Your dinner party bible by Carrie Ferguson
Your dinner party bible by Carrie Ferguson
For Valentine’s day I love sending packages to my family since we don’t live near each other. Someone who I love very much has a food restriction to nuts, dairy, and gluten. I don’t want anyone to feel left out so I took on the …
I liked drinking coffee before I moved to Seattle, but my love for it grew 10x when we moved to Seattle in our late 20’s. I also worked at Starbucks headquarters, which improved my understanding of coffee beans and brewing processes. Here are some of …
This post is continuing part 1 of my meals inspired by our farmers market boxes! 3. Cabbage: I weighed the amount of cabbage we got, it was 6 pounds worth. That’s a lot! I made 3 types of recipes- napa cabbage salad, slow roasted cabbage, …
Last year we signed up for a CSA box from a local Tennessee farm and it was one of our best decisions for the year! My least favorite part of cooking is grocery shopping, so avoiding that hassle was a great benefit. We picked up …
I love a good charcuterie board, but the charcuterie board that changed my life was when we traveled to the Almalfi coast and stumbled into a specialty grocery store. The name of the store was Alimentari Angela, and it was in the town where we …
Back when we lived in Seattle, for my sister’s birthday she hosted a Tacos & Trivia party. Her talented husband took care of the taco bar so we brought dessert, and of course because it was a birthday dinner I got a bit carried away …
My husband and I both grew up near Chicago, Illinois so when his army assignment took us to Augusta, Georgia it was a big change for us! We experienced new foods and culture in Georgia, which led us to host a themed party after our …
2020 has been an unconventional year for us and the whole world with the emergence of COVID-19. We moved to Nashville, Tennessee a year ago for my husband’s final army assignment, and due to COVID-19 we’ve been at home a lot so we started some …
Since I moved to Augusta, Georgia some times it’s hard to find vegetarian dishes featured on the restaurant menus here. Here’s a friendly reminder, vegetarian dishes are TASTY and healthy. These dishes can really be made any time of day. 1. California Tofu Hash This …
Last year I turned 30 years old and I decided to do a destination party to celebrate. We recently relocated from Seattle to Augusta, Georgia for my husband’s dental residency so I figured it was a great opportunity to explore some of the cities in …
One of my favorite dishes to make when guests come over is homemade pasta. I think people can really tell the difference in taste between pre-packaged and freshly made pasta.
This is definitely a meal that it’s fun to include the guests in making so they understand the authentic process. We often put guests to work flattening out the dough (my brother and husband are pictured below). Everyone enjoys the food more because they had to work a little harder for it. 🙂
The best part about fresh pasta is it cooks in 2-3 minutes because the dough doesn’t have additives like pre-packaged pasta. So you can have a couple of people work on the dough while you start the sauce. Alternatively, if you’re making the dish alone, (I often make pasta solo as a relaxing night in with a glass of wine) you can start on the sauce and toppings while the dough rests for 20-30 minutes. Here are some dishes I’ve made before, I’m a huge fan of basil and throw it into anything I make.
My favorite pasta is ravioli di zucca o burro e salvia (butternut squash ravioli with sage and brown butter sauce).
And then ta-da! Below is the recipe for my favorite pasta dish from scratch. Chef’s note: the sage will turn bitter if cooked too long, so don’t let the butter sauce overcook.
Ravioli di Zucca o Burro e Salvia
Ingredients
Instructions
Make a flour well, then crack eggs and other ingredients in the middle. Use a fork at first to mix, as the dough gets thicker use your hands. Mix for about 8-10 minutes. Add in flour or (little) water when the dough feels inelastic. Set dough aside and let it rest for 30-40 minutes. Cut into fourths after the dough has rested.
Butternut Squash Filling Ingredients
Instructions
Roast squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 8 leaves of sage, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt at 350 degrees for 1 and a half hours or desired tenderness (should be soft). While the squash roasts sautee 1 garlic clove, 1-2 shallots, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a pan. When squash has cooled blend the sauteed shallots, cream, and butternut squash. Roll out dough and add spoonfuls of puree to the dough, then cut out with ravioli cutter (in our case a large shot glass). Boil water and add ravioli gently until ravioli floats to the top of the pot (typically 5 minutes for al dente). When the sauce is finished (below) gently scoop ravioli into the saucepan with butter sauce.
Butter Sage Sauce Ingredients
Instructions
Melt butter until it is browned over medium heat. Add sage leaves and remove from heat for 1-2 minutes. Be careful if sage leaves cook too long they loose their flavor.
Buon Appetito!