Sam Says...
You can always tell the best recipes by the condition of the paper they are written on, can't you? I first tasted this recipe at a friend's house and it was love at the first spoonful. Lynn is one of the best cooks I know. I have a few recipes from her, but this is one of my faves. It's the perfect springtime soup--if the sun is shining but it's still pretty chilly outside--make this! This soup is easy to prepare and can stand alone as a meal if served with hot, hard Italian rolls baked in the oven while the soup cooks. I am sure this Tortellini Soup will become a family favorite for your crew, too. Original recipe appeared in Cooking Light; no idea of the year (sorry :( )
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Carrot and Onion to taste
5 garlic cloves; thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-14oz cans fat-free less sodium chicken broth (I use chicken stock)
2-9oz packages fresh three-cheese tortellini
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (substitute drained diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
1-6oz bag of baby spinach
1 tablespoon of butter
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot and onion; saute; add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Stir in wine and broth; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes. Add tortellini; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in drained tomatoes and spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add butter; cook 30 seconds or until butter melts, stirring constantly. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings (serving size 1 1/2 cups)
One of the silver linings of our current situation has been the great recipes my friends have been texting me. Even though my jeans may not fit quite as comfortably as they did BC (before covid), my recipe collection is definitely getting better. This one is from my friend Kristin...she mentioned she is a better cook than a baker...but I beg to differ. Thanks to Butter with a side of Bread for the recipe ingredients and directions. Find substitutions and variations there. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
5 very ripe bananas about 1 2/3 cup
(you can ripen bananas in the oven: heat oven to 350 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper; place bananas in peel on sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes; peels will turn black and shiny. Let cool for 1 hour and your now- very- ripe- bananas are ready to make the magic happen)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup oil any type- I use coconut
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15×10.5 pan with non-stick spray.
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Peel bananas and mash well. Stir in brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs until combined. Add in dry ingredients and stir. Fold in 1/2 the chocolate chips.
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Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 18-22 minutes, until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into 24 squares
Covid-19 has me searching for new recipes in cookbooks I haven't looked through in quite some time. And in order to minimize trips to the store, I plan a menu on Sunday; put on gloves and a mask and hit the aisles of the Giant Eagle I go to most frequently...no time to dilly dally looking for things in unfamiliar stores. The taco quesadillas made the cut for this week! If you are on schedule for taco tuesday...give these a try! I made them even easier by using a packet of taco seasoning and store bought salsa to top them off! And definitely use the yellow corn tortillas...makes them crunchy. They were delicious.The Pioneer Woman's original recipe follows with my adjustments in parenthesis. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Butter, for frying
8 corn tortillas
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Your favorite taco toppings for serving
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the excess fat. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne and 1 cup water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and simmer until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Keep warm. (This is where I used the taco seasoning packet and I skipped the tomato paste because I thought I had some but I didn't)
- Heat a separate skillet over medium heat. Smear butter on the bottom and place a tortilla in the skillet. (I used Mission Brand Yellow Corn Tortillas)Top the tortilla with some of the cheese and a second tortilla and cook until the bottom side is brown and the cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes.(I put the ground beef on top of the cheese and then added a little more cheese on top and then the second tortilla) Flip and cook the other side another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and cheese, adding additional butter as needed. (I buttered both the top and bottom tortilla because at this point, why not?)
- Top each quesadilla with a generous helping of the beef mixture, then top with some lettuce and Pico de Gallo. (See No. 2...I put the meat in between the tortillas and I used Giant Eagle Brand salsa)
Pico de Gallo:
- Chop the tomatoes, jalapenos and onions into very small dice (leave the seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico, or remove for a milder pico). Next, chop up a nice-size bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir. Squeeze the juice of the lime half into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again. (or buy Giant Eagle Brand Salsa :))
Last week, my mom was sent a Visiting Angel that fell straight from heaven--she is a lovely woman from Italy...yes, Italy. Can you imagine? Not only does Tizianna speak the same language, but the connection in terms of culture are simply indescribable. And the added bonus is that she loves to cook! Tizianna was kind enough to make this delicious dinner for my mom. She shared this quick recipe with me. It was a hit all around. Dinner doesn't get much easier than this deliciously simple lemon chicken recipe. Thanks to MyRecipes.com for the recipe directions and ingredient list.
Ingredients
How to Make It
Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half of chicken in skillet 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and done. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with 1 Tbsp. butter and remaining olive oil and chicken.
Add broth and lemon juice to skillet, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Add 8 lemon slices.
Remove skillet from heat; add parsley and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and stir until butter melts. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve immediately. Garnish, if desired.
I served this with a cold Italian potato salad and a few sliced tomatoes and black olives dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mike loved it--that's what I call job security :)
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