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

Crockpot Ham and Beans

We had leftover ham from Christmas and Steve asked for ham and beans so I went searching for an easy recipe.  Just so you know he loved it!

1 lb dried great northern beans (mixed if desired) or 1 lb other dried beans ( mixed if desired)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 large sweet onions, chopped coarsely
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 lb smoked ham or 1 lb ham hocks
6 cups water or 6 cups broth

Sort beans and place in a saucepan with 2-inches of water to cover.  Bring them to a boil, boil for 3 minutes, then cover and remove from heat.  Allow to sit for one hour after boiling (don't lift the lid).  Rinse and drain the beans before placing them in the crock pot.

Put the rinsed beans, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, parsley, cloves, ham (chopped into large chunks) or ham hocks into the crock pot along with 6 cups water or broth.  Cover crock, and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until beans are tender and creamy.  Skim any excess fat, if necessary, before serving.