Ravioli Lasagna

Do you ever has those days when dinner time sneaks up on you and you're just not ready?  I've had a lot of those days lately!

When that happens, a quick and easy meal is always in order.  Spinach & Pesto Ravioli Lasagna was our go-to recipe last night.

This is my adaptation of a recipe found on myrecipes.com.

Photo: Southern Living

Ingredient List

1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped or cut leaf spinach

3/4 cup basil pesto

2 (15oz) jars Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 (25 oz) packages frozen cheese ravioli

2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Combine frozen spinach and pesto in a medium bowl.

Combine Alfredo sauce and chicken broth.  Spoon 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce mix (about 1 cup) into the bottom of a lightly greased casserole.  I use a large 4 Liter Corningware roaster.  Top with half of the spinach and pesto mixture.  Spread one bag of the frozen ravioli over the spinach mixture.  Repeat layers once.  Top with the remaining Alfredo sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 375F for about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

You don't have to thaw the spinach or the ravioli before baking but make sure the center of the lasagna is hot before serving.  Try sliding a knife down the middle of the dish and pull it back out.  If the knife is not hot, the dish is still cold in the middle.  If that's the case pop it back in the oven for a little longer.  Cover if it begins to get too brown.

Add a salad and some garlic bread and dinner is on!  You can easily cut this recipe in half and still have delicious results.

Sausage Ring for New Year's Day Brunch

Hello, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  It was busier (and more exhausting!) than I anticipated and I'm just now feeling like I'm caught up again!  Well, sort of!

With New Year's Day just around the corner I wanted to share a delicious brunch recipe with you all!  This recipe has been a holiday staple in my family for years (starting with my grandmother making it every Christmas when I was a child).  In fact, this was a special request by my dad for our Christmas get-together this year!

Sausage Ring

2 pounds breakfast sausage

1/2 cup diced onion

1 cup diced apple

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups soda cracker crumbs

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Press into a bundt pan (I line mine with plastic wrap to make it easier to remove the next morning).  Refrigerate overnight.

To bake, preheat oven to 325F.  Remove sausage ring from bundt pan (don't forget to take off the plastic wrap!) and place on a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet (water in the bottom will help with clean up).  Bake for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

One fun way to serve the sausage ring is to fill the center and outside edge with scrambled eggs.

Add some cinnamon rolls, fruit and Champagne Mimosas or (Bloody Mary's if you're my husband's family!) and you have a beautiful, delicious and satisfying New Year's Day Brunch!

Why I love this recipe?  It's de-li-cious!  You prep it the night before and throw it in the oven the next morning and forget about it (ideal for Christmas morning while opening packages!).  And it's kinda fancy-smancy filled with scrambled eggs.  This recipe freezes well, also.  Just thaw completely in the fridge before baking!

BBQ Spice Rub

My youngest son is all about food!  I think he inherited this from me.  We wake up thinking about food and before we're finished eating breakfast, we're thinking about what's for lunch!  When he was only about three, he asked me if I would teach him how to make goulash when he grew up...already thinking about what he's going to eat when he goes off to college!

Well, he and I were discussing what we would eat on Christmas day and he suggested ribs.  Yummy!  My husband and I split duties when it comes to smoking meats.  I'm in charge of perfecting the "prep" and he's in charge of the smoke.

In my pursuit to find the perfect rub, this is what I ended up with.  This rub is so delicious, in fact, that I have quit using barbecue sauce all together (however, that is my next endeavor - homemade barbecue sauce)!  I found this recipe online but it's been a few years and I can't remember who it came from...sorry.

BBQ Rub

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup paprika

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

And that's it!  It really is fantastic!  So much better than anything you can buy in the store.  It will work on all kinds of meat, too.

And this would make a nice gift for the Grill Master in your life, also.  Be sure to include the recipe because once it's gone, they're gonna want some more!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

My boys are out of school all week this week for Thanksgiving break (I'm lovin' having them home!) so I decided to take this opportunity to make some Pumpkin Whoopie Pies together.  We'll be taking them over to our friend Thomas' house tomorrow for our Kid Thanksgiving celebration!  I found the recipe here.

 When I told the boys we were making Whoopie Pies they cracked up.  I guess "whoopie" sounds a lot like potty talk and you know how funny potty talk is to elementary age boys!  Once they quit laughing they asked "Is that really what their called?"  Yep.

Disclaimer!

Now, before you start thinking "Wow!  What a great mom to get in the kitchen with her boys and let them have at it!"   Let me tell ya somethin'...it was excruciating!  If you know me, perhaps you already know I am a control freak!  This whole idea of letting my boys bake is tough for me.  But, I stood back and gave verbal instructions and let them do it by themselves.

They actually washed their hands without me having to tell them to!

This is what you'll need:

Pumpkin Cookies

2 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (**recipe follows)
1 teaspoon baking powder (**recipe follows)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Filling/Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar

Here's what you do:

Step 1:  Heat the oven to 350F.  Take a deep breath and read first part of recipe to boys; "Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Stir in the pumpkin.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth."  Heartbeat a bit elevated but still under control.  Focus on breathing.

 They took turns cracking the eggs.

 No shells!

 Easy does it!

What was I thinking?  This could have ended up all over the place!

This is what we ended up with.

Step 2:  Take another deep breath and remind yourself that they are having fun and so are you.  Read next step of the recipe; "Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, using a moist finger or the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound.  Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely."  Okay, starting to freak out now.  Controlled breathing...

 It took everything I had to watch this and not take over!  These are supposed to be round...ish!

 Little Brother doesn't look too impressed.

What a sight!

"Are they almost done?"

Step 3:  I'm feeling a little light headed.  Is this normal?  Am I the only one who's hot right now?  Keep breathing.  Distract kids with something else.  Read next step...to myself; "Meanwhile, make the frosting.  Beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl until light and fluffy.  Mix in the confectioners' sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable."  (The recipe calls for more sugar than I think you need or can even get incorporated.  I say, find a taste and consistency you like and go with that.)

Now, I think I'm doing a good thing here...letting my boys bake.  All by themselves.  And this is what I get:

 "Can I go now?"

Good stuff, Mom!

 Oh sure, now he's interested!

Step 4:  Breathing has returned to normal.  Kids are happy with licking the beater.  Casually read next step to self; "To assemble the pies, turn half off the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on each one.  Top them with the remaining cookies (turned right side up)."  (The recipe says it makes 10 to 14.  We ended up with 20.  The ones they boys made were smaller than the ones I made.  I have to admit that I liked the small ones better.  These cookies are sooooo rich, one small cookie is more than enough.)

My #1 taste tester!

**Okay, I don't know about you but I hate having a bunch of containers of spices floating around in my cabinet...there are enough in there already!  So I decided, why do I keep pumpkin pie spice and baking powder on hand when I have separate containers of the ingredients used to make them?  Now I just make them as I need them.  An added bonus; I've noticed a difference in the texture and loft of my baked goods now that I make my baking powder fresh!

So here are the recipes I use:

To make 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice or ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

To make 1 teaspoon baking powder:

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

I guess this recipe is a keeper!

And you know what?  We did have a good time.  In fact, I think we'll do something like this again!