Crazy Cooking Challenge #5 - Chicken Tortellini Soup

This month's challenge is chicken noodle soup!  I wanted to find something a bit different, and this chicken tortellini soup qualifies.  It has a light and delicate flavor but is hearty and filling at the same time.  I found this recipe over at The Happy Housewife.    Thanks, Happy Housewife!

I wasn't sure what the kids would think about this soup that appears so different from the other soups that I make, but both loved it.  My Little Man happily exclaimed that he liked this fun dinner.

So here's how to make this super-fast, very healthy soup.  As usual, I couldn't leave the recipe well enough alone.  My changes will be in italics nearby.


You'll need:

2 c. shredded chicken
1 bag frozen cheese tortellini        I used ravioli - worked just the same.
3 c. chicken broth
3 c. water
salt                         I skipped this.
pepper
adobo seasoning           I skipped this, too.
diced onion                  I skipped this but added a dash of garlic powder instead.
Italian seasoning
1 can of Rotel             You got it!  I skipped this, too.


I added 1/2 c. grated Parmesan and 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach, washed, de-stemmed, and chopped.

1. In a large pot, combine the chicken, broth, water, and tortellini.
2. Add the seasonings (and other extras) and cook over medium heat.
3. Stir occasionally.  When broth bubbles, set timer for 7 minutes.
4. Serve and enjoy!

So, voila!  Dinner is served, and in only 10 minutes.  Yum!

What's your favorite kind of soup?

(I'm also linking this up to the Pinterest Challenge - because I've had this pinned for weeks!)

The Great Pinterest Challenge #3 - Antique Window Picture Frame

My husband bought me an antique window mirror for a wedding gift, and I love it.  So when I saw this chalkboard window on Pinterest, it made me curious.

How else could I use an antique window?

I started working on that idea.

While on our Creeper Trail vacation this summer, we found several antique windows, and I bought two.

I decided that this space above The Big Helper's bed would be the perfect place for one window.  I found some great photographs of castles and thought it fit her room perfectly to "frame" a poster-sized castle photo with the window.

Unfortunately, getting the printing rights to the photos wasn't easy - and then I had another brainstorm in Disney.

What better photo than Cinderella's castle?

To make the frame, first I washed the window and painted it white.  (To make this job easier, I cut up scrap paper and taped it inside.

At a balmy 79 degrees, it was too warm to be inside - and so My Little Man and I took the window to the grass and added brackets for hanging.

Making the picture fit inside wasn't easy.  Because my camera is rather elderly, my photo couldn't be enlarged enough to fit the window.  It took a friend, two poster prints, and several hours of cutting and measuring to make it all work out.  (I'm not exactly a precise person - and if your photo were big enough, you could have this project done in a snap.)

Voila!  The finished product.  Because my Big Helper was already asleep, hanging it will wait until tomorrow.  Doesn't the white frame (the woodwork in her room is also white, matching her other windows) pop?

** Voting for the Great Pinterest Challenge opens on October 28th.  I'd appreciate your votes.   Thanks for the inspiration, Ruffled!

The Great Pinterest Challenge #3 -Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

It's time for the next Pinterest challenge!

I decided to make these Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps from The Other Side of Fifty.  I'm so glad I did - they are savory and sweet all at the same time.  The crispiness of the bacon sets off the tenderness of the chicken perfectly.  I served this as the protein part of our dinner one night because I just couldn't wait any longer to try them - and now that I have, they'll be a regular part of our party menu.


These wraps are super simple to make, and if you are making them for a party, you could have them prepped ahead and in the fridge, ready to pop in the oven when your guests arrive.  


Here's what I did:


Cut a pound of skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenders into one-inch square pieces.  Cut 1/2 pound of bacon strips into 1/3s.


Wrap each piece of chicken with a strip of bacon and 'pin' with a toothpick.  (I also stuck a small sliver of onion into each.  It tasted great, but I think it would've been better if I had caramelized the onions first so that the texture would be more similar to that of the chicken.)


In a small dish, combine:


2/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. ground red pepper
1 t. chili powder
dash of freshly ground black pepper


Dredge each appetizer in the brown sugar mixture and place on a baking rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet.  (I used a broiler pan, which kept most of my meat out of the grease.)


Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 degrees.


Enjoy!


** Voting for the Pinterest Challenge opens on October 28th.  I'd appreciate your votes - and be sure to pin these wraps.  They're wonderful!  Thanks, The Other Side of Fifty!

The Great Pinterest Challenge #2 - and TWO GIVEAWAYS!

Do you pin?

I'm a big fan of the newest social website - Pinterest.  (If you know all about Pinterest, feel free to skip the red words below ....)

If you haven't heard of it, it's basically a site that lets you build your own bulletin boards online, virtually 'pin' pictures to them (which are then linked automatically back to their home site), and easily share them with your friends.  I love this because I can see at a glance why I 'bookmarked' or pinned something - no more wondering why I have that link on my browser bar - and I can quickly get new ideas just by going back to the Pinterest home page.  That's where the recently pinned projects of my friends show up (also in pictures).  This is great for visual people like me.  

The best part?  It's all FREE!  :-)

Last month, Rebecca over at Better Life Bags started a create-it challenge involving Pinterest, and it's bigger and better this month.  Here's how it works:

To enter the challenge, you personally make something that you've pinned.  It can be a recipe, a sewn item, a DIY project, or a general craft.  Then, you submit a picture both of the original pinned item and your creation to the host of your particular category.  Voting is then opened up on Facebook for one week, and the project that gets the most 'likes' wins prizes, currently worth more than $125.

My Big Helper and I have entered projects in two of the above categories.  Now, I don't think I'm particularly greedy, but it's JUST PLAIN FUN to see all of these other projects.  It's fun to be a part of something happening out there in cyberspace.  Knowing there's a deadline to enter keeps us motivated to work on some of these projects we've been wanting to do.  AND, we're getting new ideas for new projects all the time - and that means more crafty-cooking time with my little girl.  :-)

So, we want to share the fun.  We'll give a homemade journal with a recipe card for our Brownie Sundae Cheesecake away if we reach our goal number of votes in either category by the end of voting time.  Whether we win or not.


Here's how to enter:

1.  Go to Happy Go Lucky on FB to vote for our journal or Topsy Turvy on FB to vote for our Brownie Sundae Cheesecake.
2.  When you arrive at either page, you must first 'like' that particular company.  Then you'll be allowed to 'like' as many pictures as you want.
3.  After' liking' the company, please like our entries.  Feel free to like and vote for any others you'd like while there.
4.  Then come back here and leave a comment telling us that you voted.  Leave a second comment if you voted for each category.  (Make sure that I have a way of contacting you if you win.)  That's it!

Voting ends this weekend.  If we reach more than 20 likes in either category, we'll choose one comment randomly and send out a homemade journal with a cheesecake recipe card included.  If we get to 20 likes in BOTH categories, we'll send out two!  (Books can be mailed within the United States only.  We'll chose the winner(s) on Monday, and they will be notified by email.  Winner(s) will then have 48 to reply or a new winner will be chosen.)

Happy voting!  (And if you're a Pinhead, I'd love to meet you! You can find me by clicking on the red Pinterest banner over on the right hand side of this post.)

Come back on Saturday for an update on the Great Eastern Earthquake - assuming that Hurricane Irene hasn't knocked out the power.