When I think, “cheater meals”, Hamburger Helper, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, P.F. Chang’s frozen skillet meals, canned or prepared soups, plus many others, come to mind. Growing up, my mom made most everything from scratch. We NEVER (yes, I said NEVER) had Hamburger Helper. Although I do believe I’d seen an occasional box of Kraft Mac & Cheese, that was certainly not a staple in the household pantry.
Being I’ve been spoiled with delicious home cooked meals all my life, I’ve become a bit of a snob when it comes to food. Blame it on my mom. I do! 😉
Cooking for one can be a bit of a challenge at times. If I’m not “creatively challenged” and out of ideas, I’ve cooked enough to feed an army! Don’t get me wrong, leftovers are great! But on the 3rd and 4th day.. I’m over it. For this reason and from time to time (but ONLY from time to time), I’ll succumb to the idea of a cheater meal.
This evening was one of those evenings, I was fresh out of ideas. It didn’t help that I didn’t start thinking about “what’s for dinner” until after I’d eaten lunch. At which point I wasn’t hungry. The best time for me to start thinking about dinner is in the morning, before I’ve eaten.
During my lunch break, I found myself aimlessly wondering the aisles of the grocery store, looking for dinner ideas. For a non-shopper, this is painful. As I strolled the frozen food aisle, one particular product caught my attention – Buitoni Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce. Hmmm. Lately I’ve been eating a lot of chicken and fish. This meal would be a welcome change from what has become the “old standby’s”.
I wanted something easy and light. The Ravioli’s lived up to my expectations. And then some. A very delicate flavor, the butternut squash filling was slightly sweet, complemented by the brown butter sage sauce. This meal was light, yet comfortably filling. And I didn’t have to break out the Giada cookbook and make them from scratch! 🙂 Winning.
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Butter Sage Sauce
epicureantease 