Baby Shower Time

This weekend we are on the road again, headed home to celebrate JR's birthday with the family and also have Leann's baby shower! I have been back at it on the monogram machine making my sweet nephew all sorts of fun things. Of course there are ORANGE things, then there are things that say "I love my Aunt Lindsey" and "I love my Uncle JR and so on and so forth. I had to give a picture of my favorite one though....

For those of you who do not know, Phillip is JR's middle brother. He is 24 and a studly young man... and desperately seeking a wife. HAha ok I am sorry that is not true, he is not desperate. And I really dont think he is worried about finding a wife right now because he is very dedicated to his new job of selling houses and looks forward to going to seminary soon. We all love to give him a hard time about the girl thing though b/c both of the other brothers are married and so it is always the joke at family gatherings to talk about where Phil's girl is :) I love you bro, you know that ha! Anyways, I thought Tristan might be able to help him out a little since you know babies are always chick magnets :)


I have also been busy in the kitchen this week and thought I would share a few more recipes. Taco Soup (given to me by Christina Todd) and Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup (given by Katie Landers). Both are very tasty and perfect for cold and rainy weather :)

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef 2 cans of niblets corn

1 pack of taco seasoning mix 1 can black beans

1 pack of dry ranch seasoning mix 1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans 1 can stewed tomatoes or Rotel/diced tomatoes

Brown ground beef & drain. Dump all ingredients in crock pot, plus 1.5 cans of water & stir around. Cook on low for several hours (I usually let it cook about 4 or 5 hours) or cook on high for an hour. Serve w/ saltines or corn bread. Use shredded cheese and/or sour cream as toppings. Serves about 6. Enjoy!

Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup (Serves 8-10)

8 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1 onion, chopped fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 quarts chicken broth

1 package chicken breast

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

2 (9 oz) pkgs fresh spinach with cheese filling tortellini

salt and pepper

grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook bacon in a large pot on med. heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towl lined plate.

2.Stir onion into bacon grease in now empty pot and cook until browned about 8 min. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook unil fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add broth and chicken, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 min.Turn off heat. with a slotted spoon, remove chicken, cool slightly and shred into small peices.

4. Return soup to simmer. Add drained spinach and tortellini and simmer until pasta is tender, about 3 min. Add shredded chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with bacon and cheese, passing more cheese at the table.

Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!!!