Homemade Manicotti

This recipe is quick and tastes so much better than the box stuff. I found it online a while back and we love it.

Manicotti Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• oil, for pan

Cheese Filling

1. 2 lbs ricotta cheese
2. 1 teaspoon salt
3. 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
4. 1/3 cup Romano cheese, grated
5. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
6. 2 eggs
7. 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Stir milk gradually with flour, until smooth.
2. Add, stirring constantly, the beaten egg, to which the salt has been added.
3. For each shell/crepe, brush a six inch teflon coated fry pan with oil or butter.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the bottom of pan, tilting back and forth so it spreads evenly.
5. Cook slowly until just set, do not brown.
6. When set on one side, turn over and let other side set.
7. Slide off pan and onto plate to cool slightly.
8. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
9. Place 2 TBS of your cheese filling into the center of the crepe/shell, bringing sides over so they overlap to hold filling inches.
10. Arrange side by side in baking pan with your favorite sauce (I use Classico with Sweet Basil), topped with shredded cheese.
11. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

I serve my manicotti with some fresh chopped basil from my garden and a garden or Greek village salad.

Coffee Granita

What To Do With All That Extra Coffee?

Every morning I have lots of extra coffee and I usually throw it away. So today I decided to look and see what you could do with extra coffee. I came across this real easy, yummy looking recipe. Sorry I can't say I've tried it but am posting it here because I thought my discovery today was interesting. Um, and truth be known I don't have any heavy cream in the house today. So I also looked up, embarrassed to say, how do you make cream? Look below I am still blushing thinking of how did I not know that. Dairy cow farmers please excuse my non-dairy farm city girl ignorance. Well, if you give this a try let me know. I will be trying it just as soon as I can get myself some cream from the store.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. espresso
• 1/2 c. regular coffee
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Mix the coffee, espresso and sugar together, preferably while the coffee's still hot.

2. Taste the mixture. It should taste like extra-strong, extra-sweet coffee.

3. Pour the mixture into a shallow container and place it in the freezer, uncovered.

4. Meanwhile, chill the cream well.

5. As a film freezes on top of the container, break it up and stir it with a fork every 20 minutes or so. This step will create the granita's characteristic grainy texture.

6. As the mixture freezes it will harden faster, so stir it more often to keep it from freezing too solid. The final texture should resemble chipped ice.

7. Whip the cream until frothy but pourable - just before serving.

8. Spoon the granita into small cups and top with dollops of the lightly whipped cream.
   
   

If You Don't Have Cream

Here is my emberrassing discovery today, you can not make cream. Cream is actually the fat that naturally occurs from cows milk. It usually is separated in the process of making milk for our consumption. You can read more about it at this great site called OChef where you can post your vexing cooking questions. In his Q&A article titled, Is There A Recipe For Cream?, he states,

"And like salt, chicken livers, and apples, it is not the product of another recipe, it is a naturally occurring food that you cannot make yourself — it is an ur-ingredient, if you will. In modern milk production, cream is separated from milk with the use of a centrifuge called a separator. In less technical times, milk was poured into shallow pans and the cream rose naturally to the top. In Britain, cream that was skimmed from the top after 12 hours was called cream or single cream. Cream that wasn't separated until 24 hours had elapsed was called double cream"

Balsamic Vinegar Mango Salad

This is a simple salad and it always looks pretty too. You can serve this salad with chicken or shrimp. You can also just enjoy it without meat. I show it here with my Lemon shrimp kabobs.

Ingredients

- 1-2 mangos (almost ripe)

- 1 bag of mixed salad greens

- balsamic vinegar syrup

- olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- italian seasoning

Directions

1. Cut Mangos into squares.

The easiest way to cut a mango is to put it on its side and cut two wedges of the large sides. The other two small sides can be cut the same way. You just need to cut until you can feel the seed in the middle. After you have cut the wedges, cut the mango into small squares while the skin is still on. Pull the mango apart by bending it skin side down. If you then run the knife between the mango meat and skin the little squares will come right out. If the mango is too ripe it might not look as neat, but it will still taste good.

See below for a video on how to cut a mango.

2. Put your salad greens on a nice plate and drizzle olive oil and a little bit of balsamic vinergar syrup. 

The balsamic vinegar syrup can be found at your local market. It might cost a little more, but you will find it is sweet and very tasty. You might want to experiment with it before you drizzle to0 much on your plate. The calories in it are also minimal so if you like it...drizzle away.

I also have to mention that this syrup can be a little pricey, but a little goes a long way and keeps for a long time. Plus, buying this is like buying wine, some are more expensive than others. See below for more links of example of balsamic vinegar syrup.

3. Layer your mango on top of your salad and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar syrup and some salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste.

4. Put your meat on top and enjoy!

Extra Links:

Mayo clinic has a nice recipe you can follow for grilled fruit with balsamic vinegar and you can try with the vinegar syrup too. It is so healthy and delicious. 

Balsamic Vinegar Syrup Example - The prices on here range from under $20 to $25. This is just an example. At your local market you will find cheaper versions. 

Make your own balsamic vinegar syrup - If you have a little more time, then this is a great recipe from one of my favorite blogs called Gourmetmomma's Blog on how to make this syrup. And as she puts it, this syrup, "...can make an every day meal feel special."

How To Pick Out A Good Mango




How to Cut A Mango

For this salad I use example two of this video.