Categories
Food

Tortellini Florentine Soup

Another great thing about going home to my parents’ house is getting yummy recipe from my mom & her friends. We made this for lunch yesterday for 3 of us then I ate a little for dinner last night & there’s still enough left over for my dinner tonight. {Our bowls are angled, the soup & table are level!}Tortellini Florentine Soup
Ingredients
1 9oz package tortellini (we used portabella mushroom & cheese)
2 14oz cans chicken broth
10 oz jar Classico sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips (we love these so we used the entire 8 oz jar)
3 c fresh baby spinach
1 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb spicy Italian sausage (we omitted)

Directions
Cook pasta, drain & set aside.
Cook sausage, drain & set aside.
Combine broth, alfredo sauce & tomatoes. Heat to boiling.
Then add cooked tortellini, sausage (if using) & spinach. Stir to wilt spinach.
Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!I reheated it tonight on the stove for 5 minutes. I added a little more broth since I figured some would cook off.
By the way, Mom’s friend doubled it & used 3 lb sausage (2 spicy & 1 mild).

Categories
Family/Travel

Weekend Wrapup

Since I posted Thursday night that we were going my parents’ house for my HS reunion, I thought I’d post about it & share some photos too. We left early {like 7am early & 36 degrees out} so that we were in VA in time for brunch. My mom & I met up with some great family friends (Tricia, Emily & Katie) at Cracker Barrel for brunch. I ordered the Country Morning breakfast (2 eggs, grits & biscuits) and also had one of my mom’s Apple Strudel French Toast. Yes, it was every bite as awesome as it sounds! Emily lives in the Philly area and just happened to be in town for a quick vacation so it was awesome to see them & catch up. Emily had a hair appt at noon so we said goodbye after an hour+ of chatting!

Mom & I then ran to Stein Mart and both found a few deals. Mom even got me a Christmas gift {that I’m supposed to forget about}. We walked over to Old Navy & she found a jean skirt & I showed her to jacket I’d bought online which looks even cuter in person! Mom bought some lotion for my Ma at Bath & Body & a pumpkin to decorate her nursing home room at Kohl’s. We then headed to Costco. I’ve told them that we’d like a DSLR camera for my birthday/Christmas, so we looked at what they had. We also took advantage of the Saturday samples as a good mid-afternoon snack! {DSLR owners, please comment what you have & what you’d recommend! TIA!}

My brother stopped by with my “niece” Saturday afternoon. Taking a photo with a French Bulldog is tough. This is the best one I was able to get with the two of us. Quinn is too stinkin’ ugly which just makes her & her grunts so cute! Jason solved Steven’s computer problems {the offical reason my brother stopped by} and we watched a little football too.

Next thing I knew, we were running late to get ready for the reunion which was held at Shula’s. {photo from website & view is from hotel lobby with restuarant on left} So after a quick shower & rush job of make up & hair, we ran out the door without the pre-reunion cocktail or photo! I did manage to grab the camera on the way out the door but realized at the end of the night that I didn’t manage to get a photo of Jaosn & I. I had a great time re-connecting with old friends and seeing people I hadn’t spoken to in 10 years. Everyone was nice & friendy. It was a smaller crowd, but that made it easy to make your way around talking to everyone.

It wasn’t organized really so it was after 8 when Jason & I realized we were really hungry! Jason ordered the Shula’s Cowboy steak & I got a crabcake sandwich that was amazing! I’d enjoyed a delicious pomegrante martini & was working on a glass of Pinot Grigio. Both drinks were worth the $11 price tag each!
I’m looking forward to keeping more in touch with a lot of the people I saw via Facebook, especially all the girls in the photos above. I think I’ll actually become closer again with Liz & Sejal. Liz & her husband live in NYC. Jason’s never been so I really hope we get up there to visit them soon! Sejal & her husband live in Charlotte so I might actually see them next weekend. The three of us attempted to take a photo. After 4 tries with my camera, I gave up on a good one of the three of us {mostly my eyes closed, I’m talking, weird smile, etc}. But I thought the two below were cute!
Jason woke up with more than a little hangover due to more than a few beers & being “over served” on wine. I woke up with a dry throat from talking all night! After a great church service with Mom, we made & enjoyed some soup then headed back south for home. Great weekend! Hope yours was just as fun.