Chicken and Cranberry Bites

Another recipe we tried from the Philadelphia cookbook is this appetizer. We actually ended up eating it after our meal, and it worked just as well because of the puff pastry and cranberry add enough sweetness to make it a suitable dessert. Again, this snack requires very few ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
3/4 cup cream cheese (1 8 oz package)
1 1/2 cups chopped chicken breast, cooked
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Unfold pastry sheet onto lightly floured baking sheet.  Cut into 12 squares.
3. Spoon 1 1/2 tsp. cream cheese onto center of each pastry. Layer cranberry sauce and chicken on top.
4. Bake 14-15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

For Sarah, we just skipped the chicken, which tasted just as good in my opinion!

Trattoria Ravioli

A trattoria is an Italian style eating easablishment less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. There are generally no printed menus, the service is casual, wine is sold by the decanter rather than the bottle, prices are low, and the emphasis is on a steady clientele rather than oh haute cuisine. The food is modest but plentiful (mostly following regional and local recipes) and in some instances is even served family-style (i.e. at common tables).

We got this recipe from the cookbook Spread a Little Joy made by the producers of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.... so as one may assume, it is incorporated into every recipe in the book (Score!)

We plan on using this book over and over again, but the first recipe we decided to make is the one you see on the cover (instead of tortellini we used ravioli).

It requires only a few ingredients:

The exact recipe calls for:

2 packages of refrigerated cheese tortellini or ravioli, uncooked
1 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
6 tbsp grated parmesean cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (we always add a bit more)
6 oz fresh or frozen baby spinach leaves (we used fresh)
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

The process is very quick and easy...

1. Cook pasta as directed on package *someday we will make our own ravioli from scratch! I promise!
2. Meanwhile, cook milk and cream cheese in large skillet on medium heat until cream cheese is melted. Incorporate until well blended. Stir in parmesean and pepper. Add spinach; mix well.
3. Drain pasta. Add to spinach mixture with tomatoes, mix lightly.
4. Buon appetito!

Sarah ended up adding a little bit of garlic salt for some extra flavor. We concluded that this is a "reduced guilt" version of alfredo sauce, because it doesn't involve nearly as much milkfat as traditional alfredo, especially if you use reduced fat cream cheese and milk! Overall, we LOVED this meal!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Subs

Origin: Italia
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

We have to make the exception to our vegetarian rule every once in a while, so Megan and Lisa decided to invite some friends over to make a delicious omnivorous dinner, inspired by the lovely Giada De Laurentiis.

These meatball subs were relatively simple, and they turned out tasting great. To start, we seasoned the hamburger with our secret weapon, Wee Willy's Buttery Herb and Garlic Seasoning.It's made in MN and you can literally put it on ANYTHING that needs a bit of an herby kick. (Megan and I use it for pasta a lot).

Along with Wee Willy's, we used a few crushed ritz crackers, 1 egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, salt, and pepper to make sure the hamburger held together during the cooking process.

The second key ingredient is Bel Gioso Mozzarella Pearls. These tiny little pearls of fresh mozzarella are about 1/2 inch in diameter and taste great!

Simply make sure the seasoned hamburger surrounds the mozzarella pearl. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes or until hamburger is cooked through.

Meatballs are done!

We then sliced some french bread in half, topped it with provolone slices and marinara sauce along with the cooked meatballs.

 Alisha, Andy, Megan, and Lisa busy in the kitchen

Put the sandwich in the oven and broil it until the bread gets toasted.

We've got some exciting ideas for cooking this week, so stay tuned! This one is a crowd pleaser for sure.

We will return shortly to our regularly scheduled programming....

As you may have noticed, we have taken a short break from posting lately. Too many midterms, exams, and projects have gotten in the way of our weekly cooking routine, but we promise to return shortly after spring break with some great new ideas :)

Consider Donating to Oxfam

The three of us feel blessed not only to have food on our table every night, but to have the ability to cook with a variety of fresh, nutritious, and clean ingredients. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to have the same luxury as we do, there are many starving people living in poverty throughout the US and the rest of the world. For Megan's event planning course, her class is putting on a fundraiser to help Oxfam America build a school in an impoverished nation. Oxfam America is one of the best relief agencies in the world, helping citizens in over 98 countries.

From the Oxfam website:

"Oxfam is an international confederation of 14 organizations working together in 98 countries and with partners and allies around the world to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice.
We work directly with communities and we seek to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them."

The event costs only $5 and is being held this Thursday, March 3 at UW-Stout. Their goal is to raise $1,500 through ticket sales and donations. Please consider coming to this event! If you are not able to attend, any donation will help.

Link: Oxfam's Website

Link: UW-Stout Oxfam Hunger Banquet Information