Creamy Ravioli with Squash, Lemon and Chives

This is absolutely delicious.

This will rock your world. The combo of the squash, lemon and cheese tortellini is incredible. Make this, okay? Promise? Oh, and don't worry about the fact that this is vegetarian. I am married to a 'meat and three' kind-of-a-guy, and he loved every bite of this. It's perfect for summer, and a great way to use extra squash. It's also ready in just 20 minutes. Source: Real Simple

Creamy Ravioli with Squash, Lemon and Chives

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Ingredients:

16 to 18 oz fresh or frozen cheese ravioli (I used 20 oz Bertoli Four Cheese)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

4-5 summer squash (yellow squash and zucchini), thinly sliced

Kosher salt and black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream (I went closer to 1 cup with the increase amount of pasta I purchased)

1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

I love squash.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. 

Add the squash and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are just beginning to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream and lemon zest and cook until the vegetables are tender and the cream is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the squash mixture, Parmesan cheese, and ½ teaspoon salt to the pasta and toss gently to coat. Serve sprinkled with the chives and additional Parmesan cheese.

Your taste buds will rejoice! Oh, and it makes great leftovers, too. Enjoy!

PS - I'm linking up to Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green - Head on over there to see lots of other great recipes!

Menu Monday 7/11/11

Menu Monday is ba-aaaack!! Things are starting to return to normal at the Jones home (2011 has been stupid busy so far), so I'm getting back in my blogging groove and reviving Menu Monday as a weekly post. I'm excited - I've missed doing it! Watch out, Wine Friday may be making an appearance this week, too :)

Here's what's happening in our kitchen this week:

Image Credits: all are my own except:

Napa Cabbage- recipebridge.com, Salmon- myrecipes.com, Shrimp- simplygluten-free.com, Pie- foodnetwork.com

From top left:

Creamy Ravioli with Squash, Lemon and Chives - WOW. I made this pasta for dinner last night and it was divine!! I'll be posting the full recipe with photos this week, but this is super easy and a new favorite of ours. Source: Real Simple

Result: A big HIT! Sounds like lots of other folks have been inspired to make it, too! Click here for my post with recipe.

Sweet BBQ Chicken Pineapple Kabobs - We are having friends over tomorrow night to grill out and we're going to make these yummy kabobs. I bought two fresh pineapples and can't wait to slice them up and skewer! Click here to get the recipe (posted last summer).

Verdict: We didn't have leftovers, so I take that as a good sign!

Chinese Napa Cabbage Slaw - As a side dish to our kabobs, I'm making this delicious salad/slaw that my mother, grandmother and aunt have been making for years. It is soooo light and tasty. I'll try to remember to snap a good picture of my version and post the full recipe.

Thoughts: Always a crowd-pleaser, this is on my list of recipes to-post!

Blueberry Peach Galette - This is one of my favorite desserts to make. It couldn't be any easier. I'm making it this week for our friends since I have a ton of fresh peaches I picked up from a fruit stand. Click here to get my recipe (posted one year ago).

Outcome: Really good, and really easy. I prepared the fruit mixture ahead of time to make it easier the night I was entertaining.

Foil-Packed Salmon with Corn, Cherry Tomatoes and Citrus-Basil Oil - This is a Food Network Magazine Cookbook (Great Easy Meals) recipe. The picture above is the closest thing I could find when I did a search, but I'll be making this dish in a foil packet. I bought some fabulous fresh salmon at the grocery store and can't wait to give this a try! I'll take pics if it turns out as wonderful as I expect.

Result: YUMMY! This was very light and healthy tasting. Here is my post with the recipe.

Coconut Shrimp with Mango Sauce - I have a Taste of Home recipe set aside to try that seems pretty simple to whip up. I couldn't find it online when searching, so if it's good, I'll be posting for you!

Outcome: Fantastic!! Click here for recipe.

Strawberry Crumb Pie - I can't wait to make this!! I tore it out of Food Network Magazine and put it up on my fridge- it's been staring me in the face every time I get a drink. So, I'm finally giving in. Click here to see the Emeril recipe.

Thoughts: Divine! I did make the recipe a little more simple, so check it out here.

So, which dish above sounds the best to you!?

Fling Before the Ring

This weekend was a bachelorette celebration in honor of Jessica's upcoming wedding! If you can't already tell, I'm a professional wedding-and-bachelorette-party-attender. That's what happens when you have tons of wonderful friends getting married!

For some relaxing fun in the sun, our big gang headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for the festivities. We had such a great time! Here are the pics:

Our lovely bunch having dinner at an Italian restaurant near the water. It was magnifico!

Getting ready for some fun Hot Springs night life...with the bride-to-be in yellow.

Jess, Whit and I get close.

Lauren, Kristi, Brittany and Liz

 

Hilarious pic of the bride and her precious pregnant sister, Kandace. Jessica is notorious for doing something crazy right before you snap a picture.

On Saturday, we hit the lake!! It was so great to get out and cruise. It was blazing hot, so thank goodness for rafts and water!

Oh, and I was the captain of the boat for the day.

Funny.

Old CAC pals, Liz and Allison

I miss sweet Elizabeth!

Time to make dinner! This was the first charcoal experience for most of us. It turned out great, luckily! Thanks for handling this part, Lauren and Whit.

Kristi, Jessica and Lauren.

Lingerie shower time!!

Jess got some gorgeous, sweet things. I can't reveal them on the blog, but this is a lovely robe-type number that made us all jealous.

And we rounded out the weekend with an amazing breakfast at the historic Pancake Shop in downtown Hot Springs. It was soooooooo yummy. I had a banana pancake that was the best pancake I've ever had, hands down.

Last pic of the group at breakfast - A fun time was had by all!

Congrats, Jessica! We CAN'T WAIT 'til October!!

Meredith and Ryan's Wedding Weekend!

This weekend was the wedding celebration of my sorority sister and dear friend, Meredith Adams, and her wonderful fiance, Ryan Pettigrew. We made the trek to Fayetteville, Arkansas for a fun holiday weekend!

You may remember Meredith from lots of posts about my friends, but especially my engagement post and recent bachelorette post. We were all so excited to be back together as a gang to celebrate the big day!

At the bridesmaid's bunch, the group of bridesmaids with the bride. From left: Jeni (and her cute pregnant belly!), Bekah, Stacia, Meredith, Shelby, Emily and down front: Kelsey, Collin and Kendall.

Throwin' up the Deltas for old times sake :)

Moving on to the casual, patriotic, very fun rehearsal dinner. Here's a shot of the beautiful Bekah, Stacia and Collin.

Me with Jeni and Kelsey - I miss these girls ALL the time!

Collin gets feisty, and steals a flower from the centerpiece.

Collin's fiance, Zach, and Keith

Keith and I love going to weddings! Reminds us of our own special weekend :)

The bride pops over for a crazy pic!

Hugs all around!

Getting crazy with the decor

Wedding day!! Meredith's mom helps her with the gorgeous dress!

What a knock-out!!!

Our traditional wedding pose. We have a pic like this from everyone's wedding! It's our prom pose! In this group, Collin is now the only one left and her wedding is in October.

I must say, we were all lookin' pretty good with our styled hair and makeup. Especially Collin!

The blonde bombshells of the group - Kelsey and Bekah

I miss my Bekah Boo!!

On our bouquets, Meredith gave each of us an old brooch that she picked out just for us.

This was my pin, and I love it!! If you know me, you'll know why this is extra special. Thank you, Meredith!

Having some fun as we wait for the wedding to start......which was SO sweet!

Ok, on to the reception. I had to put my camera down to walk down the aisle, of course....

Snapping a pic with fellow Deltas, Cara of Live the Home Life and Murry. I miss these funny gals!

Dancing with my funky soul sister

Gotta dance with the hubs!

Who knows....

Delta love - I could totally cry right now thinking about how rarely I get to see these wonderful women!

I miss my Jeni. I can't believe she is going to have a baby soon!! Ahh!

We sang our traditional wedding Tridelt song, and finished it off with a song from rush that's just plain fun to sing :)

Doing 'a little bit softer now....'

A fitting send off for the 4th of July weekend!

Congrats Meredith and Ryan!! We had SO much fun at the festivities and are so happy for you guys to start your married life! Best wishes, sweet friend.

Patriotic Fruit Tarts

Happy 4th of July!! I don't know about you, but I'm so proud to be an American. Today and every day! Now, if only my neighbors would refrain from shooting their fireworks off until midnight :)

Here's a fun, easy recipe that my mom and I made for our family festivities yesterday:

These were so easy to put together and tasted really great! You could use this filling recipe and top the tarts with any kind of fruit. Recipe courtesy of Food Network:

Patriotic Fruit Tarts

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3 boxes of shortbread tart shells (16 tarts in each box)

8 oz container of mascarpone cream (you could also use cream cheese)

3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup cool whip, thawed
Fruit for topping (we used blueberries and strawberries)

Using a hand mixer, combine the mascarpone and confectioner's sugar until well blended, then gently fold in the cool whip. Spoon into each tart shell. If you are using sliced fruit, lay on paper towels first to absorb some moisture. Arrange fruit on tarts and serve.

If making in advance, wait to top the tarts with fruit until just before serving or the fruit juices may run. 

Happy Birthday, America!!