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What do you do with half a bag of jumbo pasta shells, extra packages of stove top stuffing mix and cans of condensed cream soups? These are just a few of the holiday items folks were looking to use in meal plans.

Stuffed Pasta Shells will take care of the extra pasta shells before they become stale. Make with ground beef or go vegetarian and add spinach. This make ahead dish is substitute friendly.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

4 cups spaghetti or marinara sauce.

2 Tbsp chili sauce (optional)

6-8 ounces (about 1/2 bag) jumbo pasta shells, un- cooked

Filling:

16 ounces ricotta cheese

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp parsley flakes

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 pound ground beef, cooked and well drained and crumbled

1 1/2 cups water

Eight to twelve hours before baking time, combine spaghetti and chili sauce and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, 2 cups of the mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, seasoned salt, black pepper and ground beef, mixing well.

Combine spaghetti sauce and chili sauce and spread half the sauce mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Stuff uncooked pasta shells with filling and place filled side up on top of sauce. If you have extra filling, distribute in small dollops over stuffed pasta. Spoon remaining sauce over stuffed pasta. Top with remaining cheese. Carefully pour water over the top. Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours or overnight.

Remove dish from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered 40-50 minutes, until bubbly and heated through. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below to catch any bubble over drips, making after meal clean-up easier. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: uncooked manicotti pasta may be used in place of the pasta shells. A 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed and well drained may be used in place of the ground beef. Well drained cottage cheese may be substituted for the ricotta cheese.

Hint: ricotta and cottage cheese may be frozen to keep on hand for these type of pasta dishes.

Stove top preparation stuffing mixes are handy to have on hand for a quick side dish, but they do have a shorter shelf life than most box mixes. Thanksgiving in a Pan, so named because the original recipe features cooked turkey, is an easy, dinner on the table in less than an hour, one dish meal. You can substitute other vegetables or add additional layers.

Thanksgiving in a Pan

1 package (8 ounces) turkey or chicken stuffing mix

2 1/2 cups diced cooked tur- key

2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed

1 jar (12 ounces) turkey gravy

Ground black pepper to taste

Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. Transfer stuffing to a greased 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Top with turkey, green beans and gravy. Sprinkle with ground black pepper.

Cover with foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Note: stuffing mix is available in a number of different flavors so diced beef roast, ham or chicken may be used in place of the turkey. Drained canned or frozen corn, diced cooked carrots are other vegetables that work well in this recipe. 1 1/2 cups homemade gravy or a gravy mix prepared according to package directs may be used. Cream of chicken, mushroom or celery soup will work in a pinch. Dilute with 2-3 tablespoons of water or milk for a gravy consistency.

Ham is always a savory addition to casseroles. Lazy Ham Bake is another dish ready to eat in under an hour, plus it will use up several cans of the extra soups from your pantry

Lazy Ham Bake

1 1/2 pounds cubed, fully cooked ham

1 package (16 ounces) frozen cut broccoli, thawed and drained

2 1/2 cups milk, divided

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) con- densed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) con- densed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 cups biscuit/baking mix

Minced fresh parsley, op- tional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine ham, broccoli, 1 cup milk, soups, onion powder and garlic powder; mix well. Spoon mixture into an un-greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

In the same bowl, combine baking mix with remaining milk, mixing to combine well. Pour mixture evenly over ham and broccoli.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with parsley if desired. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Note: if you don’t have cheddar cheese soup on hand, substitute another cream soup, such as celery or a second can of mushroom soup. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese over the ham mixture before covering with the biscuit mix. Other fresh herbs may be used in place of the parsley. Cauliflower may be used in place of the broccoli, and an equivalent amount of the vegetables fresh, cooked and well drained may be substituted for the frozen.

Our next column will feature Valentine’s Day themed recipes. Some will use up holiday baking items, others are brand new delectable treats.

Meanwhile, if baking and transporting cupcakes to school or other youth functions is on your agenda for Valentines Day or birthday parties, try this slick trick.

Use the left over clear plastic disposable punch glasses and place a frosted cup cake in the glass. Use several appropriately themed stickers to hold a second glass as a cover on top. The cover may be used as a drink cup. Provide plastic spoons and the cup cakes can be eaten from the cup, maybe saving some clean up time.

Share your favorite Valentine’s Day recipes and other winter favorites by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email to therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Wait, don’t start any garden or flower seeds yet.