I have an old recipe for you today that can serve as either an appetizer OR a side dish. It can be served any time of the year, but because it’s served with a (red) marinara or spaghetti sauce, it makes a great accompaniment to a Christmas menu! This is also a budget-friendly recipe!
This Toasted Ravioli is super fast and easy, and is a true crowd pleaser. I discovered this recipe years ago in my Southern Living Cookbook. Being crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside, makes it irresistible! It’s a perfect finger food appetizer, but you can also serve it alongside a meal, as I did recently.
Toasted Ravioli
Packaged frozen Cheese Ravioli – Thawed
Seasoned bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 egg
1/4 Cup Milk
Cooking oil – Canola works well
Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce
Instructions:
In a dish, combine seasoned bread crumbs and about half as much Parmesan cheese.
In another dish, combine one egg and milk
Dip ravioli in egg wash, then breadcrumbs. Place enough oil in the bottom of a medium skillet. After it gets hot, add ravioli, a few at a time, Toast until golden This will only take a couple of minutes. Keep warm.
Serve with a marinara or spaghetti sauce.
I made this French Bread to go along with the meal. I broiled it until it was lightly browned and crisp. This has come to be one of my favorite breads to make because I can have bread in two hours from start to finish.
I hope you’ll add this ravioli recipe to your menu soon, then let me know what you thought about it!
I had the blessing this week of spending time with my parents. I go once a month to help out. I run errands, do a little housework, cook and bake and then just get to hang out with the sweetest people on the planet.
One fun thing I got to do was watch them open a care package that Whitney and her sister, Alli sent to them. My parents had received it in the mail last week and were told they could open it then, or they could open it on December 1st. It was sent to help “merry up” the Christmas season. Their thoughtfulness touched my heart, and meant so much to my parents!
Watching them open up each item, I thought about how sweet it would be to find someone near me that could use a similar package. Here’s what they included in this package that was sent from Target:
Holiday napkins
Balsam Fir candle – Smells amazing!
Shortbread cookies – Holiday shapes
Hickory Farms Summer Sausage and cheese
A chocolate Advent Calendar – They ordered a Lindt Bear calendar, but received a Star Wars one instead! We all got a good laugh out of that!
Holiday scented hand soap
Who wouldn’t want to receive such thoughtful items? I’ve been challenged, and I hope this gives you some good ideas of things you could take or send to someone who needs some cheering up this holiday season!
Different suggestions would include:
Christmas Candy
Homemade Cookies
Christmas linens – tea towel or pot holders
Christmas mug
Peppermint tea, Holiday blend coffee or Hot Chocolate
Cozy Christmas Socks
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Who do you know that is experiencing some difficult days? It may be that they are sick, or have been sick. Perhaps they are home bound, or are lonely.
I’m sharing this idea so you can implement it where the Lord would burden your heart to do so. I also love the idea of doing it early in the Christmas season! Get their December started off with a thoughtful gesture that will remind them that they are not forgotten.
It’s a blessing to serve others, isn’t it? Paul acknowledged that the Phiippians at one time weren’t able to provide for him, but how thankful he was for the gift they sent when they could.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Philippians 1:10
Do what you are able with what the Lord has entrusted to you. Refresh someone else right now when He puts them on your heart.
It was early Sunday morning and I had gotten my coffee and journal and cozied myself on the sofa where I could read my devotions and enjoy the warmth of the sun on a cold November dawn. Looking around, I realized I had left my Bible in the other room. I glanced over to the bookcase beside the sofa, and I spotted one of my old Bibles that I had “retired” quite a few years ago. I pulled it off the shelf and seated myself once again. This Bible was like an old friend. It’s pages are worn, curled and marked, but oh, so loved.
I flipped the pages to go to where my Bible plan had brought me. It was II Peter 1. As the page opened, I saw flecks of dust dancing in the sunlight! It was proof that this Bible had been unused for some time, but when I read its pages, it said,
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue
My heart swelled as I read those words. How precious that the Lord has given us everything we need for this life in Christ, and where do we find it? In His word.
When my heart is overwhelmed, I can get strength from His Word.
When I am filled with fear, I can get faith from His Word.
When I am sad or worried, I can get peace from His Word.
When I feel alone, I am reminded of His presence in His Word.
To neglect the Word of God is to reject all that we need to do more than merely survive the day. I’m pretty sure we’re all interested in more than “just making it.”
It’s easy to get too busy, too involved in other activities, or too tired that we neglect God’s Word, and when we finally come to ourselves, we find our souls more dusty than the Bible’s pages.
If you’ve “fallen off the wagon,” in your reading plan, go get your Bible and open its pages to find just what the Lord wants to teach you about Himself today. It’s truth is deeper than the dust. It will show you the Way to go, the Truth you need to hear and the Life to guide you on your way… and all that is found in our Savior,
If you’ve neglected God’s Word, blow off the dust and dive in. You’ll be refreshed and strengthened for your path today.
I pray that your Thanksgiving was a blessing! We had a wonderful time together as a family. The food everyone prepared was delicious. The fellowship was sweet. The memories made were priceless. Oh, and dessert was amazing!
It was a huge blessing to have help with the meal. My girls are both great cooks, and they made incredible contributions to our meal! That took off a lot of prep on my part as the hostess.
I did a couple of new things for this meal that I want to mark and remember for future gatherings centered on food. I hope they’ll be tips you can utilize as well!
Look at that full gravy boat!!
Gravy ~ Gravy is often difficult! I find it getting lumpy or being too thick! If you ever struggle with making gravy, you’re going to love this first tip! Is it just the south, or is it everywhere that gravy is really important? Without gravy, turkey can be a bit bland and sometimes dry. Mashed potatoes need gravy like peanut butter needs jelly! Even biscuits are better dipped in a little puddle of gravy! Maybe I didn’t need to convince you how important gravy is, but now that we have that settled, let me share my little hack I learned.
It’s all about making a gravy base ahead of time. I saw a video on Instagram by a chef from King Arthur Flour that suggested this method to make your holiday meal come together so much easier. Usually the gravy is made at the very last minute of the meal prep, and it can be stressful! Using their method, I made the gravy base on Tuesday! All I needed to do on Thanksgiving Day was add the turkey drippings to the base and whisk it together to produce a quart of gravy . Here’s how I made it.
Gravy Base
4 Tbl butter
1/2 Cup flour
2 cups Chicken Stock
Melt the butter in a medium-sized sauce pan. Whisk in the 1/2 cup flour slowly and incorporate it into the butter. It will be very thick. Slowly add the chicken stock and whisk constantly until all stock is added and the base is smooth. Turn to low and cook 25 minutes. Do not season. Stir occasionally. Store in fridge. I froze mine, then thawed it out the morning I needed it. To make the gravy – Add the base to pan drippings. Whisk to keep it smooth. Skim off fat. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
When I added the base, I was worried that it was going to clump, maybe because I froze it, but it did not! It was so easy! I will definitely do this from now on!! You could also use this method for roast by using beef stock!
Half-sized desserts – The other hack I tried was with making smaller desserts. Maybe you’re rolling your eyes, asking why you’d want to make less dessert! Read on…
I love to make what everyone enjoys, but I also don’t want to have an abundance left over. One son-in-law loves the Pumpkin Crunch Cake and the other loves Pumpkin Pie, but we were also having Pumpkin Cheesecake and Kentucky Derby Pie!
Pumpkin Crunch Cake is basically a pumpkin pie filling on the bottom, with a cake mixture on top. But since the cake makes a 9 x 13 pan – and the pie would fill a 10 inch pie plate, I knew it would be more than we would eat. The solution? Divide the pumpkin filling and make two small desserts. Here’s how I did it.
I made up the base (pumpkin filling) for the cake and used half of it for a small pie. This is a 7-8 inch pan…
I poured the other half of the pumpkin mixture into a square pan for the cake, then I used half of a cake mix for the top of the Crunch Cake.
Both of those pumpkin desserts were gone by the time the weekend was over! That worked out beautifully!
It can be scary to change a recipe and try something that you think will work. I made one other change and that was to reduce the amount of sugar in the Crunch cake. It calls for 1 1/2 cups, but I noticed that a pumpkin pie recipe only requires 3/4 cup, so I decided to go with the lesser amount and it wasn’t even detectable! It was perfectly sweet! I’m sure the sweetened whipped cream might have also helped!
Whenever I find little hacks that helped, I try to write them at the front of a frequently used cookbook or in a binder that I use all the time in the kitchen. When I make any alterations to a recipe, I write it on the recipe card or in the book I’m using.
Did you implement any hacks while preparing Thanksgiving dinner? I would also love to know if anyone struggles with making gravy?
If you need small desserts, you could also make these!
If you need a pie crust recipe that’s delicious, you can find mine here. You can also go to my Instagram profile and find a video demonstrating pie crust making!
Since I am hosting Thanksgiving this year, I have made a timeline for myself that began a few weeks ago. It’s been so helpful to get projects done and pre-baking in the freezer.
Someone asked if I would share my agenda for Thanksgiving day preparation, and I am happy to post my schedule. Keep in mind, however, that I am having help from my girls with a charcuterie board, sides and dessert, so those items will not be part of my plans.
I will also add the specific times for my Thursday agenda. That way I will know that the turkey has 45 minutes to one hour to rest before carving (it will be covered with foil and dish towels to keep warm). While the turkey is resting, the gravy will be finished up and the biscuits will be baked. Any other items that need to be warmed will also be put in the oven.
Lord willing and the biscuits rise, dinner will be served at 1 o’clock!
Are you following a minute by minute schedule that will keep you on time? What else do you add to your prep?
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I will post again next week!
RefreshHer 