They are odd. Unless you know what you’re looking for, you’ll never buy them. If you buy them by mistake, they’ll sit on your shelves for years. If you know what they are and how to use them, when you find them, you’ll buy every box they have. Of course, we are speaking about the manicotti pasta shell. A substitute is the large sea shell, but most of the time you’ll only find the small / medium sea shell which are a bear to stuff and not more than a mouthful per shell, but if you’re going to do it right… manicotti shells. Recipe you ask: here you go. What is so brilliant about this recipe is that it is a no boil (the shells) before cooking, so you’re not trying to insert the ricotta cheese, etc. into a wiggly squiggly chicken neck. Mix up the cheeses et al and then put them all into a zip-lock bag, snip off one corner and pipe the deliciousness into the shell. Easy peasy and very very tasty! Serve up with some homemade bread, Caesar salad, and a bit of homemade wine and folks will be oh so very happy. End it with whatever desert the guest brought and a bit of Benedictine…. are you wanting a reservation yet?!… and the evening is set and perfect. I recommend a bit of Sting or Dido in the background.
For the record: I did have this one tonight and…. yeah. Who’s your daddy?!
Today is Monday–for 1:15 more minutes–and I’m about done. Caught up from the vacation, as far as I can tell, and moving into the quieter summer months. The Queen appears to be happy (although I think she wanted a bit of Manicotti) and she allowed me to clean her box.
Have ordered the grape juice (not Welch’s) for the next batch of wine. Making a Pinot Grigio this round. This is a fun one to make. The last batch looked as cloudy and “bleh” as a pot of gumbo, but when it finally cleared… golden deliciousness. Elsie is so very tasty! Have not decided on a name for it yet, but generally that doesn’t come along until after we have fermentation… then… yeah… I’m thinking it will be delicioso! or however they spell that one.
Hoping you have a great Tuesday!
Thought for the day: Some things that hurt are worth the pain.
Candle in a Cave 
That’s a sexy loaf of bread!