Creamy Tortellini and Spinach Soup

Maybe it's just being back in the Northwest and realizing how cold it is...but I have been CRAVING soup lately!! There's just something about eating a hot bowl of soup on a cold winters night. Dominik is not ever excited to see soup on the menu, but Parker really loves it! TJ loves it, and Maylee can pick through it...so 4 out of 5 fans isn't bad in my book. Being the carnivore family that we are I also like to add chicken, but if that's not your thing then by all means, feel free to omit. The tortellini is also pretty diverse, in that you can use tortellini filled with cheese, meat, veggies, whatever you please. I love the 5 cheese tortellini from Costco and I add the pre-shredded rotisserie chicken so the soup comes together in minutes. The best kind of recipe!!

1 cup diced and cooked chicken breast
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 quart half and half
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme salt and pepper to taste
16 oz package tortellini

 In a large stockpot, saute the onion, celery and garlic in the butter and olive oil. When the onion is clear, add the four and form a roux. Stir and cook a minute. Add the half and half. Add the carrots and the chicken to the stockpot with the roux. Stir often and when it gets thicker, add the chicken broth, tortellini, spinach, and seasonings. Cover and heat through. Simmer on low heat until ready to serve.

Creme Brulee Croissant French Toast

This is our new Christmas tradition. I absolutely LOVED being able to prepare this the night before Christmas so that on Christmas morning I didn't have to spend all morning in the kitchen and yet still had this amazing dish to serve my family. I have made overnight french toasts before and they are either not moist enough...or too mushy to even get down. This was absolutely perfect...sweet as all get out...but absolutely divine! My whole family raved about it and pleaded that it be made every Christmas from here on out. When served with a few strawberries over the top and some bacon on the side...that right there my friends is a winning breakfast and worthy of a Christmas morning!

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp corn syrup
12 medium sized croissants torn into bite sized pieces
9 eggs
3 cups half and half
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
3/4 tsp salt

 In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture becomes slightly translucent. Pour caramel sauce into a greased 10x13 pan and spread evenly. Put the torn pieces of croissant evenly over the sauce. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the croissants trying to cover all the pieces. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the tops of croissants are crispy and golden brown. Serve with syrup, sliced berries, and whipped cream. In case it wasn't already sweet enough...hahahahaha

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs with Taziki Sauce

These chicken kebabs are amazing. They hit all the right notes in terms of what you expect middle eastern food to taste like. And pretty much anything served on a stick is just a fun way to eat! These kebabs were served at our ward Christmas party when we did "A Night in Bethlehem." I made them for 200 people and used 80 lbs of chicken. They were all devoured and I had so many requests for the recipe. The marinade comes together pretty quickly and is pretty versatile depending on how you want to cook it. You can skewer the raw meat and then BBQ, or chunk the chicken...saute in a skillet...and then skewer. You could probably even skewer the raw meat and then bake with a quick broil to finish it off. The possibilities are endless and can really cater to what works best for you. For the ward party I marinated the chicken chunks and sauted in a skillet. I reduced the sauce down until it was pretty thick and then let the chicken come to room temperature in the sauce. I skewered the chunks and then hit them under the broiler just before serving. They were so so so good!

Marinade
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (reduce depending on desired level of spiciness)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 minced garlic cloves
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2" cubes
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
15 8" bamboo (or metal) skewers

 Taziki Sauce
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced fine
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

 In a large bowl, combined all the ingredients except the chicken. Mix and then add chicken chunks. Marinate overnight, and for up to 3 days. At this point you can either thread the chicken onto skewers and then BBQ or saute in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the sauce has reduced to a ketchup like consistency. Whether the chicken is raw or cooked, when threading meat onto a skewer alternate pieces of chicken with purple onion. Onions will either cook on the BBQ or under the broiler.

 For the Taziki sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well. If you prefer a smoother texture you can just run it through a food processor. Serve as a dipping sauce for chicken.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

I made this hummus for a ward Christmas party for like 200 people. Making that quantity is a bit tricky because I tend to be a "little of this, little of that" type of a cook. So keeping flavors consistent and still delicious gets hard. However, no matter how many variations of this recipe that I made, it turned out delicious every single time! People raved about it and lots of people asked for the recipe...that's the mark of a quality recipe in my book! I love that this recipe can be flavored to hit preferences...some people like a bit more garlic while others love the cumin. It's really a "choose your own adventure" recipe that works great when you add more/less of the things that you like and don't like. Enjoy!!

1 large head roasted garlic - I have used regular garlic in a pinch and it's still delicious!
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 15oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp tahini paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
2-3 Tbsp water Garnish: Fresh Parsley, minced
Drizzle of olive oil

Sprinkle of paprika In a food processor, add chick peas, lemon juice, tahini paste, salt, cumin, and rosemary...pulse for about 60 seconds. Scrape down sided and bottom of food processor, add roasted garlic and turn on blender. Slowly add the olive oil and then add water a little at a time in order to get your desired consistency. To serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with desired garnishes. Serve with fresh pita, naan, pita chips, and/or fresh veggies. Enjoy!!