Feast for my Family--Thanksgiving is here

This year my husband's entire family will be joining us for Thanksgiving! I am SO excited that they are here, and that we get to do all of the cooking! I am making a few of my favorites, plus throwing in some new recipes to mix things up. This year I was smart and ordered the gravy and corn bread from Fresh Market (I am just not good at making gravy).

Appetizers: Baked Brie with Apples and Cranberries served with Cupcake prosecco
Starter: Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Salad: Spring Mix with Pomegranate Seeds, Goat Cheese and Orange Slices topped with Glazed Pecans
Turkey: Rolled Turkey Breast filled with Apple Fennel Stuffing
Sides: Nannie Anne's Tzimmis, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, corn bread, gravy
Dessert: Signe's Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, lemon filled birthday cake, assorted River Street Sweets (a must-have if you ever come to Savannah)

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Maddness--Butternut squash, goat cheese and thyme ravioli

So remember that butternut squash sauce I made for the cheese raviolis last week? Well the dilemma ended up being that I did not know what to do with the other 1/2 butternut squash that was sitting in my fridge. Then it hit me--rather than make the butternut squash soup for Thanksgiving that we usually have, I would make butternut squash ravioli and serve it in a brown butter sage sauce with toasted hazelnuts.

I have seen Giada make raviolis 100 times on TV, so I new that if I could just get my hands on some wonton wrappers I would be all set. These were fairly easy to make, the only part that took a little time was filling the wonton wrappers. Make sure not to put too much filling in--it just makes them impossible to seal.

Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Thyme Ravioli
Makes 48 raviolis
PointsPlus Value: 1 point per ravioli (does not include sauce)
38 calories, 1g fat, 6 carbs, 1g protein


Ingredients
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cubed
1 onion, peeled and cubed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt/pepper
2 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 package wonton wrappers (about 48 wrappers)

Directions
-Pre-heat oven 375
-In a large bowl combine squash, onions, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Spray a large glass dish with PAM. Spread out squash mixture and roast until all veggies are soft and begin to caramelize--about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove the thyme sprigs (you don't want the woody portion in your mixture--the leave are fine).
-Dump cooled veggies into a food processor. Add goat cheese and process until smooth.
-Lay wonton wrappers out on a large surface. Put a small dollop (about 1/2 tsp) filling in center of wrapper.
-Brush edges with water, fold wrapper in half (making a triangle with the filling in the middle) and press closed, making sure that all the air is out.
-You can either lay them all flat on a sheet and freeze for a later date, or you can boil them in water for 3-4 minutes.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Magic Mystery Tour Knock-Off--Pesto pizza with spinach, goat cheese, mozzarella and sun dired tomatoes

Little Man was invited to a Halloween bash this week with all of his buddies. He was excited to go, and I was even more excited when I saw that their was Mellow Mushroom pizza to be had. Before moving to the South I had never even heard of Mellow Mushroom, but everyone raved about their  topping combinations and the unforgettable taste.

They were right! I fell in love with the Magic Mystery Tour pizza--a pesto-based pizza topped with spinach, portobello mushrooms, mozzarella and goat cheese. I knew it wasn't healthy, but damn it was good. It's high in both points and calories, but worth the occasional splurge for sure!

Pesto pizza with spinach, goat cheese, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes
PointsPlus value per slice: 8
Calories per slice: 350

Ingredients
1/2 a batch of Kitchen Aid pizza dough
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 onion
1/2 cup pesto
8oz fresh mozarella, sliced
3 oz soft goat cheese
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms

Directions
-Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a round pizza stone placed on the lowest rack.
-While oven is heating up, saute spinach,  mushrooms and onions together over, making sure that all of the liquid from the spinach has evaporated.
-Roll out your pizza dough on a well floured surface. Using a large cutting board, CAREFULLY slide the rolled out pizza dough onto the hot pizza stone. Bake for 4 minutes.
-Remove  pizza dough and top with pesto. Evenly spread out the sauteed spinach mixture and top with both types of cheese.
-Bake pizza for 8 minutes. Pull out rack and sprinkle with sun dried tomatoes. Bake for 3 more minutes.
-Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying!

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

A Taste of Fall--Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions over Cheese Raviolis

I can't believe that it is already November 1st. Thankfully it is finally cooling down and some of the leaves are changing color, giving me that touch-of-home that I miss from growing up in New England.

This time of year always flies by, and I often forget to make use of some of the more hearty produce that is available right now at the store. Tonight I decided to go out on a limb and make something new--Butternut squash and caramelized onions over cheese raviolis. I was inspired by a recipe in Woman's Day, but felt their version could use a little "umph"--like caramelized onions and cream (what could be bad).

Here is our line up this week:
Tuesday--Butternut squash and caramelized onions over cheese ravioli*
Wednesday--Jerk-style chicken with mashed sweet potatoes
Thursday--Mushroom beef burgers
Friday--Red onion crusted chicken and mashers (for vegetarians out there, you can substitute eggplant slices for the chicken--comes out great!)
Saturday--Chicken pot pie

*Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onions over Cheese Raviolis
Serves 4
PointsPlus value per serving: 12
250 calories, 10 g fat, 9g protein, 31 carbs

Ingredients
1 pound frozen cheese ravioli
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb butternut squash (about 1/2 a medium squash), peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbs fresh thyme
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt/pepper

Directions
In a large pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add butternut squash and saute 5 minutes.
Add onions and saute until squash is soft and onions are translucent.
Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes and remove pan from heat.
Cook raviolis according to directions on the package. Drain but reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water.
Reduce heat to low. Return squash mixture to heat and add cream and thyme, let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add raviolis, Parmesan cheese and a splash of pasta water. Mix well and serve.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.