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!

Christmas Cookie Week! Pt. 1

Chocolate Chip Cookie & "Sugar" Cookies

Ya know how there's just some memories that you just remember? Like, it's really vivid and you can just remember everything about it? One of those for me is when I was in cooking class in middle school. We were making chocolate chip cookies, and we were at the point of adding the chips in. One of the girls I was working with says, "we need to fold the chips in. Do you know how to fold them in?" She was like Hermione in Charms class. "It's Levi-O-sa, not Levios-A." I honestly had no idea what she was talking about, but promptly responded, "yes, I know what folding is," and I went about using common sense and folding the the chips.

It's not an important memory. It's just something I can recall so vividly. From then on, though, I loved baking. For Christmas this year, I have a hefty list of cookies and treats I intend on making. In fact, I have 5 or 6 doughs in the freezer now, waiting for me to bake and blog! The week before Christmas is when it all goes down in the kitchen! So, I'm going to share these recipes with you this week! (Probably some next week, too.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me begin by saying, not one woman in my family is capable of baking chocolate chip cookies without them turning out flat as a pancake, except me. So, every year, I'm obligated to make them. I'm also not into using all the bowls in my kitchen to bake. Enjoy only using one bowl!

Ingredients:

3/4 c. (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

3/4 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

2 1/4 c. flour

16 oz. bag chocolate chips

How To:

In a non-metallic mixing bowl, melt the butter down. (If you only have metallic bowl, sorry! You'll be using 2 bowls.) Whisk in the vanilla. Did you know that melted butter and vanilla form a chemical bond perfect for baking? I always start with those two together. Now, whisk in the egg and extra yolk. Whisk in the sugars, baking soda, and cornstarch, mixing after each addition until smooth. Now start whisking in the flour. I usually do 1/2 a cup at a time. Once this is smooth, mix in your chocolate chips. Pop this in the fridge, covered, for at least an hour. You can stick it in the freezer, too, if you don't intend on making it the same day.

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Using a tablespoon, start scooping your dough out. Roll it into a bowl in your hands, and place on a greased baking sheet. Pop these in the oven for 11-12 minutes. Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. Done!

"Sugar" Cookies

I'm calling these "sugar" cookies, because the almond definitely stands out! They definitely aren't your typical sugar cookie, but they are delicious!

Ingredients:

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

How To:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until it's fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla, almond, and baking powder, combining well.  Slowly add in the flour. Again, I do about a 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well, until there's no lumps in the dough. Now pop the dough in the fridge for at least an hour. You can put it in the freezer if you aren't making them the same day, just make sure to pull them out and let them thaw a bit..

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Roll your dough out on a floured surface. Use your little cookie cutters, and place the cut out dough on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rake and cool completely before frosting. I used colored sugar on mine. For that, just sprinkle the sugar on before baking!

What's your favorite Christmas cookie!? (:

Make It Monday

Christmas Wreath

What?! Oh, yes, yes, I'm still alive. Alive and kickin'! However, it was time to spend my time with friends and family, and that's exactly what I did. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I sure did. Boyfriend's birthday was Black Friday, and, of course, he drug me out into the hoards of people. But we were so accomplished! We finished over half of our Christmas list and got good deals! I guess, in the end, it was doable. I still don't like going out on Black Friday (please remember your manners and humanity!), but at least it was successful. I also got presents all wrapped up! Do you remember my DIY inspiration post? I absolutely love how they're wrapped. The brown paper wrap is actually packing paper from Target. $6 for 800 ft! Steal!!! The twine is from Michael's, and, surprisingly, the paper doilies are from Walmart. They have a few different sizes, and I needed multiple, but they're only $2 for a 10 pack! (:

So, it's make it Monday, and you may have gathered that I like wreaths by now. I had this whole idea planned out with "Do you wanna build a snowman?" lettered out on it, but that's a ton of work. and how on earth do you securely attach that? You don't. That's all. So instead, while bored at work all day, I sketched this little guy up and sent it off to boyfriend. He liked it, so done deal. It was cute and much easier!

What you'll need:

Grapevine wreath (size o' choice)

Christmas bow of choice (just make sure it fits nicely on the wreath)

Spool of litter ribbon

2 sheets of white felt

1 sheet black felt

1 sheet red felt

2 pearl beads sprays

2 frosted cranberry sprays

Hot glue gun and glue

*FYI, I bought everything at Jo-Ann's, in case you don't know where to find something.*

How to:

You can start where ever your little heart desires. I started by making my little snowman. Mainly because I didn't have the other parts of the wreath yet. For his body, I made 3 different size white felt flowers, like the ones in this tutorial. FIY your circles don't have to be perfect. I hotglued his little body pieces together and set him aside. Then, I just cut out 2 rectangles of red felt. The first one, I glued around his neck. The second, I tucked into the first, to make it look like his scarf was tied, then hotglued the end down to his body so it didn't stick out all crazy. Now just cut a top hat shape out of the black felt, glue a little sliver of red felt to the hat, and glue it to his head. Voila! Cute little snowman. I used some pearl beads for his buttons. You can use what ya like, or leave him naked. 

After I got the wreath, bow and sprays, I took apart the sprays. For this, all you have to do is pull the grouped bunches off the main stem, or just cut them off. Before you start putting those one, you might want to put on your bow first. All I did was take the twisty tie that typically comes on the bow, and twisted it around a branch of the wreath to secure it. If yours doesn't come with a twisty tie, take one off your bread or something. (; 

Tuck your spray fragments into your grapevine wreath and arrange them to look neatly disheveled (yes, that is possible). Hot glue the ones down that are feisty. Start wrapping your ribbon around the top fourth of the wreath, overlapping the wraps. Once you run out of ribbon, just hot glue the end down in the back. Final piece! Find a happy home for your little snowman and glue him on!

Make It Monday

Holiday Inspiration

You may have noticed that I went MIA last week. Maybe not, and that's ok! I needed to take a little mental break. I'm (for sure) an introvert, which means personal, alone time is pretty important to me. Life has been lacking that lately, and while that's ok for some, it's a little stressful for me. It was also my last week of training (10 weeks!). I completely take some of the blame for all of my anxiety over the past month. My work schedule was just too much for me to also get in the gym and also do my typical cooking and blogging. So for about a good month, month and a half, I haven't been in the gym. Going to the gym really helps control my anxiety. However, now I get to pick my work schedule, which means I made sure there was room for the gym. Not only do I miss the release of stress, I also need to get in there! It's holiday season, guys!! Ya gotta find a way to balance all that yummy food, right?

So, I'm about to start my Christmas crafting. I wish I could convey via internet how much I love Christmas decor and just the warm feelings that come along with it. Although I haven't made anything to show you guys, I have tons of ideas reeling through my head and tons of inspiration.

 

All the marvelous inspiration!!

Chocolate Mint Meringues

Peppermint Bark

Tiramisu Cheesecake Trifle

Mint Chocolate Delights

So, these things are what you have to look forward to! As for the DIY projects, I'll be taking little elements from each one. I have a total obsession with making presents look adorable. And of course, each year I have to top the previous year. That's just hard, ok? Last year, I made everyone's name out of wire and tied it on top of their present with a ribbon. Doubled as an ornament!

What are your DIY plans for the holiday season!? I love new ideas! Leave 'em below!

Make It Tuesday?

Oatmeal Pumpkin Cream Pies

I must apologize for the late post. Last night, I went to see my favorite band of all time, Anberlin. It's their final tour, and there was just nothing that could keep me from being there. Needless to say, the band played amazingly, as they have every time I've been to a show of theirs. They'll alway hold the largest part of my little musical heart. 

Guys, that man we're standing with? That's the lead singer, Stephen Christian. His voice is pure perfection. Now that you've forgiven me, we can get to the real post. (:

I'm sure we've all got Thanksgiving coming up. Unless you don't celebrate that, which is cool. But then there's the work pot lucks and dinner with friends, and ya know, just the whole holiday get togethers begin. Whenever there's a potluck or any kind of gathering, everyone knows I'm bringing a dessert. That's just what I love making. Although it had nothing to do with any gathering, I recently made these Oatmeal Pumpkin Cream Pies, and can I just tell you, they were delicious. 

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 2/3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1 c. flour

Pumpkin Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1/4 c. pumpkin puree

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2-2.5 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. flour

How To:

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugars. Add the vanilla, egg, baking soda, and cinnamon, and whisk to combine. Mix in the rolled oats. Slowly add in the flour using a wooden spoon to combine well. Cover this and let refrigerate for at least an hour. I let mine sit overnight because I got lazy. After about an hour, or the next day, preheat the oven to 325F. Roll the cookie dough into small balls, about 1-2 inches. Place these in rows on a greased cookie sheet. Pop in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. I like my cookies a little crispier, so this is all judgement. Let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

While you're making the cookies, or while they're cooling, you can start the filling. Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin puree, and spices together. Slowly begin adding in the powdered sugar, about a 1/2 cup at a time. As this still produces a thin consistency, add in the flour. Fair warning, it's still going to seem a bit thin, or it did to me. However, if you pop the frosting in the fridge for a bit, it's much easier to work with. Once your cookies are cooled completely, you can spread the filling on the bottom of one cookie and sandwich it to another.

Congratulations! You just made delicious cookies!

What's your favorite dessert to take to gatherings!? I'd love to know! (:

Make It Monday

Glitter Pumpkins

Please excuse my not cute porch.

I do apologize for being late, but boyfriend and I were at Best Buy all last night getting new iPhone 6's! And I'm a procrastinator and didn't have my post ready yet. (; but isn't she a beaut!?

So anyway, the first thing boyfriend said when I started making glitter pumpkins this weekend? "Halloween is over." If you're one of these people, it's still fall!!!! I can keep my decor up until thanksgiving! I can't go putting up my Christmas tree yet, can I? Nope, people would give me odd looks. So fall decor it is. Thank you very much. Trust me, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I will lose my mind over Christmas decor. It's just so beautiful and sparkly. Until then, however, I will keep my fall decor and love it. (:

For a while, I was debating whether I wanted real pumpkins or craft pumpkins. I ended up opting for craft pumpkins for 2 reasons. 1) Michael's had an amazing deal. 2) One less thing I have to do next year! 

So, of course, you can pick whatever patterns your little heart desires, but I've gone with polka dots and stripes!

What you'll need:

Glitter

Craft pumpkins of various sizes

Tape

Paper

Scissors

Glue

Sponge brush

Rubber Bands

Patterns in mind

How to:

*Disclaimer: Do not do this inside, in clothes you like, or want to wear to bed. Because glitter.*

So anyway. I began by cutting out a circle out of a small piece of paper. Then, I just held it up to the pumpkin and, using the sponge brush, painted inside the circle with glue. Over a piece of paper, I shook some glitter onto the glue spot. Shake to remove the excess, and voila! Now cover the rest of your pumpkin in circles. The striped one took a little more. Using the rubber bands, "rope off" the areas you want to make glittery. I made one large stripe, a small stripe (that is blank), and then another large stripe. All together, I used 4 rubber bands. Now, using your sponge brush, paint a generous amount of glue inside the stripes you want to be glittery. Then, sprinkle the glitter on, shaking off the excess. Easy and super cute! Like, ridiculously cute. You could totally do chevron, but I'm way too anal about that. I know I wouldn't be able to make the stripes even, and that would drive me crazy. 

What's your favorite fall DIY!? I'd love to see in the comments below!