Sausage Stuffed Shells

Welcome foodies and friends! As stated in yesterday's blog entry, we are going to be making a wonderful pasta dish. No, no, no. I'm not talking fettuccine or spaghetti. I'm talking stuffed shells. Gigantic pasta that looks like a seashell. In fact, my family just made a similar recipe this past week, the only difference is we made ours Tex-Mex style.

For tonight's recipe, we are staying classic. We will utilizing sausage and spinach. If you aren't a fan of spinach, I'm sure that you can alter the recipe to suit your tastes. We're going to keep the introduction short today because I'm anxious to get cooking. I invite you all to join me, and I hope to see you there!

Sausage Stuffed Shells

Yields 4 Servings

You will need:

• 16-18 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage links, casing removed
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Ready?

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside. 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
3. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions. 
4. Drain well then add to ice water until ready to stuff.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
6. Add pork sausage then use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage, cook 5-6 minutes until browned.
7. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add tomatoes and spinach (make sure the thawed frozen spinach has been squeezed dry); cook 1 minute. 
8. Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese.
9. Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with pork filling and arrange in a baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch baking dish works well). 
10. Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then bake in the oven 25-30 minutes until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe. I'll be back tomorrow with something new. Have a great day and happy blogging to all!

Breakfast Saturday: Blueberry French Toast Roll Ups

Happy morning everyone! We're starting our day off right. Most breakfast people think of ordinary french toast, or blueberry muffins. I think blueberry french toast roll ups. Yep. We're combining two of the most iconic breakfast staples into one delicious meal.

It makes my tummy grumble just thinking about it. To accompany our roll ups, we will also make a cream cheese dipping sauce. Sounds absolutely scrumptious, right? I think so. Okay everyone, grab those coffee cups, tea cups, and glasses of milk. I'll meet you in the kitchen!

Blueberry French Toast Roll Ups

For the Roll Ups, you will need:

• 16 - 20 slices sandwich bread
• 1/2 cup blueberry jam
• 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

For the Dipping Sauce, you will need:

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 oz butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1.5 - 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ready?

1. For the cream cheese dipping sauce: In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. 
2. Add in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and whip until well blended and fluffy. 
3. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
5. Stack bread into stacks of 4 slices, then trim crusts from bread. 
6. Working with one piece of bread at a time, use a rolling pin to flatten bread to about 1/2 it's original size. 
7. Evenly spread 1 tsp blueberry jam just onto one half of the bread, then align a row of blueberries over jam. 
8. Roll bread to opposite end and set aside, seem side down. 
9. Repeat with remaining slices of bread.
10. To a blender add eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder and nutmeg. 
11. Cover and blend on low speed 10 - 15 seconds until well blended. 
12. Pour into a bowl and dip roll ups into egg mixture, allowing to rest several seconds to absorb liquid. 
13. Transfer to a lightly greased Silpat lined baking sheet. 
14. Bake in preheated oven 9 minutes, then remove from oven. 
15. Brush tops lightly with melted butter then rotate french toast roll ups to opposite side and brush lightly with melted butter (bottoms should now be upright). 
16. Return to oven to bake 8 - 12 minutes longer until cooked through.
17. In a small bowl whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. 
18. Once french toast roll ups are cool enough to handle, immediately dip and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to evenly coat. 
19. Serve warm with cream cheese dipping sauce.

Well, I'm off to spend the weekend with my husband and family. I'll be back tomorrow with a delicious pasta recipe. Stay tuned! Have a great day, and happy blogging to all!

Applesauce Barbecue Chicken

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening friends and foodies! Welcome to the Tasteful Texan! I'm your host, Mandie. Today we will be whipping up some delicious chicken. It's sweet. It's peppery. It's tender and divine. This recipe really excites me.

I found this recipe while scrolling through Pinterest (again). It comes from Taste of Home. I normally don't enjoy chicken as much as seafood, but we're talking applesauce folks. I'm a sucker for applesauce, barbecue sauce, and brown sugar. That's good eating there, I assure you.

I'm off to the kitchen. I invite you all to join me. I hope to see you all there!

Applesauce Barbecue Chicken

Yields 4 Servings

You will need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup chunky applesauce
• 2/3 cup spicy barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Ready?

1. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. 
2. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil on both sides. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. 
4. Cover and cook 7 to 10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.
5. Enjoy!

See how simple that was? I could make this recipe every night if I wanted to. I live for simple recipes like this. Okay guys and gals, I'm out of here. I'll see you all tomorrow for Breakfast Saturday! Have a great day, and happy blogging to all!

Chipotle Sweet Corn Fettuccine

Good evening friends and foodies! If this is your first time joining us, we welcome you to The Tasteful Texan. Tonight we will be making a delicious sweet corn fettuccine. In my house, this is something we have often. I love corn and vegetables. It helps that I'm Italian, so pasta doesn't hurt either (except when I'm trying to lose weight).

Anyway, this recipe is relatively simple. The sauce is from scratch, so that will be one of those added bragging bonuses. Oh, if you are one of those health conscious folks, this recipe will be perfectly fine to eat. It is on the healthier side of the food spectrum, so no worries! Enjoy life and enjoy pasta! With that, I'll be making my way into the kitchen. I hope to see you all there! Allons-y!

Chipotle Sweet Corn Fettuccine

Yields 8 Servings

You will need:

• 4-6 ears of fresh sweet corn
• 1 lb. uncooked fettuccine noodles
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup half and half
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup water (the stuff that you boiled the corn in is best)
• ½ cup Greek yogurt 
• 1 single chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
• cilantro for serving

Ready?

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. 
2. Place the ears of sweet corn in the pot, cover, and remove from heat. 
3. Let the ears “cook” for a few minutes before taking them out and letting them cool. 
4. Cut the corn off the ears. 
5. Place the corn kernels in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with no oil or butter. 
6. Let the corn sit for a few minutes with stirring. 
7. Stir once, and let it sit again so that the outside of the corn gets roasty-looking. 
8. When the corn is as browned as you want it, remove from the heat.
9. Cook the pasta according to package direction. 
10. Keep a little bit of the pasta water.
11. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. 
12. Add the garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
13. Don’t burn the garlic – it will taste bad. 
14. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. 
15. Whisk in the milk, half and half, salt, and corn water until the sauce is smooth. 
16. Finally stir in the Greek yogurt and the chipotle pepper. 
17. Combine the sauce, pasta, and corn in one large pot. 
18. Add extra Greek yogurt or pasta water to get the desired consistency for your sauce. 
19. Sprinkle with cilantro for serving.

Well, as usual, I'm outta here. I'll be back tomorrow! Have a great evening and happy eating to all!

Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Hey bloggers and foodies, before we begin, I do want to start with some rather disappointing news. Our beloved Dani has resigned from Dani Wednesdays until further notice. She has been feeling under the weather, and has been absent a bit lately. It's sad to see her go, but hopefully at some point in the future she will resume with us. Let's all give her a hearty round of applause for her contribution here.

Moving on, we will be making balsamic chicken and roasted vegetables for dinner tonight. I think this is the perfect combination. The only thing you would have to prepare for a full dinner would be some sort of carb, such as rolls, or maybe mashed potatoes. Can we say yum?

Okay, I'm on my way into the kitchen. I invite you all to join me. I hope to see you all there!

Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Yields 5 Servings

You will need:

• 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 20 medium asparagus, ends trimmed, cut in half
• 3 red bell peppers
• 1 cup carrots, sliced in half long way
• 2 red onions, chopped in large chunks
• 10 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
• 2 tbsp oregano or thyme
• 4 leaves fresh sage, chopped

Ready?

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Wash and dry the chicken well with a paper towel. 
3. Combine all the ingredients together and using your hands and arrange in a very large roasting pan. 
4. The vegetables should not touch the chicken or it will steam instead of roast. 
5. All ingredients should be spread out in a single layer. 
6. If necessary use two baking sheets or disposable tins to achieve this. 
7. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

Welp ladies and gents, I'm out of here for now. I'll DEFINITELY be back tomorrow seeing as I've got posts in queue. From now on I'll be writing mosts posts in one sitting 1 or 2 times a week, so there will be no excuse for a lack of recipes daily. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow! Happy blogging to all!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Bread

Hey ladies and gents! Welcome to The Tasteful Texan. I was obviously away (yet again) today, so no Breakfast Saturday entry. Okay, I have to admit, this normally happens come the first day of every new season or so. I'm not sure why this happens, but it always has.

Anyway, today we will be celebrating the turning of the seasons with a wonderful pumpkin spice bread. You and everyone on the planet knows that you can't celebrate Autumn and the upcoming holidays without pumpkin somewhere on the menu. This recipe is perfect for that. It also works as a makeshift breakfast bread if you are in a hurry and don't have time to prepare a hearty breakfast. It's really a win-win situation food wise.

Well, I'm not going to hold us up from making our way into the kitchen any longer. I'm anxious to make this recipe. I invite you all to join me, and I hope to see you all there!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Bread

You will need:

• 17.6-ounce box of organic puréed pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup organic rolled oats (save 1 teaspoon for sprinkling on top)
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Ready?

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly apply cooking spray to two loaf pans.
3. Place the pumpkin, eggs, oil, applesauce, and water in a large mixing bowl. 
4. Blend it together using a hand mixer until creamy.
5. Mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and spices in a smaller mixing bowl
6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and using a spoon, mix thoroughly until smooth. 
7. Pour half the batter into each greased pan. Sprinkle the tops with rolled oats.
8. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. 
9. Allow to cool in the pans before removing.
10. Enjoy!

Okay guys and girls, I'll be back soon. Obviously I've been saying lately that I'll be around, but thee past few months have been a bit hectic (and not because of all the fan-girling I talked about last post). I'll do my best to be back tomorrow, and I will try harder to be around so everyone can enjoy more scrumptious recipes. Have a great day, and happy blogging to all!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Hey friends, bloggers, and foodies! Tonight (and every day this past week) I've had an uuber sugar tooth. This tends to happen when I'm lounging around, usually fan girling over someone or something. Lately it's been BBC's Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch. I know, shame shame...

Well you know what? I regret nothing. Since I'm just being lazy tonight, I think some cookies would be a wonderful thing to make. My sister makes snickerdoodle cookies and honestly, they make me the happiest girl in the world. I would like to think that that is how you all would feel after making this recipe. So, let's get going and I'll meet you in the kitchen!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Yields 16 to 18 cookies

You will need:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Ready?

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. 
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping.
7. Take about 2.5 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. 
8. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto an ungreased cookie sheet. 
9. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
10. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. 
11. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. 
12. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle.

Okay guys and gals, I'll be back tomorrow with a breakfast recipe for everyone to enjoy. Have a great Friday and I'll catch you on the flip side! Happy blogging (and fan girling and guying)!