Spinach Manicotti ,Divine Breadsticks and a surprise treat for me

Tonight for dinner I tortured two of my kids again and had something with ricotta in it.  I couldn't help it, I saw this recipe in December's Everyday Food and have been wanting to make it ever since.  We all loved it (except the two kids with bad taste).  It was quick, easy and I loved that no one had anything bad to say about the spinach!!  I made the regretfully named Divine Breadsticks to go with.  Please look past the stupid name and try them - they are so easy and yummy.  I started the breadsticks at 5, started the manicotti while they were rising and put breadsticks in the oven with the manicotti for the last 20 minutes.  We were eating by 6:30.  Which is early for us.  I don't understand why, but ever since we moved to Utah I've been serving dinner at 7ish.  I used to have it ready by 5 or 6.   Anyhoo, I digress.  There was some excitement during tonight's meal.  All of a sudden one of the boys started screaming.  I immediately thought "Great.  He noticed the spinach."  which in retrospect was ridiculous because he was SCREAMING.  Even spinach wouldn't get a kid to scream like that.  He triumphantly pumped his fist up holding out a bloody tooth to me.  You know, kiddo, I'm excited that you finally got that stubborn tooth out after a month of it being loose, but come on!!  You gave me a bloody tooth at dinner.  Really?  We moms really live fancy lives don't we?




Spinach Manicotti in Creamy Tomato Sauce
Recipe from Everyday Food


Ingredients:

8 manicotti shells
1 tsp. olive oil
1 container (15 oz.) part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. heavy cream


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta shells according to package instructions.  Drain well and arrange in a single layer on an oiled rimmed baking sheet.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and lemon zest.  Stir in spinach and season filling to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer filling to a large zip top plastic bag so filling is in one corner.  With scissors, snip a 3/4 inch opening in corner.  Pipe filling into both ends of each pasta shell.  Arrange stuffed shells in an 8 inch square glass baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together marinara sauce, oregano, and cream.  Pour sauce evenly over stuffed shells and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan.   Bake until sauce in center of dish is bubbling and Parmesan is browned in spots, about 30 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.



Divine Breadsticks
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen


Ingredients:

1-½ cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3-½ cups Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Butter, For Melting In The Pan

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter onto an 11×17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Twist slightly if desired and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbs of choice (I vary this depending on my mood, but it usually consists of rosemary, basil, or thyme in some form and crushed finely) and Parmesan cheese. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.