Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli

Okay, I know it sounds kinda gross, but please don't shy away from this one. I got the recipe from Giada De Laurentis on foodnetwork.com. I made it for dinner one night for my husband and myself and it was a major hit! It was soooo yummy and fun and different! Sometimes we need a change up from our usual dinner plans...wouldn't you agree?

INGREDIENTS:
Ravioli:
1/4 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce (I added about an extra tablespoon...yummy!)
2 tablespoons grated Romano
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20 store-bought wonton wrappers

Gravy:
3 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To make the ravioli: in a medium bowl, stir together the turkey, cranberry sauce, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, salt, and pepper. Place 10 wonton wrappers on a work surface. Brush lightly with water using a pastry brush. Place 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture on each of the wonton wrappers. Top with another wonton wrapper. Push out any air bubbles and press the edges tightly to seal.

To make the gravy: in a medium, heavy skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring quickly to avoid lumps. Add the cream, parley, salt, and pepper and cook, without boiling, for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water (don't be stingy with the salt..I used a few tablespoons) to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook until tender but still firm to the bite and the turkey is cooked, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain the ravioli into the gravy and stir to coat. Serve immediately in individual dishes, drizzled with the remaining gravy.

Lemon Chicken with Olives

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)


Directions

1Mix the flour, cumin, zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a flat plate. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in the flour mixture.

2Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in 2 batches until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

3Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Heat the remaining oil. Add the shallots and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the olives, parsley, lemon juice, and wine and bring to a boil.

4Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it in the olives and shallots. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Divide among individual plates.

Yum Yum!

My husband's aunt has been in town this weekend. She cooked a lot while she was here. I am going to be getting some recipes from her because the food was kick-butt! One recipe specifically is her shrimp and crab alfredo. Omg! Talk about good food! :) My mouth is watering just thinking about it. She also made a pot roast, some awesome green beans (she puts sausage in them), and some smothered chicken. *drooling. I made a vegetable soup and brought it over there. I will have to give you a recipe for that too. It's delish! Just keep checking back here for new stuff. I will try my best to update at least once a week.

Taco Soup

I made this for the first time last week and it was DELICIOUS! My husband and I loved it. I changed up the original recipe just a bit. This is a super easy, no-fuss dinner and it makes plenty! Perfect for a party/get together. Just throw it in the crock pot and let it simmer all day. (about 8 hours)

-1 pound ground beef
-1 onion, chopped
-1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, with liquid
-1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
-1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
-1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
-2 cups water (I added one extra cup of water)
-2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes (I only used one can and I used the big chunky ones)
-1 can mild Ro-tel peppers
-1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
-1 pack hidden valley ranch mix (dry)
Put everything in a crock pot, stir, and let simmer on low for 8-10 hours. That's it! It's that easy!

Spring Pea Soup

(This is from Good Housekeeping. I haven't tried it yet. Let me know what you think)
-2 tbsp. margarine/butter
-2 lg. shallots, thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
-1 carton (32 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth (4cups)
-2 cups water
-2 bags (160z. each) frozen peas, thawed
-1 lg. all-purpose potato (8 0z.), peeled and cut into 1 in. chunks.
-1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
-3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
-10 nasturtium flowers for garnish*

1. In 4-quart saucepan, heat margarine on medium-low until melted. Add shallots and cook for 10-12 minutes or until very tender.
2. Add broth, water, peas, potato, half of chopped mint, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium; simmer mixture 10 minutes; stirring occassionally.
3. Spoon half of mixture into blender; cover, with center part of lid removed to let steam escape, and puree until smooth. Pour puree into medium bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture. Return soup to saucepan, and reheat on medium if necessary. Stir in lemon juice and remaining mint.
4. To serve, spoon soup into 10 serving bowls; garnish with nasturtiums.
Each Serving= 120 calories, 6 g protein, 19 g carbs, 3 g total fat (1g sat.), 5 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 475 mg sodium.
*Nasturtiums and other edible flowers can be found in the produce section of supermarkets and at farmer's markets.

My Meatloaf...

This is a really good, moist meatloaf. It's not dry at all and it's not supposed to be. Warning: It may fall apart when you are trying to serve. lol!
* 1/2 can Hunt's Tomato sauce (keep other half of can for the top of the meatloaf) (Get the kind that's seasoned just for meatloaf, if you can find it)
*2 eggs
*1 1/2-2 lbs. ground meat
* 1 1/4 cup instant plain oatmeal
* 1 pack of dry, lipton onion soup mix (in the blue box)
* 2 bell peppers-chopped
* 1 large onion
* Tony's, garlic salt, italian seasoning-to taste
Mix everything together in a bowl. Place in a pan...a small deep one like you would use to make banana nut bread. Put pan on a cookie sheet (it will spill over)
Bake at 400 degrees for about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
Top with the remainder of the Hunt's tomato sauce or ketchup

The best black-eyed peas...

* 2 lbs. black eyed peas (dried) Camelia are the best brand, if you have those at your grocery store.
* Salt meat, hambone, bacon, or your choice of a good meat to flavor the beans
* 2 garlic cloves
* about 1 cup of butter
* pinch of sage
* 1 tsp. thyme
* salt to taste
* Mrs. Buttersworth syrup (maybe 1/4 cup?)
* 1 chopped onion
* garlic salt to taste

Make sure you wash your beans really good before cooking. This is something that is best cooked in a crock pot all day (about 8-10 hours).

Reprieve

The is the perfect type of dessert for me, because I am not a fan of really sweet stuff. This is also a great dessert to bring to parties, get togethers, etc. It makes a big portion and EVERYBODY loves it! My M-I-L requests that I make it every year.

This is a 4-layer dessert that consists of the crust, 2 fillings, and topping.

Crust:
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (your choice...I think I like the walnuts better)
1 stick butter
1 cup flour

Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup coolwhip
1 pack of softened cream cheese

2nd filling:
1 pack chocolate jello-pudding mix
2 cups cold milk

Topping: Remainder of cool whip

Mix ingredients for the crust and spread evenly in your 13x9 pan with your hands. It will spread a little thin in some places, which is fine. It doesn't have to be perfect. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until it's golden brown. Let crust cool. Mix your first filling and apply a layer to the cool crust. Mix your 2nd filling, apply a layer, then apply the rest of the cool whip for your topping.
Refrigerate over night for the best results. If you don't have that kind of time, just make sure it's in the fridge for a least an hour or two to be good.

Carrot Kugle

Sounds wierd...tastes AWESOME!!! This is a healthy recipe I got from a Jewish lady that I used to work for. It is delicious! One of my husband's faves!!! Think of it as a really moist carrot cake...without all the nuts and icing.

* 4 small jars of carrot baby food
* 3 eggs
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 cup oil
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. baking soda
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 1 tsp. cinnamon (or more if you would like...I use like 2 tablespoons)
* 2 cups flour

Mix all your ingredients in a bowl, mix well, put in a 13x9 pan (I use the aluminum ones that you can throw away and come with a lid...these are the best)
Grease and Flour the pan.
bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, but NO longer than 1 hour.
You want the cake to be moist, but you don't want to over cook it. Make sure the middle is done. Don't worry if it looks a little too brown, that's the color of the cinnamon. Almost immediately (let it cool just a tad) after you take it out of the oven, put the lid on it, or aluminum foil. This will keep it extra moist!