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!