Storms, Tattoos, and the Best Thing I've Ever Made -- Turkey Ravioli

Hope everyone here on the East Coast stayed safe during the storm! As usual, my little section of Western Mass didn't see too much action, but some towns further north aren't doing so well. Lots of flooding and damage. Thankfully all my friends up there are safe. Did any of you, readers, have troubles with Irene?

I met the beginnings of the storm with some friends, drinking margaritas out of jars and munching on homemade bread while watching the rain on my friend's back porch. Pretty pleasant way to wait for a natural disaster, I think.

Also I got a tattoo this weekend! Yesterday, in fact. I mentioned in this post how I wanted to get the puzzle piece, but I thought my first tattoo would be a re-imagining of my mom's tattoo (a butterfly) that my friend drew. But yesterday my mom and stepdad were getting their tattoos, I asked if the artist had time to squeeze me in as well, since I've been putting off getting my tattoo for so long. I didn't have the artwork for the butterfly on me, so I decided the puzzle piece would be easy enough to sketch out, and I went for it! Though it hurt exactly like I thought it would (like razors going into my skin, ouch!) the pain was actually tolerable and I only winced a couple times. I love my tattoo and am scheduling the butterfly one very soon!

So, onto the food! I got this recipe booklet from a recent Pampered Chef party for only $1! The recipes all look amazing, but I couldn't wait to try the cover dish--turkey raviolis. Though the recipe was a bit difficult to decipher (the directions tell you to use all Pampered Chef products of course), these raviolis came out AMAZING. They are seriously the best things I've ever made in my life. So flavorful! The sweet sauce is made from fresh tomatoes and wine (I used white zin, haha!) and the savory filling of the raviolis blends perfectly with the sauce. It's a bit involved, with lots of steps, and took me over an hour, but it's more than worth it!

Also I used waaaay too much turkey and ended up accidentally doubling the recipe, oops! But it was definitely worth it--did I mention this was the BEST. THING. I'VE. EVER. MADE? I was happy to have more :) The recipe is edited a little to show how I made it without all the chef products suggested (I wish I had them all though!).

Turkey and Pesto Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce
(From Pampered Chef's Spring/Summer 2011 Season's Best Recipe Collection)

• 6 oz lean ground turkey
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh parseley
• 5 garlic cloves
• 3 green onions
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbs chicken stock
• 1/2 oz parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup mascarapone cheese
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 24 wonton wrappers (recipe calls for round, I only had square)
• 1/2 cup white wine (recipe calls for dry, I used sweet)
• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 2 tsp sugar
• parm, basil, and sliced green onion for garnish

-Cook turkey through and drain the fat, then place in mixing bowl. In a food processor or blender, blend basil, parsley, two garlic cloves, one green onion, and 2 tbs chicken stock. Add to turkey along with parm cheese, 2 tbs of mascarpone cheese, and 1/4 of the black pepper. Mix well.

-Place 12 wonton wrappers on a cutting board or other flat surface. Spoon about 1 tbs of the turkey mixture onto the center of each wonton. Lightly brush edges with water, then place a wonton wrapper on top. Press down with a fork or glass until well sealed.

-Finely chop remaining green onions and garlic. Warm about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, deep skillet and add onions and garlic. Once fragrant, stir in wine and cook for one minute. Add the remaining stock, tomatoes, and sugar and cook until tomatoes burst. Once burst, use an immersion blender or blend in batches until smooth. Stir in remaining mascarpone and pepper.

-Add ravioli to skillet and cook evenly on both sides and cover with sauce. Cook until tender, then serve immediately with optional garnishes. Enjoy!