Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Kids-
Enough already.

Here's an alternate recipe and it's delicious.

Manicotti “Llttle Puffs” -Mom’s recipe (my notes and additions)

Sauce
The sauce can be made several days ahead. Keep refrigerated until use.
1/3 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 2 lb.-3 oz. can good quality Italian tomatoes, undrained
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbs. finely chopped parsley
1 Tbs. salt (? amount)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
(pinch sugar)
1-1/2 cup water

(Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often until the onion begins to soften. Add garlic, lower heat to medium low and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often until the garlic starts to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients stir. Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. Do not let sauce scorch.

Pasta
This pasta is crepe-like and very tender.
A 6-inch non-stick pan works is the perfect size for making the pasta crepes, but any omelet or crepe pan will work.
6 eggs
1-1/2 cup unsifted flour
1-1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine the eggs, flour salt and water with an electric mixer (or blender) until smooth. Let stand for a 1/2 hour or longer. (Lightly oil and ) heat a crepe pan over medium high heat. Pour 3 Tbs. of batter into the heated pan. Cook the crepe until the topp is dry but the bottom is not browned. Remove the crepe and cool on wire rack. Crepe should be thin. If not, thin the batter with a little milk until it is the desired consistency for thin crepes.

Filling
2 lbs. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, small dice
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs. finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
-additional 1/4 cup grated parmesan for topping)

Combine all the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl. Blend well.

To assemble:

Preheat oven 350 deg. Lightly grease two 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish.

Put 1-1/2 cups of the tomato sauce into the bottom of each baking dish distributing evenly to cover.

Spoon approximately 1/4 up of filling down the middle of each crepe. Roll up and place seam side down in the sauced pan. Repeat with remaining crepes and mixture.

Cover filled manicotti with another cup of sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Not a huge fan of kidney beans. The skins are hard to digest. I would, however make that recipe with a small red bean or a more tender skinned bean. Save the kidney beans for bean salad, soups and chili- somewhere where they are not the MAIN ingredient.

Tonight I'm home alone so I'm coasting. Left overs and salad. Kind of boring, but got to make room for the Thanksgiving food wave. (Don't worry- they are good leftovers. Pasta with pancetta and peas in a light cream sauce.)

POMama- let us know how the bean dish works out/tastes/family reviews/etc.

We've got canned pumpkin in our region.
If you can't find it, substitute squash or make sweet potatoe pie. Mmmmm!

If your ricotta is too grainy, try using a full fat rather than low fat ricotta.

nhfoodie is right- The eggs are also essential to the texture.

Oh yeah- almost forgot-
Hormel corned beef with Manwich sloppy joes on Wonder bread buns

*faints*

If they are true friends, clue them in on how you're feeling and what's going on.
Suggest if y'all still want to get together, how about a pot luck. Maybe even a buffet pot luck to make things even easier.

If you're all working that day and the next, cut yourself some slack.
If no one bites at the suggestion and they are all still hoping for a full extravaganza, they are associates, not friends.

My dressings are like my chilis- similar, but never the same twice.
Could be a combo of fresh bread and store bought croutons; might toss a little wild rice in, could add apples, dried cranberries or chopped apricots, sausage or not, mushrooms or none, but it always tastes great.

It's fun to change it up a little every year (just a little). Otherwise the family gets stuck in a food funk and loses the fun of adventure in eating.

Call me crazy, but I think Bryan would like to kick Michael down a couple of notches too. Giving Kevin some sous vide pointers and ultimately having him win the challenge has to really be p*ssing Michael off.

Nice little kick to his baby brat brother.

Ancho chiles, Anaheim or poblano chiles, cocoa powder, bacon and a little masa are my twists on the basic.

Bowl of red or with beans.

But honestly, though similar from time to time, I never make it exactly the same way.

Necks are nasty?

Since when?

Looks like a pillow-
fake?

Did I meantion I also had cheese? Lot's of cheese. Sharp cheddar, pepper-jack, muenster, parmesan, American, oh gosh. And more.