Just Another Manic(otti) Monday

The weather in Pennsylvania has turned wintry and cold, and I was happy to spend most of the past few days indoors. And what is it fun to do when you're indoors where it's warm and cozy, looking into the outdoors where it's cold? Why, cook, of course!

I do enjoy a good Italian meal, and a week or two ago, I bought the ingredients to make manicotti. You may not be able to tell exactly what that cheesy, saucy mess above is, but I'm telling you now. That's what it is: manicotti.

The particular recipe I used involved ricotta, assorted shredded Italian cheeses, parmesan, manicotti pasta, spaghetti sauce, eggs, parsley, pepper, and salt. The most time-consuming part was stuffing the cheese mixture into the pasta. The funnest part was watching the cheese melt and begin to brown. Mmmm, I do love cheese!

Those of you who remember the 80s music scene already know what the song is to accompany this photo of one of my favorite pastas wearing an almost insane amount of melted cheese: the Bangles, with Manic Monday. Yeah, it's just another manic(otti) Monday!