Our First Attemp at Homemade Pasta...

So, I finally did it.  It was like ripping off a bandaid.  My first attempt (along with my husband) at making homemade pasta.  I have watched and learned from my pasta making mentors and cousins, Steve and Adriane, and let me tell you what...they make it look easy!  This was definetely a process and a time consuming one at that.  We made Ravioli.  About 4 attempts to get a few batches of dough right.  We tried two different ways of making the ravioli, we used the press that my gramms gave me and then we also did some by hand, cutting the squares ourselves...I think I like the doing it by hand process better.  The inside filling for the ravioli is a recipe that Adriane gave me and had made for us before, a spinach and ricotta mix, OUTSTANDING!  So in the end we did have some that turned out perfect and some not so perfect and majority fell apart after cooking, but the taste was fantastic!  There is nothing like the taste of homemade, fresh pasta!  The sauce was a butter sage sauce and then I topped it off with freshly grated parmesan and fresh parsley.  We used the scrap dough to make up some fettucine for the boys, however Vince ate more of the ravioli!  My little bambinos loved them some pasta tonight and so did mom and dad! 

Overall for the first attempt...it went well.  One of these days I will write a blog about how I have the art of pasta making mastered...or at least I can say I am pretty damn good at it!   I think it is only right that making homemade pasta from time to time becomes a tradition in my family and just because I have all boys does not mean they will not learn to make some good pasta! 

It did provide my husband and I with some good quality time, working together making the pasta...however we did not give enough attention to those little bambinos which lead to Dominic using a yellow highliter to color the cushion of one of my dining room chairs and some of the wall on the porch....woops!

All in All....Yummy Sunday Dinner!!

The well.

The finished dough...resting.

The Filling.

The ravioli press, there is a top press that forms the squares.

The finished product...uncooked.

My little helper....not exactly.

The finshed dishes!

A New Approach

I have decided to take a new approach to this blog thing...I will attempt to write about things that interest me on a daily basis, and my kids are not my only passion in life (suprising I know).  While the majority of my everyday life does consist of taking care of my wonderful family, which includes my husband Tom and my two boys Vincent and Dominic...and number 3 boy who is due to arrive the end of June...I also really enjoy cooking and drinking good red wine.  I am going to attempt to write each week and talk not only about the wonderful antics of Vince and Dominic and the joys of the third trimester, but also about great new recipe's I have tried or just share some of my favorite meals that are great for kids and adults!  The blogs about the good drinks (alcoholic in nature) will have to be in the "Coming Soon" catagory for now.  I am sure my blog will also contain lots of other, hopefully interesting, things that happen week to week living the life I lead.  If nothing else, I am doing this for myself, to remember this time in my life :)