Baked Ravioli

I happen to LOVE Real Simple magazine, if I could only have (heaven forbid) one magazine subscription, Real Simple is the one I would have! It has fashion, organizing, life, recipes, everything I need in a magazine. This is a recipe from the Real Simple website, and it's a good one! Super easy (or should I say simple?) and tasty too. I halved it and baked it in two individual sized ramekins. The original recipe has chicken sausage in the ingredients, which I didn't have so I made my version even simpler. Three ingredients: mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (buy a good kind, or make your own, you don't wanna go with the cheap watery kind here), and ravioli. Mix it all together, bake it for 20 minutes and there ya go. Dinner is served!

Baked Ravioli

adapted from Real Simple

Makes 4 servings

2 cups marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

16-18 ounces fresh or frozen ravioli

Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain and return to pot.

Toss with marinara sauce and about 1/2 - 3/4 cups of cheese. Transfer to a shallow, 2 quart baking dish, or divide among individual ramekins.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until bubbling and beginning to brown.

Real. Simple.

Linking to Foodie Fridays, Friday Potluck , Paisley Passions, Friday Favorites, Tater Tots and Jello, Sunday Showcase, and Tidy Mom

Stromboli Sandwiches

Usually I'm not a big fan of Rachel Ray, many of her recipes have long lists of ingredients which I usually don't have. I also find her use of the phrases "Yum-O" and "EVOO" and cutesy recipe names (ahem... sammies...) a bit annoying. My sister, however, is a big fan. And, I must admit, this recipe was awesome. I had everything I needed on hand, it came together in 25 minutes (including the 15 minutes baking time), and it impressed my guests. So in this case, way to go Rachel Ray!

Stromboli Sandwiches

Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

One 16-ounce loaf semolina bread

Spinach or other mixed greens (I used a 50/50 mix)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound chicken sausage or tofu crumbles

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (3 generous handfuls)

8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Cut off the top quarter of the bread lengthwise and scoop out the bottom piece.

In a medium skillet, heat oil t over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using.

Sprinkle bread shell with provolone cheese, add a layer of greens, then sausage mixture.

Finally, top with the parmigiano, mozzarella and bread lid.

Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 15 minutes.

Cut into thick slices to serve.

One more thing, I would love to know what kind of recipes you all want to see. If you could take a sec and vote in the poll in my side bar, I would be supremely grateful!

Thanks, can't wait to hear what you all think!

Happy Eating!

I'll be linking up to Mouthwatering Monday and Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Keeper, and Rook #17

Feta Rosemary Beer Bread

I baked up a loaf of this beer bread to go with a dinner of tomato basil bisque the oth

er night. It actually stole the show! I borrowed the recipe the wonderful Farmgirl Fare blog, a blog full of beautiful farm pictures and hearty recipes. Susan, the author, describes herself as

"a 42-year-old former cultured California chick happily turned manure mucking Missouri farm girl."

You should definitely check her blog out, you can find more of her beer bread ideas here. The bread I made is "Beyond Easy Beer Bread." And it really is ridiculously easy, not only that, but it baked up crusty and flavorful with a moist crumb studded with melty chunks of feta and flavorful bursts of rosemary. Oh, and the hearty beer flavor, fantastic! Perfect for dipping in a bowl of your favorite soup. Enjoy!

Easy Beer Bread

from Farmgirl Flare

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

12 ounces beer

1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh (chopped)

3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 375°.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, rosemary, and feta in a large mixing bowl.

Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined.

Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8 inch loaf pan, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. With beer ☺

Linking up at tatertots and jello!

Cheddar Veggie Pot Pie in a Jar

My little sister was the first one to introduce me to the pie in a jar concept. She made me a batch of pot pies. She didn't cook them but gave them to me frozen in their little jars (so cute!). The instructions were just pop in the oven at 325 and a little over a half hour later, steaming hot, single serving pot pie. It is so comforting to come home after a long day at work and know that I can have a delicious home cooked pot pie in a flash. No work involved (well I do have to move it from the freezer to the oven, but that I can handle!) This weekend I made a batch of these yummy little treats to freeze (and a few to eat right away). I am anticipating a busy week at work, and having these on hand will be a life saver! I didn't have my sisters original recipe, so I used a cheddar chicken pot pie recipe from taste of home's website (I changed it a bit and made it vegetarian). For the pie in a jar part, I used tips from Our Best Bites. The cheese in the filling makes it extra creamy, and you could really use any variety of veggies you like. I did forget to season with salt and pepper so my filling was a bit more bland than I would have liked, but if you follow the directions, something I apparently can't do, your filling will be more flavorful. I was very happy with the crust, it turned out flakey and crisp. Just the way a good pot pie crust should be. Great comfort food!

Cheddar Veggie Pot Pie in a Jar

Adapted from Taste of Home's Cheddar Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust (I used this recipe) for double crust pie.

FILLING:

1-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1.5 cups peeled cubed potatoes

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup peas

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups milk (I used rice milk)

3/4 shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For filling, Place broth in a pot; bring to a boil.

Add vegetables. Reduce heat; simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stirring occasionaly. While this is simmering, start prepping the jars.

Cut circles out of dough using the jar ring. Set aside.

Using the rest of the dough, line jars. You can just take pieces and press them into the jar until it reaches the top. Set jars aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour and milk; stir into broth mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly.

Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Heat until cheese melts.

Spoon filling into jars, filling 3/4 full. Top with crust circles.

Make several slits in center of crust for steam to escape, I used my nifty pie crust cutters. At this point you need to decide if you want to bake and eat right away or freeze for later. To freeze, just let cool, put the lid on, and stick in the freezer. When ready to bake (or if you choose not to freeze), bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool and dig in!

It is cute, no?

Pie in a jar tips click here

Side note! If you are worried about the glass baking if you are baking them after freezing, put them in a cold oven and let them sit in there while it preheats, that way there is no chance of the glass breaking due to temperature change.

Another good tip from the Baking Bites web site: Line your baking tray with a slip pat so the jars don't slide around as you are trying to remove them from the oven.

Magazine/Cookbook Monday: Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas

Happy Monday! This is going to be a quick post as I am writing from my hotel room and have to be up VERY soon to catch my flight. I got the basis of this alfredo recipe from an old Food & Wine magazine I found at my doctor's office (don't worry I asked before tearing it out!) I neglected, however, to write down the issue month or year. The original recipe is for Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus. I didn't have any fettuccine noodles or asparagus so I subbed orzo for the fettuccine and threw in some peas and bacon to transform it into a complete meal. The sauce turned out perfect; rich, creamy and cheesy. It may seem strange to combine orzo with a fettuccine sauce, but I LOVED how it turned out. Orzo is a hearty pasta and can hold its own with this sauce, which is pretty thick as far as alfredo sauces go. The peas and bacon added great texture. I will definitely be making this dish again, I bet it would be equally satisfying with chicken, or a different combination of seasonal veggies. Hope you all enjoy it and have a great week!

Orzo Alfredo with Bacon and Peas

Sauce recipe: Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients

3 main dish servings

(Note, in the picture, I photographed nutmeg and garlic which I ended up leaving out)

1/2 pound orzo

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/4 cup peas

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

5 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Cook orzo according to directions on box.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix cream, peas, butter, Parmesan, and bacon. Heat over medium low heat, whisking constantly until Parmesan and butter have melted.

Combine with orzo, season with salt and pepper and serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese.

Happy whisking,

Tuna Melt Wraps with Avocado

I love a good tuna melt, I also love a good quesadilla, so how bout we combine the two in a wrap? Ok! This began as a way for me to use up some leftovers from my fridge, half a bag of cheese, some tortillas, a tomato, mushrooms, and an avocado. First I mixed the avocado with tuna and a bit of mayo. Then I slapped on the veggies, gave it all a good sprinkle of cheese and broiled it in the oven for a few minutes. The results were simple, delicious, and healthy to boot!

Tuna Melt Wraps

Ingredients

Makes 2 asombroso (amazing) wraps

1 Ripe avocado

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1-2 Tablespoons light mayo (according to taste)

1/2 tomato, sliced

1 can light tuna packed in water

1/2 - 3/4 cups cheese

2 tortillas

Mash together avocado, mayo, and tuna. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Take one tortilla, smear with tuna mixture,

layer on some mushrooms

and tomato slices and sprinkle the whole thing with cheese.

Repeat with remaining tortilla. Place on a baking sheet in the oven and broil for about two minutes or until cheese has melted (watch CLOSELY, oven heats vary and these can burn quite quickly).

When cheese is melty, pull out of the oven and wrap tortilla, securing with a toothpick if it wont stay. Cut each wrap in half and serve.

¿Quieres uno? ¿Yo? SI!!

¡Que Delicioso!

Have a beautiful day!