Italian sausage-stuffed shells

Who doesn’t love Italian food? From familiar main dishes like spaghetti and lasagna to decadent desserts such as cheesecake and cannoli, it’s hard to even talk about this category of cuisine without our mouths starting to water.

Italian stuffed shells is one of Jamie’s favorite meals, but Jerry isn’t too fond of the “traditional” recipe for this dish, which includes mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, because he doesn’t like the taste or texture of ricotta. So he developed his own version using muenster cheese instead of ricotta, and Jamie liked it even better than the shells she grew up with (sorry Mom!).

A few notes on this recipe: We really feel that fresh herbs are essential here. It will make this dish cost a little more, but it’s well worth it. Also, the omission of eggs is intentional. While most traditional stuffed shell recipes use eggs as a binder, we find that the fat in the Italian sausage, coupled with a few tablespoons of olive oil, works just as well.

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Italian sausage-stuffed shells

3/4 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1/3 cup oregano leaves, chopped

1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped

1/3 cup basil, chopped

2 tablespoons thyme leaves

1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced

8 ounces muenster cheese, shredded

16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

20-24 jumbo pasta shells, prepared according to package directions and cooled

Your favorite pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, crumble Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink. Remove from pan. Drain and cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oregano, Italian parsley, basil, thyme, garlic, muenster cheese, half of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and salt. Mix (it might get messy, but your hands will work best here) until ingredients are well combined. Add sausage and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and mix again. Add more olive oil as needed until the mixture sticks together when squeezed in the palm of your hand.

Spread 1/ 2 to 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish (this will prevent the shells from sticking). Stuff shells with the Italian sausage and cheese mixture, and place seam side down in the baking dish. When all the shells have been filled, pour pasta sauce over them, and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Chicken Kara

Jerry has a problem turning over his kitchen.

In fact, he often assumes control of friends’ and family members’ kitchens when we visit, whipping up lunch and dinner for us, as well as our hosts. And on our annual beach trip each summer, when everyone is supposed to prepare just one dinner, he ends up heading the meal preparation on a near-nightly basis.

So when Jerry’s younger sister, Kara, volunteered to cook for the family on a recent visit, she knew it was a long shot. Kara had hoped to prepare a pork loin dish that she had come up with, and she shared the recipe with her brother. His culinary instincts immediately kicked in, and Jerry asked if he could make the meal himself, substituting thinly sliced chicken breasts for the pork. Even Kara had to admit that the result was delicious.

Though she didn’t get to try out her version of the recipe on us, Kara was still was the inspiration for Jerry’s latest dish, so, in tribute, he named it after her.

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Chicken Kara

2 pounds thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts, flattened and cut into 8 to 10 even pieces

Salt

Pepper

Pesto (store bought or homemade, for which a recipe follows)

1 bunch fresh spinach

1 cup Parmesan cheese

8 to 10 slices bacon

1 1/ 2 cups chicken stock

On stove top, preheat large skillet to medium-high heat. Also, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly salt and pepper one side of each piece of chicken and spread each evenly with 1 tablespoon of pesto. Layer evenly with a small handful (approximately 1/ 4 cup) of spinach, followed by approximately 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Beginning from the narrower end, tightly roll each piece of chicken, keeping the pesto/spinach mixture on the inside. Wrap a slice of bacon around each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick at each end.

Cook the chicken in the skillet for approximately 2 minutes per side, long enough for the bacon to begin to render and turn crisp.

Place the chicken in a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Add the chicken stock, and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

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Pesto

4 to 5 cloves garlic

1 cup roasted pecans

1 cup Italian parsley

2 cups fresh basil

1/ 2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/ 2 cup olive oil

Salt

Place garlic and pecans in food processor and process until fine. Add parsley, basil and Parmesan cheese. As food processor continues to churn, gradually add olive oil until pesto becomes smooth. Add salt to taste.

Burgers - with beef or turkey

Years ago, Jerry’s hamburgers were affectionately dubbed “Jerry burgers” by Jamie’s brother’s friends, who frequently mooched meals from us during their college years. We like them best topped with crispy bacon, muenster cheese, pickles and mustard, but feel free to fix them any way you choose.

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Jerry burgers

2 pounds ground beef

3 jalapeños, minced

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients by hand. Form into six patties.

Grill approximately 5 minutes per side, or until sides are well browned.

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We must admit that we started making turkey burgers not because they are healthier than hamburgers (which is, of course, an added bonus), but because ground turkey is frequently cheaper than ground beef. We’ve found, however, that we like turkey burgers equally well.

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Turkey burgers

2 pounds ground turkey

1 bunch green onions, chopped

3 jalapeños, minced

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

Suggested toppings: Pepper jack cheese and salsa

Preheat grill to medium.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients by hand. Form into six patties.

Grill approximately 8 minutes per side.

Apea cake

Over Fourth of July weekend, Jamie’s grandmother, aunt and cousin from Pennsylvania visited and brought with them several tastes of home, including shoofly pie, whoopie pies and apea cake. We spent the holiday stuffing ourself with these sweet treats, as we don’t get them very often this far from Amish country.

This recipe for apea cake, a Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast treat, comes from “Uncle Duddy,” the brother of Jamie’s great-grandmother, and was shared with us by Jamie’s grandmother, who lives in Jamie’s hometown of Pottstown, Pa. Apea cake is great with a cup of morning coffee or tea, and it has a wonderful sweetness without being overly sugary.

Perhaps the best thing about this cake is how well it freezes. Jamie’s grandmother recommends baking the cakes in disposable foil pans, cooling them and covering first with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing. As for how long they can be frozen, Jamie’s grandmother says, “They last for a very, very long time. I always have an apea cake in the freezer.”

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Apea cake

4 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar (light or dark; Jamie’s grandmother prefers light brown sugar, her aunt prefers dark)

2 sticks margarine, melted

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

Granulated sugar and cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Mix well. Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch pie pans. Sprinkle the top of each cake with granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then test with a toothpick to make sure the cakes are done. If not, return to the oven, testing often until the toothpick comes out clean.

Eye of round roast stuffed with spinach, ham and cheese

There are some times when we walk into the grocery store with absolutely no shopping agenda. There are no good sales, and there’s nothing in particular that we’re craving. So we head straight to the meat department and browse the selection until we find something that makes our mouths water. Last week, it was a beautiful eye of round roast.

Normally, we simply season our eye of round and slow cook it over very low heat, then thinly slice and serve it. But on this particular night, Jerry was feeling a little more creative, so he decided to stuff the roast with spinach, ham and cheese. The result was so delicious that we decided to share the recipe. We hope you enjoy.

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Eye of round roast stuffed with spinach, ham and cheese

2-pound eye of round roast

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

4 to 5 pieces thinly sliced smoked ham

4 to 5 slices provolone cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

With the “round” part of the roast facing you, begin cutting from left to right, making a 1-inch thick slice. Continue cutting in one continuous piece until you have a flat piece of roast approximately 1 inch in thickness.

Salt and pepper the side of the roast that is facing upward, and then spread evenly with Parmesan cheese. Spread the spinach on top of the Parmesan, and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Layer with slices of ham and cheese. Beginning at one end, roll the roast into a spiral shape, and tie securely with two pieces of butcher’s twine. Sprinkle the outside of the roast with Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Place the roast on a wire rack over a roasting pan. Cook at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 250 degrees and cook for an additional 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into ½-inch thick slices, removing butcher’s twine, and serve.

Pizza and stromboli

There are few things in this world more delicious than a steaming hot pizza, fresh from the oven and topped with – well, whatever it is you like on your pizza (we prefer pepperoni and mushrooms). Like many families, we have our favorite pizza place, and, while we wouldn’t say that we frequent it, it’s the first place we go when we want a little slice of heaven.

Oftentimes, however, we make our own pizza at home - because it’s fairly easy and fun, especially if you’re cooking with kids. From rolling out the dough to spreading the mozzarella cheese (and usually eating quite a bit of it in the process), our 5- and 2-year-olds happily pull up chairs to the counter to lend a helping hand.

When we create pizza at home, we don’t go for the conventional - there’s no tomato-based pizza sauce to be found in our kitchen. Instead, we usually opt for the following pies smothered with pesto or garlic. We’ve also included a recipe for stromboli.

First, though, you have to make the dough.

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Pizza dough

1 packet active yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup warm water

3 cups flour

Combine yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and water in a small bowl. Mix well. Allow yeast to proof for approximately 5 minutes.

Pour 2 cups flour into a food processor fitted with a plastic blade. Add yeast mixture, and process for approximately 1 minute or until smooth. Add additional flour 1/3 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. After final 1/3 cup is added, continue processing for approximately 2 minutes (the dough should ball up).

Remove dough from food processor to a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Roll dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the dough with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into desired number of equal-sized pieces (we recommend two pieces to make two 12- to 14-inch pizzas or four pieces for four strombolis). Place on floured surface, re-cover with towel, and let rest for an additional 15 minutes.

Now you’re ready to make your pizza or stromboli.

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Pesto pizza

Pesto:

4 to 5 cloves garlic

1 cup roasted pecans

1 cup Italian parsley

2 cups fresh basil

½ cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Pizza dough

1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese

To make pesto, place garlic and pecans in food processor and process until finely minced. Add parsley, basil and Parmesan cheese. As food processor continues to churn, gradually add olive oil until pesto becomes smooth. Add salt to taste.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll pizza dough into a large circle (approximately 12 to 14 inches in diameter) until approximately 1/8-inch thick. Leave approximately ½ inch for the crust, and use a spoon to evenly spread approximately 5 to 6 tablespoons of pesto onto the dough. (You should have pesto left over. Refrigerate the remainder, and toss it with some pasta for a quick side dish later in the week.) Spread mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the pesto.

Bake on a pizza stone for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese just starts to bubble and turn brown.

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Blanco pizza

Pizza dough

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh or dried oregano

1 head garlic, minced

1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll pizza dough into a large circle (approximately 12 to 14 inches in diameter) until approximately 1/8-inch thick. Leave approximately ½ inch for the crust, and lightly drizzle olive oil over the dough. Spread garlic and oregano evenly over olive oil. Spread mozzarella cheese evenly on top of garlic.

Bake on a pizza stone for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese just starts to bubble and turn brown.

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Stromboli

½ tablespoon olive oil

½ large onion, diced

8 -ounce package button mushrooms, sliced

Balsamic vinegar

¾ pound mild Italian sausage, cut into ½-inch chunks

½ head garlic, minced

4 1/2 ounces pepperoni

2 teaspoons Italian spice mix, divided

2 cups muenster cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Pizza dough, divided into four pieces

Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Saute onions and mushrooms for approximately 3 minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain and set aside.

In the same pan, cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out one of four pieces of dough into a circle (approximately 8 to 10 inches in diameter) until 1/8-inch thick. Place ¼ of onion and mushroom mixture in the center of the dough, then sprinkle with ¼ of the garlic and ¼ of the Italian seasoning. Add ¼ of the Italian sausage and ¼ of the pepperoni, followed by ¼ of each of the cheeses. Fold over to make a half moon shape, pressing down the sides to seal. Starting at one end of the stromboli, crimp the dough along the outer edge until firmly sealed. Cut 4 to 5 slits in the top of the stromboli. Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients.

Cook on pizza stone for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted and top is golden brown.

The other white meat

The National Pork Board may promote its product as “the other white meat,” but in our household, we’d choose pork over chicken any day.

That’s why one of our favorite shopping bargains is pork loin. When one of the local grocery stores sells a full-sized loin for under $2 a pound, well, we’re in hog heaven. We butcher ours ourselves (although most grocery stores are happy to cut it for you), typically into a roast and pork chops of varying thicknesses, pick out what we’ll need for two or three meals, and then pop the rest in the freezer.

With thicker-cut pork chops, around 1 ½ to 2 inches, we usually fire up the grill and keep it simple. Coat the pork chops with Creole seasoning and maybe a few brushes of Italian dressing, then cook over low heat for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely caramelized.

Two of our favorite dishes to make from a pork loin are fried pork chops and herbed pork roast - recipes that taste very different from one another but which are equally delicious.

This is a dish for those who aren’t afraid to throw calorie-consciousness to the wind. We usually serve these golden brown, crispy pork chops with baked macaroni and cheese and green beans that have been slow cooked with ham hocks – making this meal the ultimate in comfort food.

Fried pork chops

4 ¾-inch thick pork chops

2 cups buttermilk

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning blend

½ cup flour

½ cup bread crumbs

Vegetable oil

Use a fork to poke shallow holes in the pork chops, and then place the pork chops in a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Pour buttermilk into the bag to cover the pork chops, and soak for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat ½ inch vegetable oil in a cast-iron skillet, just slightly over medium heat.

Combine the flour and bread crumbs in a shallow bowl.

Remove the pork chops from the bag and shake off excess buttermilk. Coat both sides of the pork chops with Creole seasoning, then dip into the flour/bread crumb mixture. Thoroughly shake off excess bread crumbs, and carefully place the pork chops into the skillet.

Cook until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

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In the summertime, we take full advantage of our herb garden when making this roasted pork dish, but Jerry also has adapted it for the colder months using dried herbs.

Herbed pork roast with garlic mashed potatoes

1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning, or ½ tablespoon each dried basil, oregano and thyme

1 teaspoon sage

½ tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

½ cup flour

1 whole head of garlic, peeled and top cut off

¼ cup olive oil

3- to 4-pound pork loin roast

4 cups water

4 teaspoons chicken bouillon

Heat olive oil in a crock pot over high heat.

In a large bowl, combine herbs, salt, pepper and flour. Pat the roast dry and coat it in the flour mixture (do not discard flour mixture).

Brown the roast in the crock pot for approximately 1 minute per side.

Add remaining flour mixture and the garlic to the crock pot and stir approximately 1 minute to make a roux.

Add the water (it should not completely cover the roast) and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to approximately 215 degrees and simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

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Garlic mashed potatoes

2 to 3 heads garlic (depending on size)

Olive oil

3 or 4 baking potatoes (again, depending on size), washed, with skins on for added texture

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off the top ¼ of each head of garlic, making sure each individual clove is exposed. Place the heads of garlic in the center of a 1-square-foot sheet of aluminum foil, and cover the tops liberally with olive oil and cracked black pepper. Wrap the foil around the heads of garlic and bake for one hour. Allow garlic to cool, then squeeze out individual cloves.

Cook potatoes in boiling water until fork tender. Drain potatoes and return them to the stove over low heat to remove any excess moisture. Meanwhile, add the roasted garlic, sour cream and milk. Use a hand masher or mixer to reach desired consistency.

Spaghetti sauce with meatballs

Homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs is definitely a weekend dish at our house because, although the sauce can be ready in a little over an hour, the longer it simmers, the thicker and more flavorful it becomes. And, with its combination of garlic, basil, oregano and thyme, it makes the house smell heavenly, so why not leave it on the stove all afternoon?

While this meal reheats well as a whole, oftentimes we’ll make meatball subs as a second-day dish. Prepared on fresh sub rolls and then heated in the oven with a few slices of mozzarella cheese on top, these hot sandwiches makes a fantastic – and quite fulfilling – lunch.

Spaghetti sauce with meatballs

Meatballs:

½ loaf Italian bread

Milk

1 head garlic, peeled and finely chopped

½ bunch Italian parsley, approximately 1 cup, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup Romano cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

18-20 ½-inch cubes of mozzarella cheese

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup plain bread crumbs

Sauce:

3 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes

1 head garlic, peeled and finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon fresh

½ tablespoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon fresh

½ tablespoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon fresh

Hot, cooked pasta

To make meatballs: Hollow out the loaf of Italian bread, discarding crust, and break bread into rough chunks. Place the bread in a bowl and cover with milk; soak for at least 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine garlic, parsley, ground beef, ground pork, salt, pepper and Romano and Parmesan cheeses. Squeeze most of the milk out of the bread, and add the bread to the meat mixture. Add the egg, and mix with your hands until all ingredients are incorporated. The mixture will be moist and sticky.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.

Take a palm-sized handful of the meat mixture and flatten it slightly against your palm. Place a chunk of mozzarella in the center of the mixture, and fold the meat around the cheese until you form a ball. Roll the meatball in bread crumbs, and shake off excess crumbs. Repeat this process until all of the meat mixture has been rolled into balls.

Place the meatballs in a single layer in the saute pan (this will take several batches). Brown the meatballs on all sides, approximately 3 minutes per side (the meatballs do not have to cook all the way through, as they will be added to the sauce). Remove the meatballs to a plate with paper towels or a paper bag to drain the excess oil. Set aside. Reserve the olive oil.

Makes 18 large meatballs.

To make sauce: Pulse tomatoes in a food processor, or use a knife to roughly chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can.

Strain the reserved olive oil from the meatballs into a stock pot over medium heat. Saute the garlic in olive oil for approximately 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, oregano, thyme and basil, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes. Add meatballs to the sauce and cook, still uncovered, at least 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remember: The longer the sauce simmers, the thicker and more flavorful it will become.

Serve spaghetti sauce and meatballs over your favorite hot, cooked pasta.

Discovering artichokes

If you have never eaten an artichoke, you don’t know what you’re missing. And based on the quizzical look we often get when going through the check-out line, we’re guessing there are lots of people who haven’t given this edible thistle a try.

The taste of an artichoke is not easy to describe: it’s slighty nutty and mild, and matches quite well with lemon.

Our favorite way to eat an artichoke is steamed with a bit of lemon juice and thyme. Some people dip their artichoke leaves in a mixture of mayonnaise and lemon juice, but we prefer ours with plain old melted butter (or, if it’s a particularly good artichoke, with nothing at all). To see some other options, from Creamy Thai Dip to a low-calorie dill dip, visit www.artichokes.org/recipes.html.

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Steamed artichoke

1 artichoke

1 lemon, halved

½ teaspoon salt

Melted butter, for dipping

Pull off the small bottom leaves around the stem of the artichoke, and cut the stem flush with the bottom of the artichoke so that it will sit flat in a steamer. Rub lemon immediately over the freshly-cut area to prevent oxidizing (turning brown). Cut the top ¼ of the artichoke off and discard leaf tops, again rubbing lemon over the freshly-cut area.

Place the artichoke in a steamer, stem down, and squeeze the juice from the lemon halves on top of the artichoke. Put the lemon halves in the steamer with the artichoke and steam for approximately one hour or until the leaves come off with a gentle pull. Sprinkle the steamed artichoke with salt.

To eat: Remove one leaf at a time, dip in butter and scrape the “meat” from the leaf with your teeth. (We are a family of both top- and bottom-scrapers. Jamie uses her top teeth, while Jerry and Cera use their bottom teeth. Choose whichever method is most comfortable, and most productive, for you.)

Once you get down to a point where it’s difficult to pull off one leaf at a time, remove the remaining leaves. What’s left is the heart and the fuzzy part of the thistle called the chote. Remove the fuzzy chote, which is at the top of the heart, with a knife or scoop it out with a spoon. Trim the edges around the heart, and you are left with the artichoke’s greatest delicacy. Cut up the heart evenly to prevent arguments, dip the pieces in butter and enjoy.

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This recipe, which features artichoke hearts in an alfredo sauce over pasta, is intended for people who really like artichokes. If you’re making this dish for the first time, or you’re unsure about your love for artichokes, you might want to cut the amount of artichoke hearts to one can.

Artichoke alfredo

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped

2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste

1 teaspoon pepper, plus additional to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 ¼ cups dry white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup pecorino romano cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese

Your favorite pasta, cooked and drained (we prefer angel hair pasta with this dish)

Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute one minute, stirring constantly.

Add artichoke hearts, thyme, salt and pepper, and saute two minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add lemon juice and white wine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook until the liquid is reduced by one half, approximately eight to 10 minutes.

Add heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Cook another three minutes.

Add cheese and stir. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over hot, cooked pasta. Yields six servings as a main dish.

Turkey in mushroom cream sauce

Anyone who was a struggling college student is familiar with the culinary delicacy known as ramen – a package of instant, thin, white noodles available in nearly every imaginable flavor, from plain old beef to chicken vegetable to picante shrimp. It wasn’t the most fulfilling meal, but it was simple to make (just add water and heat), and the best part was the cost – approximately 15 to 20 cents per package, and even less if you could find it in bulk.

Our tastes have become much more sophisticated since college, but that doesn’t mean that ramen doesn’t still have a place in our kitchen. This dish, one of Jerry’s originals, combines the instant noodles with turkey cutlets in a creamy mushroom sauce.

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Turkey in mushroom cream sauce

Cajun seasoning (recipe follows)

4 turkey cutlets

8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 14.5-ounce can chicken broth

2 cups heavy creamy

2 3-ounce packages ramen, chicken mushroom flavor

Lightly coat each side of the turkey cutlets with Cajun seasoning.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey cutlets for approximately 1 minute per side and remove from pan. Set turkey aside.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the mushrooms to the skillet, and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add ¾ of the can of chicken broth and reduce the heat to medium. Cook approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the broth has reduced by approximately three-fourths.

Add heavy cream, and stir to incorporate. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare ramen according to package directions. When ramen is cooked, drain the noodles and add to the mushroom mixture. Return the turkey to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

To serve, place one turkey cutlet on each of four plates, then divide noodles evenly among the plates. Spoon mushroom sauce over the turkey and noodles.

Serving hint: A warm, crusty loaf of bread makes a nice accompaniment to this meal . Torn into large pieces, the bread is perfect for sopping up any leftover mushroom sauce.

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Cajun seasoning

2 ½ tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon pepper

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.