Penne with Five Cheeses

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup crushed tomatoes in thick tomato puree
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded Italian fontina/Italian cheese mix
2 T. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pound cooked penne
4 T. butter

Combine all ingredients except the penne and butter in aluminum pan. Mix well. Add penne to tomato and cheese mixture and combine well. Dot with butter. Cover with foil and put into extra large ziploc bag. Freeze.

Thaw in refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake pasta until bubbly and brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Note:  If you don't want to freeze this, just put it into the oven instead of the freezer and bake as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 2/3 C (8 1/2 oz.) Cake Flour

1 2/3 C (8 1/2 oz.) Bread Flour

1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp. Coarse Salt (or less if you like)

1 1/4 C (2 1/2 Sticks) Butter

1 1/4 C (10 oz.) Light Brown Sugar

1 C plus 2 tablespoons (8 oz.) Granulated Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 lbs. Bittersweet Choc. Chips

Cream sugars and butter for 5 min. until very light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time until mixed. Turn mixer to low speed and add the rest of the wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Pre-heat oven to 375 and bake for 10-12 minutes. Tops of cookies should be slightly golden. Eat your heart out cookie lover!

(I usually store some in the freezer, wrapped into the shape of a log in wax paper....you never know when you need cookies!)

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

I think these peppers tasted great, but for me the texture was a bit off (we like more crisp/juicy stuffed peppers than soft). I used brown rice instead of the white rice called for in the recipe, so that was probably the cause of my increased cooking time/temperature. In the future I would most likely use left-over rice to cut down on cooking time (for more crisp texture), but overall they were good!

I got my recipe from: http://www.momswhothink.com/crock-pot-recipes/southwestern-stuffed-peppers.html

Ingredients:

4 green bell peppers
15 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese (I just used cheddar and mozzarella)
3/4 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
sour cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut thin slice off top of each bell pepper. Carefully remove seeds and
membrane, leaving pepper whole.
2. Combine beans, cheese, salsa, corn, onions, rice, chili powder and cumin
in medium bowl.
3. Spoon filling evenly into each pepper. Place peppers in crockpot.
4. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. Serve with sour cream, if desired.