Fall Tea Treat

In California we are blessed with several Trader Joe's locations!

If you are not familiar with this great grocery store, be sure to try it any time you are near one! It is not to be missed! There are the standard veggies, fruits, meats, cheeses, and so much more at every location! 

Since it is Fall, the stores have been inundated with all things pumpkin! So many people get so excited about this and i am definitely not excluded from this. I, however, do not get all that excited about things like the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, because i am really not a coffee drinker! I am very much a tea drinker. Now, you say, why would i mention the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and Trader Joe's within the same paragraph? Well, i am merely establishing the fact that Fall has come, pumpkin flavored items are in abundance and while i usually avoid everyone's beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte, i have invariably found my substitute! Trader Joe's has come out with this yumminess this year:

Have you tried this stuff yet? 

What is your favorite Fall treat? 

 

Recipes in Review!

I'm hmm-ing and haw-ing about what to post today... but here goes nothin'! 

So, after this busy week, i realize how nice it was to have meals already prepared! This week for dinner I made Pasta Fagoli in the crock pot as well! I made a couple of changes and this recipe turned out wonderful. My only real change was on the pasta. I shop at Trader Joe's (love them!) and they have a really yummy selection of dried pasta. I especially like the pesto filled tortellini, but this week i went with the cheese filled tortellini! They were delicious in this recipe. The other thing i did to make this great for dinner every night was to keep the pasta separate from the soup. So all my left overs are now going into the freezer into individual servings! They will be great in a couple weeks and I won't have to make several recipes at once! I have quite a bit left over too because we took my mom out for Valentines day! 

We also had salads for lunches this week and I made a yummy rice salad that we put on top of our salad greens and then added crock pot BBQ chick for a little bit of protein! I found the recipe for Crock pot BBQ Chicken here. The chicken recipe was delicious, but if you don't like too much spice, go easy on the pepper flakes! For my hubs and i the chicken was perfect! The brown rice salad recipe (found here) was delicious by itself! It would be a great item to bring to a summer BBQ and share with a bunch! The veggies were crisp and the spice just right! 

That is the week in review for the food coming from my kitchen! Now I'm off to go figure out what to make for the upcoming week. Hope you try one of these recipes! What did you make to eat this week? 

New look! New Menu!

Busy as a Honey Bee has a new look! Thanks to Lee Lou Blogs for the free template that I really love! Let me know what you think! I have also added a few widgets to give my blog a little more structure! You can even see the blogs I follow and where I get inspiration!

One spot I found inspiration today is in my friend Jami's new blog! She is a Somewhat Domesticated blogger! I can't wait to read more and learn about all of her newly married adventures! So glad to have you join the blogging world again Jami!

So my hunger has also inspired this week's menu plans... this week we will be having a Santa Fe Chicken Salad and for dinner we will be having Lasagna Soup! The original recipe can be found when you click the link ... but here's my version --- I edited it to make it healthier! 

Lasagna Soup

INGREDIENTS

for the soup:

1-1/2 lbs. Italian seasoned Ground Turkey

3 c. chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 can tomato paste

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

6 c. chicken stock

8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:

8 oz. fat free ricotta

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add ground, breaking up into bite sized pieces until the turkey is no longer pink. Add onions when the turkey is about half cooked and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. 

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings:  8

Last night's menu was fun as well.... Italian Style Meatloaf from my trusty friend Trader Joe's and I paired it with some fozen peas and small portions of pasta with butter and a little garlic! My husband loved it! 

I also realized that I never posted what the Three Bean Turkey Chili Ala Simone looked like! I wish I could have posted the smell... 'cause it smelled delicious!!! Here's the shot:

Hope you get to enjoy this yummy soup soon!