Spinach Tortellini with Pesto

If I am in the mood for something light and easy I like to make tortellini with pesto. I don't feel so bad about eating pasta when I use pesto. I usually do not feel as gross after eating it either because it is not super heavy.

When it comes to pesto for the most part I buy it pre-made from the store. Sometimes I will jazz it up a bit by adding crushed red pepper, garlic or parmesan. Tonight I decided to add pistachios.
As you know I watch a ton of Food Network. I was watching Guy's Big Bite one morning and saw him make a pesto with pistachio and rub it under chicken skin. Phil made this recipe (will try to post sometime soon) and I loved the flavor of the pistachio in the pesto.

If you do not have a mini food processor I would highly suggest one. I use mine for chopping up nuts really fine and making pesto (when I have made homemade) or a breadcrumb mixture for meat. So if you are in the mood for an easy and light supper give this one a try!

Spinach Tortellini with Pesto


1 Package Buitoni Spinach Tortellini
1 cup pesto
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Chop shelled pistachios into small pieces. Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, pesto and pistachios together until well combined.

Once pasta is cooked in a small bowl combine pasta with 1/4 cup olive oil and pesto. Mix to coat pasta.
Top pasta with parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese.

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Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Cookbook Recipe #8

I love the Southern Living Annual recipe books. They all have over 900 recipes in them and they are all about comfort foods. My favorite! The books have all the recipes from Southern Living Magazine throughout the year. I like that they also put the book together by month because when you are trying to make a recipe with ingredients that are in season you can look at that month. From this book I decided to make Blueberry Baked Oatmeal.

I am not really a big oatmeal person but I really like this baked version. I make this recipe a lot on the weekends because I usually have a lot of leftovers for during the week at work. I love the combination of blueberries and brown sugar together. When I make this in the winter I use frozen blueberries but in the summer I use fresh blueberries. I need to get in the habit of buying a bunch of blueberries when they are on sale and freezing them so I can enjoy good summer blueberries all year long.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Southern Living Annual Recipes 2007

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
1 18oz container regular oats
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Pour and spread out into baking dish.

In a large bowl combine oats and next 9 ingredients until well blended.

Pour mixture evenly over blueberries.

Bake, covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

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S'more Bars

When I think of summer I think of S'mores and fried chicken....but for today I am just going to talk about S'mores.  I like how you can find so many different recipes for desserts that taste like S'mores. I have seen recipes for cakes, ice cream treats, bars, trifles...etc.  Some of my best memories involve S'mores. On one of our first dates Phil surprised me by taking me to my first drive-in movie. I had told him that going to the drive-in was on my "bucket list." He brought along this S'more maker that he had, that you can make S'mores indoors on a little sterno. We sat outside of the car in lawn chairs and made S'mores and watched the movie. It was such a fun a memorable night for me! 

So when I saw these S'more bars on Pinterest recently I knew I had to make them soon. I got the recipe off of the blog Country Cleaver. Her version said to cook the marshmallows on the stove, but when I made Rice Krispie Treats growing up I always melted the marshmallows in the microwave. I would much rather try to get gooey marshmallow off of a bowl than a a saucepan.

S'more Bars

Adapted from The Country Cleaver

1 10oz bag Mini Marshmallows

11/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 12oz box Golden Grahams Cereal

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Non-stick cooking spray

Spray a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large microwavable bowl melt 6 tablespoons butter and mini marshmallows. I cooked it for 45 seconds, stirring after every 10 seconds. 

Stir butter and marshmallows until gooey and thick. Add in Golden Grahams and 1 cup chocolate chips. Mix well. 

Pour into baking pan. Top with 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Press down to make them more compacted. 

Allow to sit at least 30 minutes before cutting to be sure they are cooled. 

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Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

Phil and I were at a Mexican restaurant called Salsa 17 and I had fajitas, which they served with black beans instead of the traditional re-fried beans. Ever since I had those fajitas I fell in love with black beans. I want to put them in every Mexican dish I make...and I pretty much do. I like a lot of different kinds of beans but I think black beans are my favorite. So naturally I put them in my enchiladas as well.

Enchiladas are a staple in our house as we make them I would say at least 2 to 3 times a month.....and always with black beans. I also like to make enchiladas with whole wheat tortillas. I started making them with whole wheat tortillas to try to make it healthier and I ended up liking them better that way. It doesn't get much better then enchilada night at our house!

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas
Adapted from the Taste of Home

6-8 Whole wheat tortillas
1 15.5oz can black beans,, drained and rinsed
1 28oz can enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound ground turkey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat.

In a sauce pan heat up black beans over low heat.

Meanwhile in a 9 x 13 casserole dish pour enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.

Once turkey is browned assemble the enchiladas. In each tortilla fill with ground turkey, beans and a little cheese. Roll up and place in casserole seam side down. Continue until all enchiladas are made. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.

Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes top enchiladas with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

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Roasted Cauliflower

If you have regular Farmer's Markets in your area, I think you should think about checking them out. I need to do a better job at going myself. We have so many of them in the area. The only thing is most of them are at odd times during the week, so it can be tough to go. This weekend I went to a local one that is on Sunday's with my friend Nicole. The markets are a great way of enjoying your local fresh produce. A lot of times there is also vendors selling prepared jams, dressings and sauces as well. It is a good time to stock up on specialty ingredients that you cannot buy at the store.

I have been on a cauliflower kick recently and I saw this purple cauliflower at the market. I have seen the colored ones before but have never tried or made one. I asked the lady selling the produce if it tasted like regular cauliflower and she assured me it would. She was right, it tasted exactly like white cauliflower. I like to roast my cauliflower because I like the crispiness the ends get and it still gets nice and tender in the center.

Roasted Cauliflower
Adapted from Allrecipes


1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets


Preheat oven to 425 degrees


Spray a large casserole with cooking spray. 


Toss cauliflower and all other ingredients together in casserole.

Bake for 40 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

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Baked Potato Soup

Cookbook Recipe #7

Last weekend I was in the Milkwaukee area and I decided to stop in Greendale, which has the headquarters for Reiman Publications. I anxiously await my Taste of Home magazines every month. Ask my husband....it is like Christmas whenever one of my cooking magazines arrives. Inside the magazines they always advertise Greendale as being the Taste of Home headquarters. The test kitchen is there, were they test all the recipes that come into the headquarters before they decide which ones will make it into the magazine. They also advertise that they sell the "fallen off the truck" cookbooks for $5.00 a piece. The cookbooks just look a little worn down and the edges a little beaten up. A lot of them though you can barely notice the imperfections. So naturally I have by dying to go there to check it out. This cookbook is one of the cookbooks that I bought for $5.00. I am a big soup girl. I eat soup even when its really hot out (like this weekend). So I was excited when I saw this cookbook which is all about soups.

There are several recipes that I want to make in this book. But the recipe I choose to feature for this cookbook was the Baked Potato Soup. There was a restaurant that I went to with Phil's family called Al Capone's Hideaway and Steakhouse. I am bummed that I only had a chance to go there one time since the restaurant has since closed. But they had the best Baked Potato soup I have ever had. I have tried a couple times to try and make this soup from other recipes. It has been good but not as good as the Hideaway's.
This recipe has come the closest. It came out very creamy but not too thick. I think the key is baking the potatoes, hence "baked potato soup." Other times I have tried to make this I cooked the potatoes in the microwave. So I think baking them really does make a difference. This is not one to make when trying to watch the calories. It is definitely a good splurge recipe, but well worth it!

Baked Potato Soup
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Easy Dinners: Soups and Stews




2 large baking potatoes
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 slices cooked bacon






Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Prick potatoes with a fork and place on baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool. 
Scoop out pulp from potatoes and set aside. 


In a large dutch oven melt butter. Add flour and stir until combined. Add milk, salt, pepper and dill. Cook until thick and bubbly stirring often because milk will scald on bottom of pan very quickly. 


Once milk is thickened add potatoes, cheese and bacon and mix well. Stir until cheese is melted. 


Garnish with your favorite potato toppings. 




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Chicken Tetrazzini

Cookbook Recipe #6

My Food Network obsession started with Rachael Ray. I used to watch her a lot when she was on in the afternoons. Then I started to watch other chefs more and more and now I am OBSESSED with the Food Network and the new Cooking Channel.

My parents started getting me the new Rachael Ray cookbooks every year for Christmas, which started my cookbook collection. She is great with making a burger into a pasta and then a soup. I love how she can make anything into something else. I also love Rachael's cookware line. I like how everything is made in color. I have her pots and pans, casseroles and utensils. Her cookware is all very user friendly as well. My favorite is a ladle that has a flat bottom to get up all the yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pan. The yummy brown bits are the best part!

Anyway...enough with my obsession with Rachael's cookware...onto dinner. As much as I love Rachael, Rachael LOVES onions and puts onions in every one of her recipes. So I have to pick recipes that I think will still be great without the onions.

Tonight I chose to make her tetrazzini recipe. She made hers with turkey, but I am not a big fan of turkey breast so I used chicken. I also made mine healthier by using whole grain pasta, which you could not even tell that it was not regular pasta. I have made tetrazzini before but have always used cream of mushroom soup. So this was the first time I have made it from scratch. It definitly tastes better making it from scratch. I love the texture that the breadcrumbs gives to the pasta. Phil said this one is a definite keeper!

Chicken Tetrazzini
Adapted from Rachael Ray Just in Time


1/2 pound whole grain spaghetti
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoon dried parsley
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste


Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta according to package directions. 


While water comes to a boil heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Brown chicken about 5 minutes on both sides (depending on how thin your chicken is pounded will determine how long to brown). 


In another skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and cook sliced mushrooms about 10 minutes until done. 


Once chicken in browned place aside. In the same skillet add 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in white wine and continue to stir for another minute. Add stock and bring to a bubble. Once bubbling stir in sour cream and add mushrooms. 


Cut chicken into thin strips and add to cream mixture. 


In another skillet add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. To butter add breadcrumbs and cook until browned. Once breadcrumbs are browned add parmesan and parsley. 

Add pasta to cream mixture and then top with breadcrumbs. Enjoy!


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