Italian Stuffed Shells

Stuffed shells is a recipe that's always intimidated me for some reason but tonight, I took the plunge. And found out that it's very simple to make! So, for everyone else that may want to follow suit, here's the recipe:

1 lb ground turkey

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Large shell pasta (I ended up filling about 13 so adjust the recipe as needed)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1-2 cups mozzarella, shredded

1 jar spaghetti sauce 

Preheat oven to 350. Brown your ground turkey & add all the seasonings. Once it's browned and drained of grease, add 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan & cook on low. In the meantime you should boil your shells until they're al dente, or not quite all the way tender. Drain your pasta and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove your meat mixture from heat and fill each shell with a tbsp of mozzarella & a tbsp of meat, until stuffed. Do each shell this way and lay them, open side up, in a baking dish. Once all your shells are stuffed, pour the remaining sauce over them and bake for about 15-20 minutes to finish softening the shells & melting the cheese. Serve with garlic bread, salad or side(s) of your choice. Enjoy! 

Parmesan Pretzel Chicken

It's been nearly a month since my last blog post. December was a very busy month what with Christmas and making sure that our elf on the shelf, Jack, was perfectly positioned each night before I went to bed. Then, after Christmas, I just got lazy. Think takeout Chinese and pizza...way more than socially acceptable. I also burnt a couple meals in that time and some were just not edible enough to share. But, I got back on the saddle again today and whipped up this delicious Parmesan Pretzel Chicken. Lo and behold, it was good enough to share with the public! Super simple recipe...

8 chicken tenders (or however many you'd like to prepare)

1-1.5 cups egg whites (I use the pourable Egg Beaters containers for convenience)

1.5-2 cups pretzel crumbs

1/2-1 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 450. Prepare your thawed chicken tenders by giving them an egg white bath. In a separate  bowl, combine pretzel crumbs and parmesan cheese. Coat each chicken tender with pretzel/parmesan mixture and place onto a greased baking sheet. That's literally all the steps taken between preparation and oven. Bake the chicken tenders for 20-25 minutes and there you have it...parmesan pretzel chicken, ready to eat.

Enjoy!