How to make: Easy Ravioli

Um, wow! This was soo easy to make with fresh wonton wrappers! I highly recommend you picking up a package and start filling because these are de-lish!! I made my favorite meat/veg parm spaghetti sauce but you can make a brown butter sauce or any tomato sauce of your choice! :♥)

1 pkg Wonton Wrappers

1 large egg

2 cup cooked ground pork

6 slices of bacon (sliced)

1 small onion

1 cup chopped baby spinach

1 small container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese 

pinch sea salt and pepper

~Cook meat, bacon and onion all together! Add in spinach, cook for 5 mins! Remove from heat and let it cool down. With a food processor, mince meat mixture. Fold in the ricotta cheese, sea salt and pepper. 

~In another bowl, whisk an egg to make an egg wash. With clean hands, grab two sheets of the wonton wrappers; they are thin so be careful and then dip a finger in the egg wash and begin wetting the edges of the wrapper. You can also use one sheet and seal like a triangle like shape!

~Place a teaspoon of meat and cheese mixture in the middle. Then top the 2nd wrapper sealing the edges. Make sure there are no air pockets if you can help it.

~Boil in water with a pinch of sea salt for 3-4 mins. Place in your sauce and boom you got homemade ravioli! :♥)

How to make: Marshmallow Fondant

This recipe (below) was what I used to cover my first fondant cake.(above)  :♥)

1 (16 ounce) package mini marshmallows
4-5 tbsp cold water
2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

1/2 cup Crisco shortening 

~Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted.

~It usually takes about 2 ½ minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

~Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in between fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.

~Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more.

~Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

~Its best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.

~Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic- type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. 

~MM Fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make 2 batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant can be prepared well in advance.

Here is a youtube video using a different recipe that does not use the crisco but shows you how to make it! :♥)

How to make: Alfredo Sauce

When we started Adventures of Cooking a few years back we made homemade pasta and this sauce! I'd love to continue with these adventures, it was so much fun making homemade things, the two time we done it! LOL But really this is the best quick and easy alfredo sauce! 

2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

3/4 cup unsalted Real Butter

2 cups grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt butter and cream over medium heat in a heavy large skillet just until the butter melts, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add parmesan to the cream sauce in the skillet. Stir over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

How to make: fresh pasta!

4 large fresh chicken Eggs

1/2 tsp Salt

5 cups all-purpose white Flour (you are not going to use all the flour)

Make a well and crack the eggs, add salt to eggs

with a knife slowly and gently incorporate eggs with flour

like a whisking motion, letting the eggs grab the flour from the sides gently

until you get a ball of pasta. then knead the dough like you would knead bread. Push down and away from you, turn and fold dough on to itself and repeat, push down and away until its smooth, for about 5-7 minutes!

wrap in plastic and let it rest for twenty minutes

roll out the pasta on a floured surface with a rolling pin or use a pasta machine

until its thin as you want it, maybe 1/16th of an inch! I used a knife(the hard way) then a pizza cutter (the easy way)! 

and boom you got pasta! You can dry on a towel or use a broomstick. Use right away or will keep up to a week! Boil for 3-5 minutes if using fresh pasta right away. I never stored mine so I'm not sure the cooking cycle, maybe 8 minutes? :♥)