Recipes #45-49 – A mash up because I am so behind on all of these!!

So Matt and I became a one and a half laptop household when the fan on my laptop decided to unceremoniously die a couple months ago. I say one and a half because we have Matt’s laptop that he got last Black Friday, and his old laptop that we got back in 2006 when he started grad school. And the truth is, I’m spoiled. The old laptop is…well…. old! So I have not had the same ability to blog at home, and let’s be honest here, I wasn’t that great with blogging before that either so… anyways, work has been insane and has not left me with the ability to blog there either. I’m behind!! The good news is, I wasn’t cooking in the interim either so I’m not *that* behind. Oh, wait… that’s bad too. I basically lost the entire buffer I had going for myself. The good news is I had a buffer! (If you’re keeping track that was bad news, bad news, good news, bad news, good news.)

In the interest of time, sanity, and the fact I barely remember cooking these, we are doing a quick bullet point catch up the 5 recipes I cooked a month ago 🙂

Recipe #45: Toasted Ravioli

Website: http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/06/oven-toasted-ravioli.html

Review: I made these for a quick dinner one night for Matt and I. We had bought this ravioli from Costco a couple weeks earlier, and that meant we had a ton of ravioli. Sadly, I had made it as the package directed the week prior and discovered it was not particularly good ravioli. This was a GREAT way to change (i.e. use) it up! Really easy and great texture. It didn’t make it heavy either. And best of all, it improved the less than stellar ravioli! To the point it was actually good!!

Recipe #46: Lasagna Soup

Website: http://www.macaroniandcheesecake.com/2011/11/lasagna-soup.html

Review: The theory behind this one was a lightened up version of lasagna, less noodles means less carbs, less calories. And it was good, and tasted…well sorta like lasagna.  It certainly didn’t have the body of lasagna and I don’t think it would satisfy a lasagna craving. It was still good though! The best part, however, was putting the garlic cheese croutons on top! Why have I not thought of putting those in soup before?!?! Other than that take away, for a non-lasagna lasagna option, I think I’ll stick with The Pioneer Woman’s Bowtie Lasagna

Recipe #47: Apple Brie Bites

Website: http://dancingbranflakes.blogspot.com/2012/10/brie-and-apple-crescent-rolls-and-word.html?m=1

Review:  I love Brie. To be fair, I love most cheese. Brie is a favorite though, particularly brie baked with honey, dried fruit, and nuts. I saw this spin on it and thought it would be great for a girl’s night. I bought the brie, and as occasionally happens with life, plans fell thru and girls night never happened. Finally it reached a point where I knew I needed to use the brie because it wasn’t going to make it much longer. So I made a couple just for me to test the recipe. They were quite good, not quite as good as some other versions I have had, but still yummy. Plus you can change up what goes inside, I think I might prefer dried cranberries over the apple, for example. My main issue was I wouldn’t serve them for a party or anything, they aren’t the prettiest little packages:

But they are easier than cutting into a wheel of brie and having it go every where. So I guess the question is, what is more important, presentation or functionality? For me, I think, in this case, it is presentation.

Recipe #48: Tomato Avocado Salad

Website: In the time since I made this recipe, it appears that that blog has been shut down…

Review: I made this when I was home sick one day back in May. I wasn’t that hungry but knew I needed to eat something. Sadly, the blog containing recipe that I used has since been taken down. If I remember right it was:

Avocado
Cherry tomatoes
Cilantro
Olive Oil
Lime Juice
Salt
Pepper

Very simple. For the dressing I would use 1 part lime juice to 2 parts oil. Think tablespoons not cups, you don’t want it drowning, just coated. It was a nice lunch with some crackers. However, it was a week later when I made this again for our Bible Study BBQ that it was truly awesome! I added some roasted corn and use jalapeno infused olive oil. It was delicious!! And it got rave reviews from friends.

Recipe #49: Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta

Website: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/avocado-chimichurri-bruschetta/

Review: This one combines one of my favorite things ever, avocado, with one of my favorite foods ever, Chimichurri. My favorite breakfast is actually sprouted wheat sourdough toast with avocado, lime juice, and hot sauce, so this is a great take on that for me. I didn’t care for this particular chimi recipe, but I would add avocado to the recipe I posted here previously. So the concept is delicious!! This is a great breakfast….well for me. 🙂