Delicious Dinner...and a Whole New Blog!

Well, here it is, folks - a whole new blog for a whole new chapter of life!

I am now very gladly taking suggestions for my young woman

of God/young mom/new wife/housekeeper/future nurse blog. I'm thinking easy DIY house fix-ups, crafts you can do with kids, cheap/easy clothing ideas, day trip ideas, recipes (food and drink...I am married to a bartender, after all!)...things like that.

Thank you all in advance! Here goes nothing!

Cheese-Stuffed Shells, "Almost-from-Scratch" Marinara Sauce, and Garlic Toast

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total cook time: 1 hr, 45 minutes

Bake at 350 degrees

Now, I'm not going to lie, I am no pro when it comes to timing the cooking of multiple dishes so they all finish at once. However, I am trying! I'm fairly sure that will be a main theme in this little corner of the Internet...working on getting this whole grown-up/wife/mother/student/woman of God thing as close to "right" as is possible. Anyway, the point of that is this: I'm not exactly sure how long this whole meal took to put together, but I have some pretty good estimates for each recipe.

"Almost-from-Scratch" Marinara Sauce

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hr, 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (24 oz) jar spaghetti sauce (I prefer Prego)
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans peeled and petite diced tomatoes (teeny little cubes!)
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves

Directions

1. Cook onions in spaghetti sauce for 10 minutes over medium-low heat.
2. Add all other ingredients and continue to cook over medium-low heat, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Uncover and turn heat to low, and cook another 30 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking. Ladle into ungreased 9" x 13" x 2" baking dish to 1/4 inch deep.

*Note: I'm not at all a fan of the texture of cooked vegetables, but if you are, replace 1 can of petite diced tomatoes with 1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes and don't chop the onion as finely.*

Cheese-Stuffed Pasta Shells

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz) package jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained, and cooled
• 1 (15 oz) container part skim ricotta cheese
• 4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 oz (one half of a 10 oz package) chopped and frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• shaved parmesan (optional)
• crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except the noodles) until well blended together.
2. Fill cooked shells with cheese mixture and place filled shells into the marinara-lined baking dish. You'll have to pack the shells pretty tightly together; I ended up with about 8 stray shells. Thankfully, my 16-month-old loves cooked noodles!
3. Ladle remaining marinara over shells in the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Note: If you're a cheese fiend like me, top the dish with shaved parmesan for the last 5 - 10 minutes in the oven. :-)*

Garlic Toast

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of your favorite bread (I chose an Italian artisan bread that looked particularly appetizing)
• Olive oil
• Garlic salt

Directions

1. Cut bread into half- to three-quarter-inch slices. Make as many or as few as you think you and your guests, family, etc, will eat; this is the quick and easy part, so you can make more in no time if you want!
2. In a small dish, stir together enough olive oil to lightly coat the slices of bread and enough garlic salt to fit your taste. Brush the mixture on one side of each slice of bread.
3. In a toaster oven, if you have one, toast the bread until golden and crispy (2 - 4 minutes).
4. If you don't have a toaster oven, place bread slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven immediately after removing the stuffed shells. Turn the oven temperature to 450 degrees, and bake for 2 -4 minutes; keep a close eye on the bread, though, because each oven will heat up at a different pace.
5. Use any leftover marinara to dip the garlic toast in :-)

...and VOILA!!

There you have it! Let me know if you try it, and if you do...how is it? I don't like to brag, but mine was fabulous ;-)