Tag: pumpkin

  • #1: Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Review

    #1: Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Review

    Zoe’s Take:

    8/10

    I really liked this ravioli. First off, I didn’t have to make pasta dough. The use of egg roll wrappers makes this recipe a lot easier for people who don’t necessarily  know how to or have time to make pasta. The manchego cheese is what made the ravioli for me though. Butternut squash is good and all, but I love manchego cheese and it really helped the butternut squash become a fuller more nutty flavor. However, the real star of the show was the caramelized onions. Without them, the dish wouldn’t be as good in my opinion. I do think I would prefer that the ravioli be in pasta instead of egg roll wrappers however.

    Eric’s Take

    7.5/10

    This was a great start to this cookbook review. This dish is very substantial. You only need a few ravioli to fill you up. The caramelized onion adds complexity to the otherwise fairly plain ravioli. The pumpkin seeds are more than just a garnish as they add texture to the dish. My only problem with the flavor of this recipe was that it was laking something to cut through the fattiness of all the butter. Brown butter is amazing, but on top of the buttery caramelized onions and ravioli filling, it was a lot. Some additional acidity may have been nice. I took liked the ease of the egg roll wrapper as a shortcut. However, if I were to make this recipe again I would probably make pasta dough. It’s relatively easy to make, and much easier to fill. The size of the ravioli in the recipe was also a problem for me. It was a good size, but very difficult to cut without a very small biscuit/cookie cutter, which most people don’t have.

  • Zoe & Eric Carve Pumpkins

    Zoe & Eric Carve Pumpkins

    It’s 5 days until Halloween, and it’s about time to start carving pumpkins. Since Eric and I already went pumpkin picking, we decided to carve them as well.

    I’ve never actually carved a pumpkin myself, since I almost sliced my hand off last time I tried doing it. But using a pattern (for me) was very helpful. I chose something more traditional, but also close to my heart, a cat. In case you didn’t already know, I have 4 of them.

    Eric however, didn’t use a pattern, he drew his own, going for a more nerdy feel with the Deathly Hallows, which I wholeheartedly support. He also borrowed his friend Dustin (see the end of the post for his details), to help out with the process.

    Carving pumpkins can be hard work. First you cut off the top, or the bottom, and scoop out all the seeds. Then you scrape down the side that you are carving. Once that is done, you either draw the pattern on, or use a pre-made pattern. I used the little plastic knives that came with the pumpkin pattern, but any serrated knife will do really.

    You should start with the smallest most delicate pieces. Wait until the end to pop out the cut pieces as well. Oh, and pop them out from the inside! But most of all, you should have fun when you carve your pumpkin! Even if you’re not planning on keeping the pumpkin, you should have SO much fun with it.

    Don’t forget to get all the pumpkin goop off the seeds, wash them, and then season with a drizzle of oil and sea salt, and then roast for 15-20 minutes at 300F.

    Enjoy your pumpkins this Halloween!

    Credit to:

    @akysora
    Instagram: Dustinklc

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