The Southern Lady Cooks

CHICKEN TORTELLINI SOUP

Posted on April 16, 2014 by The Southern Lady

Soup is one of my very favorite things to eat for lunch. Give me a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich and I am happy. I don’t care if it is summer or winter, soup is still my favorite. This Chicken Tortellini Soup with a grilled baby swiss cheese sandwich is perfect.

3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped (I use whatever chicken pieces I have on hand and bake it in the oven for my soup)

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth or about 3 or 4 cups

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Dash red pepper or hot sauce (Optional)

1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach, uncooked (could use frozen)

2 cups Barilla 3 Cheese All Natural Dry Tortellini

Grated Parmesan cheese ( I add about 1/2 cup of cheese to the soup but you can sprinkle it on top when you serve it, too.)

Combine chicken, broth, carrots, celery, onion, diced tomatoes, water, black pepper, and red pepper to the pot. Bring to boil, turn down to medium and cook until carrots and celery are tender. About 15 minutes. Add spinach and pasta and cook another 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is done. Can add Parmesan cheese to the soup or sprinkle on top. This makes about 10 – 12 servings. Freezes well and keeps for several days in the fridge. Enjoy!

Note: You could make this in the crock pot, too. Just cook on low for 6 or 7 hours and high for 4 or 5. I would add the tortellini in the last hour or so.

Don’t forget to check out these soup recipes:

French Onion Soup

Ham and Black Bean Soup

Ham and Dumplings

Filed under: Chicken Tortellini Soup | Tagged: chicken, cooking, easy recipes, Entertaining, Onions, recipes, soup, southern lady, tortellini, vegetables | Leave a Comment »

TSLC’S WEEKLY POTLUCK!

Posted on April 7, 2014 by The Southern Lady

Weekly Potluck will be bringing you recipes we think you might enjoy from our blogger friends around the internet. We will pick interesting food facts, tips, articles and items we think you might enjoy each week. You will be able to “share” with your friends by clicking on the Facebook, Pinterest or E-mail buttons at the bottom of each post. Thank you for your continued support of The Southern Lady Cooks! We love our fans!

5 Favorite Blogger Recipes for this week: Just click on the name of the recipe to go to the site and check it out. You will find lots of other good recipes on these sites, too.

FLUFFY CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS from The Country Cook Blog

MAMA’S CATFISH STEW from Southern With A Twist Blog

PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD Always a Southern favorite from South Your Mouth Blog

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA from Syrup and Biscuits Blog

SLOW COOKER COCA COLA PORK ROAST from Deep South Dish

TIP OF THE DAY

Toasters can be a fire hazard. Always remember to empty the crumb trays to keep your toaster in great working shape. Dry bread crumbs near the element can cause kitchen fires.

FOOD FACT:

The first published recipe for what we now know as German chocolate cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper in 1957 and came from a Texas homemaker. Read more at

http://www.snopes.com/business/names/cake.asp#Uc7AT3V6PIb2Xugw.99 German Chocolate Cake did not come from Germany!

WEEKLY QUOTE

“In the South, the breeze blows softer… neighbors are friendlier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)… This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names.”
-Charles Kuralt in Southerners: Portrait of a People

This is our first weekly potluck post. We will continue to add interesting stuff and recipes for your enjoyment each week.

Filed under: TSLC's Weekly Potluck | Tagged: cooking, food, potluck, quotes, recipes, Southern, southern lady, tips | 22 Comments »

APPLE PIE WITH PEANUT BUTTER CRUMBLE

Posted on April 6, 2014 by The Southern Lady

This apple pie has peanut butter and oats in the crumble on top. If you like apples and peanut butter, you will love this pie. It is great with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top for dessert or with milk for a snack anytime. I like it for breakfast with coffee.

1 (9 inch) pie shell, unbaked (I use Pillsbury frozen pie crust)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup white granulated sugar, divided (1/4 and 1/4)

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour, divided (3/4 and 1/4)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups apples, peeled and sliced or chopped (I used about 5 small red delicious apples, you can use any baking apple)

1 cup rolled oats (could use quick-cooking oats)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup peanut butter, (I used extra crunchy, can use regular)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, 1/4 cup flour and vanilla extract. Fold in apples and toss. Pour into pie shell. Mix together oats, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and ground cinnamon. Either in the microwave or on the stove melt the peanut butter and butter together until smooth. Add to the oat mixture and sprinkle over apples. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50-55 minutes until golden brown and center is set. Enjoy!

Note: This pie should be refrigerated.

Check out my post on Popular Apple Varieties and their Usage if you would like to know which apples are best used in baking.

Filed under: Apple Pie with Peanut Butter Crumble | Tagged: Apples, baking, crumble, dessert, Holidays, oats, peanut butter, pie, recipes, southern lady | 3 Comments »

MANDARIN ORANGE CAKE

Posted on April 2, 2014 by The Southern Lady

This Classic Mandarin Orange Cake is delicious and makes a wonderful dessert for any holiday meal. This cake is also called “Pig Pickin’ Cake or Pig Lickin’ Cake” in the South. An easy summertime dessert to serve family and guests.

Cake

1 (16.5 ounce) Duncan Hines Classic Butter Golden Cake Mix

3/4 cup cooking oil (I use Canola oil)

4 eggs

1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, undrained (Save several of the orange sections to decorate the top of your cake)

Frosting

1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

2 (8 ounce) cans crushed pineapple, undrained

1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed

In a large mixing bowl mix all the cake ingredients until well blended. Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Fill each cake pan with about 2 cups of cake mix. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes checking for doneness as ovens vary. Your layers will be thin. Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine all the frosting ingredients and mix together with a spoon. I don’t use a mixer for the frosting. Frost cake adding frosting between the layers.

Note: The original recipe for this cake called for an 11 ounce can of mandarin oranges for the cake. I used a 15 ounce can so I would have extra oranges to decorate the cake with and it worked great. I used all the juice from the 15 ounce can, too. It did not seem to make a difference. You could also bake this cake in 2 layers. You will just have thicker layers. My layers were only about an inch thick. You will not have big layers.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Butter Cake

Fruit Cocktail Cake

Nutty Pineapple Pistachio Cake

Filed under: Mandarin Orange Cake, Pig Lickin Cake, Pig Pickin Cake | Tagged: baking, brunch, cake, classic, cooking, dessert, dinner, easy recipes, Entertaining, food, Holidays, mandarin orange, pig lickin, pig pickin, recipes, Southern, southern lady | 23 Comments »

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