A "Heartfelt" Birthday Picnic and a Giveaway!
When I was a little girl, I had an opportunity to go to the NC State Fair on a field trip with my class, but decided not to tell my parents about it (read more about why on my blog). I was disappointed not to go with my classmates, but this weekend (a decade and a half later), Mike gave me a "do-over": he took me to the fair! I ate a Krispy Kreme burger and, yes, I loved every bite.
In related news (I promise), I made it to ROUND 6 of Project Food Blog with only 58 other bloggers! Round 6's challenge was to pack up a meal and go on a food road trip. Since Mike had given me a do-over, I decided that I wanted to use my road trip to give him a do-over of a birthday feast gone wrong earlier this year (you guys remember Pumpkin Ravioli, right? Oh dear.) I planned a "heartfelt" birthday party: a picnic in which all the food was heart-themed.
The menu included:
-handmade, heart-shaped cheese ravioli in a meaty red sauce
-heart-shaped palmiers with goat cheese and homemade pesto
-red velvet cupcakes with heart cutouts
-giant red velvet kisses with special messages
-hot chocolate with homemade heart-shaped marshmallows
Y'all, I really need your help. Thank you SO MUCH for helping me to get to Round 6 of the competition to crown the next food blog star! This round, the competition is utterly fierce. Will you consider logging in to your Foodbuzz.com account (it only takes a second to register for one for free if you don't have one) and voting for me? Just click "Vote for this Entry" on this page. THANK YOU!
Handmade Cheese Ravioli in Meaty Red Sauce
Recipe by: Adapted from Annie's Eats (pasta and ravioli); Sauce adapted from Strawberry Hedgehog
Yield: enough pasta to serve about 2 people
Ravioli Pasta Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon water, plus more as needed (I ended up using several full tablespoons)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole ricotta
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
fresh basil, chopped, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce Ingredients:
about 3 links of Italian sausage, crumbled and browned
2 16-oz. cans tomato sauce
4 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
chopped fresh basil to taste
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Make the pasta: In a food processor, combine the eggs, water, olive oil and flour. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are well mixed and a dough begins to form. If the mixture is not coming together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough is formed. Transfer the dough from the food processor to a work surface. Knead 1-2 minutes by hand. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead again for 1-2 minutes, or until dough starts to feel more supple and elastic. Let rest for another 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. If you have a pasta machine, see instructions here for how to prepare the sheets of dough. If not, roll one piece of the dough out on a lightly floured surface, pressing hard and rolling diligently until the dough is very thin. Use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out ravioli pieces. Let these rest while you mix your filling.
Mix filling: Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Taste and season accordingly.
Assemble ravioli: Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle of half of the heart shapes, leaving a clear edge around the perimeter. Dip a finger in water and lightly brush around the edges of a heart topped with the filling. Place one of the remaining pasta hearts on top and press the edges of the pasta shapes together to seal around the filling, being careful to press out any excess air. Repeat with the remaining dough shapes.
Make sauce: While browning Italian sausage, mix all other ingredients together in a bowl. Add to sausage and cook until heated through. In the meantime, cook pasta: bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the ravioli until al dente, about 4-5 minutes. Drain well and add ravioli to the sauce, tossing to coat. Serve with a spring of basil and shaved Parmesan.
You can enter to win this cute chalkboard on my blog post (linked below).
The setting: we had our picnic at an historic mill.
Me and Mike! Yes, I made him wear that hat.
To see more of the meal, read about why I never told my parents about that fifth grade field trip, or enter for a chance to win that cute chalkboard, please head over to Willow Bird Baking! And please don't forget to vote!
x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking
In related news (I promise), I made it to ROUND 6 of Project Food Blog with only 58 other bloggers! Round 6's challenge was to pack up a meal and go on a food road trip. Since Mike had given me a do-over, I decided that I wanted to use my road trip to give him a do-over of a birthday feast gone wrong earlier this year (you guys remember Pumpkin Ravioli, right? Oh dear.) I planned a "heartfelt" birthday party: a picnic in which all the food was heart-themed.
The menu included:
-handmade, heart-shaped cheese ravioli in a meaty red sauce
-heart-shaped palmiers with goat cheese and homemade pesto
-red velvet cupcakes with heart cutouts
-giant red velvet kisses with special messages
-hot chocolate with homemade heart-shaped marshmallows
Y'all, I really need your help. Thank you SO MUCH for helping me to get to Round 6 of the competition to crown the next food blog star! This round, the competition is utterly fierce. Will you consider logging in to your Foodbuzz.com account (it only takes a second to register for one for free if you don't have one) and voting for me? Just click "Vote for this Entry" on this page. THANK YOU!
Handmade Cheese Ravioli in Meaty Red Sauce
Recipe by: Adapted from Annie's Eats (pasta and ravioli); Sauce adapted from Strawberry Hedgehog
Yield: enough pasta to serve about 2 people
Ravioli Pasta Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon water, plus more as needed (I ended up using several full tablespoons)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole ricotta
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
fresh basil, chopped, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce Ingredients:
about 3 links of Italian sausage, crumbled and browned
2 16-oz. cans tomato sauce
4 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
chopped fresh basil to taste
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Make the pasta: In a food processor, combine the eggs, water, olive oil and flour. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are well mixed and a dough begins to form. If the mixture is not coming together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough is formed. Transfer the dough from the food processor to a work surface. Knead 1-2 minutes by hand. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Knead again for 1-2 minutes, or until dough starts to feel more supple and elastic. Let rest for another 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. If you have a pasta machine, see instructions here for how to prepare the sheets of dough. If not, roll one piece of the dough out on a lightly floured surface, pressing hard and rolling diligently until the dough is very thin. Use a large heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out ravioli pieces. Let these rest while you mix your filling.
Mix filling: Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Taste and season accordingly.
Assemble ravioli: Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle of half of the heart shapes, leaving a clear edge around the perimeter. Dip a finger in water and lightly brush around the edges of a heart topped with the filling. Place one of the remaining pasta hearts on top and press the edges of the pasta shapes together to seal around the filling, being careful to press out any excess air. Repeat with the remaining dough shapes.
Make sauce: While browning Italian sausage, mix all other ingredients together in a bowl. Add to sausage and cook until heated through. In the meantime, cook pasta: bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the ravioli until al dente, about 4-5 minutes. Drain well and add ravioli to the sauce, tossing to coat. Serve with a spring of basil and shaved Parmesan.
You can enter to win this cute chalkboard on my blog post (linked below).
The setting: we had our picnic at an historic mill.
Me and Mike! Yes, I made him wear that hat.
To see more of the meal, read about why I never told my parents about that fifth grade field trip, or enter for a chance to win that cute chalkboard, please head over to Willow Bird Baking! And please don't forget to vote!
x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking