La dee da dee, let's have a PARTY!

Jake likes a party.

It’s no secret that I like a good time. Moreover, I like throwing parties at our house. There is much joy to be found in planning what hors d'oeuvres you’ll serve, what kind of drinks will be offered, what (if any) decorations will be needed, and of course a guest list. An added bonus, you get to complain to others about the  rigors of party planning. 

For myself, my favorite part of getting ready for a party is preparing the food. Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with laying out charcuterie plates, or hummus with crudités or even big bowls of popcorn, chips and assorted nuts. I like to go the extra mile and put a little love into the party experience. And lets face it, after everyone’s had their third cocktail, the cook instantly becomes everyone’s hero. Here are a few of my favorite recipes. 

Oven Fried Ravioli

Ingredients 

• One package of Butoni 4 Cheese Ravioli (20 oz, any brand of refrigerated or frozen ravioli is just fine) 
• 3 Eggs 
• 3 cups of italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 Jar of marinara sauce (Newman’s Own Sockarooni is my favorite) 
• Salt and pepper

If you buy frozen ravioli, make sure you lay it out to thaw completely. 

Preheat oven to 375˚, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

1- Using a pie tin or shallow bowl, place breadcrumbs. In another pie tin or shallow bowl, crack all three eggs and beat thoroughly, sprinkle salt and pepper in eggs. 

2- Start dredging the ravioli. First dip the ravioli into the eggs, allow the excess egg to drip off. Then dip the ravioli into the breadcrumbs and coat well. 

3- Line the ravioli on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the ravioli with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Serve on a platter with the marinara sauce. If you are hosting a large group, just double the ingredients. 

Phyllo Triangles

Ingredients 

• 1 box of store bought phyllo dough (in the refrigerator cases) 
• 1, 16 oz package of Jimmy Dean Hot sausage 
• 1, 8 oz package of cream cheese
• 1 jar of marinara sauce 
• cooking spray
• 4 tbsp of melted butter

Pull out the phyllo dough about an hour before to thaw. 

Preheat oven to 350˚

Watch the video below about how to fold phyllo triangles. Use only one thin sheet of phyllo at a time. 

1- In a large pan, sauté the sausage until evenly browned (no pink left). In a colander, drain the fat away from the sausage. Return the sausage to pan lower the heat all the way to the lowest level. Add cream cheese and mix it well into the sausage. Turn off heat. 

2- Lay out the two strips of phyllo dough. Spray the length of the dough with cooking spray. MAKE SURE YOU’RE ONLY USING 1 SHEET! Place about 1 tbsp of the sausage cheese mixture at one end and fold like the video shows, sort of like how you fold a flag. 

Brush the last end of the phyllo dough with the butter and to help seal the triangle. 

3- Place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until brown. Serve on a platter with the marinara in a bowl. Enjoy!