. Weigh down cabbage with another bowl. Let stand at room temperature 3 hours, tossing occasionally. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain and squeeze dry.
Combine cabbage, sesame seeds, and remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Knee sugery

I am 3 days post surgery and getting more mobile. Marie has been a great help! Today I got to take off the bandage and shower. I have been doing my exercises and taking pain meds. My favorite part of ther day is pictured here. When I get to circulate ice water around my knee.

The Transformation

So, the living room is slowly going through its makeover. The pictutes are before and a couple of the shots during. You really cannot see the paint color in these shots. It has a touch of green, almost like a cross between a celery and light olive. I will post the completed photos once the furniture and door are in. But it is coming along and is very cozy. Youy'll notice the assistance. My room takes a village to change.

Sour Cream Spice Cupcakes

Yesterday, I made these yummy cupcakes and iced them with cream cheese icing.


Taken from The Joy of Cooking.

Yield: 18 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk thoroughly in a bowl:
1 3/4 c. sifted cake flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Beat in a large bowl until creamy:
5 tbsp unsalted butter

Gradually add and beat until light, 3 to 5 minutes:
1 c. packed brown sugar

Beat in:
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with:
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
in two parts, beating until smooth.

Using clean beaters, beat at in a medium bowl medium-high speed until stiff but not dry:
2 large egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Fold one-third of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Fold into the finished batter:
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve plain or iced.

Happy Birthday! / Moo Shu Shrimp

Happy Birthday to Jim and Claire!!!

I hope that you both had a great birthday. Uncle Jim, I hope that I get to talk to you later this week.

I am continuing on my Chinese food kick. The following is a recipe that I tried this weekend. I don't have any pictures, but it was very tasty. I tried making Mandarin pancakes to go with it. I had mixed success, but I'm determined to get it right in the future.

Moo Shu Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
• 1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 6 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas or Mandarin pancakes

Preparation

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic and shrimp; stir-fry 3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan; keep warm.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic and mushrooms; stir-fry 1 minute or until mushrooms are tender. Add carrot and onions; stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in cabbage; cook 2 minutes or until wilted.
Combine soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch, and Sriracha in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir soy sauce mixture into cabbage mixture. Remove from heat; stir in shrimp, tossing to coat. Serve with hoisin and tortillas.
The recipe can be found at My Recipes: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1591067&cookbook_id=5326623
Below is the recipe for Mandarin pancakes. I had difficulty making them because of the dough, but the few that I did make were very tasty. I will try again soon and keep the dough warm as I work with it.

Mandarin Pancakes

Yield: 16 pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

Preparation

Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and water in a large bowl. Stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes). Shape the dough into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Roll each dough portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Brush 8 pancakes evenly with oil. Top each with one of the remaining pancakes, gently pressing together.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1 pancake stack in pan, and cook 1 minute on each side or until slightly puffed. Remove from pan, and cool. Peel pancakes apart.

The recipe can be found at My Recipes: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222042&cookbook_id=5326623