Tortellini with Lemon Cream Sauce

 

Tortellini with Lemon Cream Sauce 

from The Cottage Home

Ingredients:

1 package fresh cheese tortellini (8 oz.)

3 tablespoons butter

1.5 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Begin cooking fresh tortellini according to package directions.

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add in heavy cream and bring to a boil.  Once you've reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium.  Add in the juice of one lemon, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Taste the sauce to check for salt and pepper.  I like a lot of pepper in my cream sauce and if it doesn't taste savory enough, it probably needs more salt.

Allow the sauce to bubble lightly until it reaches your desired consistency.  Once you are happy with the thickness of your sauce, reduce the heat to low until your tortellini is ready.

Drain tortellini and add to the large saucepan.  Toss to coat.  Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated black pepper and a slice of lemon.


Uh, DELISH. That's all. Not the most healthy meals, so only make it once in awhile. Or when you really need something satisfying!

creamy taco mac

Creamy Taco Mac

adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1¼ lbs. ground turkey

  8oz. dry pasta shapes (I used a whole 16 oz box)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

4 tbsp. taco seasoning

3 oz. cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook pasta according to the package directions.  Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink.  A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet.  Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.  Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

**my notes...this was delicious, fast, and easy. A staple in our house! Leftovers are just as good too!

Corn Chowder

Please forgive my poor photography skills, I'll work on it :) But believe me when I tell you that this was yummy and easy to make (two of my favorite things!).

Corn Chowder

"Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book"

Ingredients

6 ears fresh corn or 3 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 c. chopped onion (I used dried onion since the man is anti-onion texture)
1/2 c. chopped sweet green pepper (I skipped this)
1 tbl cooking oil
1 14 ounce can chicken broth
1 c cubed, peeled potato
4 tsp all-pupose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 c milk
3 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained and crumbled
2 tbl snipped fresh parsley

Directions

1. If using fresh corn, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs, set aside.

2. In a large saucepan cook onion and sweet pepper in hot oil until the onion is tender but not brown. (I skipped this step and moved right into the chicken broth. I added the dried onion at the same time I added the corn). Stir in the chicken broth and potato. Bring to boiling: reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 min. Stir in corn. COok, covered, about 10 min or until potato and corn are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and pepper. Stir milk into flour mixture; add to corn minture in saucepan. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 min more. Add bacon; heat through. If desired, garnish each serving with parsley.


~Cassy

salted caramel cupcakes

 I made these the other week-oh my! they were soo delish. That frosting is amazing, and then you add in caramel sauce? yup. It's all over. mmmm....

Salted Caramel Cupcakes
from Our Best Bites

CUPCAKES:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar (dark brown sugar is REALLY important!)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. milk

TO GO ON TOP:
Sara's Perfect Cupcake Frosting
About 1/2 c. caramel sauce
12 Werther's soft caramels
Dipping chocolate (just a wee bit), made with bittersweet or dark chocolate; I used 4 oz. of chocolate with 1 tsp. canola oil and had plenty leftover
Kosher or sea salt

I didn't do the chocolate dipped caramels on top cause I forgot to buy them, but it was still delicious.

Preheat oven to 350. Using 18 cupcake liners, line muffin tins. I used paper liners, but I think foil would be a better choice.

In another bowl (preferably the bowl of an electric mixer), combine sugars and butter together on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 1 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Prepare dipping chocolate. Dip the ugly side of the caramel into the chocolate, about halfway down the caramel. Place chocolate-side-up on a plate and then allow to harden. 
Prepare Sara's Perfect Cupcake Frosting. Very gently mix the caramel sauce or buttermilk syrup into the frosting--you want there to be swirls of caramel visible. Add a little more if you want--this is an art, not science here!After you've frosted the cupcakes, top each cupcake with a chocolate-dipped caramel and then sprinkle with a VERY scant sprinkling of Kosher or sea salt--it's just a little garnish and a really enhances the flavors of the cupcake.

...made this yummy peanut butter pie over Labor Day. Not the healthiest thing....but delish nonetheless. Recipe below in case you'd also like to go into a peanut butter chocolate coma like I did.

Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

1 prepared chocolate cookie pie crust 1 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup sugar 8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature) 4.5 cups (12oz. container) of non-dairy whipped topping, divided 1 jar Hot fudge topping, divided

Directions

Combine in a med. bowl, the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Gently fold in 3 cups whipped topping. Spoon mixture into the pie shell. Using a spatula, smooth mixture to edges of pie. Reserve 2 tbsp. of hot fudge topping and place remaining hot fudge topping into microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Microwave for 1 min. Stir.

Spread hot fudge topping over pie to cover the pnut butter layer. Refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, spread the remaining whipped topping (1.5 cups) over hot fudge layer, being careful not to mix the two layers. Place the 2 Tbs. hot fudge topping in a small plastic bag and knead for a few seconds. Cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle over pie. Do the same with 2 tbsp. peanut butter going in the opposite direction of the hot fudge topping.

chocolatey peanut butter cookies

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

What You Need

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup  peanut butter

2 eggs

1 pkg.  (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
BEAT cream cheese, peanut butter and eggs in large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 min. Add dry cake mix; beat on medium speed 1 min. or until mixture pulls away from side of bowl and forms soft dough. (See Tip.)
SHAPE into 44 (1-inch) balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Flatten each ball, in criss-cross pattern, with tines of fork dipped in sugar.
BAKE 7 to 8 min. or just until edges of cookies are set. (Do not overbake.) Cool on baking sheet 2 min. Remove to wire rack; cool completely. 

marshmallow fondant

Here is the recipe I've used for my marshmallow fondant-I've used it on quite a few cakes and it usually comes together easily for me, of course I've had stubborn batches, but not too  many. It's fun to make your own fondant, definitely cheaper than ready-made, and it tastes better. (according to my hubby, I don't eat it)

marshmallow fondant


 Carousel cake



Ice cream cone cake



Minnie Mouse cake