Fallen Souffle

When I was growing up my family would have appetizer night, it was usually on a Friday, we would either sit on the floor and eat off the coffee table or eat at the nice dining room table that we saved for only “special occasions.” My Dad would make Shirley Temples for my sister and me, and we would all just sit around and eat junk while watching TV or chatting. I loved appetizer night as a kid, and I love that Evan and I do it now.

We try to limit appetizer night to every other month or so because the menu usually consists of mozzarella sticks, bagel bites, pizza rolls, chicken tenders and toasted ravioli. I can’t remember what got my husband started on toasted ravioli but it has become one of his favorite treats.

They are pretty easy to make, as I cheat and use frozen ravioli. Once the ravioli are boiled for about 3 minutes, drain them on a paper towel. I usually only make half a bag for the two of us. Beat up an egg in one bowl, and in another sprinkle in Italian bread crumbs. In a dutch oven, heat about 1/2 inch of oil over medium high heat. Coat the ravioli in the egg and then dredge in the bread crumbs. It is a lot easier if you do them all at once because these guys take no time to fry. Once the oil is heated drop the ravioli in batches, making sure they have enough room to move around. Flip once and allow to fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dunk in marinara sauce and you have an easy appetizer or dinner!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I have been staring at the butternut squash sitting on my counter for about a week now and figured I needed to cook it before leaving for Thanksgiving in VA. I love cleaning out the fridge and eating all of the random things I have bought so when I come home it’s a clean slate and there is plenty of room in the fridge for leftovers. I am also trying to avoid all grocery stores at all costs this week…it is bad enough that the bakery is going to be a madhouse this week.

I decided to concoct a soup from the squash. I kinda just threw together things that sounded good and hoped for the best. What I like about soup making is that you can continually adjust the flavors throughout the cooking process to suit your own taste. I made this soup more savory but you could definately add more sweetness. I like eating healthy things like this before big holidays so I don’t feel so bad about the extensive foodfest we all engage in.

Jen’s Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
(veggies and spices can be adjusted)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet or sheet pan with tin foil. Toss together the following ingrediants:
1 medium butternut squash peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato peeled and cubed
1 medium onion cut in large chunks
2 Granny Smith apples cut in large chunks (remove the skin if you want)

Drizzle olive oil over the veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for about 30-45 minutes until veggies are soft.

In a large dutch oven add 2 14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth , add in roasted veggies. I added in about 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and about 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder. Add in whatever other spices float your boat.

Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about an hour. You could also throw everything into your crockpot to cook. Bring pot off burner and blend with an immersion blender or blend in batches in your blender. Return to pot and over low heat add about 1/4 cup of half and half (I used fat free) and season to taste.

I topped my soup with some parmesan cheese, I will probably make some parmesan croutons to top the soup for lunch tommorrow.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!