50+ thread

got a steak out on my grill now.
also made some gnudi al'aqui .... roughly translates to "naked ravioli"

 

I love it. I don't think I could go back to a 5/8 love the three days off ESPECIALLY during camping season.

 

https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/david-rocco/gnudi-all-acqua-al-2-naked-ravioli-1960682

i make mine with some italian sausage too. great on their own over a bed a fettucini or with a steak.
not super hard to do but it does take a little patience. keeping everything cool as you do the prep is key. once the ricotta gets warmed up the whole thing just turns to mush.

this is my version of the above:
preheat oven to 400F
brown 1/2lb italian sausage, drain grease and put in fridge to cool
wash and chop 1lb spinach. saute with the EVOO and some garlic. set that in the fridge to cool
stir those both up a couple times while they're cooling if you're in a rush
dump 1lb of ricotta in a large bowl, drain as much liquid off as you can
add in about 1/4c EACH kraft parm and bread crumbs
stir the ricotta, parm and crumbs together. add in the sausage and spinach
put it back in the fridge for a couple minutes
get your baking dish ready (an 8x8 square or 10" round) by adding just a touch of EVOO
get the cheese/spinach/sausage mixture out of the fridge
coat your hands with a little EVOO
divide the mix into about 8 balls, roll quickly in your hands to shape but don't get carried away or your body heat with melt the cheese
if the mix is too mushy try either putting back in the fridge OR adding a little more bread crumbs
throw it in the oven for 10-15

while its baking quarter about 15-20 cherry tomatoes
add them to a small pan with about 1 to 1-1/2 cup marinara
add some garlic/fennel/basil to that and just bring to a simmer then turn off the heat
take the cheese mix out of the oven, pour the sauce over and top with some fresh parm
back in the oven for 5, if your baking dish is safe turn on the broiler for 1 minute to get the cheese on the top nice and bubbly
let stand for 5 to 10 before serving

 

before we switched to 4/10 i did the 5 day and 7am to 3pm schedule too. getting off that early was nice for a while, still had several hours of my day left for whatever and made it easy to get out on Friday afternoon and get a little head start on any camping.
now i do 7 to 5 and can leave after work on Thursday so I have all day Friday and Saturday to camp. makes for a late arrival on Thursday night but camping has gotten so crazy/busy the last couple of years I need any head start I can get over the other weekenders. I usually either grab takeout or make sure I have leftovers for dinner Thursday so that's one less thing I have to worry about.