The Price of a haircut....dinner

My lovely friend Anne is a fantastic haircutter....and my hair is getting out of control.  I have asked her to cut my hair, if I made her dinner.  She said yes, because she is awesome, and you get to see what I have created for her.  The menu...Spinach and Cheese stuffed Pasta shells with my marinara sauce, Garlic butter green beans will act as a side dish and the piece de resistance Pot de Crème au Chocolat...which sounds super fancy...but is super easy....so here we go!!!

Pasta Shells Stuffed with Spinach and Mozzarella with Sara’s special Marinara

Serves 4
Ingredients
• 20 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 cups fat free cottage cheese (but feel free to use ricotta or regular cottage cheese)
• 1 can spinach, drained and dried…I mean…squeeze that water out! (can use 1 pkg frozen & drained spinach or 1 bunch of fresh spinach trimmed)
• 1/2 cup grated mozzerella cheese
• 2 Tbsp grated parmesean cheese
• 1/8 cup fresh basil chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Dash of oregano, thyme, any other spice that sounds entertaining
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups marinara sauce (to follow)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
3. Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, spices, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
4. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle more mozzarella cheese on top of the shells.
6. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes.

Sara’s Marinara Sauce
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ bell pepper chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
¼ minced fresh basil (but I often do more…depends on my mood)
½ tsp oregano and thyme
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
Dash of chili peppers flakes

Cook the oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Puree tomatoes in a blender. I add the basil in and pulse them a few times in blender. Add tomatoes to saucepan with garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and spices. Season with salt to taste.
***I often turn this into a vegetable pasta sauce by also sautéing, 1 chopped carrots, 1 chopped zucchini…anything else I can think of…

 

My super dooper basil plant!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    Putting the ingredients together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished!

Next:

Garlic Butter Green Beans

1 pound of fresh green beans
2 Tbsp butter
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
salt

Trim the ends of green beans and steam. Drain.
In sauté pan melt butter and add minced garlic…cook until soft and aromatic.
Toss green bean with butter and garlic, salt to taste.
Green beans go cold fast, so serve quickly, and many will eat it as quickly as you serve it.

Green Beans from farmers market

mmmm...looks and smells yummy...

Pot de Crème au Chocolat 

(as modified from: http://www.theplantationhouse.com/dessert.html)

Ingredients

4 oz. Dark chocolate ( I use about 18 Dove Dark…I add a few extra for grazing sake)
3/4 C. heavy cream
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of salt, nutmeg, cinnamon
pat of butter

Method
Heat chocolate in microwave in microwavable bowl with a half inch of water at the bottom, for about 45 seconds…take out of microwave and whisk until melted. Add to a saucepan, and turn to medium. Stir in sugar and heavy cream, whisking until smooth. Beat a small amount of chocolate mixture into bowl of beaten egg yolks. Gradually add the egg-chocolate mixture back into pan. (This step should keep egg yolks from curdling when mixed into the main chocolate mixture.)

Whisk and cook for several minutes over medium heat. Stir in vanilla and dash of salt, nutmeg and cinnamon and pat of butter (like ¼ tbsp).

Strain through small sieve to remove any possible cooked egg "lumps."(I am too lazy to do this, just make sure you whisk a lot. ) Pour into small ramekins. Chill until firm.

Presentation
Garnish with dollop of fresh whipped cream & grated chocolate.
Recipe should produce 4 servings. This dessert, if topped with plastic wrap (ungarnished) should last several days in the refrigerator.

I won't tell you how many I "tested"  What happens in my kitchen stays in my kitchen.

there's a pretty sight!

mmm dinner

This was delicious!!!!!!!  I was well pleased with the results!

Well, it was a fun dinner, I hope you will try the recipes, it was really fabulous.  Enjoy!!!