Ravioli Lasagna, Caprese Pizza and Nutella cookies for this morning's show :)

RAVIOLI LASAGNA

CAPRESE PIZZA

NUTELLA COOKIES

RAVIOLI LASAGNA

2 (23-ounce) jars red sauce (I use Home-style Ragu)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 (20-ounce) package 4-cheese ravioli

1 (16-ounce) Ricotta Cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown the Italian sausage, drain and set aside.  Heat the sauce, brown sugar and Italian seasoning just until warm.  Cook the ravioli according to directions and set aside.  Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg and salt and pepper together.  Now you are ready to assemble.  Place ¼ cup of the sauce in the bottom of  an 8 or 9-inch baking dish,  Place a layer of ravioli on top of the sauce.  Place dollops of the ricotta mixture over the ravioli.  Next sprinkle with some sausage, then ladle about ½ to ¾ cup sauce over sausage and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Repeat layers 2 more times.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little mozzarella evenly over the top and bake for 5 minutes more or until the cheese is melted.  Let it rest 10 minutes before cutting.

CAPRESE PIZZA

1 large thin pizza crust

Pizza sauce (I like Ragu)

Fresh mozzarella, sliced

5 to 6 Campari tomatoes, sliced thin

Salt

Fresh Basil, chopped

Olive Oil

  Place the thinly sliced tomatoes on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Let them sit for about 30 minutes to get most of the moisture out.   Brush the pizza crust with olive oil and spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of sauce onto the crust.  Place the tomato slices evenly over the crust and top with mozzarella slices.  Bake at 425 for 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle fresh basil over the top.

NUTELLA COOKIES

1 cup Nutella

1-cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

½ cup white chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together.  Take a teaspoon full and roll it up in a ball.  Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 9 minutes.  Makes about 14 cookies.

My shortcut chicken and dumplings, crunchy peas, creamy mashed potatoes and sour cream biscuits! Enjoy :)

MELISSA FRIDAY’S SHORT-CUT CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

CRUNCHY GREEN PEAS

SOUR CREAM BISCUITS

MELISSA FRIDAY’S SHORT-CUT CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

2 packs chicken tenders or 6 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Chicken broth (enough to cover chicken, about 48 ounces)

1 large (family –size) can Cream of Chicken soup

1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (add more if you like)

1 tablespoon chicken granules

1 teaspoon Zatterans (optional)

Place chicken in a large pot and sprinkle with seasonings.  Cover chicken with broth and bring to a boil.  As soon as it is boiling, stir and turn down the heat as low as it will go.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer on low for 35 minutes.  Now add soup and seasonings and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Break the dumpling strips into bite-size pieces and add half to the pot, gently stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the dumplings and simmer on low for another 30 minutes.   Serve over biscuits or mashed potatoes.

DUMPLINGS:

½ box (24-ounce) frozen dumpling strips (I use Anne’s or Mary B’s)

CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & cubed

Salt & pepper to taste

½-3/4  cup half & half

3 tablespoons cream cheese

½ stick butter

Boil the potatoes for 20 mintues or until they are very soft.  Remove from heat and drain well.  Place the cooked potatoes in a large glass bowl and add the remaining ingredients.  Use a hand mixer and mix for about 2 minutes or until creamy.

CRUNCHY GREEN PEAS

1 bag frozen green peas

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes.

SOUR CREAM BISCUITS

4 ½ cups bisquick

4-ounces sour cream

1 cup club soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 stick butter, melted

Mix the first 4 ingredients well.  On a floured surface roll out the dough and use a small glass or  biscuit cutter to cut out round circles in the dough.  Pour half of the melted butter into a 13x9x2-baking dish and place the biscuit dough on top of the butter.  Brush the tops of each biscuit with butter and bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until browned.  Brush with a little more melted butter when you take them out of the oven.

It's the little things in life that sometimes gives us great joy! I just made a batch of homemade mayo.....OMG! I don't think I'll ever buy store-bought again!

HOMEMADE MAYO

1 egg (you want to use a high-quality, organic egg for best results)

Juice of half a lemon

¼ teaspoon stone-ground mustard

½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

1-tablespoon sugar (optional)

1 cup of 100% olive oil (not extra-virgin)

Tools needed:

4 to 6 cup glass measuring cup

Immersion Blender

Place first 5 ingredients into a deep, glass measuring cup, and then add the olive oil.  Blend for 1 to 2 minutes with the immersion blender.  Remove the immersion blender and use a wire wisk to finish blending all the ingredients very well.  This will change the way your sandwich, chicken salad, tuna salad-- and any other salad you make with mayo-- will taste!  Last up to 5 days in the fridge. Enjoy! J

Recipes from today's show :)

OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN

CREAMED CORN

FRIED OKRA SALAD

FIELD PEAS WITH SNAPS

OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1-quart warm water

¼ cup kosher salt

Pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl, place the salt in 1 quart of warm water and stir until the salt dissolves.   Place the chicken breasts into the bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour but no more than 6 hours.  (I feel like 4 hours is the magic number).  Remove the chicken from the salt water, rinse and pat each chicken breast dry.   Brush each side of the chicken with melted butter and season each side.  Place into a greased ovenproof dish, and bake for 15 minutes at 450.  The chicken breasts should reach 165-170 degrees.  Let sit 10 minutes before slicing.

MELISSA’S CREAMED CORN

8 ears of fresh corn, shucked, cleaned and cut off the cob or 1lb. bag frozen corn

½ stick butter

4 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup half and half

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter and add corn stirring often for about 8 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes.  I like to use my hand blender and mash a little of the corn right in the skillet.  If you don’t have a hand blender, you can scoop half of the corn mixture into a blender

then place it back in the pot.

FRIED OKRA SALAD

2 lbs. frozen breaded okra, fried according to directions

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup white vinegar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

½ cup green onions, chopped

½ cup fried bacon, crumbled (optional)

Combine sugar, vinegar and oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and let simmer for about 8 minutes until the sugar dissolves.  Place the fried okra in a large bowl and toss with tomatoes, green onions and oil mixture.  Delicious!

FIELD PEAS WITH SNAPS

2 lbs. fresh or frozen field peas with snaps

1 pound thick-sliced peppered bacon, chopped

1 onion

4 cups water

1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

1 or 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning

In a heavy-duty pot, sauté the chopped bacon for about 8 minutes then add onion.  Sauté’ until the bacon becomes crispy.  Add the peas, water and seasonings and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered on very low for about 45 minutes or until the peas are tender.  Feel free to add more seasonings to your liking.  This is so good with a roast, rice & gravy and cornbread or ham and cabbage.