OLD AND NEW RECIPES THAT ARE FAVORITES

I have so many recipes to post but I must share this one with you first because it's new and so good ! It's one I'll bring to gatherings like Christmas Eve.


RAVIOLI CASSEROLE
You,ll need :
1 PKG. (25 OZ) frozen ravioli (cheese or meat you decide)
1/4 cup butter,cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
1/2 cup minced fresh basil
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese divided
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
2-1/2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce

1. cook ravioli according to package directions.
2.Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter.
Stir in the flour ,salt and nutmeg until smooth;
gradually add milk and wine.
3.Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until
thickened.
4.Remove from heat.Stir in the basil1 cup of mozzarella cheese
and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
5.Drain ravioli; toss with the sauce mixture.
6.Transfer to a greased 13-in.x9-in. baking dish.Top with 1 cup
mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce ; sprinkle with remaining cheeses.
7.Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 min.Uncover; bake 5-10 min. longer or until bubbly.Let stand for
15 min. before serving.YIELDS: 8 servings

I double this!!


For tonight's dinner I made Irish stew with dumplings.

I don't really have a recipe per say just what's been handed down .
a large pan like a kettle
You'll need 2 nice steaks or you can be really tradtional and use lamb( I just can't bring myself to eat it.)
a yellow onion or you can use the traditional leeks
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of wine
beef stock (I usually keep my stock from when I make a roast and then freeze it )
beef granules or you can use bouillon cubes whatever you have on hand
bag of carrots cleaned and chopped
about 6-8 potatoes depending how many you are serving peeled and chopped
salt, pepper, parsley ,bay leafs-2,basil, 1 cup of seasoned flour
more if needed depending how much meat you have.
and a bag of frozen peas
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
2 cups of bisquick
2/3 cup of milk

1. cut the meat into nice bite size pieces
2.chop the onion into small pieces and saute them in the butter until translucent
3.coat the steak in the salt and peppered seasoned flour and sear the meat in the butter and onions until brown on both sides.
Don't worry if the pan gets coated with the flour the wine will deglaze the pan and helps to pull out the flavor from the steak.
4.Remove the meat and add the wine,stirring and scrapping the bottom for a couple of min or until it feels deglazed.
5.Add your stock and water to fill the pot a little more than half full add the granules I say about 2-3 tablespoons or almost the whole bottle of cubes it's not an exact science it goes according to taste and size of pot. Add the meat.Bring to a boil.
6.Add the chopped carrots and chopped potatoes til they are tender then add the peas.
7.Stir the bisquick and milk together and drop by spoonfuls into the boiling soup .Let them boil uncovered for 10 min. then cover for 10 min. Check by cutting one in half to see if it's all the way done in the middle.

I hope this becomes a family favorite also.