And a polar fleece blanket. That's all I need.

- Jeanne (NanaBread)

NanaBread's Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Blondies. Wish you could smell them!

If that name sounds a little confusing, I’m with you. The truth is, this recipe is a combination of two of my favorites – buttery shortbread and soft, chewy sugar cookies. And you know what? It works. It has all of the glorious flavor of butter shortbread with the soft chewy texture of a good sugar cookie. Throw in some dried cranberries and some toasted pecans, and you have what I’m calling Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Blondies. Works for me!

Here’s how to make them for your family:

2 sticks (8 ozs.) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 extra-large or jumbo egg
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted & finely chopped
1/3 cup turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

Pre-heat your oven to 350F, then line a 13″ x 9″ baking pan with parchment paper. I like to leave some hanging over each side, making a sling which allows the cooled cookies to be removed from the pan more easily. Set the pan aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and granulated sugar; beat slowly until combined, then turn to med-high speed and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the salt and flour. Stir in the cranberries and nuts and toss to coat them with flour.

Turning the mixer to low speed, add the flour mixture and beat just until well combined. The dough will be thick. Using a spatula, turn the dough out into the baking pan. Using another sheet of parchment or waxed paper, cover the dough and using your hands, press the dough out to each side, smoothing it into a uniform thickness (mine was about 3/4″ thick). Once your cookie dough is smooth and even, remove the top sheet of paper.

Score your cookie dough & sprinkle with turbinado sugar crystals

Using a bench scraper or metal spatula (I grew up calling them pancake flippers), score the dough as you would for shortbread. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the cookie dough. Place on the middle rack in the center of your oven and bake 30-40 minutes, or until the cookies have that fabulous browned butter smell and are a light golden brown. When I bake buttery shortbread cookies, I always know when they’re done by the smell. If you know what I’m talking about, raise your hand. It’s such a heavenly aroma.

A bench scraper is the perfect tool for shaping & cutting these cookies

Once done, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Using the same bench scraper or spatula, cut the cookies along the score lines. Now all you need is a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of tea. Then treat yourself. Sit back and savor the contrast of flavors and textures – tart cranberries paired with buttery shortbread; soft chewy crumb with a crunchy sugar topping. Maybe I’m playing favorites, but I think this cookie has it all.

Soft and chewy; buttery and tangy; and totally addictive

I apologize for all the sugar on the blog for the past week. I promise I’ll make it up to you next week with something savory or a craft tutorial. Deal? Awesome!

Ice cream wrapped in a chocolate cake hug & smothered in more chocolate.

What you’ll need to pull this off:
1 cake mix + the oil, eggs & water to go with it
2 pints of your favorite ice cream (I chose two flavors)
2 bottles of Magic Shell chocolate ice cream coating
Candy melts, nonpareils, or other decorative touches
Heart-shaped cookie cutter (or round, square or other)
Parchment paper & various baking pans

1. Starting with a dark chocolate fudge cake mix (yes, a cake mix), I mixed it according to the package directions except for one small thing. I substituted 1/4 cup of Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate syrup for 1/4 cup of the water. Because nothing compliments chocolate like more chocolate.

2. I covered a sheet cake pan with parchment paper and spread the cake batter in a thin layer (about 1/4″). That sounds thin, but the batter puffs to about 1/2″ when it’s done. I baked it at 350F until the cake was slightly springy to the touch and a toothpick came out clean. Once out of the oven, I let it cool to room temperature, then slid the entire sheet pan into the freezer for at least one hour so the cake would be firm enough to cut without falling apart.

3. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, I cut the cake into 8 hearts (each about 4″ wide) and placed them back in the freezer while I prepared the ice cream. Note: to make 4 individual-size ice cream cakes, you’ll need 8 cake cutouts and 4 ice cream cutouts in whichever shape you choose.

4. For the ice cream layer, I selected a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream. I softened both in the microwave for 30-40 seconds, stirred to loosen them up, then poured each pint into a parchment-lined pan. I spread the ice cream into a 1/2″ thick layer and placed both pans back into the freezer to firm up.

I 'heart' cake and ice cream.

5. Once the ice cream was firm, I used the same cookie cutter to cut the ice cream into heart shapes. I then stacked an ice cream slice onto 4 hearts and topped them with another cake heart. I pressed ever so lightly to set the layers together, but not so hard as to cause the ice cream to squish out. I popped it all back into the freezer to firm up again. As you can see, these take very little work, but a bit of time as each stage goes back into the freezer to set up.

6. Once the ice cream cakes were good and cold, I removed them one at a time and covered them in Magic Shell. Ever used Magic Shell? It’s liquid chocolate in a bottle that sets up into a hard chocolate shell when it hits cold ice cream and it makes a lovely, smooth coating for ice cream cakes. Again, they go back into the freezer for 10 minutes, or until the Magic Shell is firm.

7. To decorate, I melted pink candy melts over a double boiler, then scraped it into a baggie, snipped off the corner of the bag, and quickly piped decorative touches on the cakes. Some got crisscrossed hash marks (as seen above) and some got piped pink hearts. The hearts got a liberal sprinkling of pink nonpareils because they look so pretty. And what girl doesn’t love pastel nonpareils?

Pink candy melts and nonpareils make everything prettier.

8. Once they’re done, store your ice cream cakes in an air-tight container in your freezer. To serve, simply plate about 5 minutes before serving. Well, I say 5 minutes because I live in Houston and it’s always warm down here. If you live in a colder climate, set them out about 10 minutes before serving.

The great thing about this simple version of ice cream cake is that it’s limited only by your imagination and the selection of cake mixes and ice cream sold at your neighborhood store. Pick your favorite ice cream, then pair it with a complimentary cake mix, and you’ll be off to the races. Strawberry cake with banana split ice cream? Why not? Fudge cake with coffee ice cream? Sounds divine! Butter cake with pecan praline? When should I come over? Now go forth and bake, my minions. Bake and slather cake layers in ice cream. You’ll be surprised at how easy these are to make.

Don’t forget to check out this week’s posts from my fellow bloggers:

Monday – Filled Cupcakes from Kirsten at Comfortably Domestic
Tuesday – Molten Lava Cake from Mads at La Petite Pancake
Wednesday – Ice Cream Cakelettes from NanaBread (hey, that’s me!)
Thursday – Petite Bundt Cakes by Kat at Tenaciously Yours
Friday – Pupcakes from Allison at Decadent Philistines Save the World
Saturday – Ombre Rose Cake from Megan at Wanna Be A Country Cleaver

Now for the really fun part. Kirsten, our fearless leader, is celebrating Cake Week with a linky party. If you have a favorite cake recipe you’ve blogged about, click here to link up and join the fun. If you’re more of a cake lover than cake blogger, drop by! It’s a great way to add new recipes to your repertoire. Just click any link photo to open the blog page and view the recipe. It’s like finding a collection of cake recipe cards, but more fun and with better photos!

Now if you’ll excuse me, this girl’s got a date with an ice cream cake.

If you need me, I'll be hiding in a closet so I don't have to share. Sorry, honey.

Blueberry Crumb Cake - simply beautiful, simply delicious

NanaBread’s Blueberry Crumb Cake:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of table salt
1/2 cup (one stick) of butter, softened
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla, if you prefer)
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg. dried wild blueberries (3 to 4 ounces)

For the crumb topping:
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter, softened

Optional Glaze:
4 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 – 1 tablespoon of milk

To start, pre-heat your oven to 400F. Prepare an 8″ x 8″ square pan. I use parchment paper to make a paper sling, then lightly spray it with cooking spray.

To start the cake batter combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl, mixing with a wire whisk to blend as well as remove any lumps. Set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then add the sugar and continue to beat for 2 minutes more. Add the egg and almond extract; mix just until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Add the milk and mix to incorporate, then finish with the other half of the flour mixture, stopping just before the flour is fully incorporated. For a tender crumb cake, you don’t want to over mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the blueberries, and finish incorporating the flour and berries with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

To make the crumb topping, combine the sugars, flour and softened butter in a mixing bowl. Beat with a wire whisk until it forms soft, lumpy crumbs. Spoon them evenly over the cake batter and place in the middle of the center rack of the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean from the center of the cake.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before glazing or serving.

If you’d like to make the optional glaze, place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 30-45 seconds, or until the cream cheese is completely softened. Whisk in the flavorings, then slowly whisk in the powdered sugar. Add enough milk to thin to the consistency you like. Spoon or pour over the top and serve.

Makes 4 very large servings or 9 regular servings.

Now, I’m off to have a slice with my coffee this morning. Care to join me?

Care to join me for breakfast? Coffee or tea?

Are you ready for some football..... food?

Who says women can’t enjoy football food? Or even football, for that matter. Okay, I’m just bluffing. I’m not really that into football, but I stand by my statement that good football food is not just for the guys. Last night, I hosted a Ladies Night for 8 friends with a pre-Super Bowl football theme, and we turned traditional game day snacks on their ear. Forget what you’ve heard about dude food. This one’s dedicated to the ladies.

To start, there was the usual line-up of raw veggies and ranch dip.

Crispy, crunchy veggies with homemade Ranch = yum!

Of course, it’s not a party without a good layered nacho dip, am I right?

Nacho Dip - so many layers, so little time

And I don’t know about you, but come game day – I hafta get my queso on.

Heart be still - it's a big vat of ooey gooey cheese

This is my recipe for easy Queso Blanco. In a large saucepan, brown one pound of hot breakfast sausage, mashing it into little pieces as it cooks. If it’s too greasy, drain it. Throw in 2 cans (4 ozs. each) of roasted mild green chilies, 2-3 diced jalapenos (depending on how much heat you can take), a one-pound box of Velveeta (cubed) and one pound of white American cheese from your grocer’s deli (sliced thin works well since it melts faster). Put a lid on the pan and let it simmer over low heat until the cheese is mostly melted, then add enough milk to bring it to your desired consistency. I like mine in the medium range. For me, runny queso is no bueno and queso that’s too thick makes me think of my colon and the prune juice I’ll be shopping for tomorrow (sorry for the visual).

Next up, my take on buffalo wings. Here’s my take – they’re too dang messy.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls - much easier to eat, ladies.

Taking inspiration from my phobia of dirty hands and the blog ‘Can You Stay for Dinner?’, I made Buffalo Chicken Rolls instead. Andie’s version is fancier than mine, but she inspired this treat. To start, I simmered 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs and 2 boneless/skinless breasts until they were fall-apart tender, then I let the cool and chopped them into tiny bits. I threw them in a bowl and tossed them with one 16-ounce jar of Hooter’s Wing Sauce and 1 1/2 cups of grated Monterrey Jack cheese. I stirred it all together until it formed a cohesive ball, then I scooped it one tablespoon at a shot onto wonton wrappers. Using a little water around the edges so they would stick, I rolled each wonton wrapper into a miniature eggroll. Once they were all wrapped, I placed them onto wire racks set over rimmed baking sheets (because the oil from the wing sauce WILL find a way to leak out), sprayed them lightly with cooking spray to help them crisp up, and baked them for 30-40 minutes at 350F until they were golden brown and crispy on the outside. Served up with a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot wing sauce and a bowl of creamy blue cheese dip, these had all of the flavor and none of the mess of traditional hot wings. It was a total win/win.

Next up, my friend Kaki’s award winning championship chili with all the fixins’.

The chili station. I want to live here.

I can’t give you the recipe for Kaki’s chili. Seriously, it’s her competition chili. And when I say competition chili, I am NOT. MESSING. AROUND. She travels the U.S. with her new cutie patootie husband competing in state and national chili championships. She doesn’t have a sash, but she is a former Arizona state champion. Her husband competes, too, using his own special recipe. He’s a former Tennessee state champion. No foolin. They’ve been to nationals, y’all! So while I can’t share the recipe, I can tell you that Kaki’s chili is thick and beefy and has just the right amount of burn that radiates through your entire palate when you eat it. It’s perfection. Please don’t ask if she puts beans in it, or I’mma hafta hurt you. Sorry, but it’s a Texas thing.

If you’re like me you’re already thinking ‘yeah, that’s great… but where’s dessert?’ Did you miss it? I’ve already shown it to you. Let’s take a closer look.

That's not layered dip. It's Nacho Average Cheesecake!

That’s right. That pan of layered nacho dip is not dip at all. It’s a cheesecake. Go ahead and take a minute to be blown away. Give me your best E-Trade baby ‘surprised face.’ This clever little beauty came from the Food Network Magazine. Not only is it the most adorable football game day dessert ever, but it was also a ton of fun to make. Basically, it’s a simple cheesecake topped with various candies and pie crust ‘tortilla chips’ that so closely resemble the real deal, most of the ladies walked right up to it and had no idea it was dessert. So not only is it fun to make, and extremely clever, but it also serves as an awesome ‘I just punked my guests’ surprise that no one will ever see coming.

I can’t share the recipe since it’s copyrighted material, but Food Network has it posted online here. I will tell you that I made one substitution. Instead of using sour cream, I used an inexpensive tub of store brand cream cheese frosting. Half the tub went over the top of the cooled cheesecake to mimic sour cream, and the other half of the tub was tinted orange to mimic the melted cheese poured over the top. I left off the black licorice fake olives. Eeesh… can’t stand black licorice!

Best. Game Day Dessert. Ever.

You have to try this one. Please promise me you’ll try it. It will put the fun back in Super Bowl Funday. So Dude Food? It’s a total myth. And we just debunked that sucker. Booyah, boys!

Need cookies in a hurry? Try these beauties!

Forty-five minutes. That’s all you’ll need. Seriously, that’s how quick and easy these cookies are. See for yourself!

NanaBread’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies:
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of Peanut Butter & Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
good pinch of salt
1 cup roasted peanuts (I used lightly salted)

Plus 2-3 tablespoons of sugar for sprinkling on top

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Dump all cookie ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. The dough will be a little thick, so I used a heavy wooden spoon. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, form dough into walnut-size or golf ball size balls. {Yes, I said balls. Stop giggling.} Place about 2″ apart on an ungreased non-stick cookie sheet (or use silpat mats, if you have them) and sprinkle with additional granulated sugar. Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until the cookies start to crack as seen in the photos. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Makes 24-30 cookies.

See? Chocolate peanut butter cookies in under an hour. Start to finish. It might take longer to run to the store for a gallon of milk. Now let’s dig in!

Seriously. Is there anything better than warm cookies & cold milk?

This mystery takes place in Galveston, a city rich in history and local lore. One such tale involves Ewing Hall at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Legend has it the original land owner left this coveted parcel of Galveston Island real estate to his family with one important condition – that it be kept in the family and never sold. Upon his death, his children promptly sold the land. (Kids!) Years later, this building was constructed as part of the University of Texas medical center campus.

Ewing Hall at UTMB in Galveston - an unassuming facade, for sure.

Here’s where the creep factor comes in. Inexplicably, a phantom face began to appear on the exterior of the building. Look at the photo above. Can you see it? Look at the center of the building, just above the dark door. Here’s a closer look:

UTMB's Phantom Face - Can you see him now?

See him now? Hovering over the black door? That’s the guy. Our mystery man. Legend has it he is the original land owner. The one who requested his land never be sold. The one who supposedly was so distraught by his family’s betrayal that he appeared on the exterior of the building and has been there ever since.

But it gets spookier. See how he appears in the third panel down from the roof? Well, that’s not where he started. Originally, he appeared in the top panel two squares up from where he is now. When he appeared, it caused a stir and the building’s owners had him sandblasted off the building. And then he returned in the next square down, on the second row, where he was again sandblasted away. And now? Now he’s back on the third row, where he remains to this day.

The phantom's final resting place, or so the legend goes.

If you look closely, you can see that the first and second panels appear to have been sandblasted. The pebbled sandy texture of the panels is gone when compared to the rest of the building. So could the legend be true? Could the place be haunted by a phantom as a reminder to his family that their betrayal is neither forgotten nor forgiven? Could he be faithfully guarding the land that he loved so dearly? Could this all be a bunch of hooey? Who knows.

But wait, there’s more! As if the legend of the phantom is not creepy enough, there’s more. Want to know the rumor behind why they never sandblasted him from this current spot? Because they were afraid he would move down to the door and come into the building. WHAT?!? Well, I guess that makes some kind of twisted sense, since he has moved down 2 levels already. Next stop – the black door. {chills} Man, I love a good ghost story!

So there you have it. Is it true? Who could possibly know for sure? It’s more a matter of belief. Do you believe in phantoms or legends or ghosts? Do you have a story to share about a phantom sighting? Or do you think it’s all a bunch of hysterical nonsense? As the saying goes, “Only the Phantom knows!”

Note: Special thanks to The Complete Package (my beloved husband) for providing the photos in this story. His recent motorcycle ride to Galveston to see this local legend with his own eyes provided the inspiration for this post.

I don't know how it works, but it does and it's delicious!

Crustless Coconut Pie:

1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 1/4 cups of milk
1/2 cup of Bisquick, Pioneer or other dry baking/biscuit mix
3 whole eggs
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut

Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Put all ingredients except for the coconut into a blender and blend on low speed for 3 minutes. Pour into a greased 10″ pie plate or casserole dish (I used a rectangle Pyrex). This will puff, so don’t fill your dish to the very top. Let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the ingredients to settle properly, then sprinkle the coconut evenly across the top.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet with a raised edge (to prevent spills) and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, the center is slightly jiggly, and a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool to completely. Like a souffle, this will deflate as it cools, so don’t panic if you notice shrinkage.

Serve at room temperature for best results. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator. Serves 6-8, depending on serving size.

Gorgeous and golden straight from the oven.

Note: This recipe was adapted from the Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart Blog who adapted it from the Favorite Brand-Name Best-Loved Recipes of All Time published in 1996 by Publications Limited. Her photo, by the way, is gorgeous. So if you want to see a spectacular photo of this pie, click on the link and be prepared to drool. My version is a cross between her recipe & my mother’s.

I rode in the Goodyear Blimp as a child. I was maybe 6 or 7 years old and I wore my Brownie uniform. It was a special occasion, after all.

We have 13 bottles of hot sauce in our fridge & 2 in the pantry. Clearly, addiction is in play here. My favorite is a garlic & chili paste. It’s glorious.

I dream of owning a cabin on a lake (or river) with a giant porch, a bunk room, and a huge stone fireplace indoors as well as a fire pit by the water. I’ve devoted an entire Pinterest page to pinning ideas for said lake house.

Speaking of Pinterest, that s#it’s addicting! It’s the laziest version of scrapbooking I’ve ever seen. On the upside, I will never again have a drawer full of torn-out magazine pages again. Bonus!

I played the French Horn for six years (yes, I was a band geek). I dropped out late in high school when the band director wouldn’t stop screaming at students. He had anger management issues, and I don’t like angry men. It’s a shame, too. It’s a beautiful instrument, and I coulda’ been a contendah.

I love my coffee. I only drink one cup a day, but I enjoy it thoroughly.

Speaking of caffeine, I usually try to avoid it. Sometimes, however, coffee and Dr Pepper lead me astray. Don’t get me started on the Dublin Dr Pepper thing. People are not happy with Dr Pepper, and I’m one. Shame on them. Shame!

One of my favorite meals is my mother’s recipe for beef stroganoff. She makes it with sour cream, thinly sliced sirloin, mushrooms and buttered noodles. It’s so good, I sometimes eat the leftover stroganoff cold right out of the fridge. I am not the least bit apologetic about that. I also love cold pizza for breakfast, in case you’re following my trends.

Mom's Beef Stroganoff - beefy, creamy & delicious

I’m a dog girl. It’s not that I don’t like cats, I just don’t want one. I cannot, however, resist a cute dog. I get especially gooey around puppies. When Ziggy was a baby, I could hold him in the palm of my hand. He was the cutest puppy ever. He’s still handsome (in case he’s reading this), he’s just crankier now that he’s almost 13, or 91 if you’re counting in dog years.

I love our Tempurpedic mattress. We had a water-bed for far too many years (please don’t ask). Since we bought the Tempurpedic, we’ve never looked back. It’s one of the best purchases we’ve ever made as a married couple.

I also love my Jeep Liberty. It’s a 2003 and has just under 125,000 miles on it. Well-earned miles. Our longest road trip in the Jeep was from Houston to North Carolina and back. Our most frequent trips involve weekend jaunts to Austin to see the kids. We love visiting our babies.

Jonah Bear, Bama Boy, Lilly Bug & My Baby - Christmas 2010

Given a choice between bathroomy scents and foody scents, I choose foody. Candles, cologne, air freshener – I love the scent of vanilla, almond, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, lemon pound-cake, cucumber. I get choked up around strong scents like magnolia, lavender, etc. It may be psychological instead of physiological, but it still happens.

Wood floors or carpet? Well, we have both. We put wood in downstairs and waited to decide what to do the upstairs to give us time to adjust to wood. I’m starting to think wood upstairs would be nice. Wood with big rugs.

Cake or Pie? I choose pie. Especially fruit pies. Not that I’d turn down a custard pie, but fruit is my favorite. Blueberry, cherry, coconut cream, pumpkin. LOVE pie. My friend Kirsten sent me a big jar of home canned Michigan cherries. I’m considering saving them for a homemade cherry pie this spring for our ‘ladies only’ Hoegarden Weekend. Sharing them with family appeals to me.

My oh my - I love pie!

I will never be a vegetarian. I love meat. Especially bacon. And steak.

Travel is my favorite hobby but it’s expensive, which is why we can’t do it as often as say origami. Or sewing. Or blogging, which is even cheaper. But when I win the lottery, I’m getting out of here, baby! I’m gonna SEE THE WORLD (even more). Some people want an RV. I want a Eur-Rail Pass.

We once joked about adopting a cow in Switzerland. No kidding, you can do that. We saw it on TV. You get a photo of your cow, you have to agree to visit it once in your lifetime (score!), and you get 200 pounds of cheese from your cow shipped directly to your door. The only thing stopping us was the fact that you could buy a car cheaper than you could rent a cow.

My 4 sisters & I grew up watching The Muppet Show and Sunday night Disney features. Loved it. Mom also registered us for the Weekly Readers program, so we read a lot of books. It’s true what they say. Reading IS fundamental.

Growing up, we went camping for virtually every family vacation. I loved it then, but my idea of camping now is a rustic (but fully furnished) cabin on a lake in the Canadian Rockies. As my mother always said, I have champagne taste on a beer budget. But now that we’re older, we buy better beer.

We loved our week at this rental cabin in Glacier National Park

Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. Some people think it’s hokey and corny and sentimental and over the top, but that’s exactly why I love it. It’s so full of surprises and emotion and promise. I can’t even think about Forrest talking to Jenny under the tree at the end of the movie without crying. It just touches me.

I’m a Pisces. I’ll be 49 in March and I have the gray hairs to prove it. Not too many (yet). Just enough to remind me I’m not 29 anymore.

Molasses. I can’t get enough. There. I said it.

Okay, you probably tuned out right after ‘I played the French horn’ so I’ll end this now. There’s more. Oh, yes, there is more. But my cup of coffee is starting to wear off, and you know I’m not this chatty when I’m caffeine-free. So enough about me. Tell me one thing about yourself that most people don’t know. It doesn’t have to be salacious. Just interesting or quirky. Hit me with it. I promise not to judge. Aaaaaaaaaand GO!

Tortellini Soup - From NanaBread to You, With Love

Ingredients List:

1 rotisserie chicken (plain) from your grocer’s deli
1 32-oz. carton of organic chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15-oz. can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 9-oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 10-oz. package of cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon of McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of dried oregano and basil
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
parmesan cheese & chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley, for garnish

Place the rotisserie chicken in a large heavy-bottomed pot and pour in the carton of chicken broth. Cover and simmer until the chicken is thoroughly heated and begins to fall apart. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and allow it to cool until you can chop it without burning yourself. Strain the chicken broth to remove any kibbles and bits and return it to the pan. If needed, add a cup or two of water to create more broth. (May be necessary if your broth simmers too long and/or reduces too quickly.)

Over medium heat, bring the broth back to a simmer. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and seasonings. If you like a little spice, throw in that pinch of red pepper flakes. While that simmers, bone the chicken and chop it into bite-size pieces. If you’re feeding a crowd, use all of the chopped chicken. If you’re not, use half the chicken and save the rest for chicken salad tomorrow night. Return the chopped chicken to the pot. Add the spinach and tortellini. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes. Taste to see if it needs additional salt and pepper. I also like to taste one of the tortellini to make sure they’re done. If you like your soup on the thicker side, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and whisk until smooth; stir into the soup.

To serve, spoon into bowls and top with chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese. A great loaf of crusty bread is the perfect side to this soup.

Substitutions:
1. make with beef broth and ground beef (my friend’s version)
2. use cheese, spinach, or meat tortellini – your choice
3. use mini-ravioli instead of tortellini
4. leave out the tomatoes for a clear broth (great for colds)
5. substitute the pasta of your choosing for the tortellini
6. substitute browned Italian sausage for chicken or beef
7. substitute fresh spinach, kale or other favorite greens

Helpful Hint:
Prepping early can save a ton of time! Simmer your chicken in broth in advance. Strain the broth and store in airtight containers until needed (fridge for 2-3 days/freezer for 2-3 weeks). Bone and chop the chicken and refrigerate or freeze separately from the broth. If you prep these 2 things in advance, you can make this soup in under an hour. Just place the frozen broth in a pan and heat to simmering. Add the chicken and other ingredients, except for the parsley and parmesan. Heat until thoroughly warmed, season to taste, and sprinkle with parsley and parmesan cheese. See? I told you it was easy.

Go make this soup. You know you want to.