Chew On This...

 I would say to some of you, proceed with caution, as many of you are preparing to forge ahead with 'The Daniel Fast'. This post is about ravioli, handmade, yummy ravioli. We are eating very green, I have been for a long time, but as a Family, we are taking it to another level of healthy eating. That said, my twenty-something #1Son, is still living at home and healthy as he is (thank goodness), he still enjoys a hearty bowl of pasta. My skills of making my own pasta are sharpened, and on my list of , 'I can do that', making ravioli was near the top. 

I bought a ravioli stamp @ Crate & Barrel. I say stamp and not cutter, because I assumed that it was a cutter, but really, it just marks the dough, which is good. I found a filling which, clearly was going to be delicious. Fresh spinach, ricotta and Parmesan. It is amazing how the first time is wrought with mistakes. I made the dough, prepped the filling, and proceeded in my normal fashion of rolling out the dough with my pasta roller gadget. I have never gone to the thinnest setting, which is #7. I did not go there on the first round. I should have. I sort of used the stamp, thinking it was going to cut, not stamp, so I set it aside. I should not have done that either. So, I eyeballed the squares for shaping the ravioli. Big mistake. I used a tablespoon measure for the filling. Mistake #4. It was way too much. I deemed the ravioli, 'rustic', which they were. However, when all 12 were finished, they looked like ravioli on steroids!!! They were SO big, having puffed up after boiling, that one was equal to four. Did they get eaten, you ask? Well, yes, they were delicious, best meal Jimmy ever had, he said.

So, determined to get the hang of this, I went for round 2. I rolled out the dough in my normal fashion with the pasta roller gadget, but I went to #7, which is paper thin. Off to a good start. I used the stamp to clearly mark the squares. Good move. I used 1/2 a tablespoon for the filling. Just the right amount. I gently laid out the top part of the ravioli, and marked the squares with the side of my hand, then made the cuts. Also, a good move. Still, somewhat rustic, but smaller. I had 18 instead of 12 monster sized ravioli. As with the first batch, I had way too much filling left over in the bowl, so I simply floured a baking dish and put the rest of that yummy combo in the oven. I baked it until the top and sides were nice and toasted looking. This round, all in all, a far greater success. What is so nice about ravioli, is that you can put just about anything in them for a filling, which I intend to do.

These pics are from round 2. I finished them up in the sauce pan, turned off the heat, added some shredded parm and fresh basil!! The bottom pic of the ravioli in the bowl, ready for eating is not as good as I would have liked, because someone, who will remain nameless, was chomping at the bit. Anywho, my adventures in the kitchen...to be continued...

Rolled, stamped, measured and filled...

Ready for cutting and sealing...

Well sealed, ready for boiling, all 18 of them...

Finished off in the sauce pan, adding shredded parm and fresh basil...

A healthy serving of 3, well, he came back for more...

'She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her...' Proverbs 31:27-28 

(Good thought Proverbs....)

WHAT??????

Red and yellow peppers, growing green!!!

And you thought that my first post after moving to the ever lover-ly Colorado Springs would be pictures of the grandeur of the mountains in the morning and the majestic sunsets which really do take your breath away or the details of the plane ride out here, and how well (whew) the kitties fared, or how Edward's blood sugars were all over the place the first week we arrived, or that you really do have to drink alot of water to stay hydrated, or that unpacking is much more fun than packing (thank you Ann), or that I am thrilled beyond words to have a closet in my office. I could tell you all about that, but, whaaaat???? Yes, people I am posting pics of peppers. For those of you who go food shopping, you know that the cost of fresh produce has sky-rocketed. Especially, peppers...the orange and yellow peppers are like investing in gold. So, when I walked into our 'new' supermarket and saw red, yellow and orange peppers on sale, 10 for $10, my heart sang. I cut them from the top, like a pumpkin, shake out all the seeds which are left, then slice them open, cut out the veins, slice them into 6-8 pieces, and simply roast them w/ some olive oil until they are tender, and crisp all at the same time. It is like eating candy, they are so sweet, and 'au natural'. When I cut open 2 of the peppers, I was a-gog, when I pulled out peppers growing inside of peppers...they were so beautiful, I could not pass up the opportunity to take some pics. Hence, my first post from Colorado, peppers growing inside of peppers. There is plenty of time for all those mountain shots. From what I can tell, they are not going anywhere, anytime soon......more to come!!