Cheese Tortellini Soup and Peggy Lee

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend. Stewart and I just said goodbye to his family a couple of hours ago, and we already miss them. It’s funny how you get used to having company around, with all the food and chatter. Now the house is quiet, and I reminisce on the great meals and conversations we had over the past 3 days. 

Friday night I made a big salad and cheese tortellini soup; and to say it was "successful" would be an understatement. After a 12 hour car trip to Memphis, I figured our guests would be in the mood to unwind and have a good, hot meal. I usually don’t brag (not my style), but Stewart's mother, sister and brother wanted the recipe. And for two days, everyone talked about how much they liked this soup. That was the moment I heard the “Hallelujah” chorus sing. This cheese tortellini and vegetable soup comes from Cooking Light, and it is a definite crowd pleaser. Trust me. The best part is that it only takes 20 minutes to throw together, from start to finish.


The orange and cranberry scones were another hit! I made 16 scones for this weekend and by 8 am Monday morning, there were none. Fortunately, Stewart and I weren't left with a refrigerator full of left overs, because we all know who would eat them...ME.


On two occasions I took Stewart’s mom and sister to the mall to do a little shopping. Macy’s had great sales on shoes; but surprisingly Julia walked away without a shopping bag in hand, very un-Julia like. Well fast forward to Monday afternoon, and we decided to head to the Botanic Gardens up the road. They were hosting the annual potter’s guild show and sale; and ya’ll, you couldn’t hand me a credit card fast enough. I was blazing a trail through each of the potter’s displays. It was awesome! First of all, I love pottery. They are such beautiful works of art; and the various shades of blues, browns, purples and greens swirling through each dish made them stunning. I bought two bowls and a spoon rest. And second of all, food is always better when you display it well; hence the pretty bowls : )

My theme song for this weekend was “I’m a woman”. I felt like such the multitasker playing hostess to 7 people: cleaning, entertaining, cooking, etc. There was no doubt about it that Peggy Lee and her ode to women was the perfect beat. Sing it, girl!




This weekend is Italian Fest, and it’s a four day work week!

Julia

Cheese Tortellini and Vegetable Soup:
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1 (11.5 oz) can of condensed bean with bacon soup (such as Campbell's) undiluted
3 cups water
1 squash
1 zucchini
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (9 oz) bag of cheese tortellini
*top with Parmesan cheese (optional)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta; reduce heat to medium. Cook, partially covered, 7 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. Yields 6 servings.