Cream of Tortellini Soup: Crockpot Recipe

This was a Pinterest find.  The original source can be found at Better Homes and Gardens.  I am a soup fanatic, but, alas, in pure tragedy style, the soup lover married the man who doesn't think soup is a meal.  In order to sway his soup disdaining heart, I added loads of Italian sausage to the recipe and made my broth extra rich and thick.  I won his heart.  Yay!

Next time I will add more chicken broth to my soup (I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth) in order to make this less rich, and I will keep the sausage.  I left off the mushrooms, which would have immediately caused a veto from hubby.  As many of the comments infer, "white sauce" wasn't found at my store, so a packet of Alfredo mix did the trick.  It was a very filling and enjoyable meal--especially on a chilly evening when even the peeps here in Southern California were wearing jackets and scarves.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1
  1 1/2 - 2 ounce envelope white sauce mix (see above)
• 4
  cups water
• 1
  14 ounce can vegetable broth (see above)
• 1 1/2
  cups sliced fresh mushrooms (see above)
• 1/2
  cup chopped onion
• 3
  cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2
  teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1/4
  teaspoon salt
• 1/4
  teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/8
  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1
  7 - 8 ounce package dried cheese tortellini (about 2 cups)
• 1
  12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 6
  cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
• Ground black pepper (optional)
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Place dry white sauce mix in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting (in crock pot) for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3. Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 45 minutes more.

4. Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts (Creamy Tortellini Soup)

Friday Favorites: 11-4-11

I had SO much fun speaking about crafting/blogging and the holidays with a group of young moms at church this morning.  I was speaking to an audience of over 100 women--some who are crafting experts, and some who have NEVER even seen a craft blog, so I had to keep the ideas general but applicable to everyone.  I think it worked and was a nice morning for all!

Next weekend is the weekend I am throwing my autumn bridal shower!  I can't wait to share the pictures, ideas and tutorials with you!

For now, here are some fun ideas from the week!

On Etsy, I found these pom poms made from doilies on Myhaleygirl!  This actually looks EASIER than the tissue paper poms that are so popular right now.  I have been dreading the poofing of the poms for the bridal shower--maybe I'll try these!



Oh, Crafts! came up with this cute stamp idea for packages and for letters.  Since Christmas is coming, this would be a fun idea for any Christmas Card envelopes you are sending.  Just exchange the pink for gold or Christmas colors . . . If you can't find a tag stamp, just cut a sponge or foam in the shape of a tag!



Somewhat Simple created and shared some free Thanksgiving printables.  print, cut and fold in half on a toothpick or lollipop stick in order to make cupcake toppers, or cute decor for each slice of pumpkin pie!




Armelle--cute blog I just found--love it--posted some cute Thanksgiving table decorations for the kiddie table--or the young in heart.



Sweet Pea's Kitchen shared an awesome sweet potato recipe for Thanksgiving.  Instead of peeling and casseroling the sweet potatoes, how about just serving them in the skin like a twice baked potato?  Fun presentation and easy--win, win!



Catch My Party shared these frree, darling Thanksgiving printables from Love the Day.  I love the non-traditional colors!



The Hungry Mouse shared a pumpkin, brown sugar cheesecake in a chocolate, shortbread crust.  YUMMMM!



The photo completely sold me on this one, but Flickr had a homemade caramel recipe from Betty Crocker packaged in cute little Christmas jars.  My neighbors would be pretty happy to get one of these!


Okay, I am getting hungry (I love yummy holiday recipes). . . and it is dinner time.  We are off to PF Chang to use a gift card and enjoy a treat!  Have a great weekend!

Give Thanks Activity Sign

For years, I hung an Oriental Trading Company "Thankfulness Tree" on the back of our front door.  Each day, the kiddos would list something for which they were thankful on a paper leaf, and we would create a beautiful thankfulness tree.  Well, my now two and a half year old lived up to his name, "Destructo", and he ripped the tree trunk to pieces last year. 

Since I just received my Silhouette Cameo and I needed to create a new thankfulness activity for our family, I got out a spare canvas, some extra fall scrapbooking papers, and I got to work!

First, I sprayed adhesive on my canvas and cut a piece of scrapbook paper to lay on top.

I designed the Give Thanks! lettering and then added 1 Thessalonians 5:18 on my Silhouette software.

I hooked my computer up to the Silhouette cutting machine.

Here is the Cameo.  I love it!

I hot glued 4 pieces of brown ribbon to the bottom, back of the canvas so that each of our family members could clip thankful leaves onto the ribbons.

I made leaves on the Silhouette and cut out 10 per person in our family.

My little Destructo holds up my sign so far . . . I just used clothespins to pin on thankful leaves.

I glued on my Silhouette letters and some ric rac as a border.

I pinned the leaves onto the ribbon--ready for our "thankful for" notes.

Ready to go!

My first thankful note is that I'm thankful for Fall Fest--our church's Harvest Carnival.  It was a fun night!

Here is a close up of the papers I used for the leaves.

Enjoy!  Whether you make a thankful tree or thankfulness ribbon hanger, make sure you practice thankfulness this November!

I linked this to:

Friday Favorites: 10-27-11

I have absolutely loved using my Silhouette Cameo this week!  I didn't even get to hook it up until Monday, but I've made two garland banners and two signs for the upcoming bridal shower I'm throwing. 

I have had a lot of friends ask me about the Cameo--what is it?  It is an electronic cutting tool, but, unlike the Cricket, it is completely off your computer.  You download software and then have access to an online library of thousands of shapes, fonts, outlines, etc.  Each download is about 99 cents.  So, I only have to spend several dollars on one party or theme rather than buying a whole "cartridge" for 50-80 dollars with theme shapes I might only use once or twice.  You can read more about the machine here.

So far, I've used only cardstock with my machine, but it cuts vinyl and fabric too.  I know all three will come in really handy.  I will be able to make signs and those cute baby onesie gifts lickity split! 

AND, Silhouette is not endorsing me or giving me anything to talk about them.  I'm not even a blip on their radar, but some bigger crafting blogs--including the Silhouette blog--are giving away free Cameos right now!  Enter and see if you can win one!  I am LOVING mine.

So, I haven't been posting tons of projects on my blog.  I am sorry!  It isn't that I'm not doing projects, but I'm busy making projects I can't share yet!  I am throwing an autumn themed bridal shower on November 12th, which I can't wait to share with you--creams, whites, golds and tans will be our color scheme, with a fun appetizer bar and favor bags.  I can't wait to show you!  (I did preview the cream pumpkin centerpieces on the Calico and Cupcakes Facebook Page). 

I am also throwing a crafting boutique--the first official sales for the Calico and Cupcakes SHOP--on November 27th!  I will be posting my products as soon as I start crafting them--Christmas decor!

Oh, and, since I'm not busy (ha, HA!), I'm speaking on crafting at our church's young mom's outreach group on the 4th of November.  Whew! 

Somewhere in all that November craziness is my hubby's birthday.  I need help.  I really want to encourage him this year--he is a hardworker looking for a new job to provide for us.  Does anyone have any low cost ideas for celebrating and encouraging your spouse?  We have a gift card for a fun date night to celebrate, but I want to give him some really thoughtful gifts or activities.  Ideas would be much appreciated!

Okay, okay.  Enough "blah, blah, blah" from me.  It is time for Friday Favorites!  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Can you believe November begins next week?  Craftgossip.com shared a cute kiddie favor from Parents.com for the Thanksgiving table or for your favorite little gobbler.  All you need is felt, googly eyes and a Tootsie Roll Pop.



Craftily-Ever-After.blogspot.com made pilgrim hats to decorate the Thanksgiving table.  Reeses, frosting and a cookie are all you need for this cute decorative dessert.



El Mundo Reciclaje (Okay, Lucia, is that The Recycled World?  My Spanish is rusty.)  shared a cheap easy way to make pumpkin centerpieces.  You will need a dryer vent cut into pieces, spray paint, a cinnamon stick and some Spanish Moss.  So cute!



Disney Family Fun gave us a cute neighborhood scavenger hunt to do with the family on Thanksgiving.  Some of the points might not apply to sunny, warm southern California, but you could write up your own fun list of things you know you could find in your neighborhood!



Okay, this has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but monogramed balloons--can you say GENIUS!?  If you have a vinyl cutter, you could use that, but this tutorial from Life in Wonderland just has you cutting out printed letters and attaching them to the balloon.  What a BEAUTIFUL and personal touch for a party!




Finally, am I the only person who hasn't tried a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks?  You have NO idea how much I love caramel.  It has taken every ounce of diet will power to not try one.  Sigh.  I can enjoy perusing salted caramel recipes, though, and here are two that looked yummy!

The Greedy Gourmand made a salted caramel and vanilla baked cheesecake.  Look at these pictures!



52 Kitchen Adventures shared a recipe for a salted caramel mocha.  Looks. . . So . . . Good! 




I'm off to San Diego with the family this weekend for a little relaxation and rest!  Yahoo!  I pray your weekend is blessed too!

Friday Favorites: October 21, 2011

              
Yes, this was on my doorstep last night.  I know!  I am beside myself excited.  I watched the training video and read the quick start guide, but this is going to be a huge learning curve.  Once I understand it, I will be able to do SO many things with this Silhouette Cameo.  I am giddy!

I also set up my Etsy shop this week--nothing for sale yet, but that will change once I get the Cameo purring.  The shop IS officially open, though.  I just need to list some items . . .

Well, there are some fun inspiration ideas this week.  Enjoy, and happy Friday!

Okay, I love that I can discover new online stores from finding cute outfits on Pinterest.  I thought this dress would be so cute with a cardigan, tights and cowboy boots.  It is from La Posh Style, which is completely affordable and carries some really cute items.  Check it out!




OhDeeDoh created children's book placemats.  This is such a fun idea for a book themed birthday party or for Dr. Suess Day at school!  Get an old book from Goodwill or one that is missing pages, etc. in your own library.  Laminate the pages and create placemats.  SO fun!



Instructables.com showed us a really easy clip to make for those of you with girls.  What a cute idea for Christmas parties and celebrations.  It is just ribbon, an alligator clip and glue. . .



Re-nest posted 5 great ways to get your home smelling like fall for your seasonal get togethers.  There is nothing better than the smell of cloves, cinnamon and apples.



Le Choses de Marie showed us a creative and amazing smelling way to display candles in your fall decor.  Genius and so pretty!



Midwest Living gave us a delicious recipe for creamy artichoke lasagna.  Talk about comfort food!



If you are trying to be good, like me, here is a healthier recipe.  Aggie's Kitchen shared a spicy shrimp and avocado lettuce wrap. Yum!



Finally, let's end with something sweet.  Dreamy Desserts made Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.  What a fun treat for the fall season!



I hope you found something pretty or tasty or fun to make!  Enjoy your weekend!

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Cupcakes and the Famous Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

              

So, I have to confess I'm having a bad day.  I've realized it doesn't take much to throw me off my game, though.  A not so nice worker yelled at me at the car dealer (long story), and, though I tried to apologize for something I am not so sure was my mistake, I got a head shake, something muttered under her breath, rolled eyes and heavy sigh aimed in my direction.

I'm learning about the folly of pride in WBS this week AND heard about it in Sunday's sermon.  I love it when God makes it clear He wants me to pay attention to something.  It is a good thing, because my prideful self wanted to report the rudeness to her manager and also give her a piece of my mind at how she treated me.  Truly, though, I am guessing SHE was having a bad morning and needed the grace that she wasn't giving to me.  It was my opportunity to show humility and grace.  Ouch.  Pruning hurts.

Then, when I attempted to be nice and fill up my husband's car with gas for him, I had a strange man knocking on my driver door as I was ready to pull away.  I am always nervous about people approaching me when I am getting gas in my car--safety issues and all.  I gave him the best authoritative glare I could muster from my 5'3" frame and gave him an untrusting, "Yes?"  He smiled nicely (so much more than I deserved with my snippy "YES?") and said my son's cardoor was slightly ajar.  Sigh.  He was being nice.  My defenses melted, and I thanked him profusely.  I was shown grace from him and reminded again of my need to be humble ALL THE TIME.  I can be safe, aware and humble all at once--no snippy words needed.

Anyway, that has NOTHING to do with pumpkin cupcake muffins, but I had to share my morning and be real. 

NOW, a lot of you have seen this recipe on Pinterest, but these semi-sweet muffins--cupcakes if you will--are really good.  They are from the blog Sweet Verbena.  The best part is they only need TWO ingredients!  They call for a box of cake mix (unprepared) and a 15 oz. can of pumpkin.  I read through the comments on the original blog and saw some people added chocolate chips, so I, OF COURSE, added about 1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips into the mix.  I also used spice cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix in the picture.

Here is the recipe--short and sweet:
1 box of cake mix--unprepared (I used spice cake)
1 can of pumpkin (15 ounce)
1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Put into cupcake wrappers or muffin tins and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes

Now, the best part is that I topped them with my mom's famous cream cheese frosting.  I grew up with this stuff, and it always makes me happy.  I am warning you, though, I have a SERIOUS sweet tooth--not chocolate, but SUGAR--and this stuff is sweet.  If you are more of a bitterweet chocolate person, this might be the perfect muffin for your sweet frosting, because the muffins aren't as sweet as a regular cupcake.  It takes the edge off the sugar.

Mom's Famous Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 box of powdered sugar
1 package of cream cheese, 8 oz.
1 stick of butter
1 tsp. of vanilla

Mix the wet ingredients at low speed until blended.  Then add the powdered sugar a little at a time with a medium speed mixer until it is all blended. 

Enjoy! 

Friday Favorites: 10-14-11

I haven't been able to chat about my church women's retreat last weekend.  It was amazing!  We studied I Corinthians 13 and dove into a deep study of godly, sacrificial love.  I am walking away with a goal to work on patience and not being so intent to have my own way.  I was heading up the greeting at the retreat for the first time, which was really fun.  I got to meet many new women and also come out of my shell a bit. 

I forgot my camera (so sad!), but my church had photographers there.  If I remember I'll post some of the church's pictures on the blog.

I have been keeping busy by making baby gifts, making invitations for my sister's wedding shower--so excited to share all the details with you when I host that in mid-November, decorating pumpkins for our ministry wives' workshop this weekend and gearing up for a boutique sale with some friends at the end of  November.  Oh, and I'm a guest speaker on crafting at a young mom's group at our church in early November.  Ha!  I have a lot on my plate, but I love it all!

Here are some fun ideas from the week.  Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend!


Six Sisters Stuff made 4 ingredient Rolo cookies.  Have I mentioned I am a caramel fanatic?  Sigh.



Parmesan Hashbrown Cups?  Yes, please!  Thank you



Pieced Pasttimes shared a beautiful tutorial on making a subway art sign.  The directions are clear and the outcome is beautiful!



I love Lisa Leonard for many reasons, and she, of course, gives a cost effective, beautiful project for Christmas.  Take a 5 dollar Ikea doormat and paint the stencil JOY.  This would be fun with placemats, canvas art, etc. 



Stay at Home Artist had a guest blogger, The OBriens, make such fun, whimsical fabric pom pom necklaces.  We are used to the strand poms or rolled flowers, but this is dainty and fun without being SO crafty and such a large statement.  Plus, this is insanely easy to do.




I love Tidy Mom.  She is a really nice blogger who keeps it real and always has fun ideas.  Tis the season for bringing appetizers, and this puff pastry garlic chicken puffs look delish!