Brown Butter Ravioli with Rotisserie Chicken, Toasted Walnuts and Crispy Sage
Here’s an incredibly scrumptious ravioli dish that I just love. Love. This is definitely one of my favorites here, I could eat that crispy sage all day long! I normally use leftover rotisserie chicken in this dish, but just in case you don’t have any on hand, let me show you this quick and easy chicken technique I picked up from the fabulous Picky Palate blog. Start with 1 lb split chicken breast with rib meat, skin on. You’ll also need kosher salt, pepper, and this menagerie of spices — dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Combine 1 tsp of all your spices… And sprinkle over both sides of the chicken. Heat one tablespoon of canola oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven or a large, oven-safe pot. When the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Like this.. check out that beautiful crispy skin! Meanwhile, you’ll need about 1/3 cup of these gorgeous, soft, fragrant sage leaves. Grab about 1/2 cup walnuts… Makes 4 Servings.
Chili Cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the tortilla chips and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, eggs, chili powder and cumin with a mixer. Spread the sour cream over the top and decorate with the tomatoes, green onions, black olives and cilantro. This can be prepared 1 day in advance.
*Simply Scratch*: Parmesan Garlic Bread:
Last week was a busy week filled with a field trip to the zoo sandwiched by 3 twelve hour shifts. By Friday I was extremely happy for the weekend to arrive. Although Pat worked late, we still barbecued dinner and relaxed with a few adult beverages after tucking in our girls. Tonight he made a special request… for garlic bread. Here are the ingredients you will need. Start by pressing the three cloves of garlic into a medium bowl. Mince up a shallot so it measures one tablespoon. Add the shallot to the garlic in the medium bowl. Next, mince up the fresh parsley and measure out a tablespoon. Add that to the bowl along with the salt and pepper. Now add the *gasp* two sticks of butter and the two tablespoons {give or take} of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Mix until combined. And set aside, just for now. Grab your loaf of Italian bread. Using a bread knife, slice lengthwise in half and place on a sheet pan. Remove and slice immediately. Ingredients: 1 loaf of Italian Bread 1 tablespoon Shallots, minced
Mushroom Quesadillas
It had been way too long since I last had a mushroom fix and I was still remembering that mushroom melt sandwich that I made a while ago. Thinking about that ooey gooey melted cheese made me think about another of my favorite foods, quesadillas. Quesadillas at their base are two tortillas filled with cheese and they are toasted until the tortillas are nice and golden brown and crispy and the cheese has melted. To the basics of the tortillas and the melted cheese you can add anything that you want and the cheese works really well at holding everything together. I could not believe that I had not yet tried a mushroom quesadilla and that had to be rectified immediatly! Does this look good? Mushroom Quesadillas (makes 1 quesadilla)Printable Recipe Directions: 1. Tip: Place a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slide it back into the pan to flip the quesadilla.
Edible Moments
Skinny Taco Dip
A must have at every large get together: birthdays, football, holidays – this dip always disappears! This is my daughter Karina's favorite dip, which she has nicknamed "the stuff". It's easy to prepare and everyone always wants the recipe when they try it. Serve it at your next party with your favorite baked tortilla chips and play around with the toppings – try jalapeños, scallions or avocados. Skinny Taco DipServings: 24 • Serving Size: 1/24th of dip • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 ptsCalories: 59.2 • Fat: 3.6 g • Protein: 2.2 g • Carb: 4.7 g • Fiber: 0.6 g Ingredients: 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese 8 oz reduced fat sour cream 16 oz jar mild salsa1/2 packet taco seasoning 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded fine 2 large tomatoes, seeds removed and diced 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese 2.25 oz sliced black olives Directions: In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa and taco seasoning and mix well with an electric mixer.
Pizza Braid
A pizza braid is very kid-friendly, easy on the wallet and extremely simple to make. My aunt and cousin first introduced me to them and I’ve been hooked ever since. The possibilities are endless of the varieties you could make (check out the Apple Dessert Braid!), but the recipe below is for a very basic hamburger and pepperoni braid. You could make your own dough, but I prefer the shortcut of using Rhodes rise and bake dough. This is one of my favorite shortcuts to make a nice loaf of bread or use in recipes like this one. As I said, this is extremely basic. The dough takes a few hours to rise, so I take it out in the morning and place a towel over it. Yes, yes the dough in that photo has not risen fully. Then you spread out the sauce, lay the meats down, followed by the cheese. Then with a pizza cutter, start cutting about 1 inch thick strips down the whole rectangle. Follow the pictures above. A few minutes before it’s done I brush with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano.
Baked Brie Topped with Caramelized Mushrooms
Although I can sometimes go all out with the holiday cookie baking, I try to not to forget about savoury treats which are always a welcome change. A couple of years ago I discovered a savoury baked brie with cranberry sauce that was so amazingly good and I have been hooked ever since. When I came across a recipe for baked brie topped with mushrooms on Mushooms Canada there was no question as to what savoury appetizer I was going be making this year. The idea is pretty simple; you saute and caramelize some mushrooms and onions, toss them on some brie and bake it until the cheese belts. The baked brie topped with caramelized mushrooms was everything that I had been hoping for and then some! Does this look good? Baked Brie Topped with Caramelized Mushrooms (makes 4 servings)Printable Recipe Directions: 1.
