Crispy Baked Ravioli

When I used to work at Tunex we would order lunch from Bruno's occasionally and I always loved to order the deep-fried ravioli.  Now I know that deep-frying isn't the best for you and it isn't the easiest either so when I saw a recipe for baked ravioli I had to give it a try. 

1/4 cup Italian dry bread crumbs*
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
12 frozen cheese-filled ravioli
pasta sauce, warmed

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine bread crumbs and cheese in medium bowl.

Combine sour cream and milk in small bowl. Dip ravioli in sour cream mixture, then in bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.

Place ravioli on nonstick baking sheet. Bake 10-14 minutes or until ravioli are crisp and lightly browned. Serve immediately with pasta sauce.

To make ahead, prepare ravioli as directed except do not bake. Layer between sheets of waxed paper in a resealable plastic freezer containers. At serving time, remove from freezer. Heat oven to 375°F. Place desired number of ravioli onto nonstick baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until ravioli are crisp and lightly browned. Serve immediately with pasta sauce.

*Italian Bread Crumbs - I didn't have these in the house so I used my plain bread crumbs and add a pinch of the following spices.

Salt
Dried parsley flakes
Garlic powder
Onion power
Sugar
Dried oregano

Zucchini Tots

It's that time of year when zucchini starts multiplying like rabbits and we need 501,432 ways to use it.  This recipe The Curious Country Cook was quick and easy and low in calories, just 23 per tot.  I used Panko bread crumbs because they half the calories of regular bread crumbs. I used my cookie scoop which holds 1 tablespoon and they fit exactly into the mini muffin cups.


2 cups zucchini, grated
2 egg
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.

Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- you will be surprised how much liquid comes out but if you skip this part the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy.

In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.

Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

Southwest Egg Rolls

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

I found this recipe from Sweet Pea's Kitchen on Pinterest and made them tonight for dinner.  I don't like things too spicy but I thought the 1/2 cup of Frank's Hot Sauce was just right.  If I were making them for Beau I would add a finely diced  jalapeno because Beau likes his spicy food HOT!

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (to taste) - I used Frank's Hot Sauce
3 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese - I used medium cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions - I omitted
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce, cheddar cheese and green onions.
Roll a heaping tablespoon of mixture into a 1½-inch ball and place onto a plate or separate baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Place flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, place eggs. In a third shallow dish, Place cornflakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. 

Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Yields: 48 bites

Note:

If freezing place the dipped and uncooked chicken balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready. When ready to bake, place the frozen chicken balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Cheese Ball

Another recipe found in the recipe box.

2 - 8 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. bleu cheese
4 oz. old English cheese - this is in a bottle
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix together.  Roll in nuts or parsley.  Serve with crackers.

Chicken Wonton Cups

When Mom and I were visiting Jamie, Beau and Christopher in Oklahoma the wives had a potluck because they all felt like they were in a rut with what they fixed. This was my favorite that wasn't a dessert of course.

24 Wonton skins
12 oz Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Fajita dry packet
Onion, diced
Red bell pepper, diced
Ranch dressing
Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and place one wonton skin in each tin. Bake until slightly crisp, about 3 minutes. While wonton skins are baking, cook chicken with fajita packet.

Fill each cup with 4 - 5 pieces of chicken, onion, red bell pepper, 1 tablespoon ranch and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted, about 4 - 5 minutes.

Cowboy Caviar

This is Tami's recipe. Any other veggies (olives, celery, etc.) that your family might like can be added.

1 cup whole corn, drained - frozen or canned
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 2 green onions, chopped
bell pepper, chopped
red onion, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
garlic
cumin
pepper
cilantro, chopped (optional)
Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing
fresh lime

Combine all ingredients, adding according to your family's taste, except the dressing. Add juice of lime and dressing to taste. Best served after ingredients have mingled for a couple hours. Serve cold with chips.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I needed an excuse to make this recipe that I found on Your Homebased Mom and the BYU bowl game was the perfect fit. It was a hit but next time I am going to put it in the crockpot and stir the cheese in.

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 C of shredded or diced chicken
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Wing sauce)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Frito corn chips Scoops or Tortilla Chips

Mix cream cheese, ranch dressing and red hot sauce together. Add in shredded chicken. Place mixture in a pie pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until nice and hot and bubbly.
Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

Layered Bean Dip

This recipe came from a friend, Carma Maxwell, she was a neighbor out in Enoch.

Layer the following ingredients in a 9" x 9" pan

16 oz. can of Refried Beans

3 or 4 Avocados - I use an 8 oz. Guacamole Dip 

8 oz. Sour Cream

Salsa or Picante Sauce

Chopped Olives

Grated Cheese on Top

Season any or all layers with salt, pepper or seasoning salt.  I have never done this but sometimes I use a package of dry taco seasoning and sprinkle it on top of the sour cream.  Keep refrigerated.

Meatballs

Another recipe from Steve's party.

Bag of Armour Meatballs
Jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce

Bake the meatballs according to the package directions. Put into an electric frying pan and pour sauce over. Heat thoroughly. You can serve immediately or turn on to low to serve in a buffet. They work great with toothpicks.

I also used the meatballs in my spaghetti sauce the other night and Steve and Christopher loved it.

Devil's Spit Chicken

We had a party for Steve last weekend and this is one of the recipes that I served.

Bag of popcorn chicken

Famous Dave's Devil's Spit BBQ Sauce

Cook chicken according to the directions on the package. Now turn your oven on to broil and cook the chicken until lightly browned. I was serving people over a two hour period so I put them into a crock pot on low and poured over the BBQ sauce. You could also just toss the chicken in the BBQ sauce and serve.

Cheese Ball

I have a cookbook, The Harmony Kitchen Cookbook published by the Twin Falls Chapter of Sweet Adelines, April 1977, that Grandma Birrell gave to me. I thought that it would be nice to post all of her recipes.

16 oz. Philedelphia cream cheese
1 teaspoon grated onions
2 teaspoon horseradish
4 drops tabasco
1/2 cup finely chopped beef

Mix together then roll in 1 cup pecans and form inot a cheese log. Will freeze.

Queso

I was given this recipe from a friend, Jana Davis. It is so easy and so yummy!

2 cans of chili
2 cups grated cheese
8 oz cream cheese
1 can green chilies - optional

Place in crockpot and heat until warm. Serve with tortilla chips.