Menu

I planned my menu for the week, but never quite got it posted. A few things changed, so this is what we actually ended up eating this week. I'm just happy to have meals on the table during this marathon week. For Valentine's Day I had a whole festive menu planned, but we ended up spending way too much time driving around trying to find white shoe polish to "decorate" Zig's car. Everyone was starving when we finally arrived home so I had to rely on something easy and fast. Things have been going full speed around here and I am wiped out. Looking forward to our mid-winter weeklong break this week. No school, no where to be, no lunches to pack, and no meetings or volunteering. And, a little sun in the forecast. Ahhhhhh.

I am horrible at coming up with meals to take others, and there are many times I really want to help someone out. Finding a dish that would appeal to most, as well as be easy to transport for some reason always seems like a headache. I don't cook much meat and other people don't eat so many vegetables, so most of my easy one dish meals won't always work for other families. Anyway, I had families I really wanted to cook for this week and I wanted to make something kid-friendly and familiar. I used a recipe from a friend for the Tortellini soup and both families said they loved it and everyone ate it. One of the gals runs a daycare and somehow shared it with all the kids, who also loved it. So, I think I found my new "go-to" meal.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
10 cups chicken broth
28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
6oz can tomato paste
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 pint heavy cream
1 1/2 lbs three cheese tortellini, cooked

Combine chicken broth, basil, oregano, tomatoes, past and puree in a pan. In a separate pan, make a roux by melting butter on medium heat and adding flour. Once it turns lumpy, add it to the soup. COmbine soup and roux until thick. Add tortellini. Add cream at the end.

As with most recipes, I use them as a guide. I modified this each time I made it. I combined the broth and tomatoes in a stockpot and with an immersion blender, loosly pureed the mixture so there wouldn't be tomato chunks. Then I added spices, probably more than listed on the recipe, and the roux. Next I added the tortellini and maybe about a half cup of half and half. I added a bit of pesto at the end one of the days I made it. But, it was plenty creamy and tasty without so much cream. I do love cream, but it wasn't needed in such a large quantity here.


Monday: Creamy Tortellini Tomato Soup, mixed green salad, parmesan crostini
Tuesday: See Monday :)
Wednesday: Dinner at Darcie's (Delicious Shephards Pie)
Thursday: Mushroom and Ricotta Toasts, Green salad, grapefruit
Friday: Tacos (I was feeling like we already had so much cheese with the soup so I suspended the pizza this week)
Saturday: Quinoa Rice Bowls (quinoa, caribbean black beans, RoastedButternut Squash, potatoes and parsnips and cheese sprinkled on top)
Sunday: Hominy White Bean Chili, cornbread, green salad, passion fruit smoothies (we're starting to get antsy for spring, hence the tropical drink)