Tortellini Soup

I was going to wait to share this recipe until the fall, but I saw Kristi's recipe and thought I would share this one. That way you can buy in bulk, freeze the extra tortellini and spinach and have a second meal with simailar ingredients later on. My family loves this soup and I hope it will become a favorite of yours! I found this recipe online with this picture! I wish I could say I planned this meal and took a picture of it knowing I would post the recipe!!

1 pkg tortellini (I use 1 1/2 pkg's because half of the soup has no meat!)

24 oz. chicken broth

4 garlic cloves - minced

14 oz. can of stewed tomatoes

1/2 lb. ground sausage

1 tsp. basil

1 pkg chopped spinach (in the freezer section, but thaw and drain before adding it to the soup)

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1 can tomato sauce (optional)

* I also think adding some white beans, zucchini, or chickpeas make this soup even better.

1. Brown the sausage and garlic
2. After the sausage and garlic has cooked through, drain the fat and dump the sausage into a large soup pot.

3. Add the chicken broth, stewed tomatoes and basil

4. When the soup is boiling add the tortellini and simmer for about 10 minutes

* if you think the broth is too thin add the can of tomato sauce - I always do because I like the sauce a little heartier

5. Add the spinach and Parmesan cheese and simmer for about 10 minutes more

6. Serve with a small salad and garlic bread and you've got dinner!

Spinach Tortellini

I got this recipe from my Taste Of Home magazine but I adjusted the amounts of all the ingredients to make it fit my family and our likes. It's really yummy. Not too heavy or greasy and I love the spinach and the sauted mushrooms. It's also a non-meat dish, but it's very filling for our hungry hubbies!

1 13oz. package frozen cheese tortellini
1 16 oz. package frozen spinach
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/8 c. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. mozzerella cheese
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and put in large bowl. Run hot water over spinach until thawed. Squeeze dry and add to tortellini. Saute mushrooms in 1/8 c. butter and sprinkle with garlic powder. Add mushrooms to tortellini. In the same skillet, melt 1/4 c. butter and add evaporated milk. Heat to a boil and add cheddar cheese and black pepper. Stir until melted. Add to tortellini mixture and stir to coat. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with mozzerella cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 15 min. or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Hey, I'm back!!!

So I went to the grocery store last night to get heavy cream for this meal, and the old lady behind me asked what I was doing with so much heavy cream. I told her I was making a quiche, and she looked at me as though I was very brave. Why does quiche have such a bad rap? This is so easy to make! It's also very versatile- you make make it with just bacon and cheese, or exchange asparagus for the spinach, or just cheese, or broccoli and cheese...whatever you want. With this recipe, I only added 1 cup cheese because that's all I had, and it was just fine. And I'd probably chop the spinach a little more, I only did a rough chop and it was a little bigger than I would have liked. Best of all, it is great for breakfast the next morning!!!

6 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch glass pie plate

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

BBQ Chicken Salad

I found this in the Good Things Utah Cookbook and just knew it would be so so yummy! And, it doesn't call for weird ingredients. SO EASY. It's a keeper!

3-4 chicken breasts grilled with BBQ sauce, cubed
1 head lettuce, cut
1 cup shredded cheese (I used cubed)
6-8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 cubed tomato
1 can kidney beans
green onions
fritos

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese, kidney beans, tomato, onions, and bacon. Toss. Top with fritos and cubed chicken.

Dressing
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Ranch dressing

Mix and serve over salad.

Chocolate Cheese Cake

Well, we all loved Celeste's recipe for the original cheese cake. But, look what I found!! I'm so excited about this recipe. It was from the Spanish Fork Press, and when I made it, I bought the ingredients an hour before I made it, so my cream cheese wasn't completely room temperature. So, there were little teeny-tiny chunks in it, but it still tasted divine!!!

Crust:
20 crushed Oreos
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (the author likes 1/2 milk chocolate, 1/2 semi-sweet)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps vanilla
8 oz sour cream
2 - 8 oz bricks cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp melted butter

Smash Oreos completely in a medium sized bowl. Combine with cinnamon and 1/4 cup melted butter,, press into bottom of greased 9-inch springform pan. (If you don't have a springform pan, just use another shallow 9-inch baking dish. The springform pan makes it easier to serve.) Melt chocolate in microwave--check often, so you don't cook it. Set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cream. Add cream cheese. Blend in melted chocolate and butter. Pour into crust. Bake at 325 for 55-65 minutes (maybe even more) until surface loses "shine" and contents don't jiggle when jostled. Cool at room temperature a few hours (helps prevent cracks), chill in refrigerator. Flavors blend and texture "mellows" if allowed to "age" at least three days--really.

This cheese cake is shallower than Celeste's cheese cake. That one goes clear to the top of the springform pan, this only goes about 1/2 way. Also, I didn't add cinnamon in my crust. I was a little nervous to. Give it a go!

Melt-in-your-mouth Whole wheat pancakes

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe already! I love these pancakes anytime, anyday and not just because they are healthy. They really do melt in your mouth and they are almost as easy as the mix that you buy but they taste a whole lot better!!!

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbls. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c. milk (or more depending on your desired consistancy)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl with wire whisk. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Cook on a griddle and serve with maple syrup. YUM!!

Apple Crisp

So, I already have Fall Fever because of the past few weeks of rain storms we've had. This is such an easy, but extremely tasty apple crisp. I love the nutmeg and cinnamon on it. And don't forget to top it with soft vanilla icecream. YUM!!!

Apple Crisp

8-10 apples
½ cup water
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour

Peel & slice apples. Layer in 9x13 pan. Mix water with lemon juice and pour over top of apples. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top. In a bowl, combine margarine, sugar and flour. Pour over the top. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees.