When everyone feels like nesting and eating light I love having these stuffed manicotti on hand in the freezer.

Believe it or not these really can be light and full of protein.

I use organic ricotta cheese and organic eggs.

The real secret is to separate the eggs and whip the whites and fold them into the ricotta, Italian shredded cheeses, herbs and heavy cream mixture.

I aslo add herbs. Sometime just what is on hand. Fresh parsley is perfect. Also, fresh basil and fresh oregano.

For the sauce, it can be anything you like. A red sauce always works well but I have been experimenting and like a light parmesan cheese sauce with a little butter and lemon whisked in.

I would also suggest sauteeing some exotic mushrooms in tarragon and serving them on top for a gorgeous presentation.

But you can get creative with any ragu or chutney you like. You can even skip the cheese filling and fill them with mushrooms and whisk together an olive oil, lemon and herb sauce.

Once you get the noodle down the field is wide open and you have an easy, freezable delicacy at your fingertips.

But it all starts with the “noodle”. Really a crepe which is light and fluffy.

Ingredients

6 eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

Mix and let stand for 1/2 hour before cooking.

Method

Pour 1/4 cup batter in a hot omlette pan, swirl to coat evenly

Flip and cook the other side.

Fill with your favorite stuffing, roll, bake and serve or freeze for later.

Tip: Line the bottom of your freezer dish with parchment paper so that you can easily remove the manicotti. You’ll want to bake them with some liquid on the bottom of your baking dish whether that is a red sauce, white sauce, etc. If you want to bake them with out the sauce then leave the parchment paper in the baking dish while baking.

These can go from freezer to 350 degree oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes covered.
I freeze mine in a Pyrex dish covered with foil for ease and simplicity.

This does take some practice. Good luck

It’s a warm sunny day in October and I am sitting at a sidewalk café with my bff M. having coffee and crepes.

This area of town is one of those,” up and coming” neighborhoods which has been going through the gentrification process for as long as I can remember. And quite frankly, I like that it is still rough around the edges and not too tidy or crowded with the stroller set.

It’s a rare opportunity in the Midwest to dine outside in October and the mood was festive. The couple behind us was drinking Champagne in the middle of the afternoon. I felt practically continental!

This place is very small and definitely has a European flair. The crepes are their signature dish and they come both in sweet and savory varieties. I must say that the dessert crepes take the prize.

We had café ole and a Nutella, banana, peanut butter crepe! Need I say more?