A Recipe Revival

Not too long ago, I read an online article about seven forgotten dishes that should be brought back to life.  Over the years, I've written about three of these dishes.

Meat Loaf:  The Sweet and Sour Meat Loaf recipe I shared in 2014 is a twist on the classic.  It's not your grandmother's meat loaf!

Salisbury Steak:  A fancy name for a humble hamburger patty.  The version I wrote about three years ago calls for the sauce to be baked with the meat.  Mix, shape, bake and serve.

Tuna Noodle Casserole:  I shared this classic six years ago.  Unlike the recipe from years gone by, this one is cooked in the microwave, except for the pasta.

Click here to see the rest of the list and rediscover a dish or two you might have forgotten about.

© Margaret's Morsels

Stuff It!

We were on the road seven weeks this summer.  One trip was personal; the rest were business.  Normally when we're out of town, we like to eat at restaurants that are local to the area.  An exception to this is when we see a restaurant we've eaten at before that doesn't have a location in the city where we live.  On one trip, we saw an Italian restaurant that my husband and I used to frequent when we lived in another city.  We decided to take a walk down memory lane and eat there one night.  Our son said he wasn't in the mood for Italian, so my husband and I went without him.

The restaurant was just as we remembered.  Romantic lighting; Italian music playing softly in the background; linen tablecloths and napkins; a house salad with chickpeas and pepperoncini tossed with a tangy Italian vinaigrette; a menu selection that hadn't changed much -- if any -- in 20 years.  It was hard to decide what to order, but I finally decided to get something I hadn't eaten in years:  stuffed manicotti.  It was as good as I remembered.  In fact, it was so good, I decided to take half of it back to the hotel to reheat in the microwave for lunch the next day.

I remember the first time I ever made stuffed manicotti.  My husband and I were newlyweds, living downtown in a third floor walk up apartment with a small kitchen.  The manicotti stuck to the pot; a lot of the manicotti tore while it was cooking; I used a soup spoon to stuff the filling into the manicotti which made it a tedious task; I didn't have a baking pan big enough for all the manicotti and had to use two pans which meant I didn't have enough sauce.  Supper was served late that night and, although the finished product didn't look pretty, it was delicious and earned a spot in my tried and true recipe collection.  

Manicotti -- large pasta tubes -- can be stuffed with a variety of fillings such as meat and cheese, spinach and cheese or, like the recipe I'm sharing today, a combination of cheeses.

Uncooked manicotti

I'm not a fan of nonstick cookware, but I absolutely love a nonstick pot when I cook pasta.  Too bad I didn't have one when I first got married! When you cook pasta, be sure to add enough salt to the water so it tastes like saltwater.  If the water isn't salty enough, the cooked pasta won't be either.  Maybe my first experience cooking manicotti scarred me, because ever since then I use a wooden spoon to stir the manicotti instead of a pasta fork.

While the manicotti is cooking, spread a thin layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

Make the filling by combining eggs, seasonings and a combination of Mozzarella, Parmesan and Ricotta cheeses.  Ricotta is a slightly grainy white cheese that can be used in savory dishes as well as sweet dishes such as cheesecake and cannoli.  It's sold in a carton like sour cream and cottage cheese and is usually found near them or the cream cheese at the grocery store.

The filling

When the manicotti is done, rather than dumping them into a colander, I use a slotted spoon and scoop them out one at a time.  When they've all been removed, pat them dry with a paper towel.  This step may seem unnecessary, but it's actually quite important.  It keeps the sauce from being diluted with the residual water.  Lay the manicotti in a single layer on a cutting board or other work surface.  Don't fret if some of the manicotti tore; they can still be used.

Depending on your perspective, now comes the fun or not so fun part of the recipe:  stuffing the manicotti.  I no longer use a soup spoon, but a disposable pastry bag.  If you don't have one, you can put the filling in a plastic food storage bag, snip off the corner and squeeze the filling into the manicotti.  An iced teaspoon also works good.  The long handle reaches deeper into the manicotti than a soup spoon.  I find it easier to pipe the filling halfway in one end of the manicotti, turn it around and finish filling it on the other end.  Put the stuffed manicotti in the prepared baking pan.  If the manicotti tore, place it in the pan with the torn side down.  If there's any leftover filling, you can spread it on top of the manicotti.  I rarely have any filling left.  I don't like to skimp on the filling so I'm only able to fill 10 out of the 14 manicotti.  If you fill more of the manicotti than I do, just pack them tightly in the baking dish in a single layer.

Cover the manicotti with more pasta sauce and cook until it's heated through.  This can take anywhere from 35 to 55 minutes depending on your oven.  You'll know when it's ready because the sauce will be bubbling. If you take a peek at the filling, you'll see that it's smooth and creamy.

Ready to eat

Heat the remaining sauce to serve with the manicotti.  If you like a lot of sauce, you might want to buy a second can of pasta sauce to ensure you've got enough.  The leftover sauce will come in handy when you reheat any leftovers.

Remember the manicotti I took back to the hotel?  Our son, who wasn't in the mood for Italian food, thought it looked good and ended up eating it before I even had a chance to put it in the refrigerator!  He liked it so much, he wanted to know if I could make it at home sometime.  Before I had a chance, we were on another trip and ate at a different Italian restaurant. Our son ordered stuffed manicotti, but he didn't think it was as good as the first restaurant.  A few weeks later, I finally had a chance to make stuffed manicotti.  I was touched when our son told me it was better than the stuffed manicotti served at either restaurant!

Stuffed Manicotti

4 to 6 Servings

1 (8 oz.) box manicotti

3 cups Ricotta cheese

1 (12 oz.) pkg. shredded Mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. parsley flakes

3/4 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 (24 oz.) can pasta sauce

Cook manicotti according to package directions; drain.  Dry manicotti with paper towels and place in a single layer on a cutting board or other work surface.  In a large bowl, combine cheeses, eggs, salt, parsley flakes, oregano and pepper.  Fill manicotti with the cheese mixture.  Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Place manicotti in pan in a single layer; cover with 2 to 3 cups pasta sauce. Bake at 350° for 35 to 55 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. Heat the remaining sauce and serve with the manicotti.

© Margaret's Morsels

Ready in Under an Hour

For years, late afternoon and early evening have been the most stressful time of day for me.  Apparently, I'm not alone.  I read a factoid in a newspaper that stated the hours between 4:00 and 8:00PM are the most stressful time of day for women.  Whether you're a working mom with a commute, or a stay at home mom chauffeuring kids to extracurricular activities, someone's got to put supper on the table and chances are that person is you.  You don't have to rely on frozen food or take out when you need to get supper on the table fast.  Chicken Parmesan is an easy dish to prepare even on the busiest of days.  It's kid friendly, delicious and ready in under an hour!

The recipe I'm sharing differs from other Chicken Parmesan recipes in two ways.  One, the chicken isn't cooked on the stove top.  Not only does this make it healthier, you don't have to keep an eye on the stove while you're working on the rest of the meal.  Two, the chicken isn't put in a baking dish, covered with spaghetti sauce and baked.  Instead, the chicken is coated with a mixture of bread crumbs and spices before it's baked.  This step takes just a few minutes and adds taste and texture to the finished dish.

When you're ready to start supper, put a pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti.  While the water's heating, cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise.

Pound each piece of chicken until it's approximately 1/4-inch thick.  If the pounded piece of chicken is larger than you want, cut it in half again. 

Pounding the chicken is an important component of this recipe.  First, pounding breaks down the fibers which in turn tenderizes the chicken. Second, chicken pieces that are a uniform thickness will cook in the same amount of time.  Third, by decreasing the thickness, you also decrease the cooking time.  Finally, when cooked, you'll be able to cut the chicken with a fork!

Beat two eggs in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine dry Italian bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Coating food with both wet and dry ingredients can be messy, but there is an easy way to do it.  Use one hand for the wet ingredients -- the eggs -- and the other for the dry ingredients -- the bread crumb mixture.

Dip one piece of chicken into the eggs, making sure to coat both sides.

Remove the chicken from the eggs and place in the bread crumb mixture, thoroughly coating both sides.

Place the chicken on a greased cookie sheet 

and bake 10 minutes.

Using a pair of tongs, turn the chicken pieces over and bake another 12 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, cook and drain the spaghetti.  Toss the spaghetti with half the spaghetti sauce.

Place the spaghetti in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.  Put the chicken on top of the spaghetti.

Cover with the remaining spaghetti sauce and sprinkle shredded Mozzarella cheese on top.

Put the pan in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese, about 5 minutes.

The recipe serves six to eight, but can easily be doubled or halved.  If you're halving the recipe, the remaining spaghetti sauce can be refrigerated and reheated to serve with the leftovers.  Add a salad and some garlic bread and you've got an entire meal ready in under an hour!

Chicken Parmesan

6 to 8 Servings

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup dry Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded 1/4-inch thick

1 (25 3/4 oz.) can spaghetti sauce, divided

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

hot cooked spaghetti

Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.  Dip each chicken breast in the eggs and then coat thoroughly on both sides with the bread crumb mixture.  Place chicken on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.  Turn chicken over; bake 12 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Toss spaghetti with half the spaghetti sauce; place in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.  Place chicken on top of spaghetti. Cover with remaining spaghetti sauce.  Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over top.  Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels

Hey Mom, What's for Supper?

I have days when my well laid plans fall apart faster than an ice cube in boiling water.  I've got a deadline for work, my son needs to be picked up at school, the repairman that was supposed to be here between 10:00 and 2:00 hasn't show up at 4:00.  I'm ready to yell, "Calgon, take me away," but am snapped back into reality by five little words:  "Hey Mom, what's for supper?"


On days like this, I forget about cooking whatever was on that night's menu.  Instead, I fix Microwave Tuna and Noodle Parmesan using a recipe I found in a magazine 20 years ago.  Not only is it quick and easy -- two of my favorite things -- it uses ingredients I always have on hand.

The original recipe called for a five ounce package of noodles.  I can't find this size so I buy a 12 ounce package and use not quite half the noodles.  I only use 1 tablespoon of chopped onion, but you can add more to taste. The recipe calls for two teaspoons lemon juice.  I highly recommend adding it because lemon juice enhances the flavor of food without adding a lot of calories.


When I make this casserole, I substitute healthier versions of three of the canned items.  I use 98% fat-free soup, fat-free evaporated milk and chunk light tuna in water.  When mixed with all the other ingredients, you can't taste the difference.


To speed up the cooking process, I put a pot of water on the stove to boil before I do anything else.  While the water comes to a boil, I chop the onion, drain the mushrooms, open the cans and measure the remaining ingredients.  By the time the noodles are in the boiling water, I'm ready to start cooking the first two ingredients in the microwave.  If everything goes as planned, the noodles are done right before I'm ready to add them to the casserole.  Once the casserole is assembled, it takes just nine minutes to cook in an 1100 watt microwave.  This gives me enough time to steam fresh broccoli as a side dish.


If you keep a well stocked pantry, you can make this dish when you need something quick, have unexpected company or can't let Calgon take you away until the family has been fed.

Microwave Tuna and Noodle Parmesan

4 to 5 Servings

1 (5 oz.) pkg. medium noodles

1 Tbsp. chopped onion or to taste

2 Tbsp. water

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)

1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 (5 oz.) can tuna, drained and flaked

1 (4 oz.) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a 1 1/2-quart microwave-safe casserole, combine onion and water.  Cook in microwave, covered, on High for 3 minutes.  Stir soup, milk, Parmesan cheese and lemon juice into onion mixture.  Fold tuna, mushrooms and drained noodles into soup mixture.  Cook, uncovered, on High for 9 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.

© Margaret's Morsels