Tortellini, Harper & a road trip

Deep breathe- the past 5 days have been busy!  Here is what we've been up to....

Last week I tried this recipe from THURSDAYS:  Baked Spinach and Pumpkin Tortellini

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 lbs spinach and cheese tortellini
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 8 oz shredded parmesan
• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp all spice
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper 

Preheat oven to 400˚ F.  Cook tortellini according to the directions on the packages.  Take out a large skillet and melt the butter over medium heat.  Next add the onion and garlic and sauté for five minutes.  Add the flour and after a minute pour in the milk into the pan.  Add nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice, salt, and pepper.  Stir with a whisk continuously for 3-4 minutes so that it begins to thicken.  Add the pumpkin puree and tortellini to the pan and stir to mix.

Remove from heat and transfer tortellini mix to a 13 x 9”baking pan.  Cover with 8 ounces of shaved Parmesan.  Bake for ten minutes and enjoy!

 

So, the recipe came out of the oven smelling like a million dollars full of pumpkin pie goodness.  Unfortunately, the smell far outweighed the taste and it was a little bit on the bland side.  It needs just a little something else, but I cannot yet put my finger on it.  Worth a try and great concept.  

I'm thrilled it is pumpkin season.  I actually had pumpkin pancakes for dinner!

By the way, the recipe made two pans.  One is still in my freezer and yes, we will be eating it sometime soon!

 

Thursday evening we had Owen and Chambliss over for dinner.  I'm so thankful for their friendship.  Brad and I always really enjoy being with them as a couple.  We are all honest, open and can be ourselves.  Recently Owen (and Chambliss) had the pleasure of spending some quality time with Rob Bell (jealous- yes!) and showing him around our hometown during one of his recent speaking engagements.  Of course, he is a totally awesome, down-to-Earth guy.  So, I was inspired to hear some of his teachings over the weekend.  I listend to a sermon on Matthew 5:37.  I loved it.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

Then Brad's mom arrived around 10pm Thursdy evening.  She drove up and was headed to see Kelly and wait for the baby.  We got a call at 5am Friday morning that Kelly was in labor.  So, Barbara hit the road early and we were quick to follow Friday evening. 

Harper arrived Friday afternoon - 10/15/10- and we were thrilled to meet her on Saturday morning!

      

It was fun to be with family and we enjoyed being close enough to make the trip to welcome Harper!

Traffic and travels.  At 15 months old it is impossible to feed Lillie in the car.  She MUST feed herself, so it goes everywhere.  We hit some bad traffic and were forced to take a pit stop at a rest area on the way home.  Are we rednecks?

Happy trails y'all!