Three Cheese Basil Raviolis

Inspired by the popularity of my Heart Shaped Cranberry Pomegranate Mini Pies for Valentine’s Day, I set out to make a “Shamrock Shaped” recipe for St Patrick’s Day.

It was only when I was elbow deep is green pasta dough that I realized my “101 Cookie Cutters Box” did not contain a shamrock!  Say what?

There were 8 different sized hearts for Valentine’s Day, but not one measly little shamrock for us Irish folk?!  I was appalled, but already too deep into the recipe for a trip to the craft store to find a shamrock shaped cookie cutter, so I decided circular green raviolis would just have to do

Luckily they came out very green, so to me they still screamed St Patty’s Day fun!

I served them tossed in Kale Pesto Sauce and topped with Pistachio Crusted Tilapia.

My, oh my, was that one delicious meal!

Ingredients – Ravioli Pasta Dough

• 3 cups flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup basil pesto

Three Cheese Italian Herb Filling

• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh italian parsley (chopped)
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Begin preparing the pasta by adding the flour to a large mixing bowl, then making a well in the middle and adding the eggs.

Combine well, then add the water and pesto until a solid ball forms that is not dry, yet not sticky.  If dry, add additional water.  If sticky, add additional flour.

While the basil pesto adds some green color to the dough, you can also add a couple dashes of green food coloring to add more “green” to the pasta!

Next, roll the pasta dough into thin sheets either by hand or with a pasta roller.

Next, prepare the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

Cut the ravioli dough with round pastry cutters or cookie cutters and place a large spoon of the filling onto half of the cut pasta rounds.

Place the other half of rounds onto the filled dough then press the edges together with your fingers until sealed shut.

Add the raviolis to a pot of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the raviolis float to the top.

Toss with Kale or Basil Pesto for that extra bit of green!

Add the Pistachio Basil Crusted Tilapia for a little protein!

I can’t wait to share this recipe with all of my friends who aren’t big on “Green Eggs and Ham” or “Corned Beef and Cabbage” for St Patty’s Day!

While my roommates love everything I make, they were particularly impressed with these raviolis! There is just something about creamy ricotta cheese pouring out of fresh, homemade pasta that can not be beat!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute gluten-free flour for traditional flour to make this recipe gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Italian Buffalo Chicken Dip

Today I have another new recipe from my Little Italy Housewarming Party. These days I couldn’t possibly throw a party without a recipe involving buffalo sauce! For this party I transformed my beloved Buffalo Chicken Dip into an Italian masterpiece!

I started by replacing the original cheeses of cheddar and blue with mozzarella and parmesan.  I also added Italian dressing to the buffalo chicken for an extra Italian kick!  I then topped the dip with sliced pepperoncinis for a bit more spice!

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncinis

Start by pressure cooking then shredding the chicken breasts.  Next, toss the chicken with the buffalo sauce and Italian dressing.

Begin putting the dip together by placing the cream cheese in the bottom of a deep casserole dish. I used my 2 quart Longaberger casserole dish which is perfect for this recipe.

Next, add the shredded Italian buffalo chicken.

Finally, top with the mozzarella and parmesan.

Place in the oven at 350° for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with the sliced pepperoncinis.

The dish can be served with chips for dipping or placed on a sliced baguette!

I chose both because, well, I like options!

♣ Vegetarian Option: Substitute “veggie crumbles” for the shredded chicken.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free when served with gluten-free bread or chips on the side for dipping.

Italian Baked Potato Soup

For my Housewarming party last weekend  I went with a new menu planning approach.  I went to the grocery store with no list, no ideas and simply let the ingredients do the planning for me.

I arrived home with two giant bags of potatoes. Potatoes are an excellent way to feed a lot of people on a budget. One three-pound bag of potatoes was $.99.  You just don’t see those kind of prices anymore!

Then it was time to decide what I was going to do with those potatoes! I knew I wanted to make a couple of crockpot recipes for the party as they’re easy to put on in the morning and ready when guests arrive. That was when I got the idea for baked potato soup.  Of course it had to be Italian style as that was the theme of the party!

The result was a creamy, rich, flavorful soup that would be perfect for upcoming fall evenings and cold winter weekends!

Ingredients

• 3 lbs potatoes
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 10 cloves garlic (minced)
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tbsp butter
• ½ cup diced pancetta
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

Start by dicing the potatoes into cubes.

Next, add the potatoes, onions and garlic into the crock pot.

Then pour in the chicken stock.  There should be just enough chicken stock to cover the potatoes.

Next add in the thyme and rosemary.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until potatoes are soft when poked with a fork.

Ladle out 2 cups of the chicken stock.

Pour in the milk, sour cream and butter and blend with an immersion blender or hand mixer.

Stir in the mozzarella, parmesan and pancetta.

Cook on low for an additional 2 hours.

This is one of those recipes that makes the whole house smell like rosemary thyme amazingness!

Lets zoom in…

… then dig in!

♣ Vegetarian Option: Omit the pancetta and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock to make this recipe vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

When planning the Italian menu for my Little Italy Housewarming Party I knew I wanted some sort of cookie in the mix. Cookies are an easy dessert for a cocktail party as you can make the dough ahead of time, throw it in the fridge and then bake the cookies just before guests arrive for a fresh, warm dessert that people can grab and go!

Cupcakes you have to frost, pies you have to slice, ice cream melts, but cookies are easy and something that everyone loves! And if you don’t love cookies, you will probably not be invited to my parties because you’re just plain crazy

This is my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Many people claim to have “the perfect” chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I think it’s all a matter of taste. I like mine soft and chewy with lots of chocolate chips. After years of hard, scientific research involving very long days and tough tasting sessions, I have come up with my “perfect” chocolate chip cookie!

Since the menu was Italian I decided to add in everyone’s favorite Italian Hazelnut spread, Nutella, to make my very own Italian Chocolate Chip Cookies!  The result…

…well, lets just say after posting pictures of these cookies on Instagram and Twitter, I’ve been making deals and getting bribes to trade these cookies for just about anything!

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup butter (melted)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 12 oz chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup nutella

Start by combining the flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl.

Next combine the melted butter and sugars. Blend well then beat in the eggs and vanilla, then add the flour mixture.

Next hand mix in the chocolate chips.

Finally throw in that delicious hazelnutty-tella!

Swirl the Nutella into the cookie dough then drop by large tablespoons onto a baking stone.

Bake at 325° for 15 minutes.  Low and slow is the key to an evenly chewy and delicious cookie!

The swirled in Nutella gives the cookies that awesome marble look!

I wasn’t on the Nutella bandwagon before these cookies, but now I’m not only on the wagon, I’m manning the wheel and driving it in circles of Nutella amazingness!

Nothing brings more happiness to my face than a large stack of warm, melty, chocolate chip cookies!

I then had to dig in so that I could show you all the chocolate, melted goodness inside of the cookies!

Is anyone else’s mouth watering?

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute gluten-free baking flour for traditional flour to make this recipe gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Gluten Free Italian Garlic Rolls

My family has become accustomed to living the gluten-free lifestyle ever since my brother was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a year ago. This includes our family’s favorite lasagna recipe, now using gluten-free pasta! When it comes to Birthdays in the Bond house, this is pretty much the go-to meal, so for Mom’s Birthday this year I decided to attempt a new addition to the meal, Gluten Free Italian Garlic Rolls.

The rolls did not expand like traditional rolls because of the use of gluten-free flour, but the flavor was great!  I would highly recommend these as a gluten-free alternative to traditional garlic bread!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 1 (.25 oz) package yeast
• 3 cups gluten-free flour blend
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 3 tbsp butter (softened)
• 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Start by combining the water and yeast.

Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture begins to bubble.

In the meantime mix together the garlic, basil, oregano, parsley and garlic salt in a small bowl.

Next, mix the flour and salt into the yeast mixture, then add the eggs and butter until a solid ball forms.

Place in a bowl covered in olive oil cooking spray, then cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise for 45 minutes.

After the dough has almost doubled in size, punch down and add in the garlic herb mixture.

Next, form the dough into 6-8 balls and place in a cast iron skillet. (If you do not have a cast iron skillet, you can place the rolls in a pan or on a baking sheet.)

Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes.

Don’t be scared by the not-so-perfect-looking-texture, that’s just the way gluten-free flour looks in the form of amazing garlic herb rolls

The perfect side dish for any gluten-free Italian meal!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free!

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.