Buitoni Ravioli Blind Taste Test

When Foodbuzz asked me to make two vegetable side dishes to go with Buitoni's new frozen meals for two I jumped at the chance. Foodbuzz gave me 10 coupons for free Buitoni meals and a stipend. My middle son's birthday was just in time to take advantage of this. Plus, my little foodie wanted a fancy birthday dinner for himself and his friends. Done!

First, the side dishes. I made a salad with spinach and arugula mixed about 50/50.



I bought some glazed walnuts at teh store and used the bag.



Then, I sliced some strawberries.



I chunked off goat cheese from the log and put it in the salad.



Then, I made a simple vinaigrette: 1/4 c. white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper.



I whisked it together and mixed it in with the salad.



Guest starring in this blog post is Grandma Mary Cooks! She chopped the vegetables for me.



In olive oil, I sautéed zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, red bell pepper, shallots, and cherry tomatoes with some white wine.



After all of the vegetables were crisp-tender I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top.



I cooked all of the raviolis and their various sauces.



We made three types of Buitoni raviolis:



Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli



Four Cheese & Spinach Ravioli



Chicken & Mushroom Ravioli



The Tween rings the triangle for his friends to come to the dinner table:



The spread!!













Everyone really loved the Four Cheese & Spinach ravioli and the Chicken & Mushroom ravioli. I was surprised that the Shrimp & Lobster ravioli was not hit harder but I liked it a lot. As usual, I cooked so much food! No one knew I had heated up the sauce instead of cooking it myself! Score! Buitoni's stuff is spot on as usual. The preparation was so easy. As the water was heating up, I put the sauce packets in the pot. Once the water boiled, the sauce was ready to come out and the ravioli went in. Easy peasy.

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Here's where we get to a difficult part of the blog. Mr Mary Cooks unexpectedly passed away just two days before we had this birthday dinner. I mention this because we had to buy a cake from the store. We will all miss the awesome cakes that he made (along with every single thing about him).



All in all, The Tween had a good day surrounded with his friends, their families, and love.




Special thanks to Foodbuzz and Buitoni!!

Turkey Kielbasa Stir Fry

I made au gratin potatoes with kielbasa and edamame for the kids and Mr. Mary Cooks. Knowing that it isn't very healthy and I am trying to shed some pounds, I decided to make a special dinner for myself.

Ingredients:

One package of stir fry veggies (no sauce, rice, or noodles - veggies only)
2 ounces turkey kielbasa
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce



Spray your pan with nonstick cooking spray and put the sesame oil in.



When the pan is hot, add the kielbasa.



After the kielbasa has browned a little, add the frozen vegetables.



Also, add the soy sauce.



Sauté until the vegetables are hot. Serve immediately.



You know, I am all about volume for low calories. This fit the bill! It was delicious and easy. You can vary it, if you'd like. I think some crushed red pepper flakes might be good, along with some garlic and/or ginger.

Made as above, this was about 240 calories for the entire thing.

Easter Dinner

Tonight we had a lovely dinner. My parents brought the ham and the fruit salad. I made a potato side dish and the vegetables.

The spread:



Honeybaked Ham:



I roasted asparagus (and green beans) with about a tablespoon of olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and about a tablespoon of salt. (Gently mix all of the ingredients together, put on a cookie sheet, and bake in a 425-degree oven for about 15 minutes.)

We tried white asparagus for the first time. Honestly, the white is lovely and nice to look at but I liked the flavor of the green asparagus better.



Now, for the potato side dish.

Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
Kosher salt

Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes into thin slices. (We cut them into 1 mm slices.) Put olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick pan that can also go in the oven.



Lay the first layer of potatoes down in a circle in the pan. This will be the top of the dish at the end so you'll want to make it look pretty.



Brush each layer of potatoes with olive oil.





As you lay down the potatoes, press the layer down. Every other layer, sprinkle with kosher salt and grated Romano cheese.



Keep layering until you reach the top of the pan.



Put the pan over medium-high heat until the olive oil sizzles and the bottom is browned.



Once the oil is sizzling, put the pan into an oven that was preheated to 425 degrees. Cook for 20 minutes.



Before flipping, be sure to drain off any extra oil! You don't want to burn yourself.



You may have to loosen the potatoes with a heat resistant spatula prior to the flipping.



Flip it onto a lid.



Gently put it back into the pan.



Put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.



Take it out, let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then cut into wedges and serve.



The true test for this dish? Everyone wanted more! Next time we will definitely have to make it in a bigger pan. It was the perfect accompaniment to ham and looked very elegant.

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Fettuccine with Salmon and Vegetables

Ingredients:

Salmon (about 2 cups, cooked and flaked)
16 oz. fettuccine
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 zucchini, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
(not pictured: butter, olive oil, fresh ground pepper)



Put some water on to boil for your fettuccine. Then, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big pan.



Once it has melted, add your vegetables.









Stir these around and let them soften a bit.



Now, add the sauce and stir it together.



*Add the salmon.



Stir gently.



Put your fettuccine in boiling water and cook until it's al dente.



Drain the fettuccine and mix with the sauce.



Now, plate your dinner!





*Next time I make this I am going to do something else about the salmon. Serving it on top of the pasta-vegetable mixture would be better. Due to stirring, it ended up too incorporated and too spread out.

I have to admit I only ate about half of my fettuccine. The flavor was good but I was just so disgusted by this failure that I couldn't finish it. It did give me a good idea, though. I should try to make salmon puttanesca (in lieu of using tuna).