Food and friends… life doesn’t get much better than this! Every year, when the nice weather has finally arrived, my husband and neighbors join forces to get the front yard cleared of the evidence that Winter was here. While they work up a sweat, I get busy in the kitchen to prepare a meal to share with them.
The hard part is not making the meal… it’s figuring out what I will make! Since we have changed our ways of eating since the beginning of the year, it has been almost 3 months since we had pasta. Nothing says hearty meal more than tomato sauce and melted cheese! However, we do have some in the bunch that do not like cheese –how can someone not like cheese? To insure everyone finds his fix, I decided to make them 2 ways; spinach ricotta and veggie turkey.
We will begin with the Spinach Ricotta. To make these you will need:
- 1 container of ricotta cheese (not the light)
- 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach
- 2 finely chopped green onions
- 1 egg
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 2 tsp of parsley
- 1/2 cup + 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
- 2 jars of marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce without meat)
- 1 package of cannelloni shells
- Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach, the 1\2 cup of mozzarella, green onions, the egg, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Once all ingredients are well combined, pour some of the mixture into a pipping bag. This will help you stuff the cannelloni’s easier. Before you start stuffing, pour half of one jar of sauce in your baking dish. Stuff each uncooked cannelloni shells making sure they are fill throughout. Place cannelloni in a baking dish in a single layer. Top with rest of sauce and add the cup of cheese.
Set aside and let’s work on our second sets of cannelloni’s.
For the turkey veggie, you will need:
- 1 pound of ground turkey
- 1 pepper (today I will be using orange)
- 2 finely chopped green onions
- 1 clove of minced garlic
- 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
- 2 jars of marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce without meat)
- 1 package of cannelloni shells
- Salt and pepper
In large skillet, add turkey, pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until your turkey is fully cooked. Once cooked, add chopped green onions and garlic and half of one jar of sauce. Mix well but do not bring to a boil. Set aside and let cool in order to be able to stuff the cannelloni’s. While this is cooling, pour half of the remaining jar at the bottom of the dish. Once the meat is manageable, start stuffing your cannelloni’s using a spoon and your fingers. Harm yourself with patience as it is not as easy as the ricotta stuffing. Place cannelloni in a single layer. Top with the second jar of sauce. You should have some meat mixture left. Top off your dish with the remaining meat. Remember, this one is for the none cheese lovers.
Insure that both dish fit at the same time in the oven. Bake in a 350° F preheated oven between 45 and 55 minutes. If your cannelloni’s are tender it means they are ready. You may want to slightly broil the cheese on your ricotta cannelloni before serving them.
Hosting friends and Social Media
I love receiving people at the house and these gatherings are always moments where we usually take several pictures. Pictures are worth a thousand words are beautiful memories. Being a good host also means respecting your guests privacy and choice of having these pictures posted on Social Media.
My hosting tip of the week: Insure that you always ask before posting the pictures of someone on Social Media. If the person says no, respect their privacy!
What a great Sunday… the yard is clean and we got to enjoy a great meal (and some wine) with some wonderful friends. Life is great!
