Marvelous Meat Loaf

A couple of years ago, my brother, who was visiting from out of town, was sitting in the kitchen while I fixed supper.  He asked what I was cooking and I replied, "Meat loaf."  He was silent for a moment and then asked, "Are you using mom's recipe?"  I laughed and told him I wasn't.  From my peripheral vision, I detected a sigh of relief.  Our mother was a wonderful cook, but there were two dishes she made that left a lot to be desired. One was macaroni and cheese; the other, meat loaf.

After I got married, I tried numerous meat loaf recipes and, although more flavorful than what my mother used to make, none were good enough to earn a regular rotation on our dinner table.

Ten years ago, after I got home from having surgery, a friend brought us a delicious dinner that included meat loaf.  It was the best meat loaf I'd ever eaten!  She shared the recipe with me and I've been making it ever since. I still remember how nourishing that meat loaf was to both body and soul so, when my husband had surgery last week and asked me to make meat loaf for him post op, how could I refuse?

Sweet and Sour Meat Loaf uses a lot of the same ingredients as my mother's recipe.  So why was my friend's meat loaf better?  Like most food, personal preference plays a role, but it also comes down to what is and isn't in the meat loaf.  Let's look at the anatomy of a meat loaf.

• Meat:  The main ingredient is ground meat.  The meat can be beef, pork, turkey, lamb or a combination of meats.

• Vegetables:  Chopped onion, green pepper, celery, carrots, mushrooms or canned diced tomatoes are common additions. They add flavor and, depending on the size, texture.

   

• Liquid:  Liquid is needed to keep the meat loaf moist.  Water, milk, beef broth, catsup, barbecue sauce, tomato sauce or Worcestershire sauce are often used.

• Binding:  These are the ingredients that keep the meat loaf from falling apart.  Eggs are traditionally used in combination with bread crumbs, oats, crushed crackers or uncooked packaged stuffing mix.

• Seasonings:  You can season meat loaf with herbs and spices you like, but make sure whatever you use goes well with the rest of the ingredients.

These five elements are true of every meat loaf recipe I've ever tried. However, some recipes call for additional elements.

• Filling:  Cheese or other ingredients are often placed in the middle of the meat loaf.  Half the meat mixture goes in the baking pan, the filling is added and then topped with the rest of the meat mixture.

• Topping:  Toppings can range from as simple as a jar of brown gravy or a squirt of catsup, to bacon strips draped across the loaf, to a combination of ingredients that can be added at the beginning or towards the end of the cooking time.

No matter what ingredients you put in meat loaf, the best way to mix it up is with your hands.  It's messy, but it's the best way to tell when all the ingredients are combined.  This is important because you don't want to overmix the ingredients.  Overmixing produces a tough meat loaf.

Once the ingredients are combined, they can be baked in a square pan, loaf pan (regular or miniature), muffin tins or shaped by hand into an oval shape and baked in whatever size pan you have.  Depending on the size pan you use, you may need to increase or decrease the baking time.  I like to bake meat loaf in a 9-inch square pan.  When I serve it to company, though, I like to use a meat loaf pan.

A meat loaf pan is nothing more than a loaf pan with a removable rack.   The rack serves two purposes.  One, it allows the fat to drain from the meat while cooking.  Two, the handles on the rack make it easy to lift the meat loaf from the pan and transfer it to a serving platter. 

My friend's recipe doesn't use a filling, but it does use a delicious topping that is added the last 10 minutes of cooking.  The topping is made with tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar and Dijon mustard, but it can be customized to suit your taste.  If you want it sweeter, use more sugar; spicier, use more Dijon mustard.  Through trial and error, I found that we prefer the topping with less vinegar and granulated sugar than called for in the original recipe.

Sweet and Sour Meat Loaf is an easy recipe to make on a busy day, but also fancy enough to serve to company.  It's a nice comfort food to take someone who's had a baby, lost a loved one or, like my husband, is recuperating from surgery.

Sweet and Sour Meat Loaf

6 Servings

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup oats (uncooked)

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Topping:

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (I use 1 Tbsp.)

1/2 cup sugar (I use 1/4 cup)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Combine meat loaf ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well and put in a greased baking pan.  Bake at 350° for 50 minutes.  Combine topping ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.  Pour over meat loaf and bake an additional 10 minutes.

© Margaret's Morsels

Vanishing Velveeta

According to news reports, Velveeta -- the processed cheese known for its creaminess when melted -- is in short supply.  I only use Velveeta in queso dip so I'm not too worried yet.  Other people, though, use Velveeta regularly in a variety of dishes from appetizers to entrees, sides and, believe it or not, even dessert.  If you rely on Velveeta for broccoli rice casserole, here's a recipe that will make you forget all about the shortage.  

I don't remember when or where I first discovered broccoli rice casserole. My mother never made it so I probably tried it at a church potluck or a friend's house.  My mother-in-law used to make it and gave me a copy of her recipe.  I tried making it like she did with Cheez Whiz, but my husband thought it was too cheesy.  The next time I used her recipe, I substituted grated Cheddar cheese, but it still wasn't as good as the casserole I fondly remembered from my youth.  I tried several other recipes unsuccessfully and resigned myself to the fact that I'd probably only enjoy this casserole when I could find it on the menu at a restaurant.  

A couple of years ago, an acquaintance shared her broccoli rice casserole recipe with me.  It was similar in some ways to the recipes I'd tried in the past, but at the same time different enough that it piqued my interest.

The recipe starts like most broccoli rice casseroles by sauteing chopped onion in margarine.  However, the broccoli, instead of being cooked separately in a pot of water, is sauteed with the onion.  I think the texture and flavor of the broccoli is better when it's sauteed rather than boiled.

Evaporated milk and soup are stirred into the sauteed mixture.  Instead of the traditional cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, this recipe uses a can of broccoli cheese soup.  This adds additional broccoli -- even if it is tiny -- and, more importantly, cheese.  However, it's not the only source of cheese in the recipe.  The casserole gets it cheesiness not from Velveeta, Cheez Whiz or grated cheese, but from a can of Cheddar cheese soup! 

Cooked long grain rice -- no Minute rice in this recipe -- is mixed in before the dish goes into the oven.

I've written more than once that I'm a creature of habit, especially when it comes to ordering food in a restaurant.  When I find something I like at a restaurant, I tend to order it every single time I eat there.  One of my favorite restaurants has broccoli rice casserole on the menu.  I always order it with cooked cabbage, lima beans, sweet potato casserole and a corn muffin. This is how I serve the casserole at home for a meatless meal, except I omit the cabbage since I'm the only one that likes it. 

Hopefully, the vanishing Velveeta will be back on store shelves soon.  I certainly hope it will be plentiful when Cinco de Mayo rolls around so I can make queso dip.  To be on the safe side, though, I'm going to pick up a box the next time I'm at the grocery.  After all, I can't make queso dip without Velveeta!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

6 to 8 Servings

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can broccoli cheese soup (undiluted)

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Cheddar cheese soup (undiluted)

1 cup long grain rice, cooked according to pkg. directions

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and broccoli in butter or margarine 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove skillet from the heat and stir in milk and soups until smooth.  Stir in rice.  Pour into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

© Margaret's Morsels 

Best of 2013

This is the time of year when TV news shows and newspapers have stories that highlight the year in review.  With that in mind, I thought I'd count down the top 10 most viewed recipes I posted during 2013. Some of the top 10 came as a surprise, but none more than the recipe that took the number one spot.  I almost didn't post the recipe because I was afraid it wouldn't appeal to many people.  I'm glad this old family favorite was a hit with my readers!  

10.  Strawberry Delight Cake:  A cake recipe that doesn't require any baking!  It doesn't get much easier than that!

9.  Peanut Butter Fudge:  If you think you can't make candy, think again! There's no cooking involved, unless softening ingredients in a microwave counts as cooking!

8.  Carrot Cake:  This cake takes some time to make, but it's worth the effort!  Unlike most carrot cake recipes, this one doesn't use pineapple.

7.  Chocolate Dream Pie:  A chocoholics dream.  A pie that only uses four ingredients and half of them are chocolate!  

6.  Chicken Parmesan:  This version is baked not fried.  It's also kid friendly, delicious and ready in under an hour!

5.  Salisbury Steak:  A tasty one dish recipe that turns ground beef from ho hum to wow!

4.  Cherry Pie Filling Salad:  This versatile dish can be served as a salad or dessert.  It can also be frozen in paper baking cups for a cold treat on a hot summer day!

3. Unfried Refried Beans:  These beans look and taste like refried beans, but there's a twist.  They're not fried at all!

2.  Eggs Benedict Casserole:  You don't have to poach a single egg to make this version of Eggs Benedict.  With this recipe, it's easy to make brunch for a bunch!

1.  Loaf Cake:  This unfrosted, made from scratch, plain pound cake made with my grandmother's recipe was the most popular recipe I posted this year.  It's an oldie, but goodie!

As 2013 draws to a close, I want to thank everyone for reading Margaret's Morsels.  I especially appreciate the comments, emails and feedback. This interaction is what makes sharing the recipes worthwhile!  This year was challenging on several levels and I wasn't able to post as frequently as I wanted.  Hopefully, I'll be sharing a lot more recipes in 2014.  My husband gave me a 35mm camera with lenses and some other blogging necessities for Christmas, so I have some things in mind for Margaret's Morsels in 2014.  In the meantime, 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS!!!!!

© Margaret's Morsels  

A Yearly Tradition

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the cheese ball, German Christmas cookies and Kool-Aid punch my mother made every year at Christmas. Today, I thought I'd share a Christmas tradition that started quite by accident.

One year when my son was young, I invited some in-laws over to watch him open presents and eat breakfast with us on Christmas morning.  I wasn't sure what I was going to cook, but I knew I didn't want to spend all morning working in the kitchen.  As I was going through my recipes, I came across a quiche recipe a cousin had given me two months earlier.  I decided it would be the perfect dish for a Christmas morning breakfast. Not only would I be able to join everyone in the festivities, I could do the majority of the work the night before!

Bacon Quiche is very similar to Quiche Lorraine -- a bacon and cheese quiche -- with a few differences.

• Bacon Quiche doesn't use a quiche pan or pie plate.  It's made in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.

• You don't have to make the pie crust for Bacon Quiche.  It uses a package of refrigerated pie crusts, a real time saver on Christmas morning!

• Bacon Quiche uses an entire package of bacon, whereas most Quiche Lorraine recipes use less.

• Instead of cream -- half and half, whipping or heavy -- Bacon Quiche uses milk.

• Bacon Quiche uses Cheddar cheese not the traditional Swiss or Gruyere found in Quiche Lorraine.

The filling ingredients can be assembled the night before and stored in the refrigerator.  The next morning, put both pie crusts in a glass -- not metal -- baking dish.  I made the quiche in a metal pan once and, although the filling was good, the crust never did get brown.  Sprinkling the pie crusts with flour helps keep the crust from getting soggy.

Add the filling and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. 

Add a side of fresh fruit or a fruit salad and breakfast is ready!

Since the quiche was easy to make and so well received, I decided to make it again the next Christmas.  I didn't realize it at the time, but I created a Christmas tradition that we'll be observing for the 14th time tomorrow morning.  To keep it special, I only make the quiche on Christmas.  This gives my family something to look forward to, just like the day we're celebrating.

Bacon Quiche

6 to 8 Servings

1 (14.1 oz.) pkg. refrigerated pie crusts

1 (12 oz.) pkg. bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

6 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Put both pie crusts in an ungreased 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Flour the bottoms and sides of the pie crusts.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour on top of crusts.  Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes.

Filling ingredients can be assembled the night before and stored in the refrigerator. 

© Margaret's Morsels

Crazy about Carrots

My Thanksgiving table will look different this year.  Thirteen family members will be absent and two, who normally don't come for Thanksgiving, will be here this year.  There will still be slices of turkey on a colorful platter; a big bowl of cornbread dressing; potato salad made with my mom's recipe; Aaron's green beans; a basket of homemade rolls hot from the oven; gravy in a turkey shaped gravy bowl; a congealed cranberry salad; a pitcher of refreshing fruit tea and, for dessert, pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Different faces around the table won't be the only difference, though. Sweet potatoes -- either in the form of sweet potato souffle or quick and easy candied sweet potatoes -- will be noticeably absent.  This year, sweet potatoes are being replaced by Carrot Souffle.

Carrot souffle isn't a souffle in the true sense of the word.  Traditionally, a souffle is comprised of two parts:  a thick egg based sauce or puree which gives the souffle flavor and beaten egg whites which gives the souffle lift. Carrot souffle doesn't use beaten egg whites which makes it more of a puree:  a thick, soft dish made by processing cooked food through a sieve or mixing it with a mixer, blender or food processor.  Carrot souffle definitely sounds more appealing than carrot puree!

I have three versions of this recipe, but the one I'm sharing is my favorite because it uses less sugar than the others.  Carrots are naturally sweet and, in my opinion, don't need as much sugar as the amounts called for in the other recipes.  I use baby cut carrots for two reasons.  One, I always have them on hand.  Two, I don't have to peel and cut the carrots, a real time saver when you're cooking a holiday meal.  Another way to save time is to assemble the remaining ingredients while the carrots are cooking in boiling water.

 The cooked carrots

When the carrots are tender, drain them thoroughly and combine them with the remaining ingredients.  One ingredient, baking powder, acts as a leavening agent.  However, don't expect the souffle to rise to the top of the baking dish like a souffle made with beaten egg whites.  It actually rises very little, if any.

Ready to be baked

A nice touch is to bake the souffle in a souffle dish -- a round bowl with straight edges -- but it can be baked in any 2-quart baking dish.  Grease the dish and coat it with granulated sugar.  Sprinkle the sugar in the bottom of the dish and rotate it like you would if you were coating a cake pan with flour, making sure to coat the bottom and sides.  The sugar adds a slight crust around the edges and additional sweetness to the cooked shuffle. Add the carrot mixture and bake until the souffle is set in the center when pressed lightly with your fingertip.

The souffle can be served hot, but I think it tastes better lukewarm.  This is helpful at the holidays since the souffle can be cooling while the rest of the food cooks in the oven.  I let the souffle cool 30 minutes on a wire rack before garnishing the top with powdered sugar. The easiest way to add the powdered sugar is to put it in a small mesh strainer and sprinkle it on the souffle.

If you want to cut out the additional sugar, serve it plain.

Carrot souffle is a nice change of pace from traditional sweet potatoes. Like sweet potatoes,  it's orange and sweet, but unlike sweet potatoes, most kids eat carrots!

Carrot Souffle

8 to 10 Servings

2 lb. peeled carrots

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs (room temperature)

1/4 cup butter, softened

powdered sugar (for garnish; optional)

Put carrots in a large saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook carrots 30 to 45 minutes, until very tender.  Drain.  Heat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease a 2-quart souffle dish. Coat the bottom and sides with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.  Set aside.  Put carrots in a mixing bowl and add the flour, baking powder, vanilla and 3/4 cup sugar.  Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add butter and mix well.  Put carrot mixture in prepared souffle dish.  Bake 45 minutes, until souffle is set in center when lightly pressed with fingertip.  Let cool 30 minutes on a wire rack.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on top, if desired, and serve.

© Margaret's Morsels 

A Piece of Cake

Not too long ago, I made a batch of coleslaw to go with our supper. Although the coleslaw was gone in a couple of days, a mostly full pint of buttermilk remained in the refrigerator.  I didn't want to throw it out so I used it to make my grandmother's loaf cake.  Calling this delectable dessert a loaf cake is a misnomer because my grandmother didn't bake it in a loaf pan.  My mother didn't use a loaf pan either and neither do I. What my family fondly refers to as a loaf cake is actually a pound cake.  The name isn't the only thing that's different about this recipe.

Pound cakes got their name because they were originally made with one pound each of flour, butter, sugar and eggs.  Now days, pound cakes can include leavening agents such as baking soda or baking powder; flavoring or even multiple flavorings; add ins such as fruit, nuts and chocolate to name a few.

Pound cakes are still made with butter -- or margarine -- although not necessarily a pound.  Some recipes also call for shortening, in addition to the butter or margarine.  My grandmother's recipe is made with shortening. I can tell you from personal experience the cake isn't as good when it's made with anything other than shortening, so no substitutes!

A lot of pound cake recipes call for the fat (butter, margarine, shortening) to be creamed first and then the sugar gradually added.  Not this recipe.  The shortening and sugar are creamed together from the beginning

 until light and fluffy, about five to seven minutes.

Don't rush the creaming process.  It's an important component in baking for two reasons.  One, it incorporates air into the batter which results in a lighter cake.  Two, the sugar gets evenly dispersed throughout the fat.  The sugar doesn't dissolve so don't expect the creamed mixture to be perfectly smooth.  If you feel the creamed mixture with your fingertips, it will have a slightly gritty texture.

My grandmother's recipe is also different when it comes to adding the eggs. Every pound cake I've ever made, except this one, calls for the eggs to be added one at a time and beaten until combined.  My grandmother's recipe calls for beating the eggs together, adding them all at once 

and then mixing them into the creamed mixture until combined.

Cake recipes typically call for combining the dry ingredients and adding them alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  This sequence is very important.  The creamed mixture can't absorb much liquid so it's imperative to add the dry ingredients first. If you don't, you'll end up with a tough cake.  Unless otherwise directed, a good rule of thumb is to add 1/3 dry, 1/2 wet, 1/3 dry, 1/2 wet and 1/3 dry. When you add the ingredients, mix them only until combined.  Overmixing will cause the cake to be tough.  My grandmother's recipe alternates wet and dry ingredients, but there is a slight difference.

Instead of combining the dry ingredients, only the flour is added alternately with the wet ingredient I alluded to in the first paragraph, buttermilk.  Not only does buttermilk produce a cake that is tender, it also adds a slight tangy flavor to the finished product.  More importantly, though, it's a crucial ingredient for this cake to be successful.  For that reason, no substitutes allowed!  However, if you don't have buttermilk, you can make sour milk which will take the place of buttermilk.  To make 1 cup sour milk, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup.  Add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Thoroughly stir the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes; proceed as directed.

The only flavoring in my grandmother's recipe is vanilla.  I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract.  I know it's expensive, but it tastes so much better that imitation vanilla.  The vanilla and two leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) are added at the same time and mixed into the batter. 

Most baking powders are double-acting which means they release gas when mixed with a liquid and again when exposed to heat.  On the other hand, baking soda must be mixed with an acid in order to work as a leavening agent.  Buttermilk or sour milk acts as the acid.  This is why you can't substitute another liquid for the buttermilk.

The rest of the recipe is straightforward.  Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan.  Or, what I do, spray the pan with Baker's Joy, a nonstick baking spray that contains flour.

Put the batter in the pan

and bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until done.

The easiest way to tell when the cake is done is to insert a toothpick in the cake.  If the toothpick comes out clean, or with a few crumbs, the cake is done.  Other signs include a top that springs back when lightly touched and a cake that pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely.

I serve the cake plain just like my mother and grandmother did.  If you want it a little fancier, add fresh fruit or a scoop of ice cream on top of each slice when it's served.  If you want to garnish the whole cake, an easy way to do that is to sprinkle powdered sugar on top after the cake is completely cool.

I don't know why the directions for my grandmother's recipe are different from other pound cake recipes.  I don't even know why or how the cake came to be know as a loaf cake!  What I do know, though, is that the cake is delicious and the method, although not conventional, works each and every time.  It's also a tasty way to use leftover buttermilk.  Even better, though, is to buy buttermilk specifically for this cake and find some other way to use the rest of the buttermilk!

Loaf Cake

12 to 16 Servings

1 cup shortening (no substitutes)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (no substitutes)*

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about five to seven minutes.  Beat eggs and add all at once to creamed mixture; mix well.  Add flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour; mix after each addition until just combined.  Add vanilla, baking soda and baking powder; mix until combined.  Pour batter in a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan.  Bake at 325° for 45 to 60 minutes, or until done.  Put the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove the cake and cool completely on the wire rack.

*To make 1 cup sour milk, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup.  Add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Thoroughly stir the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes; proceed as directed.

© 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