Recipe Wednesday: Spinach and Cheese Tortellini

I got this recipe from a friend of a friend. It is delicious and takes less than 30 minutes to make!

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. package cheese tortellini
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 TB all-purpose flour
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. tomato sauce

Directions:
Boil the tortellini until done.
Mix together the tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Cook and stir until it bubbles.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, milk, cream, and tomato sauce.
Add mixture to saucepan.
Add parmesan cheese.
Heat through, then reduce to low, and simmer until thick.
Add tortellini to the sauce and stir together.

I served it with garlic bread and spinach salad.

Recipe Wednesday: Spaghetti Squash

This recipe is easy.

Before Thanksgiving, my family went to Disneyworld. Then there was Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. Then Colorado. And because I enjoy food so much and ate loads of food on all those vacations/holidays, I gained 5 pounds. So, I've been reaaaaally watching my calories the past couple of weeks.

If you're doing the same, this recipe is for you. But I promise it doesn't taste low-cal. It is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 cup of your favorite brand of tomato sauce (I love it with garlic and basil)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan Cheese

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise and remove the seeds.
2. Place the two halves facedown on a baking sheet.
3. Bake at 425 for one hour.
4. Take it out and, using a fork, scrape the squash out onto a plate. (It will look JUST like real spaghetti!)
5. Warm the tomato sauce and pour it over the squash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shave some parmesan cheese over the top.

*This makes 2 servings if it's your main dish. It could easily make 4-6 servings as a side dish. It's so much food. So healthy. And so yummy! Oh, and it reheats very well. I enjoyed more today!

Recipe Wednesday: Turkey Sandwich!

Remember a long time ago when I said I would post a recipe every Wednesday? I'm sorry I've not kept that little promise. But I'm going to try to start back.

Today, I have for you something so simple, yet so yummy. I was talking with a friend a few weeks ago about lunch and how it's easy to get caught in the "boring turkey sandwich rut". But this little sandwich really bumps it up a notch.

All you need is:

2 pieces of bread
One wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese (I prefer garlic and herb)
1/2 TB of Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
3-6 slices of Mesquite turkey

optional:
9 pickles
fresh spinach

I love to spread the cheese on one slice of bread and the jelly on the other slice. Then I sandwich the turkey and 9 pickles in the middle. Yes, it has to be 9 pickles. It just doesn't taste the same with 8. Or 10. Plus, a 3 x 3 matrix on a piece of bread just makes sense, right? I don't really like spinach in mine but I know how healthy it is so I suck up and add it about half the time.

Oh, and if you're counting calories, the sandwich comes in at 200 calories (if you use bread that is 50 calories per slice....like Publix brand 100% stone ground whole wheat.) Not too shabby.

Enjoy!

Cherry and Apple Deliciousness

Easiest dessert ever. Super yummy!

Ingredients:

1 can of apple pie filling

1 can of cherry pie filling

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 stick of butter

Directions:

Get a large, rectangular casserole dish and dump the can of apple pie filling on one side and the can of cherry pie filling on the other. (So, you're not mixing the two. They're sitting next to each other.) Then take the box of yellow cake mix and sprinkle it over the filling. Yes, the entire box.

Melt a stick butter and pour it evenly over all of that goodness. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until it looks all bubbly and starts to brown on top. Serve with ice cream. And there you have it. Two desserts in one! And your guests can choose their favorite side!

Vegetable Casserole

Vegetable Casserole is a great side dish. It's absolutely delicious! I dedicate this recipe to my dear friend, Rachel Church. I love how much you love my cooking. Here you go!

Ingredients:

2 16 oz. cans of Veg-All

8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup grated sharp cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

Ritz crackers

butter

Drain Veg-All and water chestnuts. Pour in mixing bowl. Add everything else. Mix well. Pour into a big casserole dish. Mix crushed Ritz crackers (I use about a sleeve) and melted butter (I use about half a stick). Pour on top of casserole. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.

Landon Well-Visit, Recipe, and Quick Connor Update

This is a very scattered post but I don't have long. Just wanted to let you know a few things.

Landon had his 5-year well-visit this morning.

Height: 44 1/4 inches (76%)

Weight: 44 lbs. (45%)

He passed his hearing test. However, he had a lot of difficulty with his vision test, missing every question related to his left eye. He's being referred an eye doctor and we'll find out more soon. Please say a little prayer for sweet Landon that we'll figure out quickly what's going on.

Connor had a sick visit this morning. Another ear infection. And that means HE GETS TO HAVE TUBES! Hooray! I think tubes are absolutely fabulous. Hopefully he'll have the surgery in the next few weeks!

And, last but not least, Recipe Wednesday!!!!!

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese (Thanks, Jenn, for the delicious recipe!)

8 oz. macaroni

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1/4 c. melted butter

2 TB oil

1 tsp. salt

3/4 lb. velveeta

Lightly grease Crock Pot. Combine all the above goodness. Cook on Low 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

This is such a yummy casserole. My friend, Michelle, gave me this recipe.

Ingredients:

6 oz. package Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (original)

1 cup chopped chicken

8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 cup finely chopped celery (I don't like celery so I leave this ingredient out of mine)

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I use sour cream.)

1 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Cook rice and combine with everyone else.

Bake covered at 325 for one hour.

Landon, Part 4...Food and Recipes!

Landon cooks with me often. His absolute favorite thing to help me prepare is scrambled eggs. Here is our recipe for scrambled eggs:

2 eggs

Salt and pepper

A splash of milk (We use skim milk)

Cheddar cheese (enough to cancel out all the calories you save using skim milk)

Put loads of butter into a skillet.

Mix all the above ingredients. (To beat our eggs, we start by punching a fork through the egg yolks. It helps them mix more quickly and evenly.)

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and scramble on low heat. (The lower heat, the better they will be. Put in the extra time....it will be worth it!)

Landon likes his scrambled eggs on toasted bread for an egg sandwich.

And here is one more bonus recipe for today. Landon invented this recipe about 3 weeks ago. I think it's disgusting because I dislike raisins very much. But he loves raisins. Enjoy!

Raisin Sandwich:

2 slices of banana

1 raisin

Put the raisins in between the slices of banana. And there you have it. A raisin sandwich.

Crock Pot Chili

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Lori, several years ago. It's super yummy and very easy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef- browned and drained

1 can chili beans

1 can kidney beans

3 15oz. cans tomato sauce

1 15oz. can tomato paste

1 medium onion chopped

1 green pepper chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

3 TB. chili powder

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

salt to taste

Dump all of that goodness into a crock pot. Stir and cover. Cook on high 4-6 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

I serve it with cheese and sour cream.

This makes a TON of chili. It freezes well.

Orange Salad

Super simple and such a yummy side.

1 large package orange Jello

8 oz. small curd cottage cheese

1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)

1 can mandarin oranges

1 8-oz. tub cool whip

Mix Jello, cottage cheese, pineapple, and oranges. Gently add cool whip. Chill before serving.

Sausage Casserole

My family loves, loves, LOVES breakfast for supper!

This is a really easy recipe that is yummy for breakfast, brunch, or supper! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 slices white bread

1 lb. sausage

1 c. cheddar cheese

6 eggs

2 c. whole milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

Directions:

Remove crust from bread. Cut bread into cubes and put in bottom of a 9 x 12 casserole dish. (Spray with cooking spray, first.)

Brown sausage, drain, and add on top of bread.

Sprinkle cheese on top of sausage.

Beat eggs and stir in milk, salt, and dry mustard. Put on top of cheese.

Cover and let it sit in fridge overnight or all day (depending on when you plan to serve it).

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Barbecue Chicken

This recipe belongs to my Aunt Sue. It's super easy and delicious.

This has never happened to me, but here's a tip: While you're getting it out of the oven, be careful to not to drop it because if you do, I promise the dish will break into a million pieces and you'll be cleaning BBQ chicken off of your oven, kitchen floor, walls, etc. for quite some time. I'm not speaking from experience. It's just a little piece of advice that popped into my brain this morning for no reason at all. I've never dropped the chicken. Ever.

Ingredients:

3 T ketchup

2 T vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)

1 T lemon juice

2 T worcestershire sauce

2 T melted margerine

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. red pepper

1/4 cup water

Combine all of that goodness and pour it over about 4-8 uncooked chicken breasts

in a large casserole dish.

Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half.

Cranberry Pork Tenderloin

My friend, Merritt, gave me this recipe and I make it all the time. It's super easy and super delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, unmarinated

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 bottle Russian salad dressing

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Place pork in bottom of crock pot. Dump in cranberry sauce, soup, and dressing.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Crock Pot Barbecue Recipe

I posted a recipe last Wednesday and, since I'm all for traditions that produce goodness, I'm posting another one today and I'll continue posting recipes each Wednesday until I'm all out. If you've ever eaten at my house you've eaten this. It's almost all that I cook when company comes over, especially lots of people. For the first 23 years of my life I called this "Hash". My grandmother (this is her recipe) calls it hash. Anyone that lives in Boiling Springs, SC calls it hash. But then I moved to Columbia, SC, got married, and learned that in Columbia (and probably the rest of the world) it's called "Barbecue".

Whatever you decide to call it, it will be delicious.

Ingredients:

4 lbs. stew meat

2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder or 1 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. cloves

2 chopped onions

1/2 c. vinegar (I use apple cidar vinegar b/c that's what my grandmother uses and I do exactly what she does.)

1/4 c. brown sugar

black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Put in crock pot and cook on low 10-12 hours.

About 1 hour before it's finished, take off some of the liquid and mash with a potato masher. You can serve with chili sauce. Our family eats ours in hamburger buns. We eat it nestled next to baked beans, potato salad, and chips with french onion dip.