Spinach & Cheese Tortellini Salad

This is a really easy yummy salad that looks pretty too.  This is one of those recipes that doesn't have exact measurements. You can make a lot or a little. 

• 1-2 Bags raw fresh spinach
• Box of cherry tomatoes
• Can of black olives-sliced
• 1 Bag of fresh cheese tortellini - Boil for 5-6 minutes, then drain, then cool before adding it to the salad.  Be careful not to overcook the noodles because then they get really mushy.  
• 1 bottle of Italian dressing
• Shredded Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese

*Combine Spinach, tomatoes, olives, tortellini in a large bowl. Pour and toss the dressing over the salad and then toss in the cheese.  

Black Bean Soup

This is definitely my go-to soup! It is so yummy, easy, and fills you up! Madison requests this soup all the time. Serve with chips, warm pita wedges or great with a Cheese Quesadilla.


INGREDIENTS:
• 2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or lately I have been using dried black beans but you have to think to cook them before hand)
• 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 tsp ground cumin

TOPPINGS:

• Sour cream
• Chopped cilantro
• Shredded Cheese
• Chips
• Avocados
• Warm pita wedges
• Cheese Quesadilla
  

PREPARATION:
Lightly puree one can of black beans with broth, salsa and cumin in a blender. In a
medium saucepan combine pureed bean mixture with remaining beans and heat
through.Top each bowl with your choice of toppings.

Caribbean Passion-ish Smoothie

We are huge Jamba Juice fans here at our house and Caribbean Passion is our favorite flavor, so when we found this recipe, we had to try it.
It is so good! Both Beau and I were totally shocked at how similar it is to the original. We couldn't tell the difference at all!

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup frozen orange-peach-mango juice concentrate (Dole)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1 cup tropical sherbet (we used orange flavored sherbet)
1/2 cup ice cubes

• Pour the water into the blender. Add the frozen fruit juice, strawberries, peaches, sherbet and ice.
• Blend until no big chunks of ice or frozen fruit are left. You want the smoothie to be ... smooth. But also thick. Don't let it get runny.

Try this! It's seriously so good and an awesome way to get your kids to eat fruit with not a lot of sugar.

Hollandaise Sauce

This is a simple but super good hollandaise sauce recipe that I make a lot to drizzle on asparagus or dip artichokes in (artichoke season starts this month!).
It can be a little tricky to make correctly, but the key is to do it slowly over a really low heat so that the eggs don't scramble, and to whisk constantly.

1 cube butter
2 egg yokes
3 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled, it doesn't matter)

Add all ingredients together in a small sauce pan and whisk constantly over a low heat until it's combined and almost the consistency of pudding, but not quite as stiff as pudding.

Coconut Syrup

This coconut syrup is amazing! I could eat it by the spoonful.
We especially love it on pancakes topped with strawberries.

1 cube of butter (No substitutes)
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of real buttermilk
Mix contents together and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Let
boil for 2 minutes then remove from stove and add:
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp of coconut extract
CAUTION: When baking soda and coconut flavor is added and stirred in,
the syrup expands to almost double the size.

ENJOY!

Macaroni & Cheese

My friend Nat made this for lunch one day when the girls and I were visiting and I was surprised at how easy it really is! Now we make it all the time instead of boxed mac'n cheese.

Ingredients:

cooked noodles (we use all shapes)

butter

flour

milk

grated cheese

salt and pepper

optional:

garlic powder (if you want it to taste like Granny Davis')

or

mustard powder (if you want it to taste like Pioneer Womans)

Directions:

cook and strain noodles

make a rough with butter and flour

add milk and wisk until thickened

add cheese and wisk until smooth

add salt and pepper to taste

add either garlic or mustard if desired

Easy Yummy Banana Bread

This is a recipe my Mom gave me from a lady in Tropic. I have added the changes that I do to the side of the ingredients. I have made this a lot and it is easy, fast, and always turns out soooo yummy!

I took the picture on my phone so it's not the best picture...

3 ripe mashed bananas (I usually use 4)
¾ C. butter (I split this in half and use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil)
1 ½ C. sugar
2 eggs will beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
½ C. buttermilk (I never have buttermilk on hand so I make my own by just putting 1/2 cup of milk in a cup and adding a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit about 5 min. and then you have buttermilk.)

Cream butter & sugar blend in bananas, eggs, vanilla. Sift flour, soda, salt (all dry) then add this mixture alternatively with the buttermilk. Bake @ 325 for 1 hour.