Easy Ravioli Bake

Compliments to Betty Crocker for this has to be one of the easiest casseroles to make on a busy week night.  You can also add some oregano, basil, or even browned ground beef! Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Ingredients

1

jar (26 to 28 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety)

1

package (25 to 27 1/2 ounces) frozen cheese-filled ravioli

2

cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

2

tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of rectangular baking dish 13x9x2-inches, with cooking spray.
• 2Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce in baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in single layer over sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• 3Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

30 Minute Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 pounds ground beef
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock or broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

This recipe is from the Lil Luna (all things good) blog.  Of course I had no buttermilk or canola oil so I used veg oil and I made my own Buttermilk by adding 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to my milk and left it sit for about 15 minutes.  This is a fresh, sweet, citrusy spin on zucchini bread!

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup grated zucchini
Glaze ingredients:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1 TB milk

Instructions

1. Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Then add oil and sugar until well blended. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together.
3. Fold in zucchini until it is mixed well.
4. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined.
5. Pour batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
7. While still warm, make glaze and spoon over the bread. Let the glaze set up before cutting and serving.

BabababababANGIN' Blueberry Muffins! I finally found a recipe on Food Network.com  from a show called Sweet Dreams. These muffins not only deliver the bangin' blueberry flavor, they melt in your mouth!  This recipe is a must try!

Double Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
2 cups flour
1/2 cup of half and half
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin or line the cups with paper liners. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar and mix. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt and mix. In a shallow bowl, mash 3/4 cup of the blueberries with the back of a fork. Add to the batter and mix.

With the mixer running at low speed, add 1/2 of the flour, then 1/2 of the half and half, and mix. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. Fold in the remaining 1 3/4 cups whole blueberries by hand until well mixed. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon. Use an ice-cream scoop or large spoon to fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the muffins and bake until golden brown and risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before turning out.

Sausage Potato Soup

I needed a new recipe for sausage and I was in the mood for soup.  I googled and found this. It is so simple and with the right sausage is really tasty!  I was worried about all the milk but it totally worked! This is a creamy soup made with Italian sausage and russet potatoes. Seasoned with parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• ½ pounds Bulk Italian Sausage, Cooked Until No Longer Pink
• 1 stick Butter
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced Or Crushed
• 3 whole Medium Russet Potatoes
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Parsley
• 2-½ teaspoons Flour
• 4 cups Whole Milk

Preparation Instructions

1) Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until transparent. Add the garlic, potatoes, salt and pepper, and parsley and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the sausage.
2) Add the flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk. Bring to a boil and simmer just until the potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Pierogis

This is an amazing and fun thing to do as a family with friends on a holiday. For us it was New Years Eve and we all got together to make homemade pierogies. Add some music, some drink and it was a fun night filled with laughter, family and friends and great food!

Pierogi:

Ingredients
Filling:

· 1 large red onion, chopped
· 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, to saute the onion
· 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
· 6 garlic chives, white and tender green parts only
· 3 tablespoons butter, for the mashed potatoes
· 1/4 cup milk
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dough:
· 2 eggs
· 1/4 cup water
· 1 tablespoon sour cream
· 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus some extra for the board and to adjust dough as needed
· Milk or water, as needed to moisten
· 1 or 2 eggs to make an egg wash to seal the pierogi
· 2 to 4 tablespoons butter, to saute the pierogi
· 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Saute Sauce
A stick of butter
onions
garlic

Directions

Bring a pot of water to boil for the potatoes. Saute the onion in a small pan in 2 tablespoons of butter until translucent and set aside. Boil the potatoes until tender.

While the potatoes are boiling, begin the dough. Whisk together the eggs, 1/4 cup water and sour cream and pour into a small pitcher (or you can actually whisk them right in a container such as a 2-cup glass measuring vessel). Mound the flour in the center of a clean room-temperature work surface like a large wooden cutting board. Create a crater in the center of the mound. Pour enough of the egg mixture into the center to fill the crater. With a fork, gently begin to scramble the mixture within the confines of the crater, whilst integrating the flour from the sides of the crater as you carefully beat the egg mixture.

Once this first amount of the egg mixture is mostly mixed in, shore up the sides of the mound again with flour, maintaining the crater shape. Repeat the process with a second pour of egg mixture into the crater, and again until you have combined all the egg mixture. (Remember that making pasta is not an exact science. Depending on the flour, you may need more moisture to make the dough come together, in which case use a little extra milk or water. Conversely, if the dough is too wet, add a little more flour - but just enough to make it the right consistency. This is an acquired skill so be patient with yourself.) Start kneading the dough with your palms, allowing the warmth of your hands to impart elasticity to the dough. Knead for a count of about 400 strokes or until you feel you have created a cohesive mass. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.

Return to the potatoes, drain, and mash them with the sauteed onion, chives, butter, milk, and salt and pepper, to taste. You can make your potato filling anyway you like, I also add sour cream and cheddar cheese. Set aside.

Work with 1/3 of the pasta dough at a time - keeping the balance wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Use a pasta machine to gradually roll each section of the pasta down, successively reducing the setting on the machine until it is at a thickness of 1/16th of an inch.

Cut 3-inch circles of pasta, I used a draft glass - it just so happened to be the perfect size! Spoon some of the mashed potatoes into the center and fold the filled circles into half moons, sealing the edges with egg wash and pressing shut carefully with the tines of a fork.

Bring a large shallow saute pan of water to a boil, and gently boil the pierogi in batches for 2 or 3 minutes, removing carefully to a utility platter with a wooden spoon. They will float when they are done.

The final step is to melt the butter in a large fry pan and saute the garlic and red onions for a few minutes until it is tender and imparts its flavor to the butter in the pan. Be careful not to burn either the butter or the garlic. Saute the pierogi in this garlic butter sauce and serve.