Thursday, February 17, 2011

Foodie Friday - oh wait...


...it's STILL Thursday. 

Ahhh, now I feel better.  I figured on a day when we're almost at Friday but not quite, we all deserve a virtual cupcake.  And if I had one, by golly, I'd eat it too.  What I am eating, instead, are these:


Holy deliciousness...they are the yummiest crisps (chips) EVER.  They're my crack.  I really shouldn't buy them at all because they only come in a big bag and it's extremely difficult to only have a handful.  In fact, it's almost impossible.  You in the States might be extremely unfortunate lucky because I'm pretty sure that you can't be tempted by these every time you're in the snack aisle of your supermarket can't get them Stateside, but if you're in Ireland, I highly recommend you go get some.  Now.

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way.  Today has been one of those days where it's 3:00PM and I'm not sure where the day went.  I'm pretty sure I did something this morning...oh yes, I ran around after my daughter, fed her twice, showered during her nap.  I did actually get some work done earlier, too.  Do any of you other Moms out there feel like you've had a packed day but find it hard to tell your other half exactly what you got accomplished?  Please say yes.

This afternoon (if C ever falls asleep) I'm going to knock some more work out of the way and get started on tonight's soup.  It's tortellini soup night (or, as my college roommate used to call it, the "turkey soupies" - except tonight it's with chicken not turkey).  I have Pilates at 7:00pm, right smack in the middle of C's bedtime/our dinner time, so an already thrown together soup is the way to go.  I make this soup from memory, but here's a similar, more basic recipe all measured out for you:

Spinach Tortellini Soup
recipe image
Rated:rating
Submitted By: Nicole
Photo By: Cookies
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 4

"This quick and easy soup is made by combining packaged tortellini and frozen spinach in chicken broth seasoned with dried basil and garlic powder."
INGREDIENTS:
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini
1/4 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1.In a large pot over high heat, combine the spinach and chicken broth. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Stir in tortellini, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked to desired tenderness. Season with basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.


It's been a few years since I've made this, but from memory, here's how I adjust the recipe to make it my version:

  • I usually start with making my own broth from the bones of a whole chicken we've had the night before or I would make it using fresh (uncooked) chicken thighs and legs.  Then I'd take whatever meat I can off the thighs/legs and add it to the pot, along with all those other ingredients.  Don't forget to skim the fat/foam from the top of the broth and add some bouillon/stock cubes if you want a stronger flavour.
  • I cook the spinach separately (either from fresh or frozen) and strain it REALLY well because I'm not a big fan of the taste of spinach-y water.  Ew.  Ok, where was I?  Oh yes...
  • Do not - I repeat, do NOT add the tortellini until you're practically ready to eat the soup.  It only takes about 3 minutes to cook and there's nothing more disgusting than soggy tortellini....except for maybe spinach-y water.  So if you're making a big pot in order to have left overs, you might want to remove a little of the soup stock to a separate (small) pot, cook your tortellini in it, and then add it to your bowl with the rest of the soup.  
  • I'm pretty sure I added a little onion and instead of dried basil and garlic powder, I use fresh for both (as much as you like).
  • Once it's in my bowl, I usually top it with a little parmesan-reggiano, too.  

It might be dangerous to post this recipe before I've tried it again, but I promise I'll amend the recipe after I eat it to let you know if it needs any more adjustments!  As of now, though, the chicken stock smells amazing!  Maybe I'll post a perfect-roast-chicken recipe later, too....

Ok - the after results - it was really good, actually.  I can never quite get the water to chicken ratio quite right so I added some bouillon cubes to give me a bit more flavour and that was really all I needed to do. As I was just using the bones (or carcass, which is such a gross word and should never be used in the same sentence as food or dinner!), I added a chicken breast which I just thew in the pot whole and then shredded when it was all cooked.  And that's about it - the bottom line is that it's good when you like the taste, so adjust or add whatever you want to make it just right for you!

Anyways, that's our dinner tonight - the perfect remedy for a rainy, chilly February evening.  We might watch Winter's Bone, too - have you seen that yet?  I'm trying to squeeze in all the Oscar noms before the big night which I'm pretty sure I cannot watch - and that gets me so annoyed that I just might have to eat another handful of those crisps or cupcake.

Have a great Friday-eve!

3 comments:

  1. Yum- that sounds great and so easy! And perfect for this kind of weather! I am trying an Italian sausage pasta bake this evening so I'll let you know how that goes.
    Roll on Friday!! :)

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  2. Yum! I will definitely have to try that one. Our weather has been absolutely beautiful so we are spending every waking moment outside and of course William is ready to eat the minute we come in so I need to have some recipes that can be thrown together fast.
    I definitely know what you mean by having a hard time thinking about what you accomplished. I found that if I make the bed and clean up the kitchen first thing in the morning then at least it looks like I did something :) William also really enjoys vacuuming and a freshly vacuumed rug/floor always makes it look like I spent the day cleaning :) And then there is always the trick of writing out my to-do list (even if I have already accomplished it) and checking off the list what I have done and leavning it out on the counter for Ryan to see...not that he cares but just so he knows I wasn't sitting around watching soaps and eating bon bon's all day.

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  3. Yes, I often am not sure what I accomplished at the end of the day. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I took care of two little people all day. The soup sounds wonderful. I need to get back to cooking! Maybe I will try this one!!!

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