Bacon & Egg Salad Club Sandwiches

Easy and delicious... can't get any better than that! Enjoy!

Bacon & Egg Salad Club Sandwiches
Recipe from Nature's Own

4	lettuce leaves
6	slices bread, toasted
1	cup prepared egg salad
	Mayonnaise
2	large 1/2” thick tomato slices
4	slices bacon, cooked crisp and cut in half crosswise For each sandwich, place 1 lettuce leaf on a toast slice; spread 1/2 cup egg salad over lettuce. Top with second toast slice; if desired, spread with mayonnaise or butter. Top with another lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, 4 bacon halves and third bread slice. To serve, use a large serrated knife and gentle pressure to carefully cut sandwich in half diagonally in both directions forming quarters. Insert a toothpick into each quarter to hold sandwich layers together.

TWD: Baking with Julia - Chocolate Truffle Tart

I was excited that a tart recipe was chosen for TWD because it gave me an opportunity to finally use my rectangular tart pan. :) I know, I know... I get excited for the little things!

This tart was super chocolatey. It started with a chocolate crust and then the chocolate filling had chopped chocolate biscotti and white chocolate mixed in. I made it on Valentine's Day and we ate it cold out of the refrigerator. It was super rich and delicious!!!

Thanks to Steph, Spike, Jaime, and Jessica for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at their blogs or in the wonderful book BAKING WITH JULIA.



Peanut Butter Cookie Cups with Nutella

Peanut butter and chocolate is probably one of my favorite sweet treat combinations. Use Nutella (my FAVORITE thing in the world!) in place of regular chocolate and then you are really talking! I am no stranger to putting a dollop of Nutella in the middle of a small treat (see these Nutella Brownie Cups) and I was excited to try it with peanut butter.

These cookies were little bites of heaven! IMPOSSIBLE to eat just one! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups with Nutella
Recipe from Barbara Bakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
Turbinado sugar
1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Working with paddle attachment in electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and beat on low until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until flour disappears, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in turbinado sugar. Place each ball in a cup of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake 10 to 12 minutes,the centers may not be completely set. Remove the cookies from the oven and using the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie and fill with Nutella. 

Cool cookies on cooling rack.

Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes

It's Sunday which means Pancake Day in our house! :) The majority of the time I make my buttermilk pancakes but every so often I like to try out a new pancake recipe. This morning it was Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes. :)

They are rustic and bumpy thanks to the addition of oats and raisins. They are incredibly delicious and remind me of an oatmeal raisin cookie. My family gobbled them up and they will make their way back to Pancake Sunday again soon!

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes
Recipe from Tracy's Culinary Adventures

2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
heaping 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
Add the eggs to a medium bowl and whisk to break them up. Combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla in a measuring cup then pour them into the eggs and whisk to incorporate.

Add the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl and stir just until barely combined (the batter may still be lumpy, that's fine). Fold in the raisins with a rubber spatula then set the batter aside to rest for about 5 minutes.

Cook pancakes on griddle until done. Serve with butter and syrup.

Three Cheese Ravioli in Balsamic Tomato Sauce

I LOVE homemade ravioli. It is so amazingly delicious and well worth the work. To be honest making ravioli isn't difficult, just time consuming. It takes me about 45 minutes to roll out all the dough (using my KA pasta roller attachment... I wouldn't want to do it by hand!) and mold it. But the end result is so yummy so it makes all the effort worthwhile!

I loved the addition of the balsamic vinegar to this sauce... it added a nice tang!

Enjoy!


Three Cheese Ravioli
Recipe from All That Splatters

Pasta Dough

3 cups flour
3 eggs

Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Beat eggs, Gradually add eggs to flour, mixing with a spoon. As mixture becomes lumpy, begin to press together and knead with your hands. If mixture seems too dry and grainy, add one tablespoon of water at a time until mixture holds together in a ball. Removing dough from the mixing bowl, begin to knead dough for 2 minutes on a lightly floured board or table top. Cut dough in halves, cover with a bowl or a dampened cloth and allow dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Cut the half sections of dough in half again. Take the quarter section of dough and flatten with your hand as much as possible. Pass the dough through the rollers of a pasta machine four times with the rollers set at the widest setting, folding the dough each time into thirds. Set to the next thinner setting and pass the dough through. Repeat this process until dough is about the thickness of the edge of a knife blade.

Three Cheese Filling

16 ounces ricotta
4 ounces mozzarella, cut into small dice
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients until well combined and refrigerate.


Using a ravioli maker, place one sheet of dough over the form, making sure the dough overlaps all cutting edges. With the molding plate, gently press to form pockets. Using a pastry brush, brush a little water around the perimeter of each ravioli pocket. Fill each pocket with a scant teaspoon of cheese filling. Cover with a second sheet of pasta dough, and roll over the top of the form with a rolling pin, sealing each ravioli. Turn form over and release ravioli.

Cook ravioli in 4 - 5 quarts of well-salted, boiling water for 3-1/2 to 5 minutes. Add sauce and serve.

Balsamic Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 - 8 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
28 ounces diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
chopped Italian parsley, for garnish, optional
chopped basil, for garnish, optional

In a cold skillet, add olive oil and sliced garlic. Heat on low and slowly cook garlic until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain ravioli, plate and top with sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and basil. Serve.