kale + ricotta ravioli with homemade tomato sauce (and a side of toddler and mama meltdown)

i had such high hopes for these homemade ravioli. and don't get me wrong, they turned out pretty amazing and i am a convert for homemade(ish) ravioli now that i know how simple(ish) it can be. 

what i didn't factor into the equation was-- the mister coming home late from work (he works incredibly hard to support our little family and late nights once in a while have to be expected), the subsequent meltdown from the toddler because he was famished, add in that dada wasn't home and nix was missing him something fierce, and then the resulting mama meltdown that followed the toddler meltdown as i tried to boil water, finish filling the ravioli, puree the sauce, plate the wee one's food and soothe him (all at the same time, mind you) while keeping him out of the hot, hot, hot kitchen.

nixon needed dada and i needed a beer. don't judge.

there was a whole lotta melting down going on in this house tonight.

okee dokee, back to the ravioli.

lemon-basil mayo

summer is here.

extra long days of sunshine, swimming, sandals, reading, being surrounded by friends and family at bbq's and eating good food.

 if you are looking for a simple and quick way to amp up the flavor of those summer meals, look no further. this mayo is bright and garlicky and adds a ton of flavor to sandwiches.

waffles with berries and honey ricotta cream

this is a total cheat of a breakfast, but oh mama, it was good.

basil pesto, a summer sauce

basil pesto is such a versatile and simple sauce, and, to me, it simply screams summer. this savory and tasty sauce can be thrown together in the food processor in a matter of minutes and the possibilities are only as limited as your culinary imagination.

potato + kale cakes with rouille

these potato and kale cakes were a big hit, they were creamy and fluffy on the inside with a crispy crust on the outside. we had just them for dinner the first night and then i used the mashed potatoes + kale as a side for our awesome fried chicken the next night. i think next time i make these, and there will be a next time, i will add a bit more kale than the recipe asks for.

paleo italian sausage, mushroom, olive,red pepper and spinach pizza

i was so happy with the results of this pizza. so happy! 

the texture of this crust reminds me of a cornmeal crust and was a little crisp on the outside but tender inside. i broke off a little hunk of it when it came out of the oven, after i par-baked it, and dipped it in the still-warm homemade pizza sauce and i concluded that these would make awesome breadsticks dipped in warm pizza sauce.

chipotle enchilada sauce

before i move forward with this recipe, i'm going to go ahead and lay it out there that i know that red sauce on chicken enchiladas is blasphemy to most people. simply ridiculous. red sauce is purely reserved for cheese or beef and green goes with the chicken.

the first time my mom made enchiladas for my brother in law, he couldn't believe she made chicken enchiladas with red sauce. oh, and she uses flour tortillas. i know, i know. but that is what happens when a filipino makes enchiladas.

pasta with vodka sauce

if i had super extra long arms, i would give my freaky self a super awesome pat on the back.

this sauce is that good.

i'm also feeling pretty proud of myself since i was able to pull this dinner together with items that i already had in the house.

feelin' pret-ty smug up in here!

roasted tomato sauce

this is a super simple way to make homemade tomato sauce. no quick-cooking, peeling or seeding of the tomatoes. there isn't even really much chopping. and the result, of very little effort, is intensely flavored homemade sauce that tastes like you were hunched over the cutting board and stove all day, sweating and crying.

what? you don't cry when you make tomato sauce? huh.

um...neither do i.

that would be weird.