I have many loves :)

Yep...life has been busy, and I haven't had time to do much blogging! However, I have been working on perfecting a new recipe- my Toasted Ravioli with Basil Cream Sauce. It's one of my new favorite meals- great with an ear of Sweet Corn. I use Meat Ravioli, but you could easily use another flavor.

I made my own bread crumbs for this...I toasted up some leftover Asiago Bread and pulsed it in my good processor.

To the bread crumbs, I added Parmesan Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Basil and Garlic Powder.

Place the thawed ravioli in a mixture of eggs and water.

Roll in bread crumbs until  evenly coated.

Place on a baking rack...you can bake directly on the pan, but then you should flip them while baking.

After all are coated, spray with cooking spray and place in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

While they bake, make the cream sauce. Heat 3/4 cup of Heavy Cream over Medium High heat for 1-2 minutes, until it starts to thicken. 

Stir in the pesto and cheese.

Serve hot ravioli with a generous side of the sauce!!

A recipe created just for Pizza Lovers!

I saw this recipe from Rachael Ray and tucked it away for a day I needed something "fun" to make for Robyn. Today I was struggling with a lunch plan...and then I remembered Pizza Puffs!!

Easy enough- I always have everything on hand. I added Garlic Salt and Italian Seasoning to mine.

The recipe says to add the basil at the end and sprinkle on top, but I chose to put mine inside.

Everything is better with cheese!!

Fill a mini muffin pan. GREASE WELL!!!! I found these to be a little tricky to get out of the pan. They were actually easier to remove after they cooled a bit. I used a Tablespoon and it filled 24 cups perfectly. Bake about 20 minutes at 375 degrees and allow to cool a few minutes before eating.

 

Serve with your favorite pizza sauce!

***Robyn and I loved these! Fun because you can easily add whatever toppings you love. Rachael also details in her recipe how to freeze them!***

I don't love heating up the kitchen when it's so hot outside!

Let's face it...it's been too hot to cook!! My husband and I have been eating lots of salads lately!! However, I was really wanting something a little more exciting, so I used my crock pot to cook up a beef roast. I added dried red chilies, oregano and garlic to the pot as well. The result was super tender and slightly spicy shredded beef... click here for the beef recipe.

The 1st night, I used small tortillas...

  

With cooked peppers and onions...

And shredded beef to make quick fajitas- served with sweet corn.

The second night, I put beef and  Monterey Jack cheese in a large tortilla. I rolled it up and browned on all sides in a hot skillet with a little olive oil. Served with my Kickin corn Salad!

My crock pot made dinner for two nights with enough leftovers for lunch without heating up the kitchen!


And for those that need a baby fix...Lucas at 8 weeks :)

Playing with Big Sister :)

Bath time in a mixing bowl

 

Robyn brought him all her favorites :)

Who wouldn't love cake for breakfast?

I get Rachael Ray's magazine...and although I LOVE reading food magazines, I don't usually follow the recipes. I like to read them for ideas and inspiration! In the latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, they feature a section on things to do with a box of cake mix. One of those ideas...pancakes!! I knew these wouldn't be a "healthy" breakfast, but a very fun one :) With a new baby at home, I'm trying hard to do something special every day with my 3 year old. A few days ago, I decided the time was right to bust out the "birthday cake pancakes!"

So easy- just start with a box of yellow or white cake mix,eggs, oil and sprinkles!

Mix batter according to the directions on the box- I added LOTS of sprinkles :)

 Heat a skillet or griddle, add a little oil and add batter like making any other pancakes. These did take a little longer to cook...do them over lower heat so they cook through without burning.

Top with a glaze of powdered sugar and milk...plus a few more sprinkles! Not your ordinary breakfast, but fun for that special little person in your life :)

Brownies baked with love...and an extra layer of yum!!

I'm back!!! After "baking" a beautiful new baby, I decided my first venture back to blogging should feature something baked! I've got a nasty sweet tooth lately, and really don't need all the extra calories...so I made something to send to work with my hubby :)

This recipe was super easy- and totally delicious. I had to cut the brownies to send with him to work, so I decided to try one :) This recipe belongs to "Keni" and I found it on grouprecipes.com http://www.grouprecipes.com/86455/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-brownies.html

Start with you favorite brownie mix- "Family size". Prepare according to Cake-Like instructions (add an extra egg). Bake until it just starts to set...about 5 minutes less than total recommended cook time.

While the brownies baked, prepare the cookie dough. I'm not a huge fan of sour cream- but it was great in this recipe!

Cream together the butter an sugars. Something about chocolate chip cookie dough makes me need to use a wooden spoon!

Add in sour cream, vanilla, baking powder and flour. I also mixed the chocolate chips into the dough instead of putting them on top- I thought they would be less messy to transport.

When brownies are just set, smash cookie dough between your hands and piece together on top of the brownies.

Cover the whole pan with a thick layer of the cookie dough and put back in the oven. The recipe says to bake for another 10 minutes...I had to bake mine about 15 minutes.

Oh my yum!! It was hard to let them cool before I cut them!!

The end result- ooey gooey chocolate bliss! A totally wonderful recipe I will make again for sure!

I love being home!!

We brought Lucas home...just 3 weeks after his birth! The Doctors said he broke the mold...technically shouldn't go home for another 2-3 weeks, but they had no reason to keep him!! He weighed 4 lbs 5 oz on the day we brought him home, and we'll find out on Tuesday how much weight he's gained since we've been home. He's a tiny little man, but we love him BIG time!!

Mommy and Lucas snuggles :)

The proud Big Sister!

Finally home- and loving his swing :)

Just feeding my family with Love right now...

I realize more people than just my friends read my blog...so I thought I would put out a quick update!!! My cooking days are over for a while...because I am  busy cooking a baby! My water ruptured around 30 weeks, and I am now on bed rest in the hospital until our Little Man is ready to make his appearance!

No worries- the hospital food is actually pretty good :)

I miss cooking and blogging- so I will be back some day soon, but in the mean time, I'm baking a baby and feeding my family a little extra love!!