Butternut Squash Ravioli with Kale Pesto

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Kale Pesto

12.21.2014

I've been wanting to make raviolis for quite a long time. 

I first attempted them back in 2010 from scratch... without pretty much any kitchen equipment. It didn't go terribly but it also wasn't a raging success.  Ever since then, the closest I've gotten to fresh pasta was making gnocchi. Given that I haven't acquired any pasta making tools yet, I cheated and used wonton wrappers... which was pure genius.

I had seen this approach in several places before but never really got around to finding the wonton wrappers at Whole Foods until a few weeks ago. I had picked up the butternut squash literally about a month before (or more?) when I made soup. It just kept sitting in my fridge while I pondered what I would do. Butternut squash makes me feel like I have a million options and then none all at once. What do you do with it besides make soup, make a side dish, and stuff raviolis? I'm not really sure still. So I made raviolis.

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Pancetta wrapped cod... stuffed with artichoke pesto

Pancetta wrapped cod... stuffed with artichoke pesto

 

I'm really behind on recipes.... and life... so I'm going to get straight to the chase.

This recipe is pretty great. In my opinion it looks a little tacky and impressive all at once. Wrapping things in pork is super tasty but also makes me feel a bit like I'm ordering an appetizer at a chain restaurant... or trying to trick a toddler into trying a new food.

Lastly, in general I think I make a pretty great cod. One person actually told me that I made the best cod they've ever had outside a restaurant... but to be fair we were dating at the time. I feel like the nature of this recipe actually dries the cod out a bit more than others. It is still great.... but loses some of the flakiness from the preparation and stuffing.

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Lighthouses & Seals // Day 4

Lighthouses & Seals // Day 4

11.16.2014

A few weeks ago, my Jawbone stopped working... but if it was still working, today would have been a very active day. I went for a super long walk ... followed by 4 hours of driving with some great views. I am very thankful that I saved an entire day for Point Reyes Park. I barely scratched the surface of it and it took me 3 hours or so.

I don't want to jinx it, but I feel like I've gotten pretty lucky this trip. The weather has been solid, the views have been great, and my last-minute decision making hasn't really bit me. Also, my electric rental car has been a huge savings in gas. By some rough calculations, I've driven 700 miles and gas has only cost be $80 which is amazing.

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107 Curvy Miles // Day 3

107 Curvy Miles // Day 3

11.15.2014

There is nothing quite like 107 miles of twists and turns to really appreciate California's coastline.

I had decided the night before that I wasn't going to the Redwoods and stuck to that. I ended up spending the day cruising the coast and stopping at a few spots. I had planned to stop at a few others as well but used my better judgement. The roads were often quite desolate, besides cows and hawks, and it didn't seem quite the best idea to hike off to a beach by myself. (You're welcome Mom).

While it would have been nice to stretch my legs more than once - and stop the self-imposed motion sickness - the view was so impressive the entire time. The coastline is just like nothing you can imagine. Plus, there are seals!

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Valley to the Ocean ... via the Redwoods // Day 2

Valley to the Ocean ... via the Redwoods // Day 2

11.14.2014

I had some minor plans for the day that pretty much amounted to driving by the ocean and gawking at nature. Having lived by the ocean by entire life – and taken every opportunity possible to see the ocean … I was taken back by how amazing the view was everywhere. 

The ocean was just so big. I’m not quite sure why – but it just seemed never ending. The waves were always huge but not in a Nor ‘easter sort of way. We get big waves in New England but this was just completely different.

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Wine & Raisins // Day 1

Wine & Raisins // Day 1

11.13.2014

I'm currently sitting in a 4 poster bed, drinking a glass of wine courtesy of the B&B... and eating yogurt covered raisins. I'm not mad - but I am tired.

It wasn't exactly a short journey to get to this point. I drove for over 4 hours, visited 2 airports, flew for 8 hours, and ate 3 bags of mini Delta pretzels. I was on a pretty tight timeline today which resulted in me needing to meet a particular woman by 3:30 pm. The timeline did not allow for highway traffic, nevermind excessive flight delay. As a result, I sprinted through the Salt Lake City airport and politely pleaded to be let on an earlier delayed flight. It worked. For extra dramatic flair? The minute I sat in my new seat I got a text from Delta that my original flight had been delayed 3 hours. 

I'm in SF for a long weekend as part of a family activity that I accomplished today. I'll be leaving on Monday ... and until then I'm going to eat goldfish, listen to XM radio and cruise the coast.

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carrot butternut squash soup

carrot butternut squash soup

I've been slowly making more progress in my kitchen recently... and have stock piled a few recipes that I need to write up. This is one of them.... and it's an easy one.

There is something about butternut squash soup that just screams Fall. I fully intended on picking up the squash for bargain prices at Haymarket... but "splurged" and bought it in the burbs while visiting my parents. Even at normal prices, this soup is a steal. While I only topped it with chickpeas, I think it would be great with little bits of chicken sausage too if you wanted more bulk.

The soup is actually thicker than you think it will be - so I still have several leftovers which I've stashed in my freezer. I haven't been super great about eating anything from my freezer besides Reese Cups.... but I'm optimistic this will be different. I'm thinking maybe a very small bowl of it with some seared fish or scallops on top. Winning?

Either way, here's how the simple version goes.

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chorizo and kale soup

chorizo and kale soup

11.09.2014

 

One of my favorite things to do is Swiffer the floors ... and cook in my kitchen. Today was super productive...  and not all at once. 

I cleaned all my floors and bathrooms. I have 1.5. It's luxurious. I cleaned the tub and I hung up all the coats I've worn in the last two weeks. Things have been a bit busy and off, so while I made my bed every day... all of the clothes and coats ended up in small piles. After I finished all of those things, I watched several episodes of the Brady Bunch and then got suckered into The Love Boat. It didn't feel right to leave for a walk until I knew the old lady survived her onboard surgery for a fractured rib that might have punctured her spleen.

While I was out on my walk, I picked up a pile of chorizo for this soup. One of my favorite soups from last year was this chorizo and lentil soup - so perhaps this is the 2014 iteration of it. Bonus? I got to use two of the last red peppers from my dad's garden.

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