Make It Monday: Dinner Edition

Basil Lemon Butter Cheese Ravioli

Sometimes, you need a delicious, not-at-all-clean dinner.

Seriously. Sometimes, you just need comfort... and food. In the form of pasta. Everyone loves pasta. The boyfriend especially. The kid could live on cheese ravioli and not gain a pound. It's really annoying. This is by far his favorite meal. Since I found this recipe, he's requested it several times. I can't blame him, though. I always feel like it's really fancy when I make it! Except, it's really not. It's cheap, easy, and quick. Perfect for a Sunday night dinner!

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli

1/2 c. butter (I use Land o' Lakes w/ olive oil)

1 shallot, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Extra basil, for garnish, optional

How To:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the ravioli until done, approximately 7 minutes. The ravioli will float when done. Toss those in a colander. To keep this a one-pot meal, using the same pot, melt the butter. Sauté the shallot and garlic until tender. Mix in the lemon juice, zest, and basil. Let that simmer for about 5 minutes. Just long enough to let the flavors combine. Return the ravioli to the pot, and toss to combine the ingredients.

Serve it up hot with Parmesan and a little extra basil!

That's it. See how simple that is? And don't you feel fancy?

Enjoy!

DIY Marble Coasters

Fact: I have to start my day with coffee. Otherwise, I nod off at my desk.

Hello, my name is Tori, and I'm addicted to coffee. Iced coffee. It's a very rare occasion that I actually drink hot coffee. Like, it has to be the middle of winter in Ohio, and a cup of Cafe Verona. 

My cubicle has these cute little water rings all over my desk from my iced drinks. So, I thought it was about time I found some coasters for my cube. But not just any coasters, of course. They have to be cute and colorful, and preferably shiny. I've got this current obsession with gold leafing and just whatever you can find me that is shiny and gold.

Enter DIY.

What you need:

Sculpey clay of various colors

Exacto knife

Large jar (or something with a large circle opening)

Baking sheet

Oven (;
Liquid gold leafing
Paint brush
Clear coat of enamel or clear spray paint (optional)

How to:

Break off a few nice chunks of colors that you like. The already rolled one is the scraps of a previously made coaster.

Roll all pieces out.

Wrap the colors together.

Roll the wrapped up colors until it's a smooth cylinder.

Put the ends together, and twist them together again.

Roll that out until smooth again.

Form into a ball.

Roll that thang out, and look at your pretty colors! Decide what side you like better, and place your large circular object in that spot. Now, take your exacto knife, and cut around the edges. I saved the scraps, and rolled them into their own cylinder to use in my next coaster!

Pop your pretty creations into the oven at 275 for about 30 minutes. Once they're completely cooled off, paint the edges of the coasters as you like. I'm personally not a fan of perfection, so the gold is in various thicknesses around the coaster.

At this step, you can certainly add a clear coat of enamel or clear spray paint if you want them glossy. I'm going to do that, but it was torrential downpour on my way home from work, and I didn't feel like running out there. (;

So, here's the finished product! They look great, and I love them. They would make great gifts, too! Plus, if you have kids, kill two birds with one stone. This would be entertaining for them while they help make pretty things!
If you guys make these, I seriously want to see them! Leave pictures or just comment on how it went! (:

Friday Funday!

Tiramisu Dip

I did it. I made something, I photographed it, and, now, I'm posting it. It's been a while guys, a long while. Sometimes, I'm like, "yeah! I'm going to make this and take some pictures!" Then it doesn't come out as pretty as I want, so I don't. Oh, the woes!

I'm headed to my friend's tonight for dinner, and I agreed to make dessert. She loves tiramisu, but I'm much too lazy for that on a Friday. So, let's make it a dip, which is also just perfect for summer! (In my opinion..)

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 c. mascarpone cheese

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 tsp. instant coffee

1/8 c. chocolate chips

Vanilla wafers for dipping!

How to:

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add in the mascarpone and combine. Mix in half the powdered sugar at a time, just to avoid having a cloud of sugar in your face.  Toss in the coffee and vanilla and combine! In a food processor, pulse the chocolate chips until they're pretty fine. 

Place your dip in whatever serving bowl you'd like and sprinkle as much of the chocolate as you'd like. Serve that up with some vanilla wafers, and you're good to go!

Refrigerate if you happen to have any left over!

So, can we discuss something completely irrelevant for a moment? While working on this post, I was watching True Life. Who even knew they still made this show? Remember when it was like, "True Life: I have OCD" or "True Life: I have Tourettes"? The only problem these kids have now? "True Life: I hate my butt" and "True Life: My family hates my boyfriend". 

The epitome of first world problems...

Anyway! This recipe is amazeballs, and, hopefully, it'll pass the tiramisu lovers test! I'd love to know if you try it!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Quinoa Taco Bowls

As discussed (several times), I'm a Mexican food junkie. So naturally, I'm a Chipotle fan. However, they're typically super busy, and it isn't as healthy as I wish it would be. They definitely have guac going for them, though. But, why pay $8/bowl when you can make it at home for much less and make it healthier? Plus, you can add in some toppings that maybe they don't have. Black olives. I mean, come on. Black olives are a necessity.

Ingredients:

Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Quinoa

1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper

2 tsp. Chili Powder

2 tsp. Fajita Seasoning

1 tsp. Paprika

(The fajita seasoning and paprika I got at Penzey's. You can totally omit the fajita seasoning and add in more of the others, or omit completely.)

Toppings:

Romaine lettuce

Mexican-style cheese

Plain Greek yogurt

Black olives

Any other toppings of choice

Here's the quinoa I used. It's amazing, and it added the best flavor to the bowl.

How To:

Cook the quinoa according to the instructions. If you can't find that kind, you can always use normal quinoa! In a small pan, dump the corn and diced tomatoes and green chiles in, and stir to combine well. This makes a super simple corn salsa. I don't add anything to this, I just let it heat up. In another pan, combine black beans and spices. I didn't drain my black beans. Let these sit and heat all the way through, about 10-15 minutes. Now, in your serving bowls, put about 1/2 cup of quinoa in the bottom of the bowl. Top this with the bean mixture, then the corn salsa. Then top it with lettuce, yogurt, black olives, cheese, and whatever else you desire! If you're a meat eater, it would be so easy to add in some seasoned chicken or beef.
Easy peasy and healthy!! (:

What're you going to top your burrito bowl with!? 

Make It Monday

Super Easy Pumpkin Muffins

We all know once fall hits, it's pumpkin madness. But literally, pumpkin is so delicious, and it has so many health benefits. Unless you're getting a pumpkin spice late. Then, not so much. It's no different in my home! As soon as the autumn equinox comes around, it's all over from there. I basically lose my mind! So, my little fall recipe today is pumpkin muffins. They just so happen to not be absolutely awful for you either. (: That is definitely a plus in the pumpkin madness!

Ingredients:

Muffins

1 box spiced cake mix

1 can pumpkin

1 medium banana, mashed

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. ginger

(I used 1/8 tsp. fresh ginger)

Glaze

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. almond milk

Sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

How To:

Preheat the oven according to the cake mix box. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin and banana. Add in the cake mix slowly. Once that is combined well, stir in the spices. Line a muffin tin with liners and fill them 3/4 full with the pumpkin mixture. Bake these marvelous muffins according to the instructions on your cake mix. Mine ended up baking a bit longer. Make sure to check them with a toothpick! Once nothing comes out when you poke it in the center, you're good to go. If you so feel like it, in a small bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle it on top of the muffins!

Now enjoy!

In case you wanna know some nutritional facts, I plugged this recipe (minus the glaze) into myfitnesspal. 158 calories, 2.6 g. fat, 31.4 g. carbs, and 1.5 g. protein per muffin.

What's your favorite fall treat!?

What's Cookin' Wednesday!

Tater Tot Casserole

Alright guys. It's been over a week, but I'm slowly getting better! I've been a super slacker blogging, but I was more worried about getting healthy again! Sorry! (:

It's come to my attention that many people have no idea what tater tot casserole is. This is heartbreaking to me. It's something my mom used to make quite a bit, and I love it. It also only requires 3 main ingredients. You can't beat that... While I was sick, boyfriend was the one cooking and taking care of me. It was a wonderful change. (; Even though I was sick. So, this was a super easy recipe that I could give him directions to make while I died on the couch. I still got up to take the pictures, but he did all the grunt work. While he was making it, he said it smelled like beef stroganoff. If that tickles your fancy, then go for it!

Ingredients:

1 bag Morningstar crumbles

(or 1 lb ground beef)

1 can cream of mushroom

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp garlic salt

Pepper to taste

1 c. shredded cheese (I used colby jack)

Bag o' tots

That's more ingredients, but you can leave out the spices and cheese. My mom used to... I just wanted to add some stuff.

How To:

Preheat oven to 400. In a large pan, start heating up the crumbles. If you're using ground beef, brown completely and drain. Add in the cream of mushroom and spices. Stir this until combined well. Spread evenly over a greased pan. I believe mine was an 8x11 pan. It's an odd size. On top of the meat mixture, sprinkle half of the cheese. Line the tots up on the cheese, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook according to tot package. I think mine said 20-25 minutes.

Serve immediately!

This is just an old recipe that my mom used to make for me. Tommy had never heard of it, and I was just so confused. Then I realized that not many people had heard of it... O.O

Have you had tater tot casserole? What's a family recipe you love? (:

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Peanut Quinoa Bowl

I love these. I have an obsession with peanut butter, so any chance I get to eat it, I'll take it. I mean, I'll still just use a spoon and the jar, but... 

Anyway, in my quest to force boyfriend away from noodle dishes, I've been throwing quinoa into meals. It's just a wonderful little thing. If you live in the Columbus area, you've probably been to Northstar Cafe. If you haven't, make a point of going. They use all fresh, organic ingredients, and everything tastes amazing. I fell in love with the Thai Burrito, when my mom and I went there one time. It's served with the most amazing peanut sauce. I just couldn't handle it. I even dipped my chips in it.

The peanut sauce in this recipe is really similar, and it just makes me happy when I eat this. We tried these bowls the first time with half the sauce, and boyfriend was just not having it. It was too bland for him, and he likes flavor. Well, I wasn't opposed to putting more sauce on it, so here's the outcome. Pure heaven.

 (this made me think of peanut butter cream cheese frosting *drool*... until I added tamari.)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

3/8 cup (6 Tbsp) peanut butter

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons water

3 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce)

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped peanuts and green onion stalks for garnish

How to:

Bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While that's going, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Sauté until fragrant. Toss in the red pepper, and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Set the sautéed veggies aside, and add about a 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and steam the broccoli for about 2-3 minutes. Tender, but still crisp. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, water, tamari, brown sugar, and ginger. Combine the cooked quinoa, veggies, and peanut butter sauce in a large bowl!
Serve warm with chopped green onion stalks, peanuts, and an extra squeeze of lime juice!

Super yummy! Don't be afraid to add extra veggies!

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!! (:

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Super Easy, Delicious Pad Thai

It was leg day at the gym, and I put boyfriend through a rigorous one. He was whining the whole time. That's what I like to hear! When we went to leave the gym, there was a monsoon happening, and I had to run through a puddle that was up to my knees! 

So, when I got home, I wanted an easy dinner. Like, easy and quick. This is about ate easy and quick as it gets. Besides heating up frozen food or leftovers...

Warning! As I said, this is a quick recipe. If I were you, I would get all of the ingredients ready, as it goes fast-paced.

Ingredients:

4 oz. Rice noodles (I'm using brown rice noodles)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 green onions, sliced (keep your greens separate for the end)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 eggs, whisked

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. peanuts, chopped (optional)

Yields: about 2 good-sized servings

How to:

Start by cooking the noodles per directions on the box. Set the noodles aside in cold water once cooked.

While that's going, heat the olive oil in a skillet and toss in the green onion whites and garlic. Sauté those until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Next, add the whisked eggs and cook until they are almost done. Once you get to that point, set them aside on a plate.

 To make your Pad Thai sauce, whisk the tamari, brown sugar, and lime juice.

Toss the noodles into the skillet and dump the sauce on top. Mix well to coat all the noodles.

 Toss the egg back into the pan and mix it all up. Simmer until eggs are fully cooked.

Add the greens of the onions.

Serve it all up and garnish with the peanuts. 

Enjoy!!

DIY Grapevine Wreath

I love wreaths. I think they're adorable. I think they can make a boring front door fun. And I think they're ridiculously easy to make. I've been really crushing on the grapevine wreaths with flowers and letters, so...

Ta-daaaa!

My very own. FYI everything at Jo-Ann fabrics is crazy cheap and on sale. These wreaths are really easy to make. I only needed 4 things and it cost less than $10. Hell yeah! In case you're wondering, I'm not a self-centered lady, boyfriend's name is Tommy. So the T is both of us! 

Here are the things I bought:

So basically, I cut the long stems apart and just bent the wire into the shape of the wreath. Then I started layering them on, tucking the stems securely into the grapevines, until I got the fullness I wanted. Easy peasy. Next, I chopped a majority of the hydrangea stem off, leaving about 1 1/2-2 inches of stem. I literally just shoved the stem through the grapevines where I wanted it. Lastly, I painted my T with a metallic gold acrylic that I had, waited for it to dry, and hot glued it to the wreath. Presto! Wreath complete!

I had some white ribbon with metallic gold polka dots, but I can't seem to locate it. Once I do, I might add a bow around the T. Or maybe I'll paint a chevron pattern on the T. I don't really know yet. 

I think it looks nice on my boring old door. 

P.S. My apologies for the crappy iPhone photos. I'm working on looking into some proper lighting for my photos. Any tips? Leave a comment! 😁