Preheat oven to 350.

Cook 12 manicotti shells per package directions. Rinse in cold water and set on foil to dry (keep apart so they don’t stick).

Spread 3/4 cup of spaghetti sauce on bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish.

Mix 1 egg (lightly beaten), 1-3/4 cups Ricotta cheese, 1-1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup pesto. Spoon mixture into piping bag.

Fill 12 manicotti shells, one at a time, squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of shell. Place manicotti over sauce in baking dish; pour 1-3/4 cups spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Cover with foil.

Bake 40 minutes, or until heated through.

Grease a 9×13 pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat 3/4 cup softened butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat until combined. Add 1 egg, 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium) and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until combined. Beat in 2 cups flour. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional).

Spread in prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until golden. Cool on wire rack; cut into bars. Makes about 36 (or less if you cut bigger!).

So.. I had my niece and nephew sleep over last night and for dinner I decided to try a new recipe. I don’t know how much they liked it (Esther said the chicken tasted “funny”) but I thought it was pretty good.

Cook 2 cups multigraine penne pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray (or use a little olive oil) on medium-high heat. Add 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 1-1/4 cups salsa, 1 cup frozen corn and 1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 minute, or until cheese is melted.

I didn’t have a pepper so instead I added in a bag of broccoli stir fry vegetables. It tasted really good!

Also, since the kids were over I didn’t take a picture, but I found this one online with the recipe.

So.. I have made Swiss Meringue Buttercream lots of times and love it. One of my favorite frostings ever, it is beautiful, tasty, pipes and stores well. The only down side to this frosting is that you have to beat the eggs with sugar over hot water to make sure the eggs are cooked through before beating and adding the butter etc. It’s not a big deal, but does make my arm tired if I’m making a lot.

This weekend I am going to try making Italian Meringue Buttercream. Mostly the same ingredients, however in this version you cook the sugar with water (meaning you don’t have to beat it as it cooks) and then incorporate that into whipped egg whites, cooking the egg at that point. Similar to my marshmallow frosting I make, except this one you add butter at the end to make it a buttercream.

If this works out well, I will be using it for the wedding cupcakes for the Foell-Chambers wedding in two weeks. I had planned to use my marshmallow frosting but this one may be even better, easier to work with and will be easier to color.

So.. yesterday was my birthday. I have a rule that I never work on my birthday so I got to sleep in a little, which was great. I went to a movie with Ruth, Tom & the kids and Ben got to come along as well. The movie was enjoyable and everyone had a good time. We had lunch and then, I’m so exciting – I took a nap. It’s my birthday, I can nap if I want to.

After my nap I went home, whipped up some ganache and frosting to make some S’mores cupcakes (I had already baked the cupcakes). They tasted good, although I am going to work on my presentation. The graham crackers on top made the frosting not stick well and it slid off for some people. I used my kitchen torch to toast the marshmallow frosting. Yummy.

I had a fun dinner with friends, watched tv, hung out and relaxed. My kind of day.