Tag: Cooking

Cheesy-Creamy Ravioli Bake
Dinner · Recipes

Cheesy-Creamy Ravioli Bake

enbrookshireLeave a comment

As a working mom I am always on the hunt for something fast, easy, fulfilling and healthy. Now that my daughter is 3 1/2 years old we run between preschool, dance classes and soccer practice…well at least before Covid-19 we did. With our busy schedules it’s always nice to have meals like this one to turn to. Today, I am sharing a meal that is fast, easy and a great addition to your work week 30 minute meals. It’s rich, filling and pairs well with a small side salad and/or crusty bread…not to mention a nice red wine! This meal had me at spinach, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, cheese and garlic! Now let’s get started on this delicious Cheesy-Creamy Ravioli Bake!

Everything you need for this easy Cheesy-Creamy Ravioli Bake. Bacon, tomatoes, spinach, mushroom stuffed ravioli, Alfredo sauce, onion, garlic and a dash of red pepper flakes.
Somehow I forgot to snap a pic of these cheeses that I use in this meal. These are our family favorites for mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

One of my favorite tips that I’ve learned over the years is to always layout all of your ingredients and prep your ‘Mise en place’ before you get started. ‘Mise en place’ is a French term that means having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking. It helps to have all of this prep work done before you start cooking so everything can come together at the same time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you are busy with a toddler under you feet and also following a new recipe. This tip always helps me out!

Now that you have your ingredients in order, it’s time to get your pot filled with water to boil the noodles and your skillet heating up for the bulk of the meal. It’s very important that if you want yummy pasta of any kind to SALT YOUR WATER! Your pasta water should always taste like sea water to ensure that you get a delicious pasta with lots of flavor.

I like using fine sea salt when I’m cooking and this brand is just from my local grocery store. Always put way more salt in your pasta water prior to boiling…it should taste like the sea! The end result is always full flavor pasta.
I always turn my skillet on to get a good heat on it so that my ingredients will instantly start to cook upon dropping them in. There’s nothing like the sizzle of bacon cooking in a hot cast iron skillet.

This recipe cooks up so fast, it is easy to cleanup and has a delicious taste…not to mention the house smells AMAZING! I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as mine. Now on to the recipe!

Cheesy-Creamy Ravioli Bake

Cheesy-Creamy Ravioli Bake

Ingredients:

  • 2 (9 oz) pkgs mushroom stuffed ravioli
  • 1 bag of spinach
  • 4 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked, drained and chopped into bits
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 (15 oz) container of refrigerated Alfredo sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
  • Parmesan cheese, for garnish
  • Parsley, for garnish
  • Pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Cook ravioli according to package directions.
  • Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Drain, reserving 2 Tbsp drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon into bits.
  • Add onions and garlic to skillet; cook 4 to 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes and spinach; cook 3 minutes or until wilted.
  • Stir in Alfredo sauce and add ravioli; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.
  • Sprinkle with bacon, Parmesan cheese and add a dash of pepper and parsley to taste.
  • Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!

Nothing Like A Little Pie!
Pie · Recipes

Nothing Like A Little Pie!

enbrookshireLeave a comment

This is my first post and I am super excited to share this with you! My family loves sweet treats, but we rarely have them around the house. Usually we treat ourselves to an ice cream or milkshake out, but since Covid-19 struck we’ve been making our sweet treats at home. Since Memorial Day weekend is different this year I wanted to make something easy yet delicious! I decided to try my hand at making a French Silk Pie and the only thing I can say is “WOW”! It’s crispy crust leads to a chewy brownie, followed by a creamy chocolate filling and finished by a smooth topping of whipped cream with little bits of freshly shaved dark chocolate. You get such a rush of dark chocolate in every bite…so rich and tasty!

This pie is so simple and easy and doesn’t require a ton of clean up (which is my favorite part…LOL). It all starts with a pie crust and a dark chocolate brownie, followed by a cream cheese blend of bittersweet dark chocolate and LOTS of whipped cream. How could that not be tasty, right? I have shared some tips and substitution possibilities below as well as the recipe itself.

Some of the French Silk Pie ingredients that I used to make this delicious pie for my family.

I really enjoy the flavors of dark chocolate over milk chocolate, but you could totally use a milk chocolate brownie mix and milk chocolate bittersweet bar if you prefer that over the dark chocolate flavor. I also like using free range eggs and that’s just a preference that I have, but you could use whatever eggs you’re used to as long as they are large eggs. One tip that I have is that if you forget to put your cream cheese out on the counter to soften, you can always take it out of the foil packaging, place it on a microwaveable plate and zap it for 10 seconds on high. This will help it to soften without cooking it. Now on to the recipe!

French Silk Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 (pkg) of a pre-made pie crust
  • 1 pkg dark chocolate brownie mix
  • 1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (4 oz) bar of bittersweet dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (reserve a half of a piece for garnish)
  • 2 (8 oz) containers of whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Unroll pie crust and fit to bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
  • Prepare brownie mix per the directions on the box and poor onto pie crust. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until brownie and pie crust are done. Cool on wire rack until completely cooled.
  • Using an electric hand mixer, beat softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until well whipped. Add melted dark chocolate and beat at low speed until well blended. Slowly fold in one container of whipped topping.
  • Add chocolate cream cheese mixture to top of cooled brownie. Add the other container of whipped topping onto top of chocolate mixer. Shave dark chocolate onto the pie.
  • Allow to chill at least 4 hours before serving.
  • This recipe serves about 10 people.

I hope you had fun making this pie and I hope that you enjoy it as much as my family does! Remember if you have recipes or tips that you like for me to try, please share them!