Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli

One of the best feelings in the world is when you treat yourself to a nice home-cooked dinner after a long day at work.  An even better feeling is when this meal tastes like you're eating in an Italian restaurant...and literally takes less than 20 minutes to make!  Yes, your wildest dreams are coming true.  I sauté some chicken and onion until they're almost golden brown, then throw in a little (or a lot!) of garlic for that intense Italian flavor, then add in some butter for good measure.  Next comes a huge handful of baby spinach - so you can pretend that part of the meal is healthy - and finish it off with some crunchy pine nuts and a dash of parmesan cheese for garnish.  Oh yeah, did I mention that I lay this delicious buttery, garlic rosemary sauce on top of a bed of luscious, melt-in-your-mouth Artichoke ravioli?  It's a pretty perfect combination if you ask me!  And feel free to experiment with any flavor ravioli you would like...the artichoke flavor was an impulse buy for me at the grocery store over the weekend!  A cheese ravioli would be equally delicious!

Butterscotch Blondie Bars

Even though the sun is going down a little earlier and we're starting to need lightweight jackets after sunset, the summer party season is still in full swing!  It seems like all of my friends and family are trying to make the most of the last few weeks of this oh-so-short summer, so Howie and I's social calendar has been chocked full of BBQ's housewarmings (including our own this weekend!) and birthday parties.  I absolutely hate showing up to these types of social gatherings empty-handed, so I usually try to whip up a quick dip or dessert to share with friends and alleviate the host's plate a little bit.  One of my favorite hand-held desserts in the summer months are Butterscotch Blondie Bars, a sweet treat that only takes about 10 minutes to make and a half hour to bake.  Sorry store-bought brownies, you are delicious but one-in-a-million at summer barbecues...make way for these awesome little Butterscotch Blondies!

Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl

There's nothing quite like a Chipotle craving.  You know what I mean.  It's terribly unexpected, comes on strong and really won't go away until you go ahead and satiate your need for that burrito.  It's the worst.  But also the best when you're actually eating it.

So let me tell you, I've tried to mimic Chipotle in my own kitchen many times in the past with about a 0-6 track record...until now.  I figured out how to give a little love to the ingredients so you get that salty, tangy cilantro-lime flavor in every single bite.  It takes a little prep time, but makes 6 generous servings for less than the price of 2 burrito bowls!  And the leftovers for lunch during the week...insane.  You have to try this one out!

Welcome to New York

As many of you know, I absolutely love travel in any shape or form.  I'm not sure if it's a last ditch effort to see as much of the world as I can before I eventually have to get responsible and settle down one day, or if I have an innate travel bug that will probably never disappear completely.  Either way, seeing the world  makes me feel creatively, physically and emotionally inspired, so I take advantage of as many trips each year as I can, big or small.

For these reasons, I decided to launch a travel section for No Place Like (O)Home.  Even though I absolutely adore my hometown of Cleveland, OH, there is a whole world out there for me to explore, and in turn, share with you.  To be honest, I have no idea what type of content I'll be regularly posting in this section - it's sort of like this past spring when I found a $400 round trip ticket to Panama and bought it on a whim without a game plan.  I have a tendency to dive into things head first and never look back.  But that itinerary is looking amazing, so I'm crossing fingers that this travel section will be equally successful.  Looks like a glimpse into my trip to Manhattan through photos will be the first topic...

Trending On NPLH, No. 2

1. U2 Innocence and Experience Tour >> This girl is NYC bound at 7am on Friday morning to see U2 a.k.a the most talented band in the whole wide world (pardon my biased-ness).  Look for the launch of a Travel section on the blog sometime next week too...if I get around to it because I've been slacking hardcore with starting it!

2. How To Ruin Your Life (Without Even Knowing You Are) >> "You ruin your life by tolerating it.  At the end of the day you should be excited to be alive.  When you settle for anything less than what you innately desire, you destroy the possibility that lives inside of you, and in that way you cheat both yourself and the world of your potential."

What I took away from the article is that you can ruin your life by settling - for a job, a lover, friends - for a life that you simply "don't mind."  I think social media has put a tremendous pressure on upholding a glamorous lifestyle (at least through the eyes of others) because we're constantly reminded of the extravagant vacations, amazing promotions, gifts, cars, engagements and parties that everybody else is having/giving/doing/buying.  At the end of the day, we need to stop comparing ourselves to everybody else in the world and be happy - not just content - with our own lives.  These ideas are actually part of the reason why I started a blog in the first place; it's a creative outlet that is exclusively my own and working on it makes me happy.

3. Cockalier >> Since #2 was a little deep, I thought I would lighten up the post a little bit with the cutest dog I've ever seen in my life at the Tremont Ale Fest.  Puppy goals, for real.

4. Chipotle Chicken Chili >> Because I love make-ahead meals and also I'm already over these 80 to 90-something temperatures.  Bring on sweater weather!

5. "I Know Places" by Taylor Swift >> So clearly everybody got her 1989 CD last fall...but I'm wondering why the heck "I Know Places" hasn't exploded on the music charts yet.  It's clearly the best song on the album, so this is me trying to spread the word because "Bad Blood" got real old real fast.

6.  Adam Vicarel Print Shop >> I went to high school with Adam and he has evolved into the most talented free-lance designer I know.  His hand-lettered maps have even gotten published in Glamour Magazine!  Even though I want this print so so badly, I have to wait and see if I have "fun" money left after my Panama adventure in September...but judging by the travel-based inspirational quotes drawn on all of his maps, I think he would support this let's-put-travel-first decision.

Stuffed Hot Banana Peppers

So Howie and I are officially sustainable urban residents.  Finally, right?  We woke up early last Saturday morning to take full advantage of the gloriously sunny and warm July weather and decided to venture up to the Lakewood Farmer's Market on our bikes.  Right when I stepped into the little plaza and laid eyes on the abundance of fresh vegetables and cartons upon cartons of peaches, I instantly felt inspired to concoct about 10 different recipes.  However...I had to restrain myself because I didn't have a ton of cash on hand.  Sad day.  But we still walked away with a backpack filled with fresh pasta from Little Lakewood Pasta Company, green onions, radishes (a total impulse buy on Howie's part - they're still sitting in our fridge) and the star of this blog post...spicy banana peppers.  Well, more like half spicy banana peppers for Howie and half "sweet" a.k.a. still-spicy-but-not-flaming-hot banana peppers for me.  I don't know if it was the freshness of of the locally-grown peppers, my adoration of Italian cuisine or my ahhh-mazing cooking abilities *cue eye roll*, but these Stuffed Hot Banana Peppers were out of this world delicious!  Stop by the Lakewood Farmer's Market this Saturday from 10am-1am in front of the Marc's shopping center and then try this recipe in your own kitchen afterwards!

Fruit Pizza

While there's no denying that I'm a chocolate person at heart, I must admit that fruity desserts taste just a little bit better in the scorching hot summer months.  Unless you're talking ice cream.  But this isn't a post about ice cream.  This is a post about fruit pizza - a delicious combination of crispy sugar cookie "crust," cream cheese fruit dip "sauce" and a variety of colorful and fresh fruit "pizza toppings."  Making the pizza is simple because I cheat by using refrigerated sugar cookie dough and store-bought fruit dip.  But shhhhh nobody has to know...the fruit is the star in this dessert after all!