raviolis!

Xmas Eve - Aunt Mil's Homemade Ravioli

Even though it is warm in Florida today, and Aunt Mil would have said that you should make ravioli on a cold day, we made them anyway.

First, we gathered all the supplies.  I know that we haven't used the ravioli machine and forms for more than 10 years.

 I made a pot of "gravy", like Helen Cioffoletti taught me.  (I can remember calling Helen one Christmas to ask her if she was sure that I needed to add 1/2 cup of water to each can of tomatoes.  Yes, that's right.  It cooks down when you leave it on the stove all day.  A little sugar and lots of fresh basil.)

 This is Aunt Mil's recipe:

Aunt Mills
RAVIOLI

Dough

2 C. unbleached flour
1 egg + water to equal 2/3 cups
Mix and knead.  Put in bowl and cover.  Let stand about 5 Min or so.

Filling

1 lb. lean chopped round
2 lbs. Ricotta (Pot Cheese)
2 eggs + 1 yolk
Chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt or less
black pepper (if desired)
1 1/2 Cubs Grated Locatelli or Romano Cheese

Put chop meat into fry pan and keep stirring until redness is removed from meat.  (a few min.)  dran fat if any and cool.  When cool add the remaining ingredients.  Tastes better if mixes a few hrs. earlier or the night before.
----

This is the ravioli machine we used.  We decided that it would be better if we had a wider machine (or narrower form) because the dough we made with this one just barely covered the ravioli form, and if we stretched the dough, it tore (not good).  Anyway, we figured it out and by the 3rd batch the ravioli we made were not falling apart.

 This is our filling.  Yum.  We did without the meat.

 Preparing the dough:

 Running the dough through the machine

 Rolling the ravioli form:

 Perfect ravioli!

This is Aunt Mil in the summer of 2009, probably the last time we saw her.  She died in 2010.  But we remember her so often!

birthday blues

Another birthday ...

Lots of love all around.  John sent fruit flowers ...

Sandy brought over free trade flowers ...

Friends stopped by, Eric and Dawn came to visit, and John flew home for the weekend ...

Partied with Frank's famous hamburgers ...

... an exciting game of corn hole (the old guys won) ...

... and finished it off with Sandy's gluten free chocolate cake!

Good Friday dinner

 This was the centerpiece for our table on Good Friday when Sandy and Frank came over for dinner (we had fish).

chipotle

I had been hearing about this (fast food?) restaurant for a couple of years, but since it isn't in South Florida or on any of our routes, we had never tried it.  Alas, there is one right down the road in Cranberry Township and we had lunch there this weekend.  YUM!  It gets our thumbs up!

More Photos from PA

Here are some photos from PA that John sent today.  I still can't quite imagine what it's like.  Note the American Flags on almost every photo (my comment).  This is what John has to say...

"I finally got out of Carnegie. I took some photos of my neighbors in the industrial park, also a few photos of Carnegie.  Not much to see - a few churches, but did not feel like stopping. The picture of the hill to the hotel is much steeper than it looks, I would say a 35 degree incline. Also photos of Westinghouse office - note picture of sign for privileged parking for fuel efficient vehicles.  I need to find out if my bike qualifies so I can park up front. The food is gourmet at work; they call it the culinary center not the cafeteria. Also photo of azaleas outside hotel. These are what all the northerners rave about."