Zesty Ravioli Skillet...and the Police Station

So, I got a new job! I'll be working as a Reading Specialist in Rockford starting Monday! I'm very excited and can't wait to get started. I'll miss being a stay at home mom, but we knew this day would come. I'm thankful for the time I did get to spend with Jack...and Hudsy.

Anytime you work with children you are required to have a background check and fingerprint clearance. I've had to do this several times - when I did student teaching, when I worked at Kentwood, again when I started in AZ, and finally, two months ago for GVSU. So I figured one of these places could vouch for me and forward on my fingerprint results to my new school. No such luck. The problem with this is the personal cost ($64 a pop), and the time it takes to get the results, meaning, I can't start until I'm "all clear". So while I joked with my new employers about my frequent fingerprinting experiences (luckily they all have good senses of humor), I am under a real time crunch to get them done so I can start (hopefully) Monday.

Now, maybe this kind of stuff happens to everyone, but when it happens to you (me) it feels like you are (I am) the only idiot that does these things. I wanted to get my prints taken 1st thing this morning so as to expedite my clearance, and my information said the Kentwood Police Department was open at 8. I leave home at 7:50, alone (again to expedite the process) and I'm almost there when I realize I forgot my request form. This form tells the police where to send my results. I quick change lanes, nearly side-swiping another vehicle and do a "U-ie" cutting off yet another vehicle. I reach home at 8:01, grab my paperwork and am off again. This time I actually make it to the police station at 8:10. There's no one there, save the lone fire engine in the parking lot. Hmmm...new hours, open at 9. Son of a...!! So I make a mental note that I'll have to come back, Jack in tow, before his gym lesson at 11. And all this before I've had my coffee!

Anyway, on to the recipe I wanted to post...Zesty Ravioli Skillet by the Pampered Chef. While not so "zesty", this is a delicious, filling, yet not too rich pasta dish. I highly recommend trying this one. I made it as directed, but next time I'll double the jalapenos.

Ingredients:

4	cups (1 L) loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves
6	oz (175 g) provolone cheese, grated
1	tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1	small jalapeño pepper, seeded
3	garlic cloves, pressed
2	cans (14.5 oz or 398 mL each) diced tomatoes with onions, undrained
1/2	tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2	tsp (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
1	pkg (24 oz/700 g) small frozen cheese ravioli (about 65)
1/3	cup (75 mL) heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Wash spinach in large Stainless Mesh Colander; drain. Grate cheese using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with grating blade. Set aside spinach and cheese.
2. Add oil to (12-in./30-cm) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Finely chop jalapeño with Food Chopper. Add jalapeño to Skillet; cook and stir 1 minute or until crisp-tender. Press garlic into Skillet with Garlic Press; cook and stir 15-20 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes, salt and black pepper to Skillet; cook and stir with Bamboo Spatula 1-2 minutes or until simmering. Add ravioli; stir to coat. Cook, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until tender. Stir cream into Skillet. Cook, uncovered, 1-2 minutes or until simmering. Sprinkle spinach over ravioli; cook, covered, 1 minute or until spinach starts to wilt.
4. Remove Skillet from heat. Top with cheese; cover Skillet and let stand 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Feel free to ignore the PC specific tools :) I used a 10 inch skillet. When you cut the jalapeno, stand it upright and hold the stem in one hand. Cut down the 4 sides around the stem, avoiding the seeds inside. Then discard the stem with seeds attached - you never have to touch them!