Tortellini Sausage Soup

What a great fall soup this is! Yum! I got the recipe recently from my friend Jenny and I think it is great!! My whole family really liked it and I took secret pleasure watching all my children happily eating unrecognizable zucchini (its shredded and they never guessed!). Thanks Jenny for another great recipe!

Tortellini Sausage Soup

1/3 lb Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup water
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
16 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon dried parsley

In a large saucepan or pot cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add onion and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onion are translucent and sausage is cooked. Add water, chicken broth, cider, tomatoes with juices, tomato sauce, carrots, basil, and oregano. Cover ad simmer for 30 minutes. Add zucchini, tortellini and parsley and cook for another 15 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through. Serve with grated Parmesan topping individual servings if desired.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

You may notice that this recipe is my pizza dough recipe. Yep. It is actually a bread dough recipe and I use it for pizza, scones (fry bread), donuts, cinnamon rolls... and well bread. It is so versatile and EASY. The dough does not require a first rising and the only rising time after you form the dough is 25 minutes. Isn't that amazing?! I got the recipe from my sister and love it. Oh and the cream cheese frosting for these is awesome (at least I think so).

Quick Cinnamon Rolls
-makes 2, 9x13 pans of rolls

Dough:
5 1/4 cups white bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons SAF yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid lecithin (can buy at stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods etc.)
2 - 2 1/4 cups hot tap water

Filling:
1 stick butter, softened and divided
1 cup brown sugar, divided
3 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

Mix dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer (flour, sugar, salt, and yeast). Add lecithin and water. Mix for 1 minute with dough hook. Check consistency - should be like a stiff cookie dough - if it's too dry add more water, if the dough is too moist add more flour. Mix with a dough hook for 5 minutes on high. Do not add any water or flour to dough after is has finished mixing.

Spray counter or a flat surface with cooking spray, also spray your hands so you can handle the dough easily. Knead dough into a nice smooth ball. Cut in half. Roll out 1 half into a large rectangle. Spread 1/2 stick of softened butter over the rectangle. Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, with 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and spread over the buttered rectangle. Roll up and slice into 15 slices. Place into a greases 9x13 baking dish, 5 rows with 3 rolls in each row. Repeat process with other half of dough. Cover with non-stick sprayed plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 25 minutes.

Heat oven to 375. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. Allow rolls to cool in pans for about 15 minutes, then spread with cream cheese frosting, recipe below.


Cream Cheese Frosting

6 tablespoons butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened (microwaved for 30 seconds)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Vegetable Lasagna

This a wonderful, light, fresh tasting lasagna. So different from the regular carnivorous variety (which I also love!). I got this recipe a number of years ago from my friend Mendy (shout out to one of my favorite Maryland peeps!). It is a favorite dinner of mine and someday I'm going to remember to throw in some mushrooms and asparagus because I think those veggies would also be great in this.

Vegetable Lasagna

10 lasagna noodles
4 large carrots, sliced thin
4 medium zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 jar marinara sauce

Boil noodles and carrots. After 5 minutes, add the zucchini and boil 4 minutes. Drain the noodle and vegetables. Put a little marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and then lay 3 noodles across the long way. Put 2 noodles on top of the 2 seams. Spread half of the ricotta cheese all over the noodles. Spread half of the vegetables over the ricotta. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the vegetables. Top with about 1/2 the sauce. Repeat the layering process one more time: noodles, ricotta, vegetables, salt and pepper, mozzarella, sauce, leaving a little mozzarella to top it off. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Taco Pie

I got this recipe from a cooking magazine. I wrote it down and now I can't remember which magazine it came from... Anywho, it's a nice quichey tasting taco casserole. My family liked it a lot and I like that it calls for ground turkey and is still quite flavorful. Nice easy dinner recipe.

Taco Pie

1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1/3 cup water
1, 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup Bisquick mix (I used the Heart Smart Bisquick mix)
1 cup milk (nonfat works fine)
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 tomato, chopped

Heat oven to 400. Spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray.

In a skillet cook turkey and onion for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water. Mix well and heat through. Spread turkey meat in pie pan. Top evenly with green chiles.

In a bowl combine Bisquick, milk, and eggs, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour over turkey mixture. Bake 25 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped tomato.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

I got this recipe from my friend Corinne and I love it!! It is a great crockpot recipe! Almost like a stir fry. I served it over brown rice and my whole family (including all 3 kids) ate it up. Thanks Corinne!

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
16 oz package frozen stir fry vegetables
4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 cup cashews

In a crockpot combine chicken tenders and stir fry vegetables. In a bowl combine mushroom soup, soy sauce, and ginger. Pour over the chicken and vegetables. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Stir in cashews and serve over hot rice.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

This is a great kid-pleasing casserole. The sloppy joe meat and cornbread go well together. I think I might make this next time with left over chili instead of sloppy joe meat, because I love chili and corn bread.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1, 6.5 oz pouch Betty Crocker cornbread mix
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook beef and onion in a skillet until browned and cooked though; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and mustard. Cook 2-3 minutes until boiling; keep warm.

In a bowl combine cornbread mix, milk, oil, and egg just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Spoon hot beef mixture into an ungreased 8" square baking dish. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Spoon cornbread batter evenly over the top.

Bake 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of topping comes out clean. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over hot casserole.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is a wonderful creamy soup that tastes similar to the Chicken and Wild Rice Soup at Einstein's Bagels. It is one of my very favorite soups. We had it last night served in Italian Bread Bowls. Ultimate comfort food.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

6 cups chicken broth, divided
2 cups water
2 1/2 - 3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 (6.2 oz) box of quick cooking long grain and wild rice mix (Uncle Ben's)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots mixture
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
extra chicken broth to thin soup to desired consistency


In a large pot combine 4 cups of chicken broth, water, and chicken. Bring to boiling and stir in the rice only from the rice mix (set the seasoning packet aside for now) and frozen peas and carrots. Turn heat down to low and simmer with cover on for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Stir in the rice seasoning packet. Reduce heat to low, then whisk in flour to form a roux. Slowly whisk in cream and 2 cups of chicken broth until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook, stirring constantly for a minute, until slightly thickened.

Stir creamy roux mixture into the broth, chicken, and rice in the pot. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If needed add more chicken broth to thin the soup to desired consistency.