Homemade Fresh Pasta for Ravioli

Life is too short... I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size 0.
~Sophia Bush

Today I learned that making you own pasta is not difficult at all! I know it seems strange that I have never made my own pasta before, as I am a gourmet cook, but Italian is not a common cuisine in my kitchen. Now that I know how easy it is to make my own fresh pasta, and how tasty it is, perhaps I will be changing that up a little bit.

I have been trying to perfect a mushroom stuffed ravioli that I have enjoyed at a local restaurant. I decided to try again today, but didn't have anything to stuff the mushrooms in to. I found a recipe that seemed very straightforward, so decided to give it a try.

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
5 eggs
3 tbsp olive oil
1 egg yolk

Prep: Use the dough hook on mixer. Put flour and salt in the bowl. At medium speed, add eggs 1 by 1. drizzle in olive oil.  Form a ball with the dough, knead lightly, and let rest for 30 minutes. Use a pasta roller or rolling pin to roll dough very thin. I was making ravioli, so I brushed the rolled dough with the egg yolk and fashioned my raviolis.

Making the raviolis:


Before cooking (I still need some work on the shaping, but I am satisfied with this as a first attempt):


Mushroom stuffed ravioli in cream sauce with parmesan reggiano and prosciutto:


Note: It was a lovely dinner with parmesan chicken and a glass of red wine.

Something else I learned: You don't have to have a pasta roller to make fresh pasta. I did it on the counter with a rolling pin.

Amazon Fungus Breaks Down Polyurethane - Plastic Eating Mushroom!

Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us.
~Henrik Tikkanen

Pestalotiopsis microspora, a fungus discovered by Yale students in the Ecuadoran jungle, can eat and survive on plastic. This is the first fungus ever found to be able to live on plastic alone in an anaerobic environment. Plastic has been filling landfills for decades without meaningful biodegradation. Perhaps the newly discovered fungus is the answer to this dilemma.



The students have published their findings on the fungus and the decomposition of plastics. The research provides hope that the fungi might be able to live and thrive at the oxygen deprived bottom of plastic filled trash heaps.

Abstract of the students published findings.

Note: Plastics can take centuries to decompose.

Something else I learned: Roseanne Barr hopes to be the Green Party presidential nominee.

Discarded Pythons Eating Everglades Mammals to Extinction

I'd like to see a total ban, but I know that is unlikely. It isn't easy to fight a billion-dollar industry. As long as there are people to buy, exotic animal dealers will cheerfully sell, no matter what the impact is on wild populations or on the animals -- or humans.
~Melissa Kaplan

Exotic pet owners, tired of caring for their pythons are releasing them in Florida where the snakes are finding a comfortable home in Everglades National Park. The pythons are wreaking havoc on the local mammal populations. Once commonly seen in the Everglades, marsh rabbits and foxes, opossums, and white-tailed deer are sighted up to 99% less frequently.

Burmese pythons are native to Asia, but have become popular as exotic pets. A snake that grows up to 15' length, weighs 200 pounds, and has the digestive system to match its size is sure to be a great pet, right? And! They live for 20 years or more! Everglades National Park personnel have captured or killed 1,825 pythons since 2000.

Burmese pythons were recognized as an established species in the Florida Everglades in 2000. Since then sightings of raccoons have declined by 99.3%, opossums by 98.9%, and bobcats by 87.5%. Rabbits are no longer seen at all. There were no declines at all in python-free areas.

Even alligators are not safe.

There is no clear path to freeing the everglades from the python infestation. The snakes are difficult to find in the vast wilderness of the Everglades. Extermination or suppression does not appear to be possible.

Note: An attempt is underway to ban the importation of pythons.

Something else I learned: Most of the coastal plains of the southern US is a suitable habitat for Burmese pythons.

Covering a Floor in Pennies Would Cost $1.44/ Square Foot

Pink Slime (ammonium hydroxide) Removed from Fast Food Burgers (McDonald's)

Why would any sensible human being want to put ammonia-filled meat into their children's mouths? ~Geral Zirnstein, microbiologist

Just this week McDonald's and other fast food chains said that they will no longer use "pink slime." Pink slime is beef trimmings or similar products which are considered "unfit for human consumption" until treated with ammonia. Yummy!

McDonald’s drops use of ‘pink slime’ ammonium hydroxide in hamburger meat.

The first Boat Designed Specifically as a Lifeboat was Tested on the River Tyne in 1790

The Original, a 30 ft long shore based lifeboat was tested in England in 1790.  Although boats had previously been pressed in to service as rescue vehicles, the Original was the original boat built specifically for rescue.

In 1789 a ship ran aground in a storm at the mouth of the River Tyne. There were stranded men in sight of shore, but no one was willing to risk what was deemed a suicidal attempt to rescue them. A reward was offered on the heel of the tragedy to anyone that could design a reliable rescue boat.  William Wouldhave won the challenge.  Wouldhave's design was used to build the Original, which carried nearly 800 pounds of cork for buoyancy.

Note: Lifeboats as known today - boats carried on large ships attached with davits were not part of sea travel before the late 19th century.

Something else I learned: There is a Wouldhave lifeboat Monument and Memorial at Pierhead in South Shields.

Unusual Number of Snowy Owls in Michigan This Winter

He respects Owl, because you can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right.
~A. A. Milne 

Snowy Owls, normally inhabitants of the Arctic tundra have been spotted in Michigan frequently this winter. There are usually a few of the 2 foot tall snowy white birds spotted this far south annually, but this year there have been an abundance of sitings. The likely reason for the irruption is that lemmings (main source of food for snowy owls) were plentiful last year, leading to an increase in the population. The plethora of young owls is now heading farther south in search of food.

Most of the birds that are being spotted throughout the state are young owls. They do not have much experience with humans so they are not particularly frightened when they see one (or more). This makes them patient subjects for birders to snap photos. The owls are spotted on the ground, perched on poles, and often are seen at airports - the wide open space reminding them of their tundra home.



In Michigan, they mostly eat small voles, mice and rabbits. The young owls may not be very good at hunting yet, and will end up starving. Experts stress the importance of letting the owls feed themselves. Humans will not help by feeding them, as the birds will have to fend when they return to the tundra.

Note: Snowy owls are federally protected, and a special permit is required to possess one.

Something else I learned: Snowy owls are most active in the daytime. They don't perch in trees. Head out early in the day when the birds are waiting to hunt if you are hoping to spot one.