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Jumbo pasta shells filled with Mexican seasoned beef, cheese, corn, salsa, and olives. A client favorite!

Stuffed Mexican Shells

• 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cups salsa
• 12 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 ½ cups corn, frozen
• ¾ cups sliced olives, drained
• 7 ounces diced green chilies
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup Mexican cheese blend (for the filling)
• 1 cup Mexican cheese blend (to sprinkle on top)

1. In a large stock pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, and then the shells. Stir and return to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When time is up, drain the shells and rinse with cold water.
   In a wide skillet, cook the ground beef. Break it up with the back of a spoon. Add the corn, sliced olives, salt, salsa, tomato sauce, green chilies, and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir well.
2. Fill shells with 3 tablespoons of filling each. Once all of the shells have been filled, arrange them nicely in a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with remaining cheese.
3. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

This recipe will surely impress your guests!! With apples, cinnamon, butter, caramel, and oats…it can’t get much better!!!

Blooming Caramel Apples

• 4 large Fuji apples
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 8 pieces caramel candies, unwrapped
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• 2 cups Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• ½ cup caramel sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. To get the blooming apple look, you need to cut the apples in a special way. Slice off the top ¼ of the apples. Scoop out the core using a teaspoon. Then, use a thin knife to make two, deep circular cuts around the center of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. Flip it back over and you can see all of the cuts.
3. Place the apples in an oven safe dish and put two caramels into the center of each apple.
4. Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 second, stir and continue heating for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples.
5. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls.
7. Place a scoop of ice cream next to the hot apple, drizzle with caramel sauce. Serve immediately.

My Pimento Cheese recipe will knock your socks off! Rich, creamy, spicy goodness….it’s the perfect thing to have on hand for the holidays when guests stop by!

Pimento Cheese

• ½ pound Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
• ½ pound Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, finely grated
• 8 ounces pimentos, jarred, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 to 4 pinches cayenne pepper
• ¾ cup Best Foods mayonnaise
• 8 ounces Ritz Crackers

1. Finely grate cheeses into a large bowl. Stir in pimentos, black pepper, cayenne, and salt to taste with an electric mixer. Add mayonnaise and stir again until relatively smooth.
2. Store in the refrigerator.
3. Serve with Ritz crackers.

This appetizer will be inhaled at your next party!! Perfect for tailgating, brunches, and cocktail parties!

Maple Bacon Little Smokies

• 1 pound center cut bacon
• 14 ounces Little Smokies
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 40 wooden picks or short skewers

1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil.
2. Cut bacon into thirds. Arrange bacon on top of the foil. Bake the bacon for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour off the bacon grease.
3. Combine Little Smokies with 1 cup brown sugar. Stir well and set aside and marinate for 20 minutes.
4. Place one Little Smokie near the end of one piece of bacon. Roll bacon around the sausage and secure it with a toothpick. Place on a broiling pan and repeat with remaining sausages.
5. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve immediately.

Chocolate truffles may sound intimidating, but they’re so easy!! Start with the best chocolate you can find!

Ganache

• 8 ounces 63% dark chocolate, Chocolate Decadence brand, finely chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon real vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings

• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup 63% dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. Make ganache by finely chopping the chocolate. Place in a glass bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for a few minutes.
2. Uncover and whisk the mixture gently. Add the kosher salt and vanilla. Whisk again. Pour ganache into a glass pie plate and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
3. To make the truffles, scoop out ganache using teaspoons, a melon baller, or small scooper. Work quickly, and roll the balls in your hands to make them round.
4. Roll them in cocoa powder and place in small paper cups.
5. Roll some in powdered sugar and place in small paper cups.
6. To make chocolate covered truffles, heat the remaining ½ cup of chocolate and 3 tablespoosn butter in a double boiler. Once chocolate begins to melt, stir well. Use a fork to hold the truffle over the pan, and drizzle the chocolate over the truffles. Place the finished truffle in small paper cups.
7. Refrigerate truffles immediately. Enjoy within 24 hours.

Watch me whip up this delicious dinner in no time at all, with shrimp, bacon, peas, tomatoes, and a splash of cream!

Shrimp Bacon Pasta Toss

• 1 pound linguine
• 1 pound shrimp, thawed, peeled, deveined, and tail off
• 4 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 2 cups tomatoes (grape or cherry), cut in half
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ cup petite peas, thawed
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ½ cup green onion
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, for serving at the table

1. Get a stockpot of salted water boiling for the pasta.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, slowly cook 4 ounces of bacon. Cook it until it’s nicely crisped, and remove it from the pan. Leave the fat in the pan. Add the minced garlic and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.
3. Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for two minutes. Add the peas and the shrimp. Cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp. (shrimp will turn pink)
4. Add the green onions and a splash of heavy cream and heat through. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the dish and stir well. Serve immediately.

My Italian Wedding Soup is seriously the best soup on the planet! Watch me make it in just a few minutes!

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs

• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 6 ounces ground beef
• 6 ounces ground pork
• Freshly ground black pepper

Soup

• 8 cups water
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken base (I like Better than Bouillon brand)
• ½ cup carrot, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cup orzo pasta
• 4 cups baby spinach, chopped small
• 4 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. To a stock pot, add the water, chicken base, and carrot. Bring to a simmer, and let cook while you make the meatballs.
2. To make the meatballs: Combine the onion, garlic, eggs, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well, then add the ground beef and pork. Mix thoroughly. Use a small scooper to make small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Make all of the ball the same size.
3. Carefully lower the meatballs into the simmering stock. Stir gently and then add the orzo pasta. Return to a simmer. Add the chopped spinach and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Ladle into soup bowls and top with additional parmesan cheese.

Kick it up with this quick appetizer is easy and elegant! A perfect side dish for Easter brunch, or a dinner party!

Asparagus & Ham Phyllo Bundles

• ½ package Phyllo dough, thawed
• Olive oil spray
• 3 ounces Black Forest ham, cut in half
• 1 pound asparagus, 2 inches trimmed from the bottom
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. Unroll phyllo dough and cut in half the long way. Lightly mist the sheets of phyllo dough with olive oil spray. Place ½ of one slice of ham near the end of the phyllo. Place two asparagus spears on top of the ham.
2. Dot the asparagus with a bit of Dijon mustard (about ¼ teaspoon per appetizer).
3. Roll the phyllo up around the asparagus. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Repeat steps until you run out of asparagus.
5. Lightly spray the assembled bundles with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Lastly, sprinklewith Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18 minutes.

Watch me prepare this comfort-food classic, with a low-calorie twist!

 

BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

• 3 pounds lean ground turkey (7% fat)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced small
• ¾ cup barbeque sauce
• 1 ½ cup rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup barbeque sauce, for topping

1. Place the diced onion in a small glass bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooked onion, red bell pepper, ¾ cup barbeque sauce, oats, chili powder, Worcestershire, salt, and eggs. Stir well. Add the ground turkey and mix again.
3. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Divide the meatloaf mixture into two equal sized loaves. You can shape it into smaller loaves if you prefer.
4. Bake uncovered in a 360 degree oven for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the remaining barbeque sauce over the loaves. Return to the oven and bake 10 more minutes.

Slather this garlic butter on bread, pasta, fish, and hot veggies…it rocks!!!

The World’s Best Garlic Bread

This is a recipe I make year round! It pairs perfectly with BBQ, lasagna, salads, pasta, fish, and just about everything else!

• 15 garlic cloves
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• Rustic bread, sliced ½ inch thick
• 1 cup Flat Italian parsley, washed and minced
• Kosher salt

1. Finely mince the garlic. Place in a medium skillet with two sticks of butter. Melt butter and stir well. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Butter should not get over heated, or it will burn. Low and slow, with tiny bubbles, is key to getting the butter and garlic cooked perfectly.
2. While butter is cooking, pick the leaves off of the parsley. Rinse well. Dry thoroughly. Chop finely.
3. Once the 30 minutes are up, move the pan off the heat. Let cool for a few minutes, then add the chopped parsley to the garlic butter.
4. Use a silicone brush, and brush the garlic butter onto the slices of bread. Lay the bread onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. You can freeze the bread at this point if you wish.
6. Bread can be baked or grilled (recommended).
7. To grill, preheat grill to medium to medium-high. Once grill is hot, place bread, sliced side down on the grates. Bread burns VERY easily, so you must stay close to the grill. Do not leave it unattended. Grill bread for 1 minute or so, and then turn over. Repeat on the other side.
8. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Reassemble slices to form a loaf. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bread is hot and crisped.