Not really a recipe (fair warning) - or - Quail egg raviolone with saffron sauce

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Ahhhhh, finally the last installment of the dinner party...this post has been haunting me for nearly a year now.  To be honest I am not quite sure why my posting slowed down so much and then vanished for almost a year.  I have put a lot of thought into it and I think that part of it was all the change going on.  It was hard to keep up on things that needed to get done let alone feel inspired to blog.


In case you don't take my word on the "a lot of changes part":

  • Finished Grad School (but I still owe my adviser a publishable manuscript) Aug. 2010. 
  • Moved to California Sept. 2010. 
  • Got engaged Oct. 2010.  
  • Moved to a townhome with a year long lease November 2010.  
  • Finally got a job offer at Christmas and started a new job Jan. 2011.  
  • Started to plan wedding and instantly felt overwhelmed Feb. 2011.  
  • Started looking for a home to buy and instantly felt overwhelmed March 2011.  
  • Realized I hated my job and entered a professional identity crisis (seriously, I am a biologist and started looking into nurse practitioner programs among other career choices including pubic relations, interior design, cooking school, and getting knocked up) April - August 2011.  
  • Mr. Man and I put at least four offers in on homes for which we were outbid-every time. Felt like we were living in a 2004 time warp May-Sept 2011.
  • Continued to plan wedding(s!) that required large quantities of negotiating between ourselves, our families, and piles of money Feb- November 5, 2011.
  • Applied for and was offered dream job August 2011.  
  • Finally bid on and had an offer accepted on a home September 2011.
  • Started new job September 2011.
  • Got sick as I have ever been in my life and was out of commission for two weeks - the timing of which happened to coincide with our move to the new home, was two weeks after I had started said dream job, and finally got better one week before said marriage for which there was still gobs of planning because I am the biggest procrastinator in the world. October 2011.
  • Moved into new home October 2011.
  • Got married November 6, 2011.
  • Went on amazing honeymoon.
  • Returned home to finally unpack. 
  •  
    Phew.  You have no idea how amazing the last month has been.  Our house is finally starting to look like a home and our time is becoming our own again rather than being taken over by open houses, home tours, wedding planning, unpacking, and home projects.  


    It has been such a relief to finally feel like I can exhale and everything won't fall apart.  Like I can sit for an afternoon and I won't suddenly be sinking in a to do list that is too large to overcome.  This past period of time has had some really great times and some not so great times.  But it has brought me to the place I am in.  

    Now that things are calm, I finally have the chance to be still and take in all that has happened to bring me to the place I am at now.  I feel so damn lucky I almost don't want to say it out loud for fear of jinxing it.  Or even mistakenly making someone feel bad for gloating too much.  But, I have to remind myself that I worked very hard to get to this place, where I get to live the daily grind and be appreciative of what it has to offer me.  The way life rolls, I know this apple cart will soon be upset.  I am okay with that.  It's the typical up and down.  For the moment though, I will enjoy the view and take the time to do the things I love.  Like try to perfect my pasta making skills.


    ********* Below is the original post for this non-recipe recipe. I started it around April of last year.   I just decided to keep it.*****


    I think the reason that I have felt overwhelmed by this post is that it involves making fresh pasta.  We have made it five or six times now and it has turned out edible 4/6 times and just right once or twice.  I don't really feel like I have too much insight here.  Making pasta is just one of those things that takes a lot of trials to perfect.  And the learning curve is definitely not directional.  The first time we made pasta it was perfect.  The third time it was inedible.


    So rather than stress myself out and try to master pasta making before I post this I am just going to direct you to another blog post that I think covers the subject just the way I would want to.  So head on over and make some pasta, then come back here and make this raviolone cause it was plate licking good.


    This recipe was originally inspired by Dale on this past season of Top Chef.  In one of the episodes he made a soup with an egg filled wonton.  After searching around the internets I found a recipe by Salty Seattle that inspired me and this sauce too. Credit must be paid where credit is due.  

    This is a non-recipe recipe. To make this you want to follow the pasta making recipe from that first link up there....then use Salty Seattle to get an idea for filling (get creative here- I used some fresh thyme and parsley along with some caramelized shallot) and how to crack those cute little quail eggs.  Then head over to that last link for the sauce.  Honestly this dish is really rich. You could probably get away with either just the egg or the sauce.  But, if you have the patience go with both - you and your guests will literally be licking the plates.  If you don't skip the egg and keep the sauce.  Okay, so there is your non-recipe recipe.  Enjoy!






    Comments

    1. The one closest in the picture looks like a gremilin. Is it vegetarian?

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