0 Baked Butternut Squash Ravioli in Sherry Cream Sauce

Yesterday I searched for a baked butternut squash ravioli recipe (casserole), and practically everything involved brown butter sage (which I love!) but not what I was looking for. Of course, I had to make up my own! Everyone ate it, including my pasta and squash-hating husband!

2 handfuls of baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup cream sherry

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup grated Parmesan 

1 tsp thyme

salt and pepper

Butter and olive oil

2 or 3 sliced cooked chicken breasts

butternut squash ravioli (frozen is fine)

Shredded Mozzarella for topping

Sauté mushrooms, then onions and garlic with salt and pepper (same pan) in butter and olive oil until they are nice and browned. 

Add chicken stock, cream, Parmesan and sherry.  Stir well and bubble over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add thyme and cooked chicken and stir gently.

Spoon some sauce into the bottom of a casserole. Layer ravioli and top with the rest of the sauce.  Top with shredded cheese.

Bake covered in foil at 375 for 30 mins, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes until bubbling and cheese is browned. 

4 Bento #257 - Mezzaluna Bolognese and Pineapple

As you might have imagined, this lunch is dinner leftovers from last night.  So yummy, and I didn't do a darn thing this time, except add a spoonful of pesto to the sauce.  I bought some basil pesto mezzaluna and Gia Russa Bolognese sauce from World Market, cooked/heated and served.

I put some grated parm in this cute little container.

Packed and ready.

Bento #257 - Mezzaluna pasta with Bolognese sauce, Parmesan, fresh sliced pineapple and yogurt stars.

5 Bento #241 - Green & Orange

I am just in LOVE with these new all-natural food dyes from ChocolateCraftKits.com.  I had to order some after I saw Karen at What's In John's Lunchbag blog posting.  I have historically stayed away (in general) from artificially dyed foods.  These powders change everything.  They are all made of vegetables, and they are shockingly vibrant.  A little goes a long way!

I made some spinach ravioli and added some of the green powder to the cooking water (I used my "dumpling method".)  Look how emerald green they turned out!!  I went with a green and orange theme since they came out so well.

I also cut out some flowers in half an apple, and rubbed some of the green powder on the whites.  It's a little uneven, but I think it would have taken better and more evenly if I had pre-mixed it in a little water.  Live and learn.

Ugh, the lighting is atrocious!  I have a bulb out above the island.

We also have a brand new Hello Kitty lunch bag, compliments of my mom!  E is in love with it.

Bento #241 - Pasta Prima spinach ravioli, carrot coins, herb parmesan mix and an apple.  Snack - Clementine and Goldfish crackers.

11 Rainbow Leaf Chips

If you think that this picture is of a prop from Swamp Beast, you would be mistaken (a little?)  Nope, these are leaf chips, and you can make them from just about any hardy leafy veg.  I happened to have a bunch of organic rainbow chard from my CSA, and I wondered what I was going to do with it.  Let's face it - it's sort of a hard sell.  I mean sure, it's got that enticing "rainbow" right in the name, but it doesn't fool anyone for long, especially not discerning 30-something 5 year olds.  These leaf chips are crispy, salty and most importantly yummy.  Not only that, but chard packs a powerful vitamin K punch.

You'll need:

Bunch of hardy leafy greens like chard, kale or even spinach

olive oil

sea salt

cracked pepper

Parmesan cheese (opt)

Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Thoroughly wash the leaves (watch out for the sand) and pat dry with paper towels.  

Remove tough stems and tear (if needed) into large pieces and arrange on a non-stick baking sheet spritzed with a little bit of cooking spray or olive oil.

Next, lightly spritz or drizzle olive oil on the leaves.  Cover with sprinklings of fresh cracked sea salt and pepper, and cheese, if using.

Bake for about 20 minutes until crispy

and then devour.  

The chard becomes super crispy and about shatters when you take a bite.  It's got a bitter note which I really enjoy, and the saltiness which counterbalances it.  I'm dying to try this with the big bag of fresh spinach I have in the fridge.  They're ridiculously quick and easy to make, give them a try!

You'll need:

Bunch of hardy leafy greens like chard, kale or even spinach

olive oil

sea salt

cracked pepper

Parmesan cheese (opt)

-Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Thoroughly wash the leaves (watch out for the sand) and pat dry with paper towels.  Remove tough stems and tear (if needed) into large pieces and arrange on a non-stick baking sheet spritzed with a little bit of cooking spray or olive oil.

-Next, lightly spritz or drizzle olive oil on the leaves.  Cover with sprinklings of fresh cracked sea salt and pepper, and cheese, if using.

-Bake for about 20 minutes until crispy, and then devour.  

0 Basil Pesto

Is there anything better on crusty Italian bread than fresh pesto?  I can't think of much else...bruschetta, maybe.  But pesto is WAY up there.


Ingredients


2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed (1 one tray of frozen cubes of basil - I like Dorot brand from TJ's)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts and/or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Rinse the basil, and measure out your nuts.

 As you can see, I used both pine nuts and walnuts.

If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil. 

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor.  

Or, you can use this nifty frozen basil.

Now, a note about the frozen basil.  I didn't actually have fresh leaf basil in the house when I decided to make pesto, but I had just picked up a tray of fresh frozen cubes of basil.  I get it from Trader Joe's, and the brand is Dorot.  I was hesitant to try it, but decided to go for it.  

Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

I needn't have worried about using the frozen basil.  I took this to a party and everyone raved, and my husband scarfed the rest of it down later.  It is delicious!