baking on a holiday

Maybe it's all those Christmas and Easter dinners, but even when I don't have somewhere to go or other people to cook for, I still feel the need to spend time in the kitchen. Granted, I do like spending time in the kitchen anyways, experimenting with new ingredients and trying out new recipes, along with working with tried and true ones. And today was no different.

Firstly, I started out with a long-promised recipe for my office: Fried Nutella Ravioli. The result? Yum. Oh, so yum. Speaking with some friends, I said that I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, and that I should haven't said anything about bringing it in until I knew how it turned out. But as someone pointed out...it's fried and it's Nutella...how could it not turn out? Too true.

And not to worry. It turned out delicious, if I may say so. I did forget the garnish of fresh mint leaves, and while I think it tastes ok without, I can imagine that the fried ravioli would taste even better with sugared mint leaves. I think the mint would add a nice crisp, freshness.

Other than preparing the ravioli, they didn't take too long to cook and definitely didn't make a mess. I was a little concerned about the hot oil splashing, but I guess I used a deep enough pot. A little later in the afternoon I had another project: a coffee cake with dried apricots, pine nuts and sliced almonds. I've made this once before, and loved it. I thought this time around I would make it for family, since I'm going to see them in a few days.

I haven't tried it yet, but it came out of the oven looking nice and toasted on the top. And I'm hoping it will taste like the last time. If it does, then I'm sure the family will enjoy it with some coffee. Hope you all had a nice Easter Sunday as well!