(think Extreme and you will know the tune)
A few years back I came across an excellent recipe for Mexican Manicotti. The first time I made it, I didn't think anything of the effort to stuff the shells. The first time you make something is always the most difficult time, right? And the taste, OMGosh, better than... well, better than chocolate! (that says something!) I made it a few times over that summer. But I found each time I made the dinner I hated and dreaded stuffing those darned shells more and more. I tried spoons, knives, I tried submerging the darned shells in the meat/bean mixture. All to no avail! I set that excellent tasting recipe on the shelf.
I had a "light bulb" moment. Try lasagna noodles. Three layers of lasagna noodles is about the right amount, but the flavor wasn't quite right, too much pasta. Again, it got shelved. Enter my sister. She attended a cooking show and they told her a little trick for filling the shells. Put the stuff in a zipper bag and cut a corner, squeeze into the shells. Simple. My sis tried it, said it was easier.
Ok, I'll pull out the Manicotti again. FIVE zipper bags, half a bottle of hand soap and one half the previous amount of time to stuff the shells. I finished the arduous task.
Five bags you say? Yep! The first one I cut the corner a bit too wide. My err. Ok. Great Value sandwich bags started splitting in the middle, and I don't mean the seams. Cheap bags, ok. Next, Glad double zipper bags, splitting in the middle and top popping open (used two of these). Glad double zipper freezer bags, top pops open. Wonder what kind of super strength zipper bags my sister used?
I guess I'll enjoy dinner tonight and go back to being a manicotti hater. Sigh.
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I use different brands of bags depending on sales/coupons. My most recent brand (hefty) was not as stellar as the previous brand (glad). I also find that when I use the bags, I treat them like I would decorating a cake. (???) I also had another lightbulb moment: maybe we could try those ketchup/mustard containers they sell in the dollar stores and just cut the tip off a bit more??? I don't really know but maybe it would work...I do believe we will find a cure for your manicotti madness so that all can enjoy one of our favorite dishes! :) (I really like the benefit I have in making it a whole day ahead!)
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