Tortellini Salad

My sisters and I went to lunch with my cute Mom for her birthday earlier this week and they all ordered the smoked turkey tortellini salad. It looked absolutely AMAZING!!! So -- this recipe began as a copycat from Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City but ended very differently and now I can only claim their lunch as my inspiration rather than my base.

This is one recipe that throws together impressively fast and still looks like you spent time cooking. Prove it you say? Challenge accepted.

Mr. Chef always calls when he leaves work. It is a phone call I look forward to every day. 5:00 came and went, 5:15 came and went, 5:30 came and went and still no call. I was busy so I wasn't worried but I hadn't started dinner because I knew it would be fast. I was poking around- prepping veggies etc. when suddenly I heard the garage door going up. He was home. Apparently my phone had gone straight to voicemail. Odd. I threw all my veggies in a bowl, boiled the tortellini, tossed with a tiny bit of mayo, sprinkled with some cheese and ten minutes later we were sitting around the table eating dinner and chatting about the day.

Voila! Fast, easy, healthy and delicious.

Behold...

{Ingredients}

• 1 package cheese Tortellini. (I use the 2 pack from Costco and freeze one. Total this pack could make 3-4 meals, they are big. I cook the whole pack and then take about 1/4 out for my 9 month old before I toss it and we still had leftovers)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Cup ham, turkey or meat of choice, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 C mushrooms, chopped
• handful of baby spinach
• 1 Roma Tomato, diced 
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
• 1/2 C peas
• 1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/8 C mayo or dressing of choice
• salt
• Black pepper

{Directions}
Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain well
Combine all ingredients and toss lightly.
Serve

*One of my favorite parts of this new recipe is that you can make this once a week and never repeat. Switch the meat, experiment with different veggies, dressings, etc. Make this your own.

Substitute ideas --
Dressing: Creamy basil, Poppy seed, balsamic vinaigrette
Meats: grilled chicken, smoked turkey, bacon, leave it off and have a vegetarian dinner
Vegetables/Fruit: Avocado, strawberries, apples, oranges, celery, broccoli, shittake mushroom, green beans...

Strawberry Limeade

Mr. Chef and I love to curl up and watch our shows after the kiddos hit the sack. We love Psyche, Castle, White Collar and The Voice. Get a life? Is that what just went through your head? You must just be jealous of our Super giant love sac :)

Well, most of the time when the munchies hit but we don't want a FULL treat, just something sweet we pair this with some fresh air popped popcorn and bask in our "Mom and Dad time" with all of our TV friends!

Enjoy this, it takes just a minute to prepare and it really is yummy!

source

6-8 Large Frozen Strawberries

1/2 Cup Lime Juice (fresh squeezed is best of course but any works just fine)

1/3 Cup Sugar

Place strawberries, lime juice, and sugar in a blender.  Fill with water to the 4 cup line.

Blend about one minute.  Chill and serve.

Irish Roasties

From December 2005 until July 2007 I lived in Ireland and LOVED it!!! Have you been there? It's one of the most amazing places I have ever seen and I miss it every day. The green, the Paddy men, the flower boxes (they really are amazing, especially in Killarney in summertime), even the rain. There is just nowhere like it and I can promise you, when you go -- YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!

For those that have experienced the Emerald Isle you will know that a meal in Ireland is just not complete without at least one, usually two, types of Potatoes. Mashed, Roasted, Boiled...I could go on and on.

So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day I am sharing with you the most common and my most type of potato I ever experienced in Ireland. Roasties. I made these for our St. Paddy's Day dinner and it took me right back :) Ah...enjoy.

source

*Note to all my friends in Ireland: Please critique and add your tips for us in the comments! We would love all the help we can get making these as legit as possible.

I have been trying to recreate these babies for years now and never feel like they measure up. These were my best attempt. They still aren't perfect but they were close enough to bring memories flooding back when I bit into the first one. Sooo, I'm calling it close enough to share and while I perfect them I will share any changes I make.

I found this article and it was so extremely helpful. This is also the recipe I used, minus the polenta.

{Ingredients}

• about 3.5lbs potatoes, preferably a floury variety (Russet work great for this)
• 4 TBSP olive oil
• 4 TBSP cornmeal / polenta (opt.)
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary needles
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

{Directions}

• If you are super organized and feel inclined to try it, put can your potatoes, unpeeled, in the fridge for a day or two before roasting. It will cause some of the starch to turn to sugars and encourage browning.
• When ready to roast, preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Add the oil to your roasting tin and place in the oven to preheat also.
• Peel your potatoes, keep the skins and wrap them in a piece of muslin and tie together in a little bundle with some string. (This will give more of a potato flavor but it's not absolutely necessary)
• Cut the potatoes into roughly even-sized chunks (for large potatoes, quarter them, for smaller potatoes, halve them unless very small) and rinse the potatoes under running water for a minute or two to wash off surface starch.
• Bring about 6C of water to the boil in a saucepan, add about 2 tsp salt, the potatoes and the wrapped-up potato skins. (*as long as your potatoes are covered, it doens't really matter how much water is in the pot)Allow the water to come back to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the polenta, rosemary, about1/4 tsp salt and a couple of twists of freshly ground black pepper.
• When the potatoes have finished simmering, remove from the heat, drain very well and discard the potato skins.
• Return the potatoes to the pot, cover, place over a very low heat and, holding with both hands and using a tea-towel to protect yourself from any steam, shake the pot back and forth for up to a minute or so, so that the potatoes both dry out and the edges are roughened up. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the roasting tin from the oven and spoon the heated oil over the potatoes, tossing to mix, then roll each potato in the polenta to coat and place on the roasting tin.
• Cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until nicely crisp, then eat.

The Variations:

• For plain roasties, just leave out the coating of polenta, or keep the polenta and add to it by sprinkling some grated parmesan over the roasties about 5 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Now, don't forget -- the crispier on the outside the better. The softer on the inside, the better! You will love these, they are amazing!

Orange Julius with a twist of pineapple

This my friends is a delicious little treat! Mr. Chef concocted this the other night to go with popcorn and a movie. It was yummy and summery and made me want to lay on a beach and let all my worries go. Alright, that might be a little dramatic but it's definitely a drink that you would enjoy while doing that :)

So, it was movie night and I wasn't thinking "BLOG" when this drink happened so I will update with my own pictures soon. How terrible, i HAVE to make this again, probably tonight! Ha ha, until then this picture is beautiful and is linked to another recipe that is yummy and similar if you want variety. 

Here it is...
1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup of ice cubes
milk -- It will be approximately 1 cup of milk , but read below for the exact measurements.
One cup of orange juice

{Directions}
Place frozen pineapple chunks and ice cubes in a blender.  Then add enough milk that the milk comes up to the two cup line.  (It will be about 1 cup of milk because there's a lot of empty space in a cup of pineapple chunks/ice cubes).  Then, add a cup of orange juice and blend it until it's smooth and frothy.
Stick your little umbrella in and enjoy! 

Serves 4 unless you drink it in huge mugs like me, then it serves two. ha ha  

Pork fajitas

  Pork Fajitas~

This recipe blew me away. Pork chops are pork chops, right? WRONG!!! well, they are but they don't always have to taste exactly like pork chops! MMM, these babies are definitely on our repeat list and I think the best part is, as long as your meat is thawed, this is a "through-together" kind of a meal. My father-in-law actually came into town right as we were finishing dinner and hadn't stopped and eaten on the road. So... I whipped up more in about 10, maybe 15 minutes. Perfect!

They are fast, filling and delicious! Try these on even your picky eaters, you might be surprised.

First, pat your chop dry and cut it into thin slices. This is easiest if your meat is mostly thawed but not "soft." In other words, still a little frozen in the middle so it's solid to cut.

Season with kosher salt, pepper, a little Cayenne pepper and paprika. 

Heat oil in pan and get it hot but don't let it burn. Cook the cut pork strips until cooked through but still juicy. About 5 minutes total.Remove pork from pan and set aside. Keep warm.

Roughly chop your onion. Sautee garlic in the same pan as the meat until fragrant, about 30 seconds and then add your onion and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Don't overcook, you still want the flavor to have a little punch.

Layer meat, veggies, black beans, sour cream, cheeses, avocado and salsa and do your best to close your tortilla enough to fit it into your mouth. 

Do you do that? I always fill my tortillas WAY too full and then they fall apart becasue they are too big. But they are oh so wonderful :)

Get creative with this recipe, mix up the meat, the toppings or the spices - fewer, more, sweeter, spicier, different ones...whatever makes you happy!

Enjoy!

{Recipe}
 1 pork chop
1 can (14.5oz) black beans
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 bell pepper, any color
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic (approx 2 cloves)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Sour cream
cheddar cheese
avocado
salsa

{Directions}

Drain and rinse black beans. Cook black beans with 1/4 c water over medium low heat until heated through. (season with salt if you prefer) Set aside. 

Pat your pork chop dry and cut it into thin slices. (This is easiest if your meat is still a little frozen in the middle so it's solid to cut.) Season with kosher salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper and paprika.

Heat oil in pan until hot but not burned. Add meat to pan and cook until no longer pink but still juicy. About 5 minutes total. Remove pork from pan and set aside. Keep warm. Roughly chop your onion and bell pepper. Sautee garlic in the same pan as the meat until fragrant, about 30 seconds and then add your onion and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Don't overcook, you still want the flavor to have a little punch.

Layer meat, veggies, black beans, sour cream, cheeses, avocado and salsa

Stuffed French Toast

 S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y- NIGHT! (Can anyone quote the movie?) 

Ok, actually it was Saturday morning and I was sleeping in. Those days are my favorite! It's nothing very exciting, i'm always up well before nine but to still be in bed while Dad plays with the girls, somehow -- those days are the best. 

Well, on this particular Saturday morning not only did I sleep in, but I also awakened to Mr. Chef making stuffed french toast! YUM! (He totally knows the way to my heart is through carbs!)

So, he never knows the exact recipe or amounts because he is one of those people that throws things together and they always come out delicious. I get jealous of those people sometimes, i'll get over it. :)

This recipe is super easy and really pretty fast -- not the lowest calorie breakfast in the history of ever but once in awhile on a weekend I love me a big yummy breakfast like this!

Heat fresh or frozen strawberries, sugar, and cream cheese, and then puree them together. This is your stuffing.

 Slice a loaf of French Bread into slices. You want each slice the width of about two normal french toast pieces. Cut the slice in half but only go about 3/4 way through the bread so you have a "pocket" for your filling.

Fill the bread and dip in normal french bread mixture (eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon)

Once they are cooked, serve warm with syrup, fruit, jam or just plain!

Recipe:

1 cup of frozen (or fresh) strawberries 

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 block of cream cheese

1 Loaf of french bread cut into slices (approximately 2 inches wide) 

4 eggs

1 C milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon (opt.)

Combine strawberries, sugar and cream cheese. Heat until combined and then puree together until smooth. You can use a blender, an immersion blender (my tool of choice) or a food processor to do this. Set aside.

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon (opt) in a shallow pie tin or other shallow bowl. set aside. 

 

Cut your slices of bread and slice them in half about 3/4 of the way through the bread so you have a pocket. Fill with strawberry mixture. Dip each filled french toast slice in egg and milk mixture, coating thoroughly on both sides. You may want to let it soak for about 30 seconds so the bread can really absorb it -- that one is up to you. 

Cook on a non-stick skillet for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned, flip and repeat on other side.

Enjoy!

Citrus roasted chicken

Dear Pioneer Woman, thank you for your Roast Chicken because it is TO. DIE. FOR.
Love, Brynn

How many of you follow this blog?   Love it! It's a favorite of mine and she gets all the credit for this recipe. Here's your link!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/08/roast-chicken/

So, i'm giving you the recipe here but go read her post -- it's hilarious, simple, and clears up any questions yo u may have.

This chicken is quick, cheap and easy but makes dinner look like you slaved in the kitchen for hours! Doesn't get much better than that, eh?

 to start :
combine your softened butter, your lemon/orange zest, your rosemary, salt and pepper in a bowl. combine well.

 Rub, the butter mixture, with your hands, all over the bird. get everywhere...in all those...hard to reach places too!

 because i'm awesome, or forgetful, i didn't take a picture of my smeared and stuffed bird. Imagine with me.

cook for 1 hour 15 minutes and voila!

cut/carve and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 whole Chicken, Rinsed And Patted Dry
• 3/4 cups Butter, Softened
• 1 whole Lemons, 2 whole oranges
• 4 sprigs Rosemary
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (convection bake. If you're using a standard oven, you can do 425.)
Zest the lemon and oranges. Strip the leaves off of one of the rosemary sprigs and chop it up finely.
In a bowl, combine softened butter, lemon/orange zest, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.
Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and lay the patted-dry chicken on the foil, breast side up.
Use your fingers to smear the butter mixture all over the chicken, under the skin, and inside the cavity. Cut the lemon and oranges in half and squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken. Place the six lemon/orange halves (if they'll fit!) and the three remaining rosemary leaves into the cavity of the bird.
Place the chicken into the oven and roast it for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until done. Skin should be deep golden brown and juices should be sizzling.
Carve/cut up to your heart's content and dig in