Muffin Top

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You can now find my blog at www.allthelittlepieces.com - thanks for stopping by! See you there!

Tastebud Tuesday: Chicken Tortellini Soup

Brrr... what a great day for a steamy bowl of hearty soup! I got this recipe from my mom, but actually hadn't made it in years - until last night. You know it's good news when everyone requests seconds and thirds!

The recipe makes quite a bit, so I ended up sharing some with my neighbor and freezing the rest for another chilly night!  

And hey - don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients. If it looks like a lot of chopping, then just buy the pre-chopped veggies from your produce section, and use the jarred chopped garlic. Half of the other ingredients are dried spices that you probably already have, and if you're missing one (unless it's salt!) then you'll be fine.

You know the rule - if I can make it, your toddler you can make it. Now go butter some bread so you can soak up every last drop of this deliciousness.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 package shredded cabbage (or coleslaw -- which is all I could find, and really just gives you some extra shredded carrot & a bit of red cabbage)
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used part of a rotisserie chicken from Costco)
- 3-4 cups chicken broth (I made my own from the rotisserie chicken using this recipe! But you could also just use 2- 14 oz cans from the store)
- chicken bouillon (I used low sodium "Better than Bouillon" -- if you use low sodium like I did, you may need to add a bit more salt at the end; same if you use low-sodium chicken broth)
- 2 packages cheese tortellini (total of 18-20 oz)
- olive oil (a few Tbsp for sauteing veggies)

1. In a large soup pot, saute onion, carrots, celery, & garlic in olive oil.

2. Add shredded cabbage. Saute until cabbage is soft.

3. Add spices (thyme thru bay leaf) -- please note, measurements are for dried herbs; if you're using fresh, adjust accordingly!

4. Add chicken & broth.

5. Add enough water to almost fill the pot - but remember to leave room for the tortellini! Add 1 tsp bouillon per cup of water. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover & simmer 30 minutes.

6. Add tortellini and cook as directed on package (mine called for bringing back to boil for 7-9 minutes).

7. TAKE OUT THE BAY LEAF!!!! I always forget to do this when I use a bay leaf, and some pour soul ends up chewing on the stupid thing. Don't be like me!

Hope your family enjoys this as much as mine!

#firstfridayfinds: Made Clean

I'm taking a dare. I'm already three days late, but I don't even care. One of my favorite people on the planet has started something she's calling #firstfridayfinds, and I want in! I think the idea is fantastic - as is everything she writes. (You should definitely check it out at her website www.mywordsandwonder.com. You'll be so glad you did.)

You can read the details by clicking on the picture above - but in a nutshell, on the first friday of each month (told you I was already three days late - oops) I'm going to open up my Bible and thoughtfully, prayerfully read any one verse. And then write for 15 minutes. Pretty simple! So without further ado, here's my find...

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Acts 10:15

You can read the verse in context here. But verse 15 practically jumped off the page to me. In its context, the voice is speaking to Peter about food Peter believes he can't eat. In the context of my living room this afternoon, the voice is speaking to me about... me.

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

But, Lord, what about when I've yelled at my kids and I've snapped at my husband? What about when I'm just a gross human being?

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

Even when I'm acting my "grossest." Or better (worse?) yet, when I'm shiny on the outside but a nasty mess on the inside... Jesus came for me. He died and rose again to rescue me. And you. And her. Whoever she is.

I believe Jesus is the Son of God. I believe He died and rose again, paying the price I owed for my sin. And I believe that He has made me new. Clean.

So, if I'm being ugly, it's not because I am ugly. It's because I'm forgetting who I am. And I'm forgetting Whose I am.

Who are you?

Whose are you?

Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

He's speaking that over us today, friends. Let us speak it over one another as well. Let us stop calling ourselves - and each other - horrible things, and get busy being who we really are.