Homemade ravioli

Right off the bat I have to say sorry...no pictures. :( My camera battery died right as I started making my ravioli! :(

Thanks to my friend Danielle, who let me borrow her pasta maker! I wanted to get as much use out of it in one session, just in case I didn't have time to use it again! I decided to make linguine and two flavors of ravioli.

I got my pasta recipe from Alanna of Two Fat Als. I put 4 cups of flour in a bowl with 2 tsp salt. I made a hole in the flour and one at a time, added 6 eggs. Then I kneaded it until smooth, adding a couple teaspoons of water until it was the right consistency. I let it sit for a few minutes while I got the pasta maker set up.

Attached is a photo of what the pasta maker looked like. :)

Then I cut the ball of dough into small sections, and ran them through the press on the thickest setting several times until it came out nice and smooth. I made the linguine first, so I left the pasta sheets on the thicker setting, then ran them through the linguine roller. Unfortunately, the dough wasn't floured enough, and all the noodles stuck together in a clump. So, I mushed them all together and started over! I made sure to flour them well the second time around.

By this point, I had to enlist the husband to help me out. Pasta making sure ended up being more complicated than it looked! I got him set up rolling out the rest of the dough into sheets, and then into even thinner sheets for ravioli. While he was busy with that, I started making the ravioli fillings - Butternut Squash & Pear, and Cheese & Herb. Once that was done, we got our ravioli prep stations set up. I had the long sheets of dough laid out on the counter, and I began cutting them into small strips, one at a time. I dropped a teaspoon of filling onto each one, then gave it to Mike. He brushed water around all 4 edges of the sheet, around the filling, and pushed them shut, sealing all four sides at the edges with a fork. They looked perfect! We set them on a cooking sheet covered in wax paper to set. We decided to eat the Cheese & Herb ravioli last night, so we set it aside, while the linguine went into the freezer to harden, and the Butternut Squash ravioli set in the fridge (now in the freezer for next week).

To cook the ravioli, I cooked them in boiling water for about 6 minutes. OMG....it was SO good!!!! The ravioli was more tender than regular ravioli, but not squishy or overcooked. Really, I think it was the best ravioli I have ever had!!! I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!!!

I made up the cheese ravioli recipe on my own. I used a tub of ricotta cheese, and mixed it with some garlic & herb goat cheese, shredded Italian cheeses (parmesan, asiago, reggiano), and basil, herbs du provence, and salt & pepper. YUM.

For the butternut squash, I found a recipe on Gourmet Food. I cannot wait to try this recipe!!! All I have to do is boil the ravioli for 6 minutes or so, then serve it with butter, rosemary, and pecans.

• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1 Large Pear, peeled, cored, and diced small
• 1/4 Teaspoon Chili Powder, preferably Ancho chili
• 1/4 Cup Dry Jack, Asiago, or Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1/4 Cup Pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 4 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, chopped fine
• Pinch Salt

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash flesh side down on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast the squash until the flesh is easily pierced with a fork (about 45 minutes). Let cool slightly and scoop out the flesh.

Place the cooked squash into a large fry pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes to dry out the squash. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.

To the squash, add the cheese, chili powder, and diced pear. Mix well and add salt to taste.

The linguine I will be serving with salmon and a parmesan basil sauce. I can't wait!

Thanks, Danielle, for letting me borrow the pasta maker! I had so much fun trying something new. :) While I'm glad I don't have to put this much effort into cooking every night, it sure was fun for a special night of cooking! :)

Still around and still cooking!

Hello!

I just figured it was about time I posted again!!! Never fear...I am still cooking, still baking, and still doing well! I just haven't had so much time for blogging. Now that it's nice outside in the evenings, I've been trying not to spend so much time on the computer, since I'm on the computer all day at work! I've been enjoying myself by going outside, planting a garden, working in the yard, cooking, and so on!

Our garden is coming along nicely - I can't WAIT until we can start eating homegrown veggies! We have: tomatoes, jalapenos, thyme, oregano, peppermint, basil, cilantro, carrots, radishes, soybeans, and lettuce. It's going to be a fun summer!

I have been cooking a lot too, but I haven't been following recipes so much - I've been enjoying our local healthy food store, Henry's, and the occasional trip to Trader Joe's. I just love picking whatever random things I find, and making a meal out of it. Lots of grilling outdoors...chicken, fish, etc., as well as grilled veggies! I LOVE artichokes on the grill. Mmmm... I bought a "Big Daddy" artichoke last night - it was almost as big as my head! It took a while to cook, but it was GOOD.

I also made some cupcakes the other day. I almost entered them in the Master Baker competition, since the theme was vanilla, but I felt like they were SOOO boring, and not as good as I could do. I made Billy's Vanilla Vanilla cupcakes, but used a vanilla bean instead of extract, and my very own vanilla bean frosting, which I colored pink. They were good, but I wasn't impressed with the Billy's recipe, especially after I have read that people make them so often! :( I had Mike take most of them to work. I ate a couple, then tossed the rest. Sigh. I still need to use my Blake Makes Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche! I was going to use it to make cupcakes for my Bunco group this week, but I just won't have time to bake them. Plus, it is WAY too hot to be using the oven lately! Soon though...very soon. :)

Anyway, sorry I have no pictures....I'm on my work computer at the moment. But, I just wanted to fill you all in, since so many of you have so kindly been checking in on me! Much love to you all...I hope all is well with you all!

<3 Alanna

Job Update

As many of you know, I recently got a new job which just started on Monday. Thank you so much to all my friends who have been bombarding me with text messages, chats, and emails - sorry I haven't had an opportunity to get back to you yet! Also, thank you to my former employers who gave me glowing references. I would not be where I am today without you! And, thank you to all of you who prayed for me every day that the perfect job opportunity would come up. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Since I just started my job, I don't want to be on my personal email too much yet, so I figure I'll email EVERYONE at once, so you all know what's going on with me, and that way I won't get totally bombarded with gmail chats and emails while I'm trying to work. :)

For those of you who hadn't heard yet, I accepted a job with a small graphic design company that is just getting started in Cardiff, CA. The office is right on the beach, and is only 10 minutes from my house. Everything about the location is ideal. We have a huge picture window view of the ocean, and there are all sorts of cute little beachy restaurants within walking distance. I only work 5 minutes away from Mike! The company is a branch off of a larger retail display company, and since they are one of our major clients, I spent my first three days of work up in their office in San Dimas to get a feel for how they run their office, and to get some advice on how to run my office. I felt like such a grown up, going on my first business trip! It was a little bit lonely staying in a hotel by myself, but luckily one night I was able to meet my good friends Clara and Rachel for dinner, and they kept me company. The office up there was great. Everyone was SO nice, and so much fun to work with. I wasn't sure what I'd be doing there at first, since I was really just there to observe and get ideas for how I am going to set up our new office down in Cardiff. I was a little bored the first day, but I did get some good info. By Wednesday afternoon, I was having a blast, making friends, and I could not believe how long my "To Do" list had gotten! I couldn't wait to get back home though, see Mike, and start working in my own office.

This morning I started my first day in my office. I LOVED it! I had already met the girl I share an office with, and we get along great. My boss is super cool, very laid back and designerly, and the other designer is young and fun as well. There is another boss that works in the office too, but he is out of town a lot, so usually it will just be the four of us. I love it. Everyone is very fun, and I feel like we all have a lot in common. I get to be involved in all the design conversations, when everyone is brainstorming and talking about creative things. Right now my main tasks are to order computers for everyone, since we are switching the office over to Macs instead of PCs, and also researching software for project management and accounting. I get to set up all the files and organize the way we are going to organize all of our design projects. This is going to be SO cool. I get to set up the entire process for the office. I cannot wait! I finally feel like I'm starting something and have a real role in a company, in the industry that I have been going to school for over the past MANY years. This is the job I have been looking for since I started college. It only took 7 years! I have gained so much experience over the years in my past job, and I feel like I finally earned the job of my dreams.

So, again, thanks to everyone who has been wishing me well. Things are great...I couldn't be happier. I think this is the start of an awesome new career, and great things in my life! :)

Much love to you all!

P.S.
I am going to lay low on my personal email and chats at work for a little while, so for those of you who like to send me massive amounts of forwards (you know who you are!) try to leave me off your list for a couple weeks...but I'll try to keep up with my regular emails as much as possible. Once I get settled in at work, I'll have a little more time to get back on my email and g-chat again. :)

Now you know my ABC's

A- Attached or Single? I am married. I guess that makes me attached, although it's not as if we were actually stuck together...all the time.
B- Best Friend? I love all my friends!
C- Cake or Pie? cupcake - I hate pie, and I am very particular about cakes.
D- Day of Choice? Saturday. I wish every day could be Saturdya.
E- Essential Item? Um....? In what context? I always have to take my chapstick with me, just like Clara does.
F- Favorite Color? red and green, but not together (unless it's Christmas time)
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? ick, neither.
H- Hometown? San Diego, CA
I- Favorite Indulgence? a fresh, homemade cupcake
J- January or July? July! Its my anniversary month. And it's WARM!
K- Kids? Not any time soon!!!! :P
L- Life isn't complete without? Mike :)
M- Marriage date? 7/06/07
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 3 brothers, 2 sisters, 1 brother in law
O- Oranges or Apples? Not really a fan of either unless 1) the apples are cooked; or 2) the oranges are in juice form
P- Phobias and Fears? HEIGHTS, and worms
R- Reason to smile? getting a new job that I've been wanting for 7 years!
S- Season of choice? Summer, fo sho!
T- Tag five people? Danielle, Nina, and Cathy. (Like my friend Rachel, I chose THREE people because it starts with 'T'.)
U- Unknown fact about me? I hate talking on the phone, so I text or email whenever possible.
V- Vegetable? I can't say ANY vegetable is my favorite, but I do like asparagus, and broccoli and carrots are edible.
W- Worst Habit? Procrastination...on pretty much everything. Needless to say...I work best under a deadline.
X-ray or Ultrasound? I have had tons of X-Rays. I think I had an ultrasound on my knee or my foot once. Are you asking which is my favorite? Because it's not like either one is fun or anything.
Y- Your favorite food? Mexican and Italian are a really close tie. I think Mexican usually wins though.
Z- Zodiac Sign? Scorpio

I've been a bad blogger.

I have been cooking...I've even taken some prep pics...but then I get so hungry that I totally forget to post pics of the finished product. And really, who wants to see a gooey picture of raw meat and then not see how good it actually turned out? So yeah...I've been a bad girl. Shame on me.

Let's see...I made some Onion Soup and Kat's Fast Fancy Chicken. The soup was a new one....it was really good, but it sure did a number on the gasworks in our house. I will NOT be making that again!

On Sunday, I made a big St. Paddy's meal and had a bunch of friends over. I made The Noble Pig's recipe for corned beef. OMG it was so good! It did not last long at all. I also boiled potatoes and steamed carrots and cabbage. I seriously had enough potatoes to feed an army. Oops!

Since I had a plethora of potatoes, I ran to the store to get meat and a green vegetable. I found boneless pork ribs and asparagus both on sale. Awesome. So, I decided to marinate my ribs (the pork ribs, that is) in applesauce, brown sugar, thyme, and salt & pepper. Then the man grilled them for me. Boy, did he do a great job! I ended up mashing the boiled potatoes. It sure was tasty...so tasty that, you got it, I didn't get a picture.

Sorry for being a slacker....I'll try to make it up to you!

Cupcake Hero: Marshmallow Almond Butter Cupcakes

This month's Cupcake Hero challenge proved to be a fun one! I wasn't sure how things would go when I found out that the ingredient of the month was marshmallow. I mean, I love S'mores, but beyond that, I really don't eat the sticky, gooey, sugary confection. I was definitely up for the challenge though, since I had a half-used jar of marshmallow creme sitting in my cupboard. I began to think of all the things I could do with marshmallow. I quickly crossed the idea of a S'more cupcake off my list, since I figure ANYONE could come up with that, and I was sure it would be done by at least a few of my fellow cupcake-ers.

As I was making my grocery list and perusing the ad for Trader Joe's, I came across an ad for creamy, smooth almond butter. I suddenly had a thought. Would almond and marshmallow go well together? I thought they might...better than almond and peanut butter, I thought. I bought my first jar ever of almond butter, and started devising a plan. My first thought was to make almond butter cupcakes with marshmallow frosting, but I'm not really a fan of the idea of just using the ingredient of the month in my frosting - I really wanted to incorporate it through and through into my recipe.

After reading Tempered Woman's recipe for Peanut Butter cupcakes, I decided to adapt it for my needs. Thanks, girl, you're the best! :) (wink, wink)

I only made some minor changes to the recipe, such as changing the peanut butter to almond butter. I also did some other minor experimentation, which I'll get into later.

Like I said, I didn't want to exclude marshmallow from the cupcakes themselves, so I decided I would try to give them a marshmallow filling. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to pipe thick, gooey marshmallow cream into the finished cuppys, or just put a marshmallow in them before baking. Since I was unsure, I decided to give making my own marshmallow cream a try, and decide from that point. Until researching for these cupcakes, I had no idea you could make your own marshmallows! How fun is that?

Sweet, sticky goodness.

I let this sit in the refrigerator overnight. Turns out this pretty much blew my chance of piping it in the next morning! It was set nice and thick...like a very sticky marshmallow. Oh well. That made up my mind for me...I would be plopping a drop of this ooey gooey stickiness into the middle of my cupcakes.

Just like TW, I did my first batch by swirling the nut butter into the batter, already in the tin.
I then attempted to drop a dollop of marshmallow into the cupcake and press down. It didn't want to go. Who would have thought that something so light and full of air would want to float on top of the batter? Sheesh. So, I baked them anyway.

OMG...don't they look yummy?

For round two, I decided to swirl the almond butter directly into the batter before placing it into the tins, since it was rather difficult the first time around.

I also decided to put the marshmallow in the cup first, and put the batter over the top. Not sure that was such a great idea.

They still look yummy, but they didn't rise nearly as much, and the stickiness in the bottom made them pretty near impossible to get out of the wrapper.
See, CB, I scraped my bowl out very well...just for you!

I think that next time I would combine my two experiments, and mix the almond butter in with the batter before placing it in the cupcake liners, but I would still put the marshmallow on top of the batter.

I made Fluffernutter frosting to top the cuppys with. Again, it includes both marshmallow and almond butter! My whole intent for these cupcakes was to use my jar of marshmallow creme, but since I had so much of my homemade marshmallow left, I decided to use it for my frosting as well.

See how cute these babies are? Wow...so yummy. They are good naked too...but more like a muffin. The frosting definitely upgrades their status!!! The husband couldn't wait to sink his teeth into one. His words? "These are bad ass." He rated them as some of my better cupcakes. :) I have to say, I am pretty prouf of them myself. :) They are going to a party tonight....let's see if any of them survive!


Now....for the recipes!

Almond Butter Cupcakes

Made 22 cupcakes
Cupcakes:
3/4 cup (12 T) Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1/3 cup Buttermilk
1 3/4 cups sifted AP Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
16 oz. Almond Butter (some for cupcakes and some for frosting)

Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add buttermilk. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder on low just until flour is incorporated. Fill cupcake liner with batter about 2/3 full.
Scoop 1 T of almond butter onto cupcake batter and gently swirl in to marble somewhat. Drop marshmallow cream into center of cupcake and gently push down. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallows for filling:
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat. With the mixer on low speed slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Fluffernutter Frosting
1 cup marshmallow creme
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

In small bowl with mixer at low speed, combine marshmallow creme, almond butter and butter until blended. Increase speed to medium. Beat in salt and confectioners' sugar alternately with milk, adding just enough milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. Beat in vanilla.

Kitchen Gadgets Exchange!!!

Several of my knottie cooking friends have been participating in a monthly baked goods exchange by mail. This month, we decided to mix things up and exchange kitchen gadgets instead. The name drawings were totally random...we use this awesome site called Elfster that assigns you blindly to someone, so no one knows the secret! I drew the name of my dear friend April, whom I sent my Frangelico Vanilla Martini cupcakes to. Well, turns out that April had drawn my name as well!!! SO exciting.

Now, I have been wanting this particular kitchen item for like EVER. I told Mike I wanted one for Christmas, but he couldn't find one for me. Mmkay.... So, you can imagine how THRILLED I was to receive a package from April, and then to find that inside was my very own food chopper!!!! I am so excited. :) It's small enough that I can leave it out on my counter, but totally big enough for an average meal. Woohoo! Thank you so much, April!!!

I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture before I washed it and all...but here is the picture online that shows exactly what it looks like! Thank you, April!!!