Fried Ravioli

Need a quick appetizer for the holidays?  I attempted this one tonight so that I can make it later this week for a dinner party (I get nervous trying new recipes the day of).  It turned out great, was simple and fast!

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen ravioli (I used cheese)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs 
1/2 cup milk
olive oil for frying
your favorite marinara sauce 

Cook frozen ravioli in boiling water for about 5 min
Remove and allow to cool
Meanwhile mix together in a bowl breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, and parmesan cheese
In another bowl mix together eggs and milk
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan for frying
Drop cooled ravioli (they don't have to be completely cool just not really hot or your eggs/milk may cook) in the egg/milk mixture then coat with the breadcrumb mixture
Drop into the oil and fry until golden (make sure to only fry a few at once so the temperature of your oil doesn't drop)
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels
Serve with warmed marinara sauce

That's it!  So simple!  I wish I had a picture but unfortunately they were all gone before I even had a chance.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Beer Mushroom Roast

Food for thought:
One of my favorite books of the Bible to read is Ephesians because it constantly reminds me of why I believe the Bible, believe Jesus is Lord and follow Him.  This morning I was reading from Chapter 2 and was overwhelmed by these verses as usual.  I know I don't often post much scripture or information about my faith on here but I had to share these verses.  Today I am making a point to take some time to pray for anyone who reads this blog.  If you have a specific prayer request feel free to leave it in the comments below and I will pray for that also.  As for the verse, here it is.  A better testimony of God's love for me (and you) than I could ever write myself.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:1-8

Now on to the recipe.  Last summer my husband and I went to Savannah, Ga and ate at a British pub.  It was a fun little place and had some great food.  My husband ordered bangers and mash, which basically is the British way of saying sausage and potatoes.  I am not a fan of sausage (the idea of how it is made honestly grosses me out sometimes) but I decided to try a bite.  The gravy on the meal was AMAZING!!!!  I asked the waiter about it and he said it was made with Guinness beer.  Since then I've been wanting to try to recreate the taste of that gravy and last night I did!  This was a great recipe that was extremely easy (needed now as I don't have much time with the new baby).  I hope you enjoy it!!!




Beer Mushroom RoastBeer Mushroom Roast
Ingredients:
1 bottom round roast of beef
1 container of sliced mushrooms (I just used sliced white but baby bella mushrooms would give a meatier taste to your gravy)
1 sweet onion (I used vidalia because we have a lot in Florida right now)
2 cups vegetable broth (I always use kitchen basics because it does't have added sugar and preservatives)
1 bottle of beer (any kind I used a pale brew beer but I think the Guinness would have been a dark brew - clearly I don't know about beer)
salt
pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground sage
5 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut 10 slits in roast and insert 1/2 a clove of garlic in each slit

Salt and pepper bottom round roast liberally
Mix together thyme, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and sage and press onto sides of roast
Slice onions place a layer of onions on the bottom of a roasting pan and place roast on top
Sprinkle mushrooms on top
Pour bottle of beer and 2 cups of vegetable broth on top (*you could use beef broth but my grocery store only had vegetable or chicken)
Cook in oven for 2 hours
Remove from oven
In a small pan on stove melt 2 tbs of butter
Add 2 tbsp of flour and make a roux (like making the starting point for gravy)
Cook until golden whisking constantly
Add roux to the pan juices and stir to combine
Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes more.  I allowed mine to sit for 30 minutes just to cool down (it was still very hot when we ate it) and to allow the gravy to thicken.
Slice and serve with gravy on top!It is so good!!!  The beer adds a tangy wheaty taste to the gravy that is just to die for and just so you know all the alcohol does cook off so this is a safe recipe for kids.  

Enjoy your weekend!  I know I will be enjoying mine with my two favorite boys!

Carrabba's Scotty Thompson Appetizer Recipe

I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians.

Elton John

Cinque Terre, Italy

The above quote is exactly how I feel about Italy.  I went to Italy about 3 years ago and I think I fell in love.  I too love the way of life, attitudes and people, but most of all I love the food.  I loved the way they used really fresh ingredients to make really high quality meals.  Ever since I went I've been in love with a freshly baked bread dipped in great olive oil, a caprese salad drizzled with a balsamic glaze and most of all a really good tomato sauce. Since then, I love to try these basic flavors in any kind of recipe.  Along with loving to make Italian food, I also love to eat Italian food.  My current favorite restaurant is Carrabba's and whenever the husband and I get a chance to go we always order the "Scotty Thompson" appetizer.  You won't find it on the menu but any Carrabba's will make it if you ask for it.  It is basically a fresh tomato sauce with slices of goat cheese on top of it served with grilled garlic bread....mmmmm  Recently I decided to use my tried and true tomato sauce recipe to attempt to make this appetizer and it turned out so simple and great I had to share!  Buon appetito!

Life Changes = Cooking Changes

When you are through changing, you are through. ~Bruce Barton

For those of you who don't know me personally I've had a huge job change recently.  So I apologize that I have not posted on here in a while. Almost a month ago I took a job teaching high school science.  So far it has been a wonderful experience in which I've been able to use my college degree.  However, for those of you who are not teachers I had no clue how much work a teacher puts in to their job.  I now appreciate every teacher I had and the 12 - 15 hours a day they would sometimes put in to teach me.  With this job change I've also lost a lot of my free time in the evenings.  The times I would use to cook before are now spent grading papers and making lesson plans.  So along with this job change I've also had a change in my cooking.  I have gone from spending two hours cooking each night to learning to throw together quick meals.  So my posts will also reflect this from here on out. Some of you are cheering because you also need quick easy meals and others of you may be a bit disappointed because you love the challenge that an involved meal brings with it.  I agree with both of these sides, I love the challenge of an involved meal but I definitely need the convenience.  So while most of my weekday posts will be quick convenient meals I am still making meals that involve a little bit more of a challenge on the weekend.  I hope you'll follow along with me in this adventure of cooking and teaching.  I can't wait!  Here's my first super simple crockpot recipe below.

Slow Cooker Black Beans and Rice

“Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook”

For those of you who know my husband (Shale) and I, you probably know that both of us have a passion for those who are non-Christians and/or struggling with extreme poverty.  We both have friends in India that are missionaries and we get updates weekly on some of the extreme situations there.  In fact one of my friends recently told me there are more orphaned and abandoned children on the streets of Bombai, India than there are people in the city of Tampa.  That means approximately more than 340,000 children on the streets of one city.  I can only imagine what that is like.  I tell you all this to share with you an idea that we recently came up with.  He was talking about how the people of India mainly eat rice and beans every day (cheap) and how we could also do that one night a week so that we might be able to have a little more money in our budget to share with those in need. It was a great idea and to be honest you can easily make a pot of rice and beans to feed 6 people that doesn't cost you any more than $5 total.  Plus if you use brown rice it is a healthy, protein and whole grain meal.  So my goal is to try out different rice and bean recipes each week which I will also share with you along with a quick update from some friends in India on their different needs.  I know there is such extreme poverty over there they could definitely use our prayers and thoughts, since we have all been so blessed in the US.  So here's the first recipe it is a super simple black bean and rice recipe that is delicious!

Salsa Grilled Chicken

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.

Russel Baker

Cute Beach Tote

This recipe is the perfect summer recipe and I have to admit it was one of those that I just completely stumbled upon.   I was cleaning out my freezer the other night (I make and freeze a lot of stuff) and came across a huge pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I needed to cook.  I looked in the pantry and new I wanted to make something that had a bit of lime in it so I threw this concoction together and it turned out wonderfully!  I made it along with a big crock pot full of black beans and rice (recipe coming tomorrow) and it made an amazing dinner!  The color of the chicken is gorgeous and the flavor just perfect for a summer cookout!  Most of the ingredients you probably have in your pantry except maybe the Sazon.  However, if you haven't ever used Sazon I highly encourage it.  A few years back when I was in college I became best friends with Erika.  Erika is Cuban and began to teach me how to make some amazing food.  In one of her grandmothers Picadillo recipes it called for Sazon.  That was my first experience with this fabulous Spanish spice.   Not only does it deliver great flavor but it turns everything a beautiful orange color.  It is great in everything from rice and beans to chicken or beef.  If you're anything like me you're probably intimidated by new spices (one reason I still haven't posted an Indian recipe on here... curry completely intimidates me).  However, with this spice I encourage you to throw all caution to the wind and try it.  It's mild enough that it won't ruin your meal but the color is so beautiful it will definitely pump up the appeal factor. 

Summer Blog Facelift

Country Living

 In case you haven't noticed the blog has gotten a "facelift" for the summer!  It was crying out for something a little more fresh and seasonal to go along with the abundance of summer recipes you'll have heading your way!  For starters here's a great summer pizza recipe you can make on the grill outside while hanging out with your family and loved ones!  On a side note check out the picture the the right.  Isn't that a cute little beach house featured in Country Living Magazine?  I don't know if I would be able to go that bright of colors for everyday as I tend to get bored of the colors quicker if they are bright.  Seeing as how much he LOVED painting the other day (insert sarcasm here) I don't think Shale would like it very much if I did something where I would get bored faster, but I do think it is very cute!  Enjoy the pizza recipe!

Step By Step Easy Lasagna Recipe

Jon Arbuckle: Garfield, did you eat all four boxes of lasagna?
Garfield: [hiccups] It's not my fault. They started it. 

This lasagna has quite a story.  It is a recipe my mom would make all the time growing up.  She also would give it to me before I went back to college whenever I came home to hold me over until the next time.  As I got older I found out her recipe and started making it myself.  When my husband and I were talking before we dated I made him this lasagna to thank him for helping me with something (honestly can't remember why), and as they say food is the way to a man's heart.  Little did I know that lasagna was his favorite meal ;-).  So both the quote used and the recipe are a nod to my husband (Shale).  He loves lasagna and loved Garfield growing up.  I made this recipe a lot (because it is so simple) and then stopped making it for a while as it was getting a little boring.  However, when I told Shale I was making it the other night he was so thankful.  I knew I needed to share it as it is simple, feeds a lot and can be frozen.  The nice thing I like about the lasagna is you can throw in anything you like.  I've used mushrooms, fresh spinach, hot italian sausage, ground beef, chicken, you name it you can pretty much use it.  For this particular time I used roasted garlic and ground turkey breast in the sauce.  For the directions it really helps if you can visually see how to complete the recipes so I've done step by step pictures to help you out.  Enjoy your Italian dinner made simple!!!

Tuesday's Tip plus baked Zucchini Fries and Marsala Turkey Burger

Cookies are made of butter and love.  ~Norwegian Proverb

Today's tip is very simple and concerns cookies.  Now I'm not sure if you're like me but when I make cookies I cannot keep them at home after I make them.  If I do I will eat them all so most of the time I'll take them to work, or the husband will take them to work, or we'll take them to our Bible study groups on Sunday morning.  However, a few months back I learned a great tip for storing and shipping cookies... bread!  Now if you've heard of it you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't heard of it then you probably think I'm crazy.  Either way next time you make a batch of cookies when you put it in your Tupperware to store until later pop in a piece of bread.  It will keep the cookies moist and tasting like they just came out of the oven.  This is a great use of the heel of the bread!  If it doesn't work for you feel free to message back but I promise it is one of the best tips I think I've ever learned.  Now on to some recipes!!!  Last night I found lean ground turkey breast on sale and decided to cook up some quick turkey burgers.  I also had some zucchini in the fridge but I was craving something a little crunchy so I mixed a few things together and found 2 winning recipes.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Chicken Teriyaki and Southern Style Green Beans

"Southerners can't stand to eat alone. If we're going to cook a mess of greens we want to eat them with a mess of people." 

Julia Reed

I love the quote above.  While some people may not think there is a distinctive difference in Southern cooking and other cooking those who have grown up here will disagree.  Having a mother from South Carolina, a father from Virginia, and a grandmother from Mississippi I grew up learning that not only are there typical foods distinctive to the south (greens, hoppin' johns, fried chicken, etc...) it is almost more of a cultural thing than it is a type of food.  I was raised learning that you invite friends over as often as possible, you give your extra cookies or baked goods to neighbors, and you always make a pound cake for a friend who has lost a loved one.  So when I came across this quote I thought it fit perfectly.  For this post I am sharing with you the simple love of cooking in the South, particularly in using a cast iron skillet and making fabulous green beans.  I hope you enjoy the simplicity as much as I do.

A recipe I can't wait to try - Pasta Al Pomodoro

Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner.
Sophia Loren

More info on Cinque Terre here

I'm not sure about the truth in that quote but one thing I can say is the recipe I'm about to show you might qualify for the above eating method.  As many of you may know I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Italy with my husbands family about 2 years ago.  Now Italy is not a place to go on a diet.  They practically live off of carbs and gelato and I came back craving vegetables because I hadn't had them in so long.  However, one of the things that Italy taught me about cooking is to eat what you love.  In Italy you don't see people eating things just to eat like we do here in America, in Italy they don't waste their time on bad food, they only eat good food.  To me that was such a wonderful experience.  I loved watching people take two hours to have espresso and a roll with Nutella for breakfast.  They didn't rush to their lunch or dinner break like us but rather savored the moment and the food.  It was just divine and I can't wait to go back again one day. 

10 Recipes Every Newlywed Needs to Know

Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths.  No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. 

Mark Twain

I love this turquoise/yellow wedding

I'm celebrating my first anniversary today!  It is so crazy to think how fast a year flew by.  Before getting married I had this thought (actually we should probably call it an illusion) that I would cook a new dish for dinner every night, keep an immaculate house, decorate, spend time with the husband and still have time for things like running, working, friends, etc...  Sadly in about month 6 of our marriage I realized this was definitely not going to happen.  At that point I had a basket of laundry to do, the floor needed to be vacuumed, I didn't feel like cooking and couldn't remember the last time I had ran.  It was then that I realized married life wasn't the clean houses I saw when I went over to visit someone (because they shoved everything in the closet before hand), it wasn't the elaborate dinners (because really they had picked it up at the local restaurant before hand), it wasn't a perfectly designed house (because they had hired an interior decorator for that) or the relaxed feeling I felt when around the couple.  Actually it may have been the relaxed feeling but that was mainly because the wife (or husband) had taken the advice in the parenthesis above so really they were just chilling.

Turquoise/Orange Inspiration

Joking aside though I did come to realize that marriage is more than living up to these standards I had set in my head.  Marriage was loving someone, serving together, standing side by side, and (for those who are a Christian like me) bringing God glory in all you do.  I quickly learned that in reality the laundry could wait until tomorrow, the house would always need something else dusted, decorating is a lifetime project, and some nights it's ok to order in.  I do have to say though in regards to cooking there were a few amazing dishes that really helped me get through this first year of marriage.  If you know me you know I love experimenting with different dishes but every now and then even I have to have those standby recipes to fall back on when everything else fails.  So for those of you who are newlyweds, write these down! For the rest of you who already have your recipe "repertoire" why not consider adding some of these.  I promise they are delicious, filling and always seem to please both the husband, guests, and myself.

What's for dinner...

"A salad is a waste of a full"

Love this handmade wreath!

Yes the above quote is my husband's. This has been his quote he has lived by for as long as I've known him. His mentality is "if I'm going to get full I'd rather get full off of meat and potatoes than off of salad". However, in an effort for both of us to eat healthier he did recently agree to eat salad if I made it and it didn't "taste gross". So I'm taking full advantage of that tonight and making a modified version of a Weight Watcher's Salad mixed with a Cooking Light chicken recipe for the grilled chicken on top. The Weight Watchers salad sounded delicious but my husband and I both do not care for mayonnaise. Actually, that's probably an understatement, the husband hates mayonnaise. To the point where one of the guys in his bible study he teaches once put mayonnaise underneath the door handle to his car so he grabbed it when he opened the door, lets just say he was pretty mad. However, I recently made a recipe that substituted sour cream for mayonnaise so that is how I made this salad tonight. As for the grilled chicken on top, the other night I made the original full recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa by cooking light and the chicken turned out delicious and was so simple.  I wanted to add some protein to the salad so I figured combining them was the perfect way to complete the meal.  It was delicious and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

A simple dinner..

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” - Leonardo da Vinci

this kitchen just screams light, airy and relaxing

I'm sure you know the days.  The ones where you wake up late, rush to get to work on time,  finish work, drive home in traffic, come home to find that your dogs have torn up your house, clean it up, go walk them only to find it raining, then go back inside and realize what you were going to make for dinner is frozen.  Although I love to post recipes pleas do not imagine that every night I come home and make an elaborate dinner!  There are days when I have completely lived out the story above.  A few days ago I had one of these days and ended up throwing together a dinner that was so simple and easy I had to share.  Don't get me wrong I love coming home and putting together an involved dinner, as weird as it may seem I often find it relaxing.  I love the repetitiveness of cooking, it gives me time to think.  But on weeks when I'm extremely busy, or sick, the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen and cook.  So I come up with meals like this fast, simple and doesn't require a lot of thinking.  I do have to say I am not an Alfredo sauce fan.  I would much rather have plain old marinara but the husband loves his cheese - so Alfredo is something he really enjoys.  So despite the artery clogging properties of the sauce every now and then I try to make it for him.  So here's to making something your husband loves - despite the slightly unhealthy aspect!!!  Oh and I made it super simple and served it with bread and a side of dipping oil... just to enhance the unhealthiness!  Enjoy!