Michelle Beattie June 2012

. Apricot and Brie Dip .
(Crock pot dish)

1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon apricot preserves, divided
1/4 cup apple juice
1 (2-pound) brie, rind removed, cut into cubes
Bread rusks, crackers or crudite for dipping

Combine dried apricots, 1/2 cup apricot preserves and apple juice in Crockpot slow cooker. Cook and cover on HIGH 40 minutes. Stir in brie and cook 30-40 minutes or longer until melted. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon preserves. Turn slow cooker to LOW and serve with bread, crackers, or crudite.
COOK TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes (HIGH)

Italian Wedding Soup

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef 
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten 
• 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs 
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 
• 17 1/4 cups chicken broth 
• 6 cups chopped escarole or 6 cups chopped spinach 
• 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta, uncooked 
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots 
• 3 to taste grated parmesan cheese 

Directions

1. In medium bowl combine, meat, egg,bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil& onion powder; shape into 3/4" balls.
2. In large sauce pan, heat broth to boiling; stir in spinach, orzo, carrot& meatballs.
3. Return to boil;reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.
5. Stir frequently to avoid sticking.
6. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

* I added garlic and some pepper and precooked my meatballs in the oven first to brown them.  Also, I added quite a bit more orzo... but I LOVE orzo and I love a meatier soup!

Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Fresh pasta was ideal for rolling up the manicotti tubes in our Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce, but no-boil lasagna noodles worked almost as well with a fraction of the effort. Breaking down the meat in the food processor allowed its flavor to permeate the sauce. To give some spice to the meat mixture we tried adding several combinations of hot Italian sausage, meatloaf mix, and ground pork. In the end we discovered a popular pizza topping delivered the perfect spicy, meaty taste. We also reserved some of the meat mixture to stir into the filling for our Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce.

serves 6 to 8

You will need 16 no-boil lasagna noodles. The test kitchen’s preferred brand, Barilla, comes 16 to a box, but other brands contain only 12. It is important to let the dish cool for 15 minutes after baking.

INGREDIENTS

Meat Sauce

1 onion, chopped

6 ounces sliced deli pepperoni

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Manicotti

3 cups ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

16 no-boil lasagna noodles (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Grind Meat: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse onion and pepperoni in food processor until coarsely ground. Add beef and pulse until thoroughly combined. 
2. 2. Make Sauce: Transfer beef mixture to large saucepan and cook over medium heat, breaking up mixture with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup beef mixture to paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes to pot with remaining meat mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (At this point, sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)
3. 3. Prepare Filling: Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 1 cup provolone, egg, salt, pepper, basil, and reserved meat mixture in large bowl. Pour 2 quarts boiling water into 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Soak noodles until pliable, about 5 minutes. Drain noodles on kitchen towel. Pour off water and dry baking dish. 
4. 4. Assemble Dish: Spread half of meat sauce over bottom of baking dish. Following photos below, top each soaked noodle with ¼ cup cheese filling, roll, and arrange, seam-side down, over sauce in baking dish. Spread remaining sauce over manicotti. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and provolone. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE TUBE

Manicotti shells are hard to fill without tearing. For easy-to-fill manicotti, we reinvented the noodle.

1. 1. Soak the no-boil lasagna noodles briefly in hot water. With the short side facing you, spread the filling across the bottom of each and roll into a tube.
   

1. 2. Arrange the rolled manicotti, seam-side down, over the sauce in the baking dish.
   

Herb Bread

1 loaf Rhodes™ Bread Dough, partially thawed
1/4 cup butter melted
1 teaspoon total: dried parsley, oregano, basil or Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I use garlic powder or some of each)
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cut partially thawed loaf into 12 1/2-inch slices, not quite cutting all the way through. Place sliced loaf in a sprayed 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch bread pan. 

In a small bowl, combine butter, seasonings, salt and cheese. Brush each slice, front and back with butter mixture. Pour any remaining mixture over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until 1 inch over top of pan. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 20-30 minutes.

* Doubling the recipe is perfect for 3 loaves.  When I am just making one I cut back a little because it is too much for me, but I rarely make just one!  

Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler

Top with scoops of homemade Cream Cheese Ice Cream for a cool summery twist on the classic Southern layer cake.

Southern Living JULY 2012

• Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
• Hands-on:20 Minutes
• Total:1 Hour, 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 6 cups assorted fresh berries (We used 2 cups each blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons red liquid food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Toss berries with cornstarch mixture, and spoon into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in red food coloring and vanilla until blended.

3. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir together buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. (Mixture will bubble.) Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Spoon batter over berry mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake topping comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Switch It Up
Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler: Omit red food coloring. Substitute 6 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 1/2 to 3 lb.) for berries. Decrease flour to 1 cup, and increase unsweetened cocoa to 1/4 cup. Proceed with recipe as directed. For a Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler sundae, top scoops of Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler with vanilla ice cream, Hot Fudge Sauce, sweetened whipped cream, and fresh cherries (with stems).

Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Southern Living JULY 2012

• Yield: Makes about 1 qt.
• Hands-on:25 Minutes
• Total:9 Hours, 25 Minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 egg yolks

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and whisk in cream cheese and vanilla bean paste until cheese is melted. Cool completely (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally. Place plastic wrap directly on mixture (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 8 to 24 hours.

2. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.) Transfer ice cream to an airtight container. Freeze 4 hours before serving.

Note:

Total time does not include freezing.