Nesting...

...it's a little chilly here and I like it.
My very old Uggs are about to live through another season.

I'm cooking and baking today...
And reading these two books simultaneously. 
Yes, I recommend both of them.
Jackie Collins knows her vengeance. Gordon Livingston knows his gratitude.
There are days when we all need a little of both.

I'll be seeing TeacherGirl this weekend and I thought I'd fill her fridge with some goodies.
When I was newly married my Mother quietly stocked my fridge with hearty meals.
I admit that I sometimes removed the loving notes that were taped on the casserole dishes, 
and pretended I created the goodies myself.
(A long, long time ago I had the urge to impress a hubby...now, not so much.)


I'm making Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells today.

This recipe calls for a jar of store-bought sauce. Horrors!
Store-bought sauce is equivalent to the devil in my culture so I'm using Giada DeLaurentis' 
Simple Sauce

Of course you are free to open a can of Ragu. I envy you.
I made a few extra shells to freeze. 
Just separate the layers with plastic wrap and stack them in an airtight container.

The pumpkin puree isn' as fattening as ricotta cheese, and I do love to save a few calories every now and then.
But I also added shredded mozzarella on top, so the calorie content isn't as low as it could be. 
You decide.


I'm dropping off a tray of these for my friend Jim. 
I don't think I'll tell him there's more pumpkin than cheese in this dish.
He won't notice...men seldom do.

I made the mistake of posting my plans on TeacherGirl's FaceBook.
The MollDoll wasn't too happy.

I love you Molly. Really I do. 
You are not chopped liver. 
You just live too far...come home and I'll serve you a feast!