$100 visa giftcard giveaway
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Entertaining does not need to be crazy stressful.
Case in point.
This past weekend, I ended up doing an impromptu lunch on Saturday with friends. Being me, and the crazy schedule that is often my life, I had somehow also booked plans for breakfast out with my small group from church beforehand and then a late afternoon wedding afterwards. Which pretty much left me with 30 minutes to prepare a meal for friends. But hakuna matata! I had some new Monterey Gourmet Foods™ ravioli pastas in the fridge that I was stoked to try. So whipped up a batch of their “Creamy Ricotta Florentine”, some “Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Sugar Walnut Sage Butter” (recipe below), paired it with some simple pesto stuffed mushrooms and a salad, and voila — a super delicious meal was literally ready to go in less than 30 minutes!
Definitely my kind of meal. Classy, quick, and oh-so-delicious. And the best part was that my friends completely enjoyed it! They went on and on about the delicious flavors of the ravioli, and the decadent (although secretly super-simple!) sauces that had everyone asking for more. And they really loved the bright green “Basil, Almonds & Pine Nut Pesto” that was served with the ricotta ravioli and the stuffed mushrooms. So fresh and vivid!
I also loved the fact that the food my friends were enjoying was all natural. I have learned that all of Monterey Gourmet Foods‘ pastas and sauces are actually all natural, which is a definite priority in my kitchen. (And makes me, as the cook, feel better about enjoying the meal as well!)
All in all, definitely a great Saturday with even greater friends. And a needed reminder for me that some of my favorite meals can be quick and easy, saving time to be enjoyed with the friends I’m privileged to have in my life.
So to celebrate many more great meals to come, we are going to be giving away a $100 Visa giftcard and some rockin’ Monterey Gourmet Foods VIP coupons this week! Read below for giveaway details, and to also learn how to make these yummy recipes!
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Sugar Walnut Sage Butter Recipe
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces butternut squash ravioli, cooked per package preparation
- 3/4 cup walnut pieces
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage or ≤ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 1-2 Tbsp. cream
Method:
Prepare pasta as directed. While pasta cooks, start the sauce. Have all ingredients ready as this comes together quickly.
Using a large wide sauce pan or skillet, toast walnuts on medium heat until just fragrant and beginning to color. Reduce heat to low, add butter and stir. Add brown sugar, salt, cayenne and sage. Stir until butter is completely melted. Whisk in cream, add cooked ravioli and enjoy.
Ali’s Tip:
This would also be terrific with some grilled chicken, bacon, or chicken sausage mixed in!
Source:
Recipe from Monterey Gourmet Foods.
$100 Visa Giftcard Giveaway
Giveaway Rules:
To be entered for a chance to win, please tell me what you would make using a Monterey Gourmet Foods pasta or sauce product. If you’d also like to share a recipe, feel free to post it on your blog/website and include a link to it in your comment.
- No duplicate comments.
- You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
- a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
- b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
- c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
- d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
- This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
- The Official Rules are available here.
- This sweepstakes runs from 4/2/2012-5/31/2012.
- Be sure to visit the Monterey Gourmet Foods page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win
Cookin' up a storm. Oh, and we may have also had some Bailey's Chocolate Cookies (recipe on the blog) for dessert!
The deliciousness.
The beautiful Lindsey getting ready to dive in.
And...Yours Truly. Cheers!!!
Ravioli with a creamy seafood sauce sounds like a good idea to me. :)
I would love to make the butternut squash pasta with homemade butternut squash pasta sauce. I just roast a squash and then blend it w chicken broth, cook it for 10 min, and the sauce is ready. I always make the combo butternut squash pasta w butternut squash or pumpkin sauce. Yum!
I make a no knead harvest bread that I would spread the Monterey Gourmet Foods basil with pine nuts pesto sauce on and toast with grated parmesan cheese in the oven. I would serve it alongside my fresh vegetable linguine with broiled scallops. Yum!
I’d love to make the red papper pesto and arugula pizza! Such a great weekday meal.
I’d make the pesto twists! Sounds like a great appetizer.
The artichoke lemon pesto sounds so yummy! I think it would make a great pizza sauce! Maybe with some spinach, kale, or arugula, artichoke hearts, fresh tomatoes, and fontina cheese! I am getting hungry thinking of the possibilities!
I’d make squash and chicken pasta with Indian spices.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/LifesDeepColors/status/187346837030703104
Pesto/cream cheese dip.
ravioli with sun dried tomato pesto
Definitely the shrimp & lobster ravioli…yum!
Roasted Chicken and Mozzarella ravioli! My family would love them.
I would finally try fried raviOli. Yum this looks delicious!
Hm I would make pasta salad with pesto and tomatoes! :)
I would love to experiment with the Monterey’s pesto (anything that involves pine nuts makes me drool), making a pasta dish with tuna and edamame! It’s the poor college student’s version of gourmet!
I’d definitely make the ravioli all the time for my boyfriend and I; I love to cook (and eat!) but don’t always have time to make things from scratch.
Tweeted too! Thanks!
https://twitter.com/#!/dolorousdolores/status/187365521598066689
I’d make the gnocchi with a fresh, raw tomato sauce–as soon as my tomatoes grow this summer (:
I’d make lobster ravioli in saffron cream sauce.
butternut squash ravioli, no question!
I would love to make a basil pesto pizza with fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, artichokes and roasted red peppers!
I’d love to try those raviolis with that sage butter.
I would use their pesto to make a pizza, complete with sun-dried tomatoes, feta, artichokes, and maybe even some grilled chicken, if I’m feeling especially indulgent.
I love raviolis and butternut squash and now they are together! Now I just have to find where to buy these and I’ll be a happy camper!
I would make the Monterey Artichoke Four-Cheese Ravioli with pesto! Perfect for spring!
With the butternut squash ravioli I would make a half and half, gorgonzola, shallots, parsley sauce — similar to my home made pasta recipe with roasted butternut squash – https://avocadopesto.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/homemade-pasta-with-butternut-squash-sauce/
For a quick indulgent Italian fix I would buy a container of that basil pesto and toss some of it with popped popcorn and a little butter. Mmmm!
yum! i looooove ravioli! favorite pasta. cheese stuffed pillows of delicious? i’m from wisconsin – yes please!
I’d like to try the Butternut Squash Ravioli.
I would make some of the butternut squash ravioli with a tomato-cream sauce – i have been craving something like this for so long!
My husband and I love to have butternut squash ravioli with a browned butter sauce, chopped toasted walnuts or pine nuts, dried cranberries and a dash of either cinnamon or fresh sage. So good.
Tweeted the giveaway as well (@squirrelbread).
I would serve the butternut ravioli to my 3 year old with a sprinkling of evoo and parmesean cheese. It sounds like a great way to sneak in more veggies!
I would dress some angel hair pasta with the pesto and serve it with grape tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Simplicity at its finest.
We love pizza with pesto sauce, so that is what I would use!
Use your favorite pizza crust recipe.
Spread with the Montery Basil with Almonds and Pine Nuts Pesto sauce.
Top with cooked shrimp or chicken and mozzerella cheese.
The pesto sauce!
My favorite pannini sandwich is french bread slathered with pesto with fontina cheese. You could add grilled chicken if you wanted too!
The butternut squash ravioli would be interesting to try!
I would love to make this! It looks absolutely get-it-in-your-mouth-this-instant good!
I would love to try the butternut squash ravioli!
Oooh! I would use the Monterey pesto sauce to make pesto rolls… take premade crescent dough, spread pesto on the dough, roll each one up and bake. They are pretty tasty and easy when you don’t have time to make your own bread and pesto. :)
I would like the ravioli and alfredo sauce.
SUPER cute pictures and a yummy sounding recipe too! :) I’d use marinara sauce to make eggplant parmesan!
Ravioli with a brown butter sage sauce sounds to die for
I love butternut squash ravioli with evoo and some grated cheese. Yum!
Oh my goodness, I would make this exact recipe! Looks awesome.
I’d like to make some of the ravioli.
I’d make Alfredo sauce over the Roasted Garlic Chicken Ravioli
https://twitter.com/#!/susan1215/status/188823369674788866
I would make Chicken Carbonara! I love pasta dishes!! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
shared on twitter!
https://twitter.com/#!/tcrowley122/status/188827370189365250
I’d make the butternut squash pasta with a creamy alfredo sauce with hazelnuts.