Tortellini Soup with Pine Nuts and Bacon

I made this soup recipe up after being inspired by Chaundelle and her tortellini soup.

20 oz Mixed Cheese Tortellini
1 cup cooked/chopped bacon pieces (I use the bagged bacon in the salad dressing aisle)
1 large handful of pine nuts
sprinkles of dried parsley
chicken stock or broth
water
olive oil
garlic (1 clove)
any other spices you love

I boil in a large stock pan about 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken stock. While boiling I add some sprinkles of parsley, the garlic, and sometimes Italian seasonings. When the water is fully boiling I add the tortellinis and cook according to the package.
In another grilling pan I add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the pine nuts and heat up the bacon.
When the tortellinis are done I add the bacon/pine nut mixture and the soup is ready. You could add shredded parmesan cheese to top it off.

It's a work in progress and I change it a lot. Sometimes I add polish sausage instead of the bacon.

Chocolate Cupcakes topped with a strawberry........

I made these cupcakes for a luncheon and the frosting was made up from cool whip, cream cheese, powdered sugar and butter. I may have added vanilla, I don't remember. All I know is they were pretty to look at and tasty to eat!

Harrison's Mickey Mouse Birthday

I made Disney cupcakes for Harrison's 4th birthday party. I couldn't find any cute toppers and decided to use Disney bottle caps instead. They were fun to make!

update on salmon......

I posted the recipe before I actually ate. WOW, it is so fabulously TASTY!!!! I want you all to try it! It's YUMMY!

Salmon with Maple-Lemon Glaze

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray


1. Preheat broiler.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Refrigerate 10 minutes, turning bag once.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute.

4. Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Turn fish over. Brush marinade evenly over fish. Broil 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

CALORIES 287 ; FAT 14g (sat 2.7g,mono 6.7g,poly 3.6g); CHOLESTEROL 80mg; CALCIUM 23mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.5g; SODIUM 363mg; PROTEIN 31g; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 0.7mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2009

Chicken with mushroom sauce

I made this tonight and it was delicious!

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce


Butter and whipping cream add a wonderful lushness to this savory pan gravy, which features fresh morel and button mushrooms.


6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces morel mushrooms
4 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whipping cream
4 1/2 cups hot cooked egg noodles
Fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)


1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Heat 2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Add 2 breast halves to pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure twice with 4 teaspoons butter and remaining chicken. Keep warm.

2. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until moisture evaporates, stirring frequently. Remove mushroom mixture from pan. Add broth to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Return mushroom mixture to pan. Stir in cream; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.

3. Place 3/4 cup egg noodles on each of 6 plates. Cut each chicken breast half into 1-inch-thick strips. Top each serving with 1 chicken breast half and about 1/3 cup mushroom mixture. Garnish each serving with parsley sprigs, if desired.



Yield: 6 servings

CALORIES 452 ; FAT 14.2g (sat 7g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.6g); CHOLESTEROL 162mg; CALCIUM 49mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.2g; SODIUM 489mg; PROTEIN 47g; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 3.4mg

Cooking Light, MAY 2009