Tortellini Tuscan Stew

Yummm. Boy, was this good, especially since sous-chef Dick did all the chopping for me!

Here is the recipe:

Tortellini Tuscan Stew

1(2 lb) butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1" chunks
1 large zucchini cut in 1" chunks
1 large yellow summer squash, cut in 1" chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, cut in 1" dice (I did not use)
4 oz thin green beans, trimmed and cut in 2" lengths
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 ½ oz can chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tbs fresh oregano chopped
1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1 9 oz pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1 5 oz bag baby spinach
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese (I used more)

Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach, and Parmesan cheese, in a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours, or low 6 hours.

Uncover; turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover; continue to cook 15 minutes, or until pasta is almost tender.

Uncover; gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover; cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.

6 servings

Let me know if you try it, OK?

My shopping trip to Jo-Ann's was successful. It was a 'crafty' venture, not looking for fabric, but for ribbons and yarn. I found several colors of ribbons, and they were only fifty cents a roll! I'll post a photo of the project when it is completed. And for my half-off item (one only), I bought an ironing blanket. I know, not very exciting, but ironing is necessary occasionally and it is NOT one of my favorite chores. And at $8, it was the most expensive item in my basket, so I of course used it on that one.

So today we are stowing, hooking up the 'towed,' and pulling out, heading across the state to Tampa for a Monaco RV club rally that begins today and goes through Monday morning. The whole group will be eating at Ybor City's Colombia Restaurant tonight, complete with a flamenco dance performance. Alrighty. I'll let y'all know if it was hokey or not.

It will be fun seeing old friends...Sherman and Pat will be there, so we are excited about that! Then we are meeting up with special folks on Monday. Stay tuned...

Wonderful, windy Wednesday…

Last load of laundry going.  Check.

Dinner in the crock pot.  Check.

50% off coupon for Jo-Ann’s Fabrics.  Check.

I’m outta here!  See y’all tomorrow…

Read the directions!

And then you'll learn that the stew is to be cooked in the crock pot, silly. Boy, did I have a blonde moment at 4p yesterday when I started to prepare dinner. There was no way to do all the needed chopping, slicing and dicing and then have it simmer for a few hours and be able to eat it last night. Sigh. Fortunately I had a Plan B (leftovers reworked)...and postponed the stew until tomorrow. Cold shrimp tonight.

We are back to the moho after spending two hours at the local Social Security office. Dick turns 65 next month, so he had to go take care of business. Talk about chaotic and frustrating, that it was! Long lines, tinny sounding PA system...no fun, but I had a book to keep me occupied...and now Dick is all set with his registration with Medicare. He happily got to cancel his part of our medical insurance with BCBS. Woohoo...more travel funds!!!

Life is good!

Bud's chicken!

Dick had a hankerin' for Bud's chicken last night...heart attack on a plate, but oh so good! See those little balls on the L? Those are the bestest corn fritters on earth! One disappeared first, and I saved the second one for dessert. And no, I didn't eat all those fries...

Tonight will be a sensible Tortellini Tuscan Stew, a new recipe I found that I want to try out.

So what's for dinner at your house?

Just another day...

Ribbit. Ribbit.

I love this little fella. He can bring a smile to any sad face and probably ward off evil spirits.

It's just another windy day in paradise, not doing much.

Surely YOU are having fun today...so tell me what it is, k?

Preschooler test...

Preschooler test.............now think about it.

I already knew I was dumber than the fifth graders...but now it's the preschoolers.

A PRE-SCHOOL TEST FOR YOU

Which way is the bus below traveling? To the left or to the right? Can't make up your mind? Look carefully at the picture again. Still don't know? Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture and asked the same question. 90% of the pre-schoolers gave this answer:

"The bus is traveling to the left." When asked, "Why do you think the bus is traveling to the left?" They answered, "Because you can't see the door to get on the bus."

How do you feel now??? I know; me, too. But my excuse is that I always walked to school!

Have a nice Saturday!

Friday funny...

The Bagpiper and the funeral

As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a grave-side service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back-country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost; and being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left, and they were eating lunch. I felt bad and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down, and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played "Amazing Grace," the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I was opening the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "Sweet Mother of Jesus, I never seen nothin' like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for over twenty years."

Have a fun Friday!