Again, Tasty Tuesday (on Wednesday)...

Yesterday was such a busy day...Mom's & More Bible Study Brunch, errands, a little visit and lunch with my mom and then another little visit with Sloan's parents at their office, picking up big girls from school and then home to clean up a little more (trying to do a little everyday this week before we have my family over this Sunday for Thanksgiving), make dinner, homework and bed for girls. All that to say, I didn't have time or really get a chance to post this recipe on the blog..and by the time I did, I was too tired and HAD to watch the DWTS results show (a shocker this week, if you didn't see it)!

I love this soup recipe...got it from a friend...it is SOOOO easy and so yummy. We had it for dinner on Monday night. I love Fall because I can start busting out the soup recipes again and also chili (which my kids love). This soup is not too high up on the list of foods my girls love, but Madeline ate her fair share while the big 2 ate Mac & Cheese that I made for them (that was a special thing...usually they have to eat what we eat). Anyway...here is the recipe..enjoy!!!

Easy Potato Soup

2 cans cream of potato soup

3 cans of milk

8 bacon slices (cooked and crumbled)*

1 onion (chopped and sauteed)

16 oz. Velveeta cheese

1 package Uncle Ben's wild rice (cooked according to box)**

Saute onion in a big pot (I add a little bit of butter to it so it doesn't stick or burn).

Add soup, milk and cheese. Stir to melt...make sure the heat is pretty low or the Velveeta will burn.

Cook rice.

Add bacon and rice, cook until bubbly and simmer.

*I use the real bacon bits you can buy in the salad aisle...so much easier to dump those in than having to cook bacon.

**Uncle Ben's makes these packages of rice that cook in 90 seconds...I use one of those. Super easy to throw in the micro and heat up.

Tasty Tuesday (on Wednesday this week)...

I made this recipe last night and took it over to my in-laws for dinner. My mom-in-law was hemming some pants for Sloan (I know, I know; I should be doing this, but she is so much better at it) and I thought the least I could do was make dinner and bring it with us. Needless to say we all loved this manicotti, so I thought I would share it with you all in blog land!

BEEF & CHEESE MANICOTTI

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey last night in mine)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

14 (8 oz. pkg.) manicotti noodle

1 (15 oz.) container whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used part-skim milk ricotta)

3 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I just sprinkled in some Italian seasoning blend that I had)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups marinara (of course, she has her own marinara recipe but I used Emeril's homestyle marinara sauce...our family is addicted to this stuff)

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, onion and ground beef (or turkey). Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet (I skipped this and just used my baking sheet with silpat and it was just fine). Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4-6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti form the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 & 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan and parsley (or Italian seasoning blend). Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brush remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 9x13 glass baking dish. Spoon 1 & 1/2 cups marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 & 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese then the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30-35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.