cutie pie cook: jenn's cooking blog: 2014

September 29, 2014

BEST fresh peach crumble

With summer coming to an end, I wanted to use the last of my fresh peaches to make a peach crumble. I'm not a very good baker, but this recipe seemed simple enough for me to tackle. To my surprise, it turned out really well, so I just had to share it with you guys.

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups fresh & ripe peaches, sliced (5-6 whole peaches)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 grated lemon zest
1/2 ground cinnamon
(optional) pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beatened
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
(optional) vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place peaches in a greased, shallow 9x13 (2 qt.) baking dish.

2.) In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon; sprinkle over peaches.

3.) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in egg until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4.) Pour butter evenly over the topping.

5.) Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired (it's awesome with ice cream).

(modifed recipe from Taste of Home)

mànmàn chī,

....................................

let's chat on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/nowandjenn

'like' my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/NowJenn

see what i'm pinning:

http://www.pinterest.com/nowandjenn

follow me on instagram:

@cutiepiecook (my recipe collection)

@ohmylish (food & restaurant reviews)

@nowandjenn (beauty, fashion, lifestyle)

May 5, 2014

simple spinach & ricotta stuffed shells

Ahh! It's finals week and I'm craving carbs and italian food!

I thought I'd prepare my favorite stuffed shells dish and share the recipe with you all. It's super simple and super tasty. It's also great for ovo-lacto vegetarians (vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products).

INGREDIENTS

16 jumbo pasta shells (only need 12 but cook extra shells to allow for any that break)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp fresh garlic, minced

3 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves, roughly-chopped

12 oz skim-milk ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 large egg

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

1/2 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp fresh italian basil, whole or finely chopped for serving

Extra parmesan for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1.) Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions.

2.) Drain pasta, coat with a bit of olive oil, and set aside.

3.) Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about a minute.

4.) Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves begin to wilt but are still bright green, about 2-3 minutes. The spinach should be reduced by half. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 mins. This would be a good time to begin preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

5.) Add ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, italian seasoning, salt & pepper to the spinach. Combine thoroughly.

6.) Pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a shallow 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Stuff each pasta shell with a generous amount of the spinach and ricotta mixture, and place in the baking dish.