Toasted Ravioli

Toasted Ravioli

Today was a day where the everyday normal wasn't so normal.  None of it was bad or wrong, just different.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a coffee addict.  Of all the things in the world to have an addiction to, I suppose coffee isn't too bad right?  And to be honest with myself, I have to say that chocolate is a very close second. I wanted to try and cut back on my coffee intake- well at least try for a day and see what would happen- how badly would I crash and how fast would it happen??  Apparently very fast!  I didn't deprive myself of coffee, just the caffeine--decaf it was!  I am not sure if it was due to the lack of caffeine, but I found myself staring at the clock thinking it should be at least 12:30 pm ... not so much, 9:15 am.  WOW- Today. Was. Dragging!!  I didn't cave in, but by 10:30 this morning I thought I would attempt a nap for the boys.  Braydon takes a nap maybe every other day and Cole never does- so this was a bold thought that I had.  After getting Braydon to bed by 11 and Cole did the same, I woke up at 1:30 pm. WHAT?! Did I seriously just fall asleep?  As good as it felt, I felt guilty.  I NEVER nap, not even when the boys were newborns.   Well, the nap picked me up for an hour and then right back into my comatose state.  Since it was raining off and on today we couldn't go out to play so I did something else that I haven't done in ages ... work out.   I suppose that is a deceiving statement.  I did some aerobic exercises while the boys interpreted my boxing as trying to play.  Either way, my heart rate was up and I felt a bit better.  The day continued to drag and I think tomorrow I am going to try half caf ... at least until I'm not staring at the clock in disappointment that only 5 minutes have passed.  Tomorrow is a new day and coffee will make it a new better day!

Considering it was a bit of a gloomy day, I thought to spice up the average grilled cheese and soup with what Cole loves.  With it being Cole's birthday week, I am making the things he loves best ... cheese and noodles for today and in grown up lingo ... it translates to raviolis.  Instead of making traditional raviolis, I made them toasted and broiled ... this is how I did it-

I cooked my raviolis on the stove until they were boiled through.

While I waited for them to cook, I prepped a bowl of 2 whisked eggs and another bowl of 11/2 c bread crumbs.

Once my raviolis were cooked, I drained the water and dipped each one in the egg and then covered it in the bread crumbs.

I cooked half of my ravioli on the stove and the other in the oven.  On the stove I coated the pan with olive oil and on medium heat I toasted the raviolis.  Half way through, I flipped them for a more even toast.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees and baked the rest of the raviolis on a olive oil coated pan.

Again, half way through I flipped the ones from the oven as well and upped the temp to 520 degrees to give them a nice crisp texture.

Once the raviolis were the texture I wanted, I set them aside to serve.

Traditionally, tomato soup and grilled cheese are eaten together ... not tonight.  Tonight we had our tomato soup with these toasted raviolis.  They were a nice change to the classic, still keeping with the cheese filled carb!  

I placed the remaining raviolis on a platter in the center of our table to eat alone and dip into our soup! 

Cole loved the new take on one of his favorites and Jeremy even ate them!  Jeremy isn't a huge fan of raviolis in general, so it was encouraging to know this is a keeper for the Harmon Household!