Ricotta Basil Ravioli & Tomato Cream Sauce ♥

Let's be real here for a minute.

Life is not always glamorous. 

As much as all of us here at OhSO would love to glitz off to the cozy, new Italian place overlooking Laguna Beach with decor and a menu that's to-die-for, order a pasta dish with the finest ingredients we can't pronounce, then sink back into our plush booths after devouring the most heavenly dessert {this is all sans kids by the way...and remember that part where we didn't have to cook anything?}, life gets in the way.

Some of us may not get a chance for an amazing evening out with sick kids (I just put mine back to bed with some Motrin and a 101.4 degree temp), husbands studying for finals and the Bar, the expense, or you may decide to save your sanity (and romance) by avoiding the crowds and staying in.

That is where we come in.

We're lucky here in SoCal to have some beautiful weather, especially in comparison to some, er, other states we've each lived in (cough, Utah....cough, cough, Idah-COUGH). So a charming picnic is just what the romance doctor ordered. If you happen to live in one of these less-opportune states, bring the rendezvous indoors. Wherever you choose, create the scene and go all out, mushy style. 

If anything, it makes the food taste better...

Homemade ravioli is such a treat, and it is certainly a labor of love. An easy labor of love.

Make your dough, and knead, knead, knead. Your triceps will thank you (hate you?) later

You also must get it very thin. Like as thin as a dime (on the machine, the second-to-last number--2 or a 3). I split my dough and did it two different ways, with a pasta roller and the other by hand, and I honestly felt like they were both relatively easy. For ravioli, you don't want the dough to dry out, because then it's hard to get it to seal. For spaghetti, it's not as big of a deal since it doesn't need to adhere to anything, but here it is. So split your dough into fourths and keep what you're not working with covered. Also, let it rest before you work with it to really relax the gluten in the dough and make it more loose and pliable.

Make your delicious, classic ricotta filling and place on perforated raviolis. Brush around the edges with your eggwash (very lightly, you don't want too much)

Lay your second strip over the first, and wha-la!

Aren't those the cutest little raviolis you ever did see?

(Be sure to enter our ravioli stamp giveaway...ends on February 13th!)

Boil your hearts in a large pot of rapidly boiling, salted water for a couple of minutes, whip up your tomato cream sauce, and garnish with parmesan, basil, and of course, amore!

The flavor combination of the cheesy, basil centers with the rich, creamy sauce is out of this world. It's simple at the same time, which can be appreciated on this day devoted to love.

♥

Ricotta Basil Ravioli with tomato cream sauce

Ingredients

Homemade Pasta:

2 3/4 c flour

3 eggs

1 T olive oil

1 t salt

1/4 c water

Ricotta Basil Filling:

1 1/2 c fresh ricotta

1 c freshly grated parmesan

1 egg

handful of basil, torn into pieces

1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 t nutmeg

Tomato Cream Sauce:

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 t butter

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c heavy whipping cream

sun dried tomatoes

salt to taste

Egg wash:

1 egg, beaten with 1 T water

Directions

1. Pulse flour, eggs, salt, and oil in food processor until you have coarse crumbs.

2. Slowly add in water through spout while motor is running just until it begins to form a ball.

3. Knead on floured surface 10-15 minutes until it's smooth and not sticky.

4. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let rest 30 minutes. (Now is a good time to make filling and sauce)

5. Take out and divide dough into four. Work with one section at a time, keeping the rest covered.

6. Roll dough out with floured rolling pin, or use pasta roller to roll dough extremely thin.

7. For filling, mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

8. For sauce, melt butter in saucepan on low, then add cream cheese. Heat until cheese is melted or extremely soft and creamy.

9. Add crushed tomatoes to cream cheese and simmer on low about 10 minutes until sauce has darkened.

10. Add cream and sun dried tomatoes, continue to simmer on low until sauce has again darkened. Salt to taste.

11. Begin to boil large pot of salted water.

12. Working with very thin strips of dough, lightly imprint ravioli stamps onto dough.

13. Place 1 T ricotta filling onto center of each stamp imprint.

14. With pastry brush, very lightly brush perimeter of ravioli shapes with egg wash, so that the tops can have something to adhere/seal to.

15. Lay second strip of very thin pasta dough on top of first strip to cover the ricotta.

16. Gently begin to seal ravioli hearts by pushing on the ricotta filling to force out all excess air, then move towards the edges to seal. Repeat with all raviolis.

17. Use heart stamp to cut out each ravioli.

18. Gently toss in rapidly boiling water 2-4 at a time (depending on how large your pot is).

19. Boil 2-3 minutes, then lay on towel-lined plate to dry.

20. Serve raviolis with sauce, garnish with parmesan and basil.

P.S. Huge thank you to JD and Adrienne for supplying 
their gorgeous faces and romantic vibes

♥

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Thai Peanut Saute

This is an older recipe from the blog, but honestly....it needed a lot of help. I mean, even the pictures were pretty sad. no wonder it had never been pinned.
(no! you cannot see them anymore. They have magically disappeared.)

A few weeks ago I was craving some thai peanut sauté done right! boom baby!
I decided I wanted to try making this recipe better. In the end it was SOO much better.
Smooth. Creamy. Spicy. Noodles....with cilantro.
(before, if you tried it... it was a little too much like eating spicy peanut butter coated noodles, I'm so sorry)
I put it up (the new and improved! version) on instagram and my facebook and it all wild.
 I'm really sorry it took so long for me to put it here! Holidays does do that to us doesn't it?

You know who at this the best? my 18 month old. what gives? its noodles!

so.
I give you.
for your viewing pleasure.

THAI PEANUT SAUTE! (crowd goes wild, wahhhhhhhhh) 

here is what you will need:..
(for a Vegetarian version, leave out chicken...sub tofu?... and sub chicken broth for veggie broth)

4 chicken Breast, cut into stripes or bite size pieces
2 TBS evoo
3 limes...1 juiced, 2-3 sliced
3 minced garlic
1 T fresh ginger minced (I used the fresh ginger in a tube)
2 T soy sauce
1/2 package of linguine noodles (about 8oz)
1 cup shoe string carrots
1 cup chopped (fairly small) Broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
2 chopped green onions
1/2  bunch of cilantro chopped

side note- My mom bought me a titan peeler from Bed Bath and Beyond years ago, and this handy dandy thing came with it. perfect for these carrots. The package was only like $15 and they have seriously been the best investment! 

Start the noodles in a large stock pot. 

and make your peanut sauce* in a small sauce pan. *See below

In a separate, large skillet saute chicken, chili paste, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt. 

when chicken is almost, mostly, fully cooked add veggies.{NOT cilantro} 

--your veggies will only need a few minutes to cook- so that is why I advise for you to have the peanut sauce and noodles prepped and done by the time the veggies enter the skillet. 

Drain the noodles and add them, with the peanut sauce to the chicken/veggies skillet. 

Toss until everything is well coated. 

Add Cilantro at this point. lightly toss.

 If the peanut sauce has thickened too much {from the starch of the noodles} add a few Tablespoons of chicken broth at time till it reaches desired consistency. 

Garnish with Lime, and peanuts, and maybe a little more cilantro. :)

Peanut Sauce

1+ can chicken broth

6 T peanut butter

1 tsp (more if you like it hot hot hot!)  of Sriracha chili sauce, or some type of chili paste 

3 T honey

6 T soy sauce

5 garlic cloves minced (or t mined)

In your sauce pan combine all ingredients over medium heat. Stir until sauce is smooth and blended. It will thicken as it stands. so, as mentioned above, add more broth till reached desired consistency. but it should be pretty runny. 

trust me. by the time its combined with all those startchy noodles, and the veggies has soaked some up, and its sat at the table while everyone is called. and called. and then yell/called again to come to the dinner table- it should be perfect. 

Thai Peanut Saute

Ingredients

4 chicken Breast, cut into stripes or bite size pieces

2 TBS evoo

3 limes...1 juiced, 2-3 sliced

3 minced garlic

1 T fresh ginger minced (I used the fresh ginger in a tube)

2 T soy sauce

1/2 package of linguine noodles (about 8oz)

1 cup shoe string carrots

1 cup chopped (fairly small) Broccoli florets

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

2 chopped green onions

1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped

Peanut Sauce

1+ can chicken broth

6 T peanut butter

1 tsp (more if you like it hot hot hot!) of Sriracha chili sauce, or some type of chili paste

3 T honey

6 T soy sauce

5 garlic cloves minced (or t minced)

Directions

Start the noodles in a large stock pot.

and make your peanut sauce* in a small sauce pan. *See below

In a seperate, large skillet saute chicken, chili paste, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, salt.

when chicken is almost, mostly, fully cooked add veggies.{NOT cilantro}

--your veggies will only need a few minutes to cook- so that is why I advise for you to have the peanut sauce and noodles prepped and done by the time the veggies enter the skillet.

Drain the noodles and add them, with the peanut sauce to the chicken/veggies skillet.

Toss until everything is well coated.

Add Cilantro at this point. lightly toss.

If the peanut sauce has thickened too much {from the starch of the noodles} add a few Tablespoons of chicken broth at time till it reaches desired consistency.

Garnish with Lime, and peanuts, and maybe a little more cilantro. :)

Peanut Sauce Directions:

in your sauce pan combine all ingredients on medium heat. Stir until sauce is smooth and blended. It will thicken as it stands. so, as mentioned above, add more broth till reached desired consistency. but it should be pretty runny.

trust me. by the time its combined with all those startchy noodles, and the veggies has soaked some up, and its sat at the table while everyone is called. and called. and then yell/called again to come to the dinner table it should be perfect.

PS I accidentally bought Fettuccine noodles.. don't mind those. you will want the LINGUINI noodles. 

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Creamy Artichoke Pasta

Okay so I love pasta, like a lot.  Not so good for any kind of diet, but this pasta is awesome!  Feeds about 4 hungry adults.  It has a nice flavor with a creamy texture.  My husband has a pretty mild pallet, and I like all typed of flavor and cuisine, but he loved it!  My son even ate it (he's 20 months) so it was kind of a miracle :)  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Serves 2- 4

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Creamy Artichoke Pasta

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper

2 green onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can whole artichoke hearts, drained & quartered

1/2 can petite diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 cup half & half

1/4 cup chicken broth

6oz dry long pasta, like fettuccini or spaghetti

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta in salted, boiling water. Drain and return to the hot pot.

Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, salt and pepper, then sauté until slightly softened, ~2 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.

Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes into the skillet. Season with a bit more salt and pepper, then cook for 8 minutes, stirring every so often. Add in half & half and chicken broth, then cook for 30 more seconds.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the cooked pasta then add in the tomato artichoke sauce. Stir to combine, and serve!

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Pumpkin Pasta

Several years ago, while I was living in San Diego, I belonged to the BEST crafting group.  We called it card swap.  We would meet once a month and exchange handmade cards.  The ladies in this group were the most talented, fun, caring, and amazing women I have ever met.  It was something I looked forward to EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH.  One month I remember so vividly was at Marianna's house.  Marianna has an infectious laugh, never spoke ill of ANYONE, and had this way of making you feel special and important.  I miss her like crazy.  This particular time she hosted happened to be in October.  Her house was adorned with cute Halloween decorations, she had candy apples and chocolate sitting out on her kitchen table, and she served us THIS pasta.  We all DEVOURED it!  It was so yummy, so homey, and perfect for the season.  She kindly shared the recipe with me and I think about this dish every year in October.

So often we think of pumpkin as a dessert ingredient rather than a savory ingredient...but it is PERFECT in this dish!  My 9 month old even gobbled this up (once I pulsed it in the blender a few times.)  It has a rich, earthy, savory flavor that I just can't get over.  Love this one!

Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients

1 LB Fettuccini

2 TBSP EVOO

1 small onion, diced

1 shallot, minced

1 (14oz) can pumpkin

1 (14oz) can low sodium chicken stock

3 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 cups shredded smoked gouda cheese, divided

2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, divided

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and shallot.  Cook, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes or until translucent and soft.

Add pumpkin and stock.  Stir to combine and add thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Stir and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Add 1 1/2 cups gouda and 1 1/2 cups parmesan.  Stir gently to combine and add cooked pasta.  Remove bay leaves.  Top with remaining cheeses.

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Italian Delight

Soooo... that name is totally made up! {lol} You like? The reason the name is made up is because this recipe is legit. Ironic yes, Lie no. This recipe has been handed down to me from Carly (delicioso author.. she made up the name! Love it) who got it from a lady to lived in Italy for a few years. That lady {whom I do not know} wrote it down from an Italian family that she met. SOO long story short! We made up a name for a legit ITALIANO recipe handed with no name. And it really is delightful! Hence the name,

Italian Delight.

Here is the handed down recipe, unchanged from its motherland.

You will need,

2 lbs (about 8) Roma Tomatoes
4 tbsp Butter
2 tsp minced fresh Basil
1 tsp mince fresh Rosemary
1 tsp minced fresh Sage
1/2 Beef (or vegetable) Bouillon Cube
Salt and Pepper
1/2 C Whipping Cream

To make, place tomatoes in boiling pot of water for about 2 mins (give or take). Just long enough that the skins of the tomatoes can easily peel off. Remove tomatoes from pot and immediately add to ice water. Begin peeling skins off. When all skins are peeled, cut in half and squeeze out seeds. Dice tomatoes leaving behind the top hard core. (No one wants to crunch on that).

Now that your tomatoes are prepared, melt butter in large skillet. Dissolve in bullion cube. Add in fresh herbs and simmer about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat until butter and tomatoes separate, about 5-8 minutes. Then add whipping cream and simmer for another 15 mins. This is a good time to cook pasta. When finished toss spaghetti with sauce.

So... I want to explain something about this dish, before you cook it and freak out. (Because that is something that I would never do. eh hem.) The tomatoes cook down and the herbs are very intense flavors. When you are finished cooking you might think that there isn't much in the pan, but that is perfectO. :) The flavors are so full that a little bit goes a long way. That is why it is good to Toss the Pasta and Sauce together before serving. That way every lil noodle gets its share.

                                                                                                       .... I fell in love with rosemary after this. 

Italian Delight

Ingredients

2 lbs (about 8) Roma Tomatoes

4 tbsp Butter

2 tsp minced fresh Basil

1 tsp mince fresh Rosemary

1 tsp minced fresh Sage

1/2 Beef (or vegetable) Bouillon Cube

Salt and Pepper

1/2 C Whipping Cream

Instructions

To make, place tomatoes in boiling pot of water for about 2 mins (give or take). Just long enough that the skins of the tomatoes can easily peel off. Remove tomatoes from pot and immediately add to ice water. Begin peeling skins off. When all skins are peeled, cut in half and squeeze out seeds. Dice tomatoes leaving behind the top hard core. (No one wants to crunch on that).

Now that your tomatoes are prepared, melt butter in large skillet. Dissolve in bullion cube. Add in fresh herbs and simmer about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat until butter and tomatoes separate, about 5-8 minutes. Then add whipping cream and simmer for another 15 mins. This is a good time to cook pasta. When finished toss spaghetti with sauce.

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Beef Noodles

Growing up my mom would always make this dish with leftover roast.  I enjoyed this leftover meal waaayyyy more than I enjoyed the roast.  I was thinking about this beef noodle dish because my mom whipped it up with roast leftovers after I had my baby.  If you love a Sunday pot roast then this recipe is PERFECT for those leftovers.  But - I took the plunge and cooked a roast JUST for this dish.

I cut the roast in half after it was cooked and saved the other half for another meal.  Stay tuned to see what I did with the other half...

But back to the noodles.  This is a homestyle, fall cookin', comfort sort of meal.  Super easy and a tummy pleaser.

Beef Noodles

Ingredients

1 package wide egg noodles

1/2 of a beef roast - any variety will work

1 envelope brown gravy mix

1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

water

4 TBSP flour

5 TBSP butter

hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)

Preparation

Place roast in crockpot, sprinkle with gravy mix and onion soup mix.  Pour about a half a cup of water into the crockpot as well.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or 4 hours on high until tender.

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Remove roast from the crockpot and cut in half.  Save one half for future dinner (be sure to look for my post next week signed "Kadee" to see what I did with the other half.)  Cut the roast half into bite sized pieces

Pour the drippings from your crockpot into a measuring cup.  You are going to need 3 cups of liquid.  If the drippings don't equal 3 cups, add some water or broth to make 3 cups.  In a large skillet or saucepan melt the butter.  Once butter is melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk until combined and slightly golden.  Pour in your drippings.  Whisk quickly until the mixture thickens into a tasty gravy.  Add salt and pepper if it needs it, but the brown gravy mix and onion soup mix usually give the dripping plenty of flavor.

Add the roast pieces to the gravy and serve over the egg noodles.  Sometimes my mom would serve hard boiled egg slices on top too.

There you have it - a home cookin' Sunday afternoon supper.

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Three Cheese Penne (Macaroni)

Who doesn't LOVE Mac and Cheese?  There are already several mac and cheese recipes on this blog: Baked Mac & Cheese, Another Mac & Cheese, Crock Pot Mac & Cheese and Healthy Mac & Cheese.  That just goes to show that it is the ULTIMATE comfort food.  With the fall months approaching I love burning my fall scented candles and breaking out the comfort food recipes.  There is something about fall that I adore...maybe the smells, maybe the clothes...I'm not sure, but it's my favorite time of year.

About six years ago I went on the hunt for the PERFECT mac and cheese.  I didn't want to hassle with making a white sauce or buying fancy ingredients.  I wanted something tasty and simple.  I came across this recipe and it is seriously a winner.  I've been making it every since and I have yet to serve it to someone who didn't absolutely LOVE it.  My dad claims to not even like mac and cheese, but requests this dish every time he visits.  I recently made this for a potluck BBQ and it was the only dish where the pan was completely and utterly empty.

The original recipe called for your standard macaroni noodle, but I like penne.  I like the cheese to fill the noodle so you get a perfect cheesy bite each time.

Makes 8-10 Side Dish Servings

Three Cheese Penne (Macaroni)

Ingredients:

12 oz Penne Pasta or Macaroni if you desire

1 1/2 Cups Milk

1/4 Cup Butter, melted

1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

8 oz American Cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (2 cups)

2 oz Mozzarella, shredded (1/2 Cup)

20 Ritz Crackers, crushed

Instructions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a large pot cook pasta according to directions, drain and return to pot.

Add milk, butter, pepper, and salt. Stir in Cheeses. Transfer to a greased 2 quart casserole dish.

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Carefully stir mixture. Sprinkle with crushed crackers and bake 5 more minutes or until crackers are browned and mixture is heated through. (Don't overcook or mixture will curdle) Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Watch it disappear before your eyes.

AND... if your cooking up a storm for the holiday weekend full of BBQ and party's...don't forget about these awesome sides.. I mean everyone knows they go to the for the food they just don't admit it!

Asian Slaw

 Southern Dip

Potato Salad

Cool-Whip Layered Jell-O

 Green Chili Cheese Bread

And don't forget the easy HomeMade Tortilla Chips and with some Pico De Gallo.

Hope you all have a wonderful LOOONG weekend! See what we are up to on Instagram @ohsodelicioso Chat with us personally! 

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White Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

We've been eating a little less meat around this house, so I was super excited when I remembered this recipe I found a while ago. The first time I made it, I threw in some shredded chicken, and it was incredibly good. Tonight I made it without the chicken and it was still absolutely delicious. When my husband came home, he said, "Mmmm-M! Something smells GOOD!".

Yep. REAL good.

           The flavor roasting the veggies gives is amazing, and really gives this dish a unique flavor.

The recipe calls for white pepper, and I had never used white pepper before.

It's now a new favorite spice.

That and the nutmeg. Must. Not. Skip.

Adapted from original recipe found here.

3 zucchini

3 yellow squash

4 carrots

6 cloves garlic

bag spinach

EVOO

coarse salt

black pepper

1/2 c salted butter

1/2 c flour

4 c milk (I've used whole as well as skim, either works)

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t white pepper

3 t chicken bouillon

1 t salt

lasagna noodles (no-boil is OK, but I still cook them for a couple minutes)

1 c parmesan

1 c mozzarella

shredded chicken optional

Crank your oven all the way up to 450 degrees.

Line a jelly roll pan with foil.

 Dice all the veggies, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Toss onto pan and roast 15 minutes or until tender.

 While your veggies are roasting, lay down on the couch and inhale that roasting veggies smell.

Mmmmmm....

Just kidding, you gotta make your béchamel sauce.

Melt your butter in a large pot on low heat, then whisk in flour to make a paste. Slowly add in your milk so that the paste absorbs the milk and you don't have clumps.

Nobody likes clumps.

Add white pepper, nutmeg, bouillon, and salt.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently until sauce has thickened.

Turn off heat.

Turn the oven down to 375 degrees. 

At this point, you'll want to cook your regular lasagna noodles to al dente (noodles will still have a bit of a bite) or barely cook your no-boil noodles. Regular lasagna has the tomato sauce that is quite liquidy, so the no-boil noodles are able to soften sufficiently. With this lasagna and it's thicker béchamel sauce, you run the risk of your noodles being pretty firm if the lasagna's not cooked enough. I was in a time crunch so I decided to just cook the noodles and save some baking time.

Decisions, decisions.

Make the lasagna!

Is it weird that I kind-of love layering a good lasagna?

It's my favorite part. It's OK, I'll admit it.

Layer some sauce on the bottom of the pan, then your noodles, more sauce, roasted veggies, spinach, then cheese. Heck, do your spinach, then veggies, then cheese. Get crazy all up in your lasagna, whatever you'd like. Your lasagna is your domain. 

Just make sure the sauce goes directly on the noodles to soften them.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Remove foil and broil 5 minutes until you get those nice brown spots.

Let cool 10 minutes before you cut into it so the sauce thickens back up.

I served this with a green salad and some garlic bread.

Simple twist on the classic!

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Pasta Salad

There are so many variations on pasta salads.  I've said it before, but I'm not a fan of crunchy things in soft salads - so I hate raw onions or celery in pasta salads.  Believe it or not, I got this recipe from an old boyfriend - the flavors are perfect and the texture is just how I like it!

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

McCormick Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 lb tri-color cork screw pasta

1 block of pepper jack cheese, cubed

2 cups broccoli, chopped steamed

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved,

1 7oz jar of green olives, drained

3/4 bottle of store bought italian dressing

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Meanwhile, generously season the chicken with the Montreal Chicken seasoning.  Grill chicken until juices run clear.  Cut chicken into half inch cubes.

Combine pasta, grilled chicken, cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, and olives.  Toss together with dressing.  Chill in the fridge until served.

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