Pizza Bites

I recently discovered a new blog that I love!  I got this recipe from Our Best Bites and you can find step by step instructions here.  This was fast and really good - everyone liked this dinner and the filling possibilities are endless.  We had pepperoni and hawaiian (canadian bacon & pineapple).  I can't wait to try other fillings as I will definitely be making this fun dinner again. 

taste test approved by my crazy little man.

Tip: I used block mozzarella cheese - how did I never know this even existed?  It's right by the block cheddar/shredded cheeses.  Just cut it up - I only used 1/4 block for 24 pizza bites so we have plenty left over for snack this week - score one for me. 

Tortellini Soup

I saw a Giada recipe for tortellini soup last week and knew I wanted to make it for our "snow day".  When I was looking at the recipe a second time I decided I wanted to change it a little bit and it was so good.  My whole family loved this soup and between the 3 we ate a ton for dinner one night and then finished it off for lunch the next day.   It was almost as easy as making soup out of a can - and a million times better!

Ingredients:
10 cups chicken broth (I bought 2 of the huge cartons of broth at the store)
2 9-ounce packages refrigerated tortellini
2. 5 cups fresh spinach (this was about half a bag)
fresh ground black pepper, salt, italian seasoning to taste.

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat (I used my dutch oven - any type of  heavy, deep pan will work).  Add tortellini and let simmer over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add spinach and seasonings and let simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes.

I topped it with a little bit of mozzarella/parmesan cheese mix - but I top pretty much everything with cheese.  It was perfect on a cold night - warm and filling without being too heavy.  I was worried it might be a little bland but it was yummy.  You can always add chicken broth to leftovers if it is not soup-y enough for you.