Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo

My 25th birthday is coming up in a few weeks and my big treat is a new KitchenAid mixer. It's currently sitting in it's box in the living room, taunting me with it's cool aqua color and shiny stainless steel. But alas, I'm not allowed to use it until it is officially my birthday, and homemade pastas are just going to have to wait until then.

What do you do when you can't make something from scratch? You cheat. One of the very rare times it's acceptable.

In this case, I cheated with frozen ravioli. I can't wait to be able to make my own but these are a perfectly good substitute. Any brand will do, round or square, pick your favorite.

I had at least half of a large can of pumpkin puree left after the donuts from last week that I hated to see go to waste so I trolled Pinterest for a savory dish to make with the leftovers. When I stumbled upon this recipe for cheese ravioli with pumpkin alfredo, I could just feel my mouth start to water.

It's the easiest thing to make and I guarantee you're going to want to eat it all fall and winter.

The recipe can be found here: www.tasteandtellblog.com/ravioli-pumpkin-alfredo-recipe/

Side note: To toast pine nuts and walnuts, preheat the oven to 375, spread them out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast for 5-10 until golden brown.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this dish. The herbs and the nutmeg come together with the pumpkin and parmesan to make a creamy, fragrant sauce that smells like fall, and the nuts add crunchy texture. It also made plenty to feed the entire family. This dish was a standout and can be tweaked easily depending on what you prefer. It's very easy but looks fancy!

Baked Buttermilk Pumpkin Donuts with Brown-Butter Maple Glaze

The blog has been on a pretty significant hiatus for the last two months or so while I studied for a major exam (which I passed Wednesday! Yay!) and I'm so excited to be back and have the time to cook again! Not to mention it's my favorite time of year and I plan to make as many pumpkin, apple, and fall-themed dishes as possible.

One of my weaknesses is donuts. I love them in all forms: glazed, cake, creme-filled etc. But who doesn't love a pumpkin donut??

I've never made donuts before but figured it couldn't possibly be too difficult. I made a trip to my local Bed, Bath, and Beyond and picked up Wilton donut pans for about $10, plus if you have one of their awesome coupons you can knock off another 20%. These are also easily found on Amazon.

The recipe I used can be found here: http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/11/baked-buttermilk-pumpkin-donuts/

The part I had the most trouble with is browning the butter in the microwave. On my first attempt, there was a lot of popping and scary noises so I stopped it only to find butter all over everything. My second try didn't fare much better but I managed to keep more of the butter contained. I couldn't get it to brown though and ended up just using melted butter. The glaze tasted great but I wonder if it would have had an even better color and flavor had it successfully browned. Anyone have any tips?

These donuts tasted great for several days after I made them, it took a while for them to start tasting stale. They came out very cake-like but moist and were devoured pretty quickly by everyone who came in contact with them. I've already been asked to make them again!

Tortellini Tomato Soup with Italian Sausage

It's the dead of summer and it's difficult to muster up the desire to eat a hot soup, but when your AC is cranking and the house feels like the Arctic (here's looking at you Mom), it's easy to switch gears and eat something reminiscent of winter time.

Enter Tortellini Tomato Soup with Italian Sausage. Easily one of the quickest and most delicious meals you will ever make. Seriously. You'll believe me when you get text messages at work from your family asking who's allowed to have the leftovers. Obviously Mom won that battle too.

To make this pot full of delight you will need:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 32oz box vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 package cheese tortellini
1 cup fresh packed spinach

Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in your favorite Dutch oven or large soup/stock pot. Once hot add in the onions and saute until soft. Adjust your heat accordingly.

Crumble in the Italian sausage along with the garlic and cook until you can't see any more pink.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add in the tortellini and spinach and simmer for another 10 minutes until the pasta becomes tender.

Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

This soup makes enough to last for about three days with a family of three and it can easily be doubled and even frozen. I've already gotten multiple requests to make it again from my dad, followed by a soon please. I'm happy it was such a hit!

Zucchini Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Each week I'm getting better and better with running (today I hit a personal best!) and to keep the streak going I've been trying to focus on eating fairly clean. We're not going to talk about the pizza and pancake bites I had at the end of last week but a little 90/10 never hurt anyone.

Today was my first attempt at making zucchini noodles to swap for spaghetti. I was already using whole grain noodles but I love zucchini and thought if zucchini pizza crust is delicious then zucchini noodles were probably just as good. To make them you need a spiralizer, easily found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or similar stores. Add in one of their 20% off coupons and mine only cost me $12. You can't beat that.

To use the tool simply cut off the ends of your zucchini, place one end in the tool, and twist. It takes a little bit of practice to get really long strands but short ones are just as good. I used three zucchini to make about four servings, you can use more if you need to.

In place of red sauce, which can be sugary, I made a roasted red pepper sauce. You can roast your peppers in the oven but I decided to really do it up and cook them on the charcoal grill outside. Once the grill is hot you cook them for about 15 minutes, rotating them until each side gets somewhat blackened. I also tossed on a few shrimp for some extra protein, marinated in McCormick's Island Woodfire Grill Marinade, found at any grocery store.

To make your sauce, start by peeling your peppers once they've cooled; you only need two. The skin should come right off. Then clean the seeds out and cut the pepper into strips. Toss into your food processor or blender along with one tablespoon of EVOO, two ounces of goat cheese, and one teaspoon of sea salt. Blend until smooth.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add in 1/4 cup of EVOO and saute half of a minced yellow onion and two minced cloves of garlic. Once the onion has softened add in your noodles and another teaspoon of sea salt and cook until tender. Coat in the sauce and cook until sauce is heated through, then remove to a serving bowl and top with black pepper, grated Parmesan, parsley, and extra goat cheese. Yum!

Grilled Swordfish with Mango Salsa

I love the taste of anything grilled but it really gives a certain something special to seafood. One of my favorite grilled fish is swordfish, so earlier in the week I snagged three swordfish steaks from the seafood counter at my local grocery store to pair with a delicious and crisp mango salsa.

While your grill is firing up make your salsa.

You will need:

2 ripe mangos, peeled, cored, and diced
3 tablespoons diced red onion
Zest and juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Mix all of these ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and chill. As a side note, I had never cut up a mango before and had no idea what I was in for. I didn't realize that mangos have cores like a pineapple and almost mangled the first one. However, there are a plethora of YouTube videos that I highly encourage you to watch before you attempt this if you've never done it before. It definitely saved me from having to go back out to the store.

Once your grill is hot (ours is charcoal) season your swordfish steaks with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and a little bit of olive oil.

Place on the grill and cook for approximately 5 minutes on each side. You may need to cook it longer depending on how hot your grill is. Because we have a charcoal grill I was a little nervous about the fish falling through the grate so we purchased an inexpensive grill basket from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It's adjustable so you can get your fish and meat as close to the grill as you want without worrying about losing it. It's also extremely easy to flip. If you have a gas grill you may not need one of these since the spaces on the grate are usually closer together.

Top your grilled fish with the mango salsa and serve! No need to heat it up, microwaved mango really does not taste that great. Trust me, I know, that was a mistake I made at work on my lunch break.

Shrimp Avocado Salad

This morning I'm continuing the clean eating trend with a shrimp avocado salad. It's the perfect light summertime meal and great to bring with me over the weekend while I work the next three nights in a row. Not to mention it's a breeze to throw together.

Start by cooking two pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp on the stove top with a little bit of olive oil. Set aside to cool.

Cut two avocados into large cubes and dice one half of a small red onion. Place the avocados and onions in a large serving bowl with the shrimp.

Now for the dressing. Mix 1/4 cup EVOO, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, one 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper in a 2 cup measuring cup.

Pour the dressing over the salad and serve! Tastes great at room temperature or cold. Shrimp pack about 24g of protein in one 3 ounce serving. Avocados provide fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid just to name a few, and EVOO provides the healthy fat. This dish is well-rounded, filling, and guilt-free! I took it to my mom for a taste test and the two of us couldn't stop dipping our forks in it.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

It's always hard to wake myself up to reset myself for work, but it's especially difficult on a dreary, rainy Saturday when all I want to do is lay in my bed and watch movies or read a book. Since I don't have that option today I decided that I would make a healthy snack/dessert to bring with me to work for the weekend.

I've made a variation of these before with more ingredients but this time I wanted something simple. You can never go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter (unless you have a nut allergy in which case I'm truly sorry for you). Peanut butter oatmeal balls pack enough protein and sweetness to give you energy and carry you through until your next meal. 

You will need:

1 cup oats

1/4 cup flaxseed meal 

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (or more or less depending on how chocolaty you want them to be)

Simply dump all of the above ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and roll into balls. I was able to get 12 out of this mixture, you may be able to make a few more depending on how large you make them.

Put them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and place in the fridge until they become more solid. You can also freeze these to eat later. 

Stars & Stripes

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. There’s something about everyone coming together to celebrate our heritage and being proud to be an American that’s contagious and inspiring. It’s a holiday with some of the most spirit and I truly look forward to it every year. Unfortunately for the past several years I’ve had to work and this year will be no different. Since I can’t host my own barbeque or travel to any fireworks (so disappointing!) I thought I’d create my own a few weeks early!

No barbeque is complete without a grill for burgers, hotdogs, etc. I decided to make burgers and shrimp skewers, but I have a confession to make: until yesterday I had never started a grill in my life. That’s so bad! To make sure I didn’t burn myself or the house down I lured my friend Keegan down to help me taste test. Turns out she’s never started a grill either! I’m happy to say though with a little over-the-phone coaching from my dad we figured it out. And maybe one or two additional phone calls from him making sure no one was on their way to the hospital.

My burger recipe is really simple, I can’t even call it a recipe. Simply choose your ground beef (I usually pick at least 90% lean) and add in Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Be sure to add enough seasoning to have a good ratio with the amount of beef you’re using. Near the end of grilling throw on your favorite cheese and watch it melt into the burger. So good!

 For the shrimp skewers get at least a pound of large shrimp from your local seafood counter. Peel and devein them, then throw them in a bowl with your favorite BBQ sauce and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. We used a bourbon based sauce with a hint of chipotle for a little kick.

While the shrimp are marinating, cut up a fresh pineapple into small squares. Once the shrimp are done marinating wrap them in a piece of bacon and alternate them with the pineapple on a metal or wooden skewer (Target had metal ones in the dollar bin. If you use wooden ones, which can be found at most grocery stores, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before use).

Once on the grill baste them with more sauce each time you rotate them for maximum flavor. These didn’t last long!

 We also grilled corn on the cob, basted in butter with a little black pepper.

For a second side I chose a “skinny” broccoli salad. Dice one green bell pepper, one red bell pepper, and ½ of a small red onion. Cut a pint of cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise, then chop 2 broccoli crowns. Throw these all in a large bowl, then add in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Finally, douse in one cup of ranch dressing. Mix well and let sit in the fridge until chilled.

 For dessert I went with an American classic, courtesy of my mother, Strawberry Shortcake. Grab a box of Bisquick and follow the directions on the back of the box. It’s that easy. We made our own whipped cream, which entails dumping the contents of one container of heavy cream, two tablespoons of sugar, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract into a large bowl, then whip it into submission as Julia Child would say. Once the cakes are done baking layer with the whipped cream and strawberries and serve!

 I wanted one other sweet treat with this meal so I opted to make my own popsicles, something that I’ve never done before. What I didn’t realize was how hard it would be to find popsicle molds. I went everywhere and couldn’t find them! And it’s summer! Fortunately there’s a wonderful thing called Amazon that allows you to obtain such difficult items cheaply and quickly.

To make these American flag popsicles puree one heaping cup of blueberries and one heaping cup of raspberries separately in a blender or food processor. You will also need at least one cup of vanilla Greek yogurt.

Thin each with a little bit of water so that it’s runny enough to pour in the molds. Start by pouring in the blueberries. You want a fairly thick band for this part. Pop in the freezer until solid, at least an hour. Next pour in the Greek yogurt. You want fairly thin stripes so you have enough room to alternate several times.

At this point it’s time to place the popsicle sticks. Cover the top of the mold with foil and poke holes through with the sticks, being sure to get it slightly in the frozen layer. Then place back in the freezer. Continue to alternate until you run out of room.

Once you’re ready to serve the popsicles fill the sink with hot water, then submerge the mold only to the top edging, do not fully submerge it. Hold in the water for about 30 seconds, then pop the popsicles out! 

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

I have never had an affinity for running so it surprised me when earlier in the spring I really got in to it. I had done it before a few years ago, knocking out my first and only 5k, but lost the drive to do it and moved on to other fitness routines. Something about this spring though with the cool, crisp air, copious greenery, and a sunnier new outlook on life made me want to pick it back up again. I'm running faster than I ever have and enjoying pushing myself to be better each time. In order to fuel that I've been looking for healthy recipes to keep the energy up and the calories burning.

This ground turkey sweet potato skillet was very simple to make and packs in healthy carbs and protein.

You will need:

1lb lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cup sweet potato, cubed
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced green onion for garnish

Make sure all of your ingredients are prepped, then heat the EVOO in a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan over medium high heat.

Add the ground turkey and garlic and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the meat is mostly cooked through.

Add in the onions and peppers and cook until the onions start to brown.

Add in the sweet potato, salt and pepper, and garlic powder, give it a good stir, then cover and cook until  the sweet potatoes are tender. You may need to add more EVOO to cook the potatoes and keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. I added at least another two tablespoons to keep everything moist.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking preheat the oven to 400. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked through, top with the mozzarella cheese and place in the oven until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and garnish with green onion. Before serving give the mixture a good stir to coat everything in the cheese.

The garlic powder was not originally part of the recipe, it was actually chili powder, but I don't care for really spicy things and thought it could still use a little extra something something. Sometimes turkey can turn out to be pretty dry but this stayed moist from the olive oil and it reheated extremely well. This is one that I would definitely make again and can feel good about eating.

Maryland Crab Soup

One of the best parts of a Maryland summer is crabs and one of my favorite activities is sitting around a table picking them with friends. You can't beat the satisfaction of cracking one open and pulling out every last piece of meat you can get with your hands covered in Old Bay while talking about anything and nothing with some of your favorite people. It's a thing only a true Marylander can understand.

When it isn't possible to pick fresh crabs, there's an abundance of things you can make at home to satisfy the craving. I personally could eat a crab cake every single day of my life and never get sick of it. This time though I wanted to make one of my dad's favorites, Maryland Crab Soup.

I spent a fair amount of time looking for a recipe that came from either a Marylander or a local restaurant to stay as authentic as possible. For example, no offense to my mom's family in New England, but they've butchered crab cakes so I was sticking with my end of the country. However, if you want the best lobster roll, fried clams, or New England Clam Chowder you've ever had they've got you covered.

The recipe I found is entitled Charlie's Maryland-Style Crab Soup and is a mixture of recipes from several Chesapeake Bay cookbooks and the blogger's husband's own personal touches.

You will need:

1.5 - 2 cups celery, sliced
1.5 - 2 cups carrots, cut in small pieces
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups potato, diced in small pieces with skin on
1 28oz can of whole tomatoes, with juices/water
Corn, peas, lima beans, green beans (if you like)
14.5oz can of beef broth
1/2 lb of beef bone (I used 2 neck bones)
1 lb of crab (at least), lump and claw
2+ tbsp of Old Bay
1 tbsp dried parsley
2-3 bay leaves
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
2 tbsp of olive oil or canola oil (preferably something flavorless)

To start, prep all of your vegetables. This can be done the night before or the day of depending on how much time you have.

Next, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot (I used my cast iron Dutch oven) and add the beef bones. Once the bones start to sizzle, add in the celery, carrots, and onion and saute until they start to become translucent and the meat becomes slightly browned around the edges.

Cover the mixture with water, no more than one half inch above the meat and veggies. Add in the bay leaves and most of the parsley and lightly salt. Turn up the heat so that it comes to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While your stock is simmering parboil your potatoes. Place them in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium for about 5 minutes. Remove and drain.

When your stock is done cooking add in the can of tomatoes and the can of beef broth, then dump in a heaping tablespoon of Old Bay. Add in the corn and potatoes and any other veggies you'd like as well as try to break up the tomatoes while they're cooking. Bring the heat up to just under a boil. Let this cook for about 15 minutes.

Add in the crab, then another tablespoon of Old Bay, more parsley, and black pepper. Let the soup cook for another 30 minutes or so, stirring often. Remove the beef bones and taste test before serving to make sure you have enough seasoning.

Maryland Crab Soup is often spicy but no one in this house likes things too hot so I took care to put enough seasoning in so that you could taste it but prevented it from having too much bite. It ended up being a major hit! I had two large tupperware containers of it stored in the fridge and when I came home from hanging out with friends one of them was already gone! I really felt like this recipe had the authentic taste to it I was looking for and both my parents agreed. I think it's going to be made a lot this summer :)

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini has to be one of my favorite summer vegetables and I'm so excited that the warmer weather is finally here! I've made zucchini many ways in the past, including but not limited to pizza crust, burger seasoning and stir fry, but today I thought I'd try a recipe for a skinny zucchini casserole. It's extremely easy requiring about zero prep work and you probably have a lot of the ingredients already in the house.

You will need:

3 1/2 cups grated zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons of cornmeal
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater. It's the easiest thing you'll ever do! You only need about 2 average-sized zucchini to get the amount you need. Once grated add them to a medium sized mixing bowl and pat dry with a paper towel. You don't want any excess water in the mixture.

Add in the eggs, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then pour it into a greased baking pan. Top with the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and cheese and bake for 30 minutes covered in foil. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the top becomes golden brown. Serve hot!

Mine didn't turn out quite as fluffy as the one in the picture from the recipe despite following the ingredients to a T. I'm thinking maybe they used an even smaller casserole pan. Despite being on the thinner side this turned out really well. My only adjustment would be to cut back just a twinge on the black pepper, it was a tad much but not enough to ruin the dish. I think this works best as a breakfast item because of the egg and would make a good brunch dish but I think it also works as a side for dinner. And I love not feeling guilty eating it!