Ravioli with Pumpkin Yogurt Sauce

If there was an awards ceremony for the season, Fall 2014 in St. Louis would undoubtedly win. We have had the best fall weather...brisk mornings but warm afternoons, and colors that rival what you would find on the east coast. I'm usually not as gung-ho about fall as most people in the area are, mostly because it precedes the season that shall not be named, but this year I've been completely smitten.
While you won't find me running through the Starbucks drive-thru for a pumpkin spice latte each week, I will celebrate in my kitchen, beginning with this fall-inspired ravioli recipe. As you know, I'm all about quick and easy recipes lately and this five ingredient recipe fits in the bill. We've been eating a lot of Noosa Yoghurt lately, so when I randomly got an email from them asking me to create a recipe with one of their yogurts, I didn't have to think twice before saying yes. My personal favorites include the coconut and tart cherry flavors, but in celebration of fall you can find pumpkin at Target and it is to die for! Even if they hadn't reached out to me, I likely would've been talking up this flavor in one of my Odds & Ends post because it might be my favorite flavor of yogurt ever! 
Because their pumpkin yogurt isn't too sweet, I knew it would work well in a savory recipe and after being wowed by some pumpkin ravioli at a restaurant recently, I was determined to give it a try. My goal was to keep things simple and let the flavor of the yogurt shine through. All I did was add a little nutmeg and some pasta cooking water to create a sauce that coated the cooked pasta. Topped with fresh thyme and toasted pecans, this dinner had all three of us (yes, even 9-month old Brecken!) singing its praises! If you're looking to celebrate this glorious fall we've had, this is the way to do it!

One Year Ago: Maine 2013
Two Years Ago: Brown Butter Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Three Years Ago: Blues City Deli (Best of 2011) and Butternut Squash, Ricotta, and Sage Crostini
Four Years Ago: Roasted Eggplant and Peppers Tart with Chickpea Crust
Five Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Coconut Pumpkin Bars and Spinach Artichoke Frittata 

Spicy Pasta with Zucchini and Leeks

Mushroom, Eggplant, Kale Lasagna

Spinach Teriyaki Pasta Salad

This is actually a very slight twist on a recipe hidden deep in the archives of the blog. And by slight, I mean I omitted the chicken. It's actually just as good with the chicken, but I was bringing it as a side dish to a party and chose not to include it. This pasta salad was such a hit with everyone there that I knew it deserved to be reposted, especially since the original pictures are pretty pitiful!
This makes a great picnic or party dish because most of it can be done ahead of time. I cooked and marinated the pasta, storing it in one bowl, and prepared the remaining ingredients and stored them in a separate bowl. Just before serving, I combined the two with a bit more of the dressing and was ready to go! You could just as easily throw it all together at once and let it sit for a bit if you don't want to dirty multiple dishes, but I wanted to keep the ingredients as fresh as possible.
Judging by how many people came up to me during the party to rave about this pasta salad, it's safe to say you'll witness similar feedback!

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

One Year Ago: Banana Cream Pie and Spiced Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Kale Pockets
Two Years Ago: Tiramisu Ice Cream and Favorite Spring Dishes
Three Years Ago: Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Four Years Ago: Make Ahead Lasagna and Breakfast Bulgur

Caesar-Style Kale Pesto Pasta

So, motherhood. I knew it was going to change my life. After all, isn't that the first thing everyone tells you when you say you're going to be a parent? "It'll change your life forever." And yes, our lives were rocked on February 2nd when Brecken entered our world. But whoa, I had no idea what kind of emotion was going to be stirred up when she came along.
I once had someone tell me that becoming a parent was the closest we get to understanding the unconditional love that Christ has for us. Now that I'm there, I couldn't agree more. This little girl has completely captured my heart, not to mention her daddy's. Don't get me wrong, there have been trying moments...but honestly, just like the pain I witnessed in labor and delivery, they're fleeting and more of a fuzzy memory than anything else. 

Suffice to say, I'm completely enthralled by our sweet daughter and am literally soaking up every moment I have with her. I sincerely hope this is a sentiment that sticks around for the long haul, even if it has introduced great changes into our lives. What does all this have to do with caesar-style kale pesto pasta? Not much, except that when you have options for easy meals like this, your time is freed to spend kissing babies (or whatever your equivalent is ;)). The pesto can be prepared ahead of time (even a day or two in advance) and just needs to be tossed with cooked pasta when you're ready to eat. 

Leftover pesto would be great on a pizza or as a sandwich spread!

One Year Ago: St. Patty's Meal Idea
Two Years Ago: Best Blueberry Muffins
Three Years Ago: Guinness Beef Stew and Cake Batter Pancakes
Four Years Ago: Irish Soda Bread and Lamb with Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Lemon, Spinach, and Hazelnuts

This past winter, we ate more pasta than we usually do. I've said before that it's not that we dislike pasta, there are just a lot of other foods we gravitate toward first (unless we're going to Pastaria...then I am ALL about the Pasta!). I'm not sure if it was the exceptionally cold weather, or the laziness that set in near the end of my pregnancy, but I began to love how easy it was to throw together a pasta dish for a quick dinner.
This spaghetti dish was one of my favorites! The lemon in here makes it well suited for spring and if you can't easily get mascarpone cheese, you could likely sub with goat cheese or even ricotta. I happened to have hazelnuts on hand which added fantastic flavor, but walnuts would also work. In about twenty minutes you'll have yourself a tasty pasta dinner that's far better than tossing spaghetti noodles with a jar of sauce!

One Year Ago: Chobani Muffins with Raisins and Bran
Two Years Ago: Get to Know the Blogger and Goat Cheese Finger Pecan Sandwiches
Three Years Ago: Roasted Vegetable Galette with Kalamata Olive Crust and Sweet Potato Hash
Four Years Ago: Inside Out Buffalo Hot Wings 

Broccoli Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Ryan and I have a favorite little friend, Edward, who is the three year old son of some of our good friends. We've known him since birth (celebrated his first birthday with ice cream cupcakes!) and have loved watching him grow up into the sweetest little boy. If this baby kicking away in my stomach is a boy (and I suspect it is), I want him to be just like Edward!
Edward's favorite meal is mac and cheese, so I couldn't help but think about him as I prepared this for dinner one evening. It's a bit of a sophisticated take on the kid-friendly classic. There's still plenty of cheese, but also bacon and thyme and green veggies (the peas were my addition, and I loved them in there!). The Worcestershire and mustard add a savory tang that even my mustard-skeptical husband was a fan of. 
Cooking Light nailed this recipe, both in taste but also preparation method. It comes together quickly on the stovetop and is a great one-dish meal! Next time Edward comes over, I know what I'm making him!

One Year Ago: Finding Time in 2013-Rooster Cafe
Two Years Ago: Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Quinoa Cookies and Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Three Years Ago: Scotch Oatmeal Soup and Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
Four Years Ago: Puppy Chow and Mexican Pot Pie

Linguine with Brussels Sprouts, Cranberries, and Caramelized Onions

Orzo with Sun-dried Tomato and Basil

 As much as I love our house, I'm not crazy about the amount of pantry space I have. Shopping on a weekly basis is pretty much a necessity. I like this on the one hand, because it elimates a lot of food waste on our end (no room to store excess food!), but I also often find myself with a lot of odds & ends clogging up space. There'll be a half used box of pasta or a quarter-full container of quinoa taking up valuable real estate!

Orzo with Sun-dried Tomato and Basil

That problem was precisely what led me to this recipe, which managed to use up several odds & ends from within the pantry and refrigerator. Aside from helping me use up the orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and feta (my addition to the recipe), it was a great side dish alongside some grilled chicken that I can't wait to share with you! 

Want to turn this into more of a main dish? Add chicken, much like this chicken orzo salad with goat cheese!

One Year Ago: Bourbon BBQ Chicken
Two Years Ago: Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Three Years Ago: Brownie Roll Out Cookies

 Many of my Monday nights this summer have been spent with two of my best friends, three in a row on the couch watching the Bachelorette, plates of dinner on our laps. I’m the first to admit to the ridiculousness of the show, but I value the quality time with the girls, which was often more about our conversations than what was happening with Desiree and the men vying for her attention.

A few weeks ago, Julia and I were sitting in the Orlando Airport, waiting for our flight back to St. Louis. I pulled out a piece of scrap paper and started meal-planning for the week. I glanced next to me to find my sister was doing the same thing! I immediately started quizzing her, desperately trying to glean inspiration from her. I'd gone more than a week without cooking, thanks to my trip to San Diego right before Orlando, and was need of a little boost to get me back into the mindset of eating something other than restaurant food.
This recipe ended up not coming from Julia, as anyone who knows her would immediately realize. Potatoes are off limits for the crazy girl, which means gnocchi is a no-go in their house. It's a shame, because I think she would've loved this otherwise! Though I've made gnocchi from scratch before, this was all about easing back into the kitchen and store bought worked just fine! With only a handful of ingredients, this dinner is simple to throw together and the flavors shine on their own, especially the brown butter which has a magical way of transforming any dish its in!

One Year Ago: Goat Cheese, Apple, and Lentil Salad
Two Years Ago: Spinach and Apple Salad with Crispy Almonds
Three Years Ago: Kahlua Brie Appetizer

This is comfort food--as all cheese tortellini is--but with enough green to balance things out (I'd double the brussels next time!) and the brightness from lemon to keep things interesting. Chill out, relax, and kick off the weekend with an easy meal!

One Year Ago: Mini Donut Muffins
Two Years Ago: Moroccan Chicken Salad with Carrots
Three Years Ago: Whole Wheat Bread

Most of the time when I eat pasta, it's more about the other ingredients (and the sauce!) than the pasta, which is why large pieces of noodle can irritate me. Give me more of the other stuff! (The exception being this pasta dish with fresh pappardelle--YUM!) Perhaps that's why I like orzo so much. It's teeny tiny pasta, so you get your carby goodness but it doesn't overtake the rest of the dish.
I made this when I had a few girlfriends over for dinner and it was the perfect spring meal, which we enjoyed with Alexia rolls and finished up with our favorite Ted Drewes for dessert! You could easily remove the chicken and serve it as a side dish. It'd be a great accompaniment to a summer picnic or chicken fresh off the grill.

One Year Ago: Citrus Almond Salad
Two Years Ago: Best of 2011: Bahn Mi So
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cup Brownies