Three Cheese Tortellini Soup,Black Bean and Corn Fritters,Chicken

Three Cheese Tortellini Soup
Well….I’m just going to go right ahead and say this recipe is
a certified cheese-bomb! Shall I shamelessly explain myself or
blame it on the pregnancy?
Ok, now that the cheese-bomb cat is out of the bag, let’s talk
about why I needed this in my life today… You know because it
was 85 degrees here in Central Pennsylvania and I needed a
bowl of hot, creamy, comfort-food style soup. Obviously.
Again, the baby. The hormones. The cheese. Oh my!
But then I realized this soup was so deliciously dreamy,
creamy, and oh-so cheesy that everyone needs this in their
life once in a while. You know, like when your friend gets
dumped and she is not that into chocolate… Or when you realize
one of your kids just peed all over the bathroom (Oh, I’m
sorry.. Is that just MY kids??)… Or that time you realized
your cheat day just turned into a cheat month and you must
have one final “Hoo-RAH” before getting back on track. And
let’s not forget this soup contains tomatoes and tomatoes =
healthy fruit/vegetable or whatever you classify a tomato as.
So there…it’s not that bad after all.
Now let’s review.
TOMATOES = HEALTHY.
MY KIDS = PEE EVERYWHERE.
The End.
AND Moving On…Not only is this soup a cheesy-hot-mess, it is
also really versatile. A versatile dinner is a great thing in
my world because let’s face it… Taking 3 (soon to be 4) kids
to the grocery store before dinner to pick up ingredients is
basically a tantrum roulette. Maybe someone will have a
meltdown, maybe we will all pretend to be normal. Who knows?
And better yet, WHY risk it? If you are missing one or two
ingredients, chances are you can make a simple sub and all
will be well in tantrum land. Plus you won’t have to fight the
after word crowds at the grocery store.
Just a few quick substitution suggestions:
Sub tortellini for 100% whole wheat elbow macaroni (If
you are wondering about my stance on the tortellini,
check out my Spinach and Tortellini Salad post). I would
go with 1 cup of macaroni.
Omit beef, sub 4 Tablespoons butter. Melt butter in
saucepan, add flour, then slowly add liquids.
Sub freshly grated parmesan cheese for asiago cheese. If
you decide to go the powdered parmesan route, I would
suggest cutting back a little because it may turn out a
bit salty.
*For reference, here are the tomatoes I always use for soup.
FYI, this is a bulk listing so the price looks very inflated.
Black Bean and Corn Fritters
Can I just go right ahead and admit today was just one of
those days. If you have kids then I know you know what I’m
talking about! Having my 8 year old son home for summer
vacation and being super preggo is a lot more then I bargained
for. Hello… when you can’t see your feet how are you supposed
to bend over and pick random things up?? Or bend over and give
the babes a bath?? Or put your own shoes on?? The big belly
struggle is real! #pregnancyproblems
However…. somehow I managed to throw these super fun and
delicious Black Bean and Corn Fritters together and the kids
gobbled them up for lunch. I wish I could say that I served
them with a green veggie or fruit salad but no, the kids are
on a hard boiled egg kick so protein + protein it was. Hey,
nothing wrong with that…. until tomorrow morning when I have
to smell the aftermath of this bean + hard boiled egg meal.
Thankfully my husband wasn’t here!
In other news my husband wants me to stop purchasing kitchen
stuff. How do I put this…nevergonnahappenhubby.
In other, other news Donald Trump is running for president. Am
I missing something here? Is he a politician now? Is he just
going to pay someone off to make important decisions? Am I the
only one super confused about this? And by the way, if you
haven’t seen his Toupee memes I suggest you Google that
immediately and have a good laugh!
AAAANNNNDDD…. Back to the fritters because they are super easy
to make and come together in about 30 minutes from start to
finish. 30 minutes!! They are so easy I would say this would
be a great recipe to let the kids help out with. I served mine
with a nice dollop of sour cream and a little extra cheese on
top and they were just perfect. Hope you all enjoy as much I
we did!
Chicken Parmesan Alfredo
Have I told you lately how much I LOVE my cast iron skillet?
Yes, it’s true. A few years ago I traded in my non-stick
cookware for all stainless steel and cast iron. It did take me
a while to get used to not burning stuff to the bottom of them
like EVERYTIME but after adjusting my heat (much lower!) I
realized I didn’t need those chemical laden pots and pans
after all!
Today I’m sharing this chicken parmesan recipe that goes to a
whole new level by adding a super yummy Alfredo sauce to the
pasta and lots of mozzarella cheese before baking it in the
oven to get that nice, crusty mozzarella we all love. The best
part is I used my wonderful cast iron skillet to get a nice,
crispy piece of chicken without a deep fryer or any unhealthy
oils. If you don’t own a cast iron skillet no worries, you can
do this in just about any sauté pan, however I do love the
results I get from my cast iron. Just take a look and you’ll
understand! Now that’s a piece of chicken to be proud of!
Another thing I love about his recipe is the versatility. If
you are short on time and don’t feel like taking the extra
steps to make the Alfredo sauce you can absolutely toss your
pasta in extra red sauce and call it a day. Sometimes I go the
red sauce route, sometimes I go the Alfredo route. Sometimes I
even toss my pasta in extra red sauce AND ricotta cheese and
that is delicious too. Either way you will end up with a
dinner your family will love!
Whenever I use a convenience product like the panko bread
crumbs I used in this recipe I always caution folks to READ
INGREDIENTS! These are the products most notorious for adding
a bunch of crappy ingredients that don’t need to be there just
for the sake of keeping the product on a shelf for years
without it going bad. I get so frustrated with brands like
Progresso who willingly put profit and production above
ethics. When it comes down to it, there should be no reason
any breadcrumb product contains ingredients like partially
hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. When I started
reading labels one of the first products I immediately threw
away were the breadcrumbs that had been lingering in the back
of my pantry forever. That alone should have indicated to me
that something just wasn’t right with the product to begin
with. Since that time I’ve experimented with making my own
breadcrumbs (which works wonderful too!) but this time I opted
for an organic panko product I’ve found in most mainstream
grocery stores (check their organic section).
Here’s the product I used as well as my favorite cast iron
skillet!
*This is a bulk listing.
Creamy Chicken and Dumpling
Soup
This super silky milk based soup will have your family smiling
ear to ear on cold winter days. Great for thermoses and
leftovers!
This soup will hit your mouth like BAM! The perfect dreamy,
creamy, comforting chicken soup + dumplings. Does it get any
more comfort food then this? I think not.
While the Holiday cheer was wrapping up I was all like *Creamy
Chicken and Dumpling Soup must happen now!* Parties are over,
gatherings are over, and I don’t have to share with anyone!
This soup = Not for sharing! That is, unless your trying to
impress your hunky new man (or woman), or trying to prove to
your kids that you are indeed the best cook ever and nobody
will ever come close to Mama’s home cooking.
Speaking of Mama’s home cooking… I have an 8 year old that is
determined to tell me about every single time in his life that
he hated my food. Today in the car I heard something along the
lines of:
“Remember that time that you made that lasagna with the
broccoli and squash and you promised me that you were going to
save a corner with no veggies for me, and then you didn’t, and
then you actually burnt it and I hated it. Remember that
time?”
Of course I remember that time honey, the time I actually
tried to get you to eat broccoli and you acted like I was
trying to kill you. How could I possibly forget that you don’t
understand that cruciferous veggies are loaded with all the
good stuff to keep your little body growing the right way? How
could I possibly forget that I didn’t make enough béchamel to
cover the noodles completely and ONE BITE got a little crispy
on top? One….bite….!!!!! Kids, they don’t forget a thing!
Cooking Tips and Techniques
I used chicken breasts for this soup, however you could
sub 2 cups of shredded chicken if you’d like.
I added 1/2 cup finely chopped kale for some extra
nutrients. I added it very last so it didn’t get soggy
and gross. I promise, you can’t even tell it is there!
Oh Hi Kale!
I adapted this recipe for the dumplings. I used whole
wheat white flour, which does yield a courser dumpling.
I advise using whole wheat flour MOST of the time, but
if your family isn’t used to whole grains you might want
to sub 1/2 all purpose. I loved the dumplings, they had
a great flavor, and the longer they sat in the broth the
better they were!
The dumplings will get bigger after you drop them in
your pot. Small dumplings = better dumplings because if
you make them too big you will end up with a weird
center.