Mushroom and Feta Ravioli

I was looking at the things marked down in the pre-packed stuff in the produce department.  You know, the veggies that are already cut for stir-fry, mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, wanton wraps...wait, those are in produce?  Ok.  I guess it's no more strange than the fact that the tofu "meat" is just to the right of the stuffed mushrooms.  I guess this is the West side grocery we are talking about here, people out there mostly eat potatoes and pre-packed meat, so I guess the rest of the food falls under the category of "that weird stuff those hippy-types eat."  Yes, I am stereo typing.  Though I did work on that side of town for over a year, and there is some truth to all this.

So I got a wild hair and got a package of wanton wraps.  I had planned on making Joy the Baker's Green Pea Pesto Ravioli.  Days later, when I finally had a good time to make these yummy looking envelopes I realized I did not have enough peas!

um, ok, plan B.

Mushrooms.  They were begging to be eaten.  Throw in a little feta, ricotta, parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper.  I guess that will have to suffice. oh, wait, I mean "that sounds really yummy, too!"

Wrap them up and an hour later they are ready to cook!  Yes, filling and wrapping these little gems takes some time.

On the up side, we got 3 meals (6 servings total) out of the deal.

The first dinner was a fun experiment.  I turned the oven on and placed these little guys on a greased cookie sheet, then brushed them with some oil and baked 'em up until they were crisp and golden.  Since feta and ricotta do not really melt, there was not much issue with the filling running.  Also, I sauteed the mushrooms before mixing with the cheese for the watery reason, and to bring out the nice nutty mushroom flavor.

In the picture above I attempted a creamy tomato sauce.  I put some tomato paste in a skillet with some cream and whisked it up.  When realized there were little red spots in it I realized it may not have been tomato paste but enchilada sauce instead.  I tasted it and my found I was right.  Guess that's what I get for not labeling things in the fridge!  I went with it, and some how it tasted ok together.  Maybe because the ravioli was baked rather than boiled.  Who knows.

The ravioli we did not eat that night was placed in the freezer, not touching, in a zipper bag.  It made it really easy to pop a dozen into a pot of boiling water.  Just wait a few minutes for them to float (occasionally giving the water a gentle stir so the ravioli don't stick) and then remove from the water.

I used a can of diced tomatoes and added sauteed onion and dried basil and salt to make a sauce.  The tomatoes were bigger chunks than I wanted, so I used a potato masher until they were more reasonable.  This also thickened the sauce a bit...though as you can tell, it was still pretty liquid-y.  Top with freshly grated parm and, well, yum.

Freshly grated Parmesan makes anything seem more fancy.  It just kicks things up a notch!  Plus, buying a block of cheese is much cheaper by the ounce than buying the shredded stuff.

There were a few extra shells once the filling was used up.  I added a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a sprinkle of cinnamon to a few tablespoons of cream cheese.  A splash of vanilla and cream.

Folded it up in the remaining shells and baked, and drizzled a quick powdered sugar glaze over the top just before eating.

They tasted good, but most of the filling oozed out of the shells leaving pillows of air.  The one in the middle of the picture was folded up more like a crab Rangoon with the opening on top keeping the filling inside.  Lessons.  In school or not, we learn some every day!

~JiMele
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Mushroom and Feta Ravioli
(amounts are guest-imates, I just kinda mixed things in until I liked the consistency)
1 package wonton wraps
1 package mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ricotta
2"x2" cube feta, crumbled
dash of salt (just to taste, the feta adds salt, too)

Chop and saute the mushrooms until the juice has stopped running.  Toss in a bowl with cheese and garlic.  I added a tablespoon or so of fresh cilantro just because I had it in the fridge.  Place about a teaspoon in each wrapper and seal edges with a tiny bit of water.

The ravioli can now be fried, brushed with oil and baked in a 400F oven until golden, or boiled.  You pick!
Enjoy


Linking up with 33 Shades of Green Tasty Tuesday, check out her banana blueberry pancakes

Tomato Trick

Do you like tomatoes?  mmm, beautiful ruby, sweet tomatoes.  There is something so amazing about biting into a fresh tomato right off the vine.  Why is it called a vine anyway?  Tomato plants grow more like bushes or trees.  Anyway, tomatoes taste wonderful.

If you are tired of just eating tomatoes like apples right off the vine, try a little fresh mozzarella, olive oil and basil.  

Also known as Caprese salad if you want to sound fancy about it!

Here, in the February version of Central Indiana, there are not to many back yard tomato plants, or basil for that matter!  Grocery store tomatoes have to do for now.  The Heirloom variety are more expensive, but add a splash of variety.  (the photos are regular though)  I used some garden basil that had been dried and crumbled.  It's not the same as fresh, but it beats paying $3 for about an ounce of fresh stuff!

Ok, here is where the tomato trick comes in.  Tomatoes can be tricky little buggers to cut.  You know the apple corer you have in the drawer?

Slice off the top of the tomato, just so there is a flat surface for the blades to cut into (you can see my sliced off top by the plate in the picture above) and position the apple slicer over the tomato and slice.  Done.

Simple?  Yep.

Now, there are 8 slices, and they are kind of fat.  For the caprese salad I sliced the tomato wedges in half length-wise so that they would be thinner wedges.  This makes a nice thickness for sandwiches, too.

Enjoy your super easy caprese salad!

~JiMele

Purple Cow

When JiMele came to my place to make cupcakes she brought supplies to make drinks! But these were not just any drinks, these were supplies to make a concoction called a Purple Cow!

This is JiMele, hi!  I should say that I have never had a purple cow, and only found out what it actually was around Thanksgiving.  I thought it sounded as intriguing as it did gross.  I bet you really want one now!  Don't judge until you have finished reading...better yet, until you have made one of these for yourself!  
It's fun!

I give the floor back to Ash:
We started with a splash of a sweet, grapey red wine from an Indiana winery (concord grape Juice would make a perfect non-alcoholic substitute). Next, a dollop of vanilla ice cream went in the glass and it all got topped off with bubbly. It came out much like an alcoholic ice cream soda with the flavor of a dreamsicle, if dreamcicles were flavored with grape rather than orange.

An old-fashioned-soda-shop Purple Cow is made by putting a few tablespoons concord grape syrup in a tall glass, filling with vanilla ice cream and topping with soda water.  The thing I had to get past was the soda water and ice cream combo...


but the concord grape syrup gave me an idea!  There is a winery near by (you may have heard of Oliver Winery) that has a wine called Sweet Red.  This is a very sweet concord grape wine.  Basically grape juice with a kick!  


I thought we better skip the club soda and use dry bubbles.  An inexpensive bottle of brut bubbly, like cava will do the trick nicely.  I do not suggest a sweeter alternative like prosecco or moscato because it's sweet enough with ice cream and the sweet red wine.

It looks kinda like a science experiment, but it tastes SOOO much better!

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Pink Cow 
(for those lucky enough to have at least 21 years of life experience)
Fill about 1/3 of your glass with Concord grape wine, like Oliver Soft Red
Put as much ice cream as you can fit (or stand) in the glass
Carefully top with brut bubbles, cava


Enjoy with a spoon or straw, and don't give this one to the kids-o's!

(ok, go make one, then you can judge.  Let us know what you think!)


Linked up with 33 Shades of Green

Spaghetti Gets Better With Age!

 I am really excited to share this with you! There is something really rewarding about turning cold, sad left overs into something even better than they were the night before!

It started with cold, left over spaghetti, already sauced.

I baked it in an uncovered dish, at 450 degrees, turning it a few times and letting the spaghetti heat and dry out a bit. The drying out part is important if you are working with already sauced pasta and want to avoid making a soggy meal that screams  "hey this is last nights left overs, worse for the wear!"

Meanwhile, I sauteed zucchini in a just enough olive oil to coat the pan.

Adding a thinly sliced love of garlic, right at the end.

When the pasta was hot and getting a bit crisp in places I sprinkled it with grated Parmesan then spread the zucchini and garlic over it and topped it off with more cheese before sticking it back in the oven to brown on top.

 

Che Buono! 
~ Ash

What is your favorite Pancake Batter?

When I make pancakes, be they they topped with banana slices, bourbon vanilla (a home made gift from JiMele) and toasted walnuts, filled with chopped up chocolate bits, slathered in maple syrup or simply served with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar, I start by whisking up my favorite pancake batter.

The recipe comes from

Betty Crocker's Cook Book. As opposed to the extra 1-2 tablespoons Betty Suggests, I add an extra quarter up of milk, which thins the batter just the right amount. Otherwise, I have found it best not to deviate from Betty's instructions.

I would, perhaps, some day like to add other, more adventurous pancake recipes to my repertoire. I would love to know a great recipe for Wholewheat pancakes one for Pumpkin Pancakes and one for Crapes. Any suggestions?

 What is your favorite pancake recipe?

But, so far, Betty's is the recipe I have found I can count on for classic, fluffy pancakes that cook just right and dress up any which way I like.

Cupcakes!

Baked goods are a good excuse to get together with friends.

Making baked goods with friends is, better.  

Cupcakes taste better when the details are under your control...

Since Ash does not bake as often as I do (I think) I left the menu up to her.  And the drum-role please!

It is true, I do not bake all that often, but I was excited to sketch out this plan for Silver White Cake with Lemon Filling from Betty Crocker (I just call her Betty, but that is a story for another time), and almond flavored Creamy White Pink Frosting from my Better Homes and Gardens cook book.

 We had a great time mixing and filling and frosting and and tasting!

 I thought since Ash was kind enough to provide the location, ingredients and the lovely diagrammed plan, that I would provide libation.  The teaser: a Purple Cow that you don't want to give to a kid.  Check out the details here.

Savory Potato Pancakes

The other day I thought making some cheddar biscuits (you know, the fluffy ones at Red Lobster) would be pretty fun with some leftover chili.  Upon looking at the list of ingredients I quickly realized that was not going to happen...seeing as I was missing half of them.

Time for a new plan.  It had to also be yummy and kinda fun.

Oh yeah! I had some potatoes I needed to use!  Savory potato pancakes fit the bill.

I haven't made these babies in years.  I have a very simple recipe for Potato Latkes from a cookbook I had to use as part of 4th or 5th grade.

Simple is a great way to start.  The only thing I did differently was add 2 cloves of crushed garlic.

Fry 'em up for a few minutes on each side to make a nice crispy exterior, top with a little bit of spinach and some seasoned yogurt.  Voila, you have a fun side!

For a little info about potato pancakes go to Wikipidia.  They were a pretty common food around parts of Europe in days past.  I also found a PBS feature from a lady blogger who wrote a guest post about the history of Latkes for them.  Apparently Latkes come from Italy and were made with Ricotta, not potatoes.

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Potato Latkas
3 medium potatoes (4 if they are little)
3 eggs
2 Tbs flour
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt

Grate potatoes (squeeze out excess liquid) and onions, and crush garlic.  Beat eggs and mix all ingredients together.  Pour a thin layer of oil into the skillet, just a small puddle.  Plop small dollops of mixture into the skillet on medium-high heat.  Cook a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp.  Carefully add oil as needed.  When potato cakes are done toss a few hand fulls of fresh spinach into the skillet stirring almost constantly until almost all the leaves are wilted.  Top with seasoned yogurt  or sour cream.

Seasoned Yogurt
Some plain yogurt
a sprinkle of paprika and oregano
bigger spinkles of garlic powder and dill
salt and pepper to taste
Stir.
Simple.
Yum.