Ravioli with…walnuts?

Another quick and easy Real Simple recipe tonight! I am loving all these easy recipes I’ve tried this week, so glad I flipped through my old magazines for inspiration! This was definitely a fast meal, as ravioli usually is. Tyler and I both really liked it, although I think I would prefer pecans to walnuts, I find walnuts to be a bit bitter. We will definitely make this recipe again in the near future!  Sorry for the somewhat blurry pic, I took this picture in the middle of a huge thunderstorm!  Not much natural light to play around with, but I love a good Kansas thunderstorm!

Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts (from RealSimple)

1 14- to 16-ounce package cheese ravioli (frozen or fresh)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 cup (2 ounces) walnuts, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the cooking water.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and walnuts. Cook, stirring, until the nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the parsley, and the reserved cooking water. Add the ravioli and toss to coat. Divide among individual plates and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Substitution: For a hit of vegetables and a change of pace, use pumpkin or butternut-squash ravioli instead of cheese-filled. You can also replace the walnuts with pecans or almonds.

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Something Different

Here’s another recipe I pulled out of an old issue of Real Simple. We were really pleased with it, I was surprised by how flavorful the mini-burgers were, and of course I loved the salad since I am a lover of all things couscous! This was such an easy meal to whip up, Tyler made the burgers and I made the salad. It was different than any other meal we’ve had before but it was so delicious! Definitely recommend it, make it with some fresh summer tomatoes and cucumbers!

Spiced Mini Burgers with Couscous Salad (from realsimple)

1 10-ounce box couscous (we used whole wheat)
1 pound ground beef
Kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, quartered
1 seedless cucumber, sliced into half-moons
3 tablespoons tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 8-ounce container hummus (optional)

Place the couscous in a medium bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups hot tap water over the top. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Form the beef into 12 small 1/2-inch-thick patties. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the cumin, and oregano.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook to desired doneness, 4 minutes per side for medium.

Combine the couscous, scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, lemon juice, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining oil in a large bowl.

Divide among individual plates. Serve with the burgers and hummus, if desired.

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A Simple Salad

This weekend we gave our apartment a thorough cleaning, weeding out old clothes, shoes, books, and magazines we don’t need anymore. I decided to flip through my old issues of Real Simple and tore out quite a few recipes that appealed to me but that I had yet to try. It made meal planning for this week really easy! I’m hoping to try 3 new recipes this week to share with you. Here is the first! This salad was easy to whip up with the help of a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. All I had to do was chop up the onion, grapes, and celery, and mix up the dressing. Prep took less than 20 minutes which was just the kind of time I had after coming home from my first graduate school class! Tyler and I really enjoyed this salad, the grapes offer a nice sweetness to offset the saltiness of the blue cheese. I served this salad with sliced of french baguette, yum! Can’t wait to have more for lunch tomorrow!

Roast Chicken with Grape and Blue Cheese Salad (from realsimple.com)

serves 4-6

2 small heads Boston or Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces (I used bagged lettuce)
4 stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 cups (about 1/2 pound) green grapes, halved
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken, meat thickly sliced

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, celery, onion, grapes, and blue cheese.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide the salad and chicken among individual plates. Serve with the vinaigrette.

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Smitten by Pancakes

I have not been doing anything impressive in our kitchen recently, lots of baking cookies and heating up frozen pizza. Just can’t seem to get motivated to make big meals anymore! Last night I tried a new recipe for pancakes, since the box of Hungry Jack mix leaves something to be desired! We stopped using bisquick a couple of years ago when we saw how much transfat was in it and switched to another mix, but I don’t think either produces very good pancakes. This batter was quick and easy to mix up, the hard part was waiting for them to cook since I cooked them on low-medium. UUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH. I am so not patient, lol! Took forever to make them all, but they were VERY good, so it was worth it!  Before you go any further or ever attempt to make pancakes again, go read Smitten Kitchen’s tips for making pancakes, I found them EXTREMELY helpful and definitely think it made a difference in getting the right taste and texture in these pancakes.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes (adapted from Martha Stewart’s Original Classics Cookbook, as seen over at Smitten Kitchen)

Yield: Martha says this makes 9 6-inch pancakes.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or slightly less table salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon extra for brushing griddle

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed (optional)

1. Preheat an electric griddle to 375°F, or place a griddle pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter, and whisk to combine. The batter should have small to medium lumps.

2. Test the griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If the water bounces and spatters, the griddle is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter onto the griddle. Wipe off the excess with a folded paper towel.

3. Using a 4-oz. ladle, about 1/2 cup (for a 6-inch pancake), pour the batter in pools 2 inches apart. If you wish to make blueberry pancakes, arrange a handful over the cooking pancake, pressing them in slightly. When the pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. If any batter oozes or blueberries roll out, push them back under with your spatula. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

4. Repeat with the remaining batter. You can keep the finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven at 175°F. Serve warm.

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peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now and they did not disappoint!  I forgot to squish the first batch with a fork so they came out dense and not so good, but I remembered from then on out and the rest were perfect!

The Best Peanut Butter Cookies (as seen on Baking Blonde’s blog)

1 cup + 2 TBS peanut butter (I used extra crunchy)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 TBS milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Peanut Butter chips (did not have so I left these out)
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (I used a full cup)
3/4 cup Sugar (for rolling dough balls, may need more or less)

Preheat oven to 350.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter. Once combined beat in the white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently add to creamed mixture and mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.
Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Gently roll the dough balls into sugar and place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Carefully press each ball with fork tines to create a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes until sturdy enough to be transfered to a wire rack to cool completely.

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